Page 35 of Living with Fire
Holding her hips has consequences of its own. With her pajama pants so low, and the worn out t-shirt riding up with her arms high, my hands find purchase along her skin. She’s warm and pliable beneath my touch, and I know I should remove myself from her body, but fuck, I’ve wondered about this little piece of skin since yesterday morning, and I’m having trouble not committing it to memory while this moment is here within my grasp.
Savanna releases her hold around my neck and leans away from me, but her hands remain on my shoulders, her face lit up in excitement. “Seriously, I think you’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a really long time.”
I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks at her praise, so I shake my head and her compliment away, even though my chest wants to puff out in pride. “Not a big deal. Just helping where I can.”
“Does that often get you into trouble?” she asks, her tone a little more subdued.
I know she’s referring to Jordan, and I give a sigh, fighting the urge to run my hand through my hair because I really don’t want to stop touching her. “You caught that, huh?”
“She didn’t sound very happy, Nate. Are you sure it’s a good idea for me to work for you guys?”
I can feel her fingertips playing with the neckline of my shirt, and I swallow hard, commanding my eyes to stay locked on hers and not drop down to her breasts that only moments ago were pressed against me.
“Let me worry about Jordan,” I tell her, forcing myself not to smooth my thumb over the skin at her hip. “In the meantime, let’s focus on your stuff.” I’m rewarded when the tiny frown that had formed dissolves into a smile for me. “There’s a catch to getting your stuff. Tina won’t let you in the building.”
Savanna’s face falls just an inch. “But… you can go in?”
“As long as one of the guys comes with me, yeah. If you trust me, I’ll go in and get your stuff.” Something clouds her eyes, but it’s so fleeting I wonder if I imagined it. Before I can think better of it, I give her hips a slight squeeze, my tone soft as I add, “It’ll be better than nothing, because I’m pretty sure you’re not getting in there for at least a few weeks.”
I watch as she drops her eyes between us, her lip pulling between her teeth. I wonder if she wasn’t busy fiddling with my shirt if she would be picking at her nails like I’ve seen her do so often.
“I trust you,” she finally says quietly, her eyes lifting to meet mine. This close I can see the brown flecks around her pupils, but today they look more gold than brown. “After everything you’ve done for me, how could I not?”
My hand has a mind of its own as it slowly travels from her hip to her waist, giving her a slight tug to pull her body closer to mine again. Trust is one of the most sacred things I believe a human can give to another, and her words touch me in a way I haven’t felt in a long time.
I like this woman. I like her a lot, which I know is crazy since we’ve only known each other for a few days, but Christ, she just does something to me, and I haven’t even kissed her. I plan on rectifying that situation, though, my other hand finally leaving her hip to come to her jaw, her skin smooth beneath my touch.
Our eyes are searching each other’s and I can sense her anticipation as much as I can feel my own as I tilt her head towards me. My heart is beating wildly in my chest, and though I want to claim her mouth and devour her, I want to take my time and savor every second of this moment.
I wait too damn long. When I’m inches away from her, so close that I can feel her breath against my lips, my phone vibrates violently on the island beside us. The noise is so unexpected that we both jump, the magic of the moment vanishing as we pull away from each other in surprise.
Of all the times to get a fucking call, it has to be now. To make it even more ironic, it’s the one person who probably wants to see me get laid more than I do. Liam.
“I should answer that,” I tell Savanna, releasing my hold on her waist.. “I’ll need someone to come along, and he’s the most likely candidate.”
“Of course,” she says with a small smile, suddenly looking shyer than I’ve seen her. It doesn’t stop her from leaning in to press a kiss to my cheek, though. “I’m going to go get ready for the day.”
“Okay,” I say, then pick up my phone and answer it. “Hold on,” I tell Liam, and throw him on mute. “Savanna?”
She’s already halfway across the kitchen and turns to look at me.
“That bedroom is yours for as long as you need it.” Before she can answer me, I take Liam off mute and greet him with a “hey asshole”, watching Savanna with serious eyes as she just looks at me, stunned, before turning around to go get ready.
CHAPTER 13
NATE
“Does she realize how lucky she was?” Liam asks as we stare down the hallway on Savanna’s floor.
He met us here fifteen minutes ago after Savanna and I stopped at the firehouse to grab some gear. Once we got dressed, we headed into the building right away, with a list and location of everything Savanna needed.
“I don’t know,” I say hesitantly, my eyes glued to the door that I kicked open. It’s charred black now from smoke and flames, and it makes me sick to think that she had been stuck in that room. If we hadn’t found her when we did… “But I’m not going to tell her.”
Liam nods his agreement, his mood sober for once. “Probably for the best.”
Not wanting to stand there and think about the “what if’s” any longer than I have to, we head towards Savanna’s door which has definitely sustained some damage from the smoke and heat. It’s black just like the other door. This one, however, opens when we try it, just like Savanna said it should.
We both take a moment to peer inside, taking in the extent of the destruction. Overall, it’s not bad. There’s definitely some smoke damage that will need to be cleaned up by restoration, but everything looks salvageable from first glance. It’s one good thing about these apartment doors. They can be good in a fire. Unlike the piece of crap door for the trash room.