Deck the Fire Halls

Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

SOREN

I walked into work, Doug took one look at me, then another. “You look happier.”

I grinned at him. Hell, I don’t think I’d stopped yet. “Much happier. Sorry about yesterday.”

He rolled his eyes. “I take it from that stupid smile there won’t be a repeat of yesterday.”

“Not if I can help it.”

Chucky clapped me on the back. “Finally got some, huh?”

I shoved him. “No, actually. And it’s not like that. We’re... dating. Like dinner and talking and hanging Christmas decorations.”

Chuck made a face. “Oh god.”

“He cooked me dinner. I kissed him goodnight and went home.”

Both Chuck and Doug stared at me. I wasn’t telling them that I kissed Rob until he almost came in his pants, or that I had to go home and jerk off last night and this morning .

They were both still staring. “What? It’s true.”

“You’re a fucking goner, already,” Chuck said. “I can’t believe you didn’t score. You, of all people.”

I snorted. “We’re... seeing if it could be something special. And I think it could be. He is...” I shook my head slowly, “boy, is he something special.”

Doug groaned and headed for his office. “I need coffee for this.”

I looked at Chuck, because I knew he’d get this, and I was excited. I needed to tell someone. “When we’re together, it’s like a damn powder keg. Like the air’s electric or something. I’ve never felt anything like it. When we do eventually...” I searched for an appropriate word.

“Fuck?”

I nodded because, well, yeah. That.

“It’s gonna be so fucking amazing. I just know it.” I shook my head, still not really believing it. “Can you believe it? He’s older than me. He’s a doctor, for fuck’s sake. Like, he’s so smart.”

“You read books,” he said, as if that was a barometer on intellectualism.

“Yeah, but he’s smart smart. He’s a doctor. And he’s so fucking sexy.”

Doug came back with his coffee mug in his hand. “Oh good. We’re still talking about this.”

“Give me something to do, boss,” I said, “or I’ll be talking about him all day.”

“Yes,” Chuck agreed. “Please. Make him do something. I thought yesterday was bad.”

“I have a list,” Doug said flatly. “It’s on the roster wall, if either of you ever cared to look at it.”

I headed into the break room, and I heard Doug behind me. “You too. Go look with him.”

“What did I do?” Chuck cried.

A second later, Chucky clipped me over the back of my head. “’S’your fault.”

I was in too good a mood to care. Even mopping the floors until they shined and cleaning every surface did little to kill my mood. Between regular equipment maintenance, and a safety inspection of two local businesses and the paperwork, my day was a dream. I had scheduled training, some weight training with hoses, tanks, ax and shovels, generators, full medic kits, power tools, that kind of thing.

We even had a call from Shirley Cassel on Oak Lane because her neighbor across the road, Mr. Jim Pavel, who was a sprightly ninety-one-year-old, had decided to check his gutters before it snowed too much.

So Shirley made him a coffee in the safety of his kitchen while Chuck and I cleaned out his gutters. I told him we’d book it in earlier in the year next time so he wouldn’t have to worry. I even brought some more wood inside for him.

All in a day’s work.

I freaking loved my job.

Then, at about ten minutes to four o’clock—not that I was clock-watching, waiting for my shift to end—I just happened to be out in front of the fire hall when I happened to see a familiar figure crossing the street just up from me.

His smile made my knees weak.

“Hey,” I said, checking my watch. “I was just thinking about you.”

“I’m just heading home,” Rob said. “It’s almost four. Someone said he was stopping by. I have a Christmas tree that really needs decorating.”

Yeah, there was definitely innuendo in that.

“Oh, I’m definitely gonna decorate your tree.”

That came out way filthier than I’d intended, but he blushed so it was worth it.

“You been at the youth center again today?” I asked.

“Yes. Being schooled by a bunch of teenagers is my new reality check. If I ever think for one second that I’m cool, or perhaps holding my own for someone my age, they’ll shoot that down pretty quick.”

I chuckled. “Brutal.”

He smiled, easy and relaxed. It was a good look on him. “You were right about helping Gunter. I’ve enjoyed it.”

“And you still have more days off.”

“I know. It’s bizarre. I don’t actually know what I’m going to do tomorrow. I have the entire day with zero plans. It’s unheard of.”

“Tomorrow? I just might happen to have tomorrow off. I could take you out for a ride on Harley, if you want.”

“On your motorcycle?” He looked at me, horrified, but there was a flash of excitement too. “I’ve never been on a motorcycle before and I don’t have the appropriate clothing.”

“I have a spare helmet, and any long pants and boots will do. You don’t have to have leathers. ”

He absolutely looked me up and down. “Will you be wearing leathers?”

I laughed. “For safety purposes, yes.”

He made a face. “I’ll think about it.”

“About riding the bike, or about me wearing the leathers?”

His cheeks went red, but he tried to play it cool and cleared his throat. “It’s not like that. I could quote statistical data on the importance of protective leathers relating directly to the survivability of motorcycle accidents.”

“Hm-mm.”

He was absolutely going to ride with me, and the idea of that, of him sitting behind me, his arms around my waist... it made me so damn happy.

And that I now had a reason to see him again tomorrow.

“Did you want to leave the Christmas tree decorating until tomorrow? We’d have more time?—”

“No,” he said quickly. “I really do need my tree decorated.” There was that euphemism again. “Now that I’ve been thinking about it, I really would like that.”

I laughed and checked my watch again. “I will be at your place in... ten minutes. Should I change first, or is this okay?” I gestured to my uniform.

His gaze drew down my front, from my chest to my boots, before he looked back to my face. “That is more than okay.”

Damn.

But then the siren at work blared, red light flashing. I spun to face it.

Fuck.

“I have to go,” I said quickly. “Gonna need a raincheck. I’m sorry.”

He looked over at the fire hall, worried, waved me off. “Don’t be sorry. Go, go.”

I turned and ran into the hall. “Fire alarm at the retirement home,” Chuck said, pulling on his gear. I raced to match him, when Doug came around, fully dressed, and lifted himself into the truck. We hauled ass behind him and were on the road in under ten seconds.

Rob was still standing, right where I’d left him, watching. His hands stuffed into his pockets, his cheeks and nose turning red. I smiled at him, hoping he could see me.

Chuck whacked my arm. “Head in the game.”

Shit.

I straightened up, because dammit, he was right. “What do we know?”

It wasn’t a fire at the nursing home, just the fire alarm. But the alarm required a full evacuation, and when dealing with the elderly, it was never easy, or fast.

Everyone was fine though, thankfully.

We needed to check the fire alarm and why it tripped. Doug deemed it was an electrical fault and then that became a whole other issue.

Colson was there helping the police, talking to the residents and making sure they were okay and looked after. There was no emergency, safety or medical, so he was mostly being cheeky and making them smile, which was all part of the job.

He came over when he had a minute. “How’s it looking?”

“Circuit’s fried,” Chuck said.

“Lucky it didn’t start an actual fire,” Colson noted.

I nodded. “Doug’s called the electrician. But we have a long list of procedures to check off.”

Chuck rolled his eyes. “He’s just pissed because he’s supposed to be getting lucky.”

I gave him a shove. “Supposed to be on a date.” Then I looked at Colson. “A date.”

“Ah,” he said with a smile. “And how is the good doctor?”

“He’s . . .” Where to start?

“Oh, please don’t,” Chuck said. “Please don’t get him going. He hasn’t shut up about him since Rob asked him to you-know-what and Soren here had a brain fart and said no. Then there was the meltdown?—”

Colson looked at me. “Wait, what? You said no?”

“It wasn’t like that,” I began. “I was trying to treat him properly, if you know what I mean.”

Colson stared at me as if I’d spoken in tongues. “Just so you know, treating him properly might mean treating him properly , if you know what I mean.”

Chuck laughed. “He learned this lesson, yes. And we all had to suffer.”

I sighed and ignored their bullshit. “Anyway, we talked and discussed all the things, and we got past that.”

Chuck huffed. “Short version is they’re dating —” He used air quotes. “And tonight was supposed to be the night. But now he’s here, and we’re suffering because of this. Again.”

Colson clearly found this funny but he raised an eyebrow at me. “Dating, huh? Sounds official.”

“It is,” I replied.

“He’s a nice guy,” Colson said, smiling at me. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks. Same. He’s . . . kinda great.”

“Captain?” Doug called me from the door.

I gave Colson a clap on the arm as a goodbye, followed Doug, and got back to work.

It was after eight when we got back to the fire hall and then we had to run through the typical unpacking of gear and equipment. Even though we hadn’t used any of it, it was still standard procedure to be 100% ready for next time. Doug had once said it wasn’t standard procedure, it was critical procedure, and well, he wasn’t wrong.

Standard, critical, whatever.

It simply meant it was closer to nine when we called it a day. And I had every intention of going straight home. I didn’t want to bother Rob, given the hour, but his porch light was still on, and there was faint light coming from behind his blinds in his living room.

So, standing in front of his house, I shot him a text.

Still up?

A second later, he replied.

Yes. How was your night? Everyone okay ?

The way his first concern was if people were okay made me smile. Instead of replying, I walked up his porch steps and rapped gently on the door.

A second later, the door opened and he stood there in comfy sweats, a book in his hand, and a slow spreading smile on his face. “Oh, hey.”

“Hey.”

“Everything okay?” He looked me over and opened the door wider. “Come in.”

His house was warm. The only light was a lamp beside the couch where he’d obviously been reading. “Sorry I’m late.” I smiled at the still-bare Christmas tree. “You uh, you didn’t decorate your tree.”

His smile was more of a sultry smirk, his gaze drinking me in. “I could have taken care of it myself, but I’ve been doing things solo for a while now, and when you offered to lend a hand...”

Well, damn.

He just about set my nerves on fire.

“A hand, huh?”

He pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth, then sucked back a breath. “Can I get you something to drink? To eat? You would have missed dinner.”

Before I could decline, my stomach answered for me with a growl. I shrugged. “Sorry. You mentioned food.”

He laughed and gently touched my arm. “Take your boots off, get comfortable. I’ll reheat you something.”

Lord, have mercy.

The second we saw each other, the electricity between us sparked. As soon as I was near him, there was so much static in the air, I could feel it buzzing on my skin. Sexual attraction an undercurrent just waiting for ignition.

I’d never known anything like it.

I’d seen guys I was attracted to before, sure. And I’d had times when things got hot real fast, usually on a dance floor a few beers deep or with a random Grindr find.

But nothing like this. Nothing even close.

Something was definitely gonna happen tonight, and my whole body was buzzing.

I got my boots off and hung up my coat just in time to hear the microwave beep. Rob was putting a plate on the counter when I joined him in the kitchen. “So the fire,” he said. “Everyone okay?”

“No fire. The fire alarm tripped at the nursing home. Everyone was fine. Well, Colson was busy.”

Rob looked at me, mildly confused. “No fire is a good thing, yes?”

“Very. But protocol states if the fire alarm goes off, they have to evacuate. Which is good, but there were forty elderly, somewhat ambulant, and very confused people we needed to deal with. Colson was there, he did most of the wrangling.”

Rob’s face softened. “Come and sit at the table so you can eat.”

We carried the plate and silverware to the table. I sat and had shoveled two mouthfuls of vegetable pasta in before Rob came back with two glasses of water. “This is delicious, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Do you miss dinner often?”

“We can miss any meal if duty calls. But it’s fine. No big deal. I do appreciate this though. Did you make this?” I was sure he did because it was so fresh; nothing store bought could come close.

“I did. Dare I say it, I enjoyed cooking. I have all this time, which I still am not used to, obviously. And I say that while you worked a fourteen-hour day. I’m sorry.”

I swallowed my mouthful and shook my head. “Don’t apologize. You deserve some time off.” I stabbed some zucchini with my fork. “Still don’t think you’ll get bored?”

“Bored?” he scoffed out a laugh. “I volunteered at the center, I cooked dinner, I read a book. A fiction book, for fun. I haven’t done that since high school. And I was thinking I should start making a list of any home improvements that will need to be done come springtime.”

“Can you do home improvements?”

“Oh, heavens no,” he laughed. “I said I’ll make the list. Then I’ll call the appropriate contractors.”

I chuckled as I ate.

Rob seemed happy to talk as I finished my plate. “I lived in an apartment before. High-rise, new, fully maintained. I never had to worry about anything. But this little house is older and I should do regular upkeep. Or so Hamish said. And he’s married to Ren, who would most definitely know.”

I snorted. “He would.”

“So will I ever get bored?” he mused. “While I can’t see the future, and everything is always subject to change, I can’t see myself getting bored anytime soon. Gunter said there’s always something in town to volunteer for. Community projects, festivals, and committees, fundraisers, etcetera, and I love the idea of it.”

“Which part?”

“All of it. I wanted to find a sense of community, and I think I found that here. I really like the guys. Gunter is so nice, and Hamish is funny without even trying.” He smiled at me. “Thank you for introducing me to them.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it here.”

His smile became a sigh. “I’m kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Or the ax to fall. Or whatever the cliché saying is these days.”

“You should ask the kids at the center for what the new lingo is.”

“Oh god, no, they already think I’m cringe. Because cringe is an adjective these days, apparently.”

That made me laugh. “Did you point that out to them? Because that’s probably why they might have used it. You know, for context.”

He laughed and knocked his knee to mine. “Your age is closer to mine than theirs, so you need to be on my side. And no, I do know better than to critique the grammar of teenagers, especially when there’s a pack of them.”

“A pack?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure what the collective noun would be. The word pack depicts an elevated status on the food chain and the ability to pick my confidence clean down to the bone.”

I chuckled as I finished the last of the pasta. “Savage.”

“Exactly. Maybe they could be a savage of teens.”

He was funny. “I don’t think they’re that bad.”

“No, they’re a great group of kids, actually. They like having somewhere to hang out. It’s a space just for them. Gunter’s doing a really good job.”

I studied him for a moment. The sincerity, the softness in his eyes. He really did enjoy helping others, being sympathetic and attuned to those in need, and that was something I really needed in a partner.

And damn, I could listen to him talk all day.

“I used to treat teenagers, back in Seattle. The usual horrible things: drugs, assaults, abuse. And it’s easy to get complacent, to get systematically prejudiced into thinking all teenagers are lazy and ungrateful, you know, as the older generations would have us believe. But that’s simply not true. These kids are passionate about a lot of things. They care about the environment, about equality and equity, and they don’t stand for intolerance. They’re just silenced in a world built and run by adults and governments who don’t listen to them, and they’re frustrated. They’re going to get left a world that’s unsustainable, financially, environmentally, and be expected to fix everything...” He shook his head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to rant. I get a bit preachy.”

I turned to face him, our knees interlocked, and I took his hand. “Don’t apologize. I like that you’re passionate about it.”

He smiled, embarrassed, his cheeks pink.

“I haven’t been passionate about anything in so long.” He shrugged. “But I want to look at youth programs and training programs and?—”

I leaned forward and kissed him.

I don’t know what made me do it. I just had to kiss him right then, mid-sentence. He was so fucking attractive, I couldn’t stop myself.

“Oh,” he whispered. “Are you trying to tell me to shut up?”

I shook my head. “Hell no. I could listen to you talk about this all day. I just... you’re so fucking hot when you talk like this.”

His cheeks burned red. “Like what?”

“Like it’s something you believe in. Something you feel strongly about. I mean, you’re hot when you’re not talking too, but right now?” I let out a low breath. “So fucking sexy.”

He scoffed, as if that was the most absurd thing he’d ever heard.

“I should have asked you first,” I whispered. “If I could kiss you. Sorry.”

“Oh, don’t be sorry,” he murmured, his blush creeping down his neck.

Christ, that shouldn’t be so hot.

All I could do was stare. Taking in the line of his neck, his jaw, his perfectly pink lips.

“Soren,” he whispered, making me look at his eyes. His eyes were dark and full of desire. “Ask me again.”

The air crackled between us, instantly electric.

Oh, hell yes.

“May I kiss you, Robinson?” I put my hand to his jaw, running my thumb over the stubble on his chin, then the softness of his bottom lip. “I wanna kiss you so fucking bad.”

He made a grunting sound before he nodded. “Yes, please. ”

I pulled his face to mine, crashing our mouths together. Open lips, tongues colliding, sparks ignited in my bones, my blood ran hot all over.

I thrust my tongue into his mouth and he took it, sucking and groaning, and my god... my dick was aching with need. I wouldn’t be going home to get rid of it tonight.

This was going to end here, with him. One way or another... We were both too riled up, too hot, too fast.

I’d never wanted anyone so much, so badly as I wanted him.

I held his face and tilted his head so I could devour him, and he let me. He grunted and slid forward on his seat, and when that wasn’t close enough, he tried to straddle me, but the table was in the way.

I wasn’t having that.

I stood up, brought him to his feet with me, still kissing him, still holding his face, still feeding him my tongue. I walked him backward to the sofa and lowered him onto it, laying him down, me on top of him.

He felt heavenly underneath me, and even better when he opened his legs. Muscular and warm, his mouth hot, his erection hard against mine.

Divine.

He opened his legs wider, and his hands went to my ass, rocking into me as our tongues tangled and tasted.

He broke the kiss with a groan, arching his back and giving me his neck. I licked and sucked, scraped my teeth, trying to ignore how hard we were. And while I could probably come like this, I needed to touch him, feel him.

I pulled back so I could meet his gaze. His eyes were dazed, his lips wet and swollen. “Fuck,” I breathed. “I want to make you come.”

His cock twitched against mine and his breath stuttered. “Oh. Please. And you too.”

I pushed up and went to my knees, and he fumbled with the button and fly of my work pants. I slid my hand under the elastic of his sweats at the same time he freed my aching dick. I held my weight off him with my left hand and slid my right around his length at the same time he wrapped his hand around mine.

“Fuck,” I hissed, trying to resist driving into his fist.

“Oh god,” he breathed. “I’m not gonna last.”

Then his eyes rolled back, and he thrust into my hand. I dared to look down, and holy shit. His thick pink cockhead was slipping through my hold, the slit leaking precome with every pass.

Rob was too far gone, and his hand seemed to stall on my dick, so I took both our cocks in my fist and jacked us both off. The hot slide was so intense, hard as steel, soft as silk, and so fucking good.

“Oh,” he bit out, his eyes wild. “Soren, I . . . oh fuuuuuck . . . I’m so close.”

I could feel him swell and pulse, my own cock aching for release. The slick slide of our shafts, the bump of our frenulums an exquisite torture.

Then his hands were up under my shirt, and he rubbed my nipples, making me hiss. My dick throbbed and he drove up into my fist as he tweaked my nipples, rolling and pinching. The pleasure shot straight to my balls, making me groan. His back arched up, neck straining as he came, his cock spurting come onto his chest.

The sight of him, the sounds he made, the smell of his sex, and it felt as if my orgasm ripped through my bones. I came so hard. So fucking hard. I think my brain disengaged, reality swam in and out, and when I came to, my fingers were digging into the arm of the couch and my come was painted over the top of his.

Fuck.

“Wow,” Rob murmured, panting.

Smirking.

I barely remembered to let go of our cocks, making us both shudder. I almost collapsed on top of him and managed to stop myself, but my head hung heavy.

I was wiped out.

Rob put his hands to my face and leaned up to kiss me. “That was incredible.”

“Hmm,” I said, slow blinking. “Still have no brain activity.”

He laughed, making our bodies tremble, but then my arm began to strain and I didn’t want to smear the mess between us. I leaned up off him and somehow managed to get to my feet.

I think I swayed.

Rob caught me. “Whoa there. You okay?”

He was so close and my gaze drew down to his lips, and now that I knew what he tasted like, I didn’t want anything else. I leaned in and kissed him. “You taste like heaven.”

He barked out a laugh. “Okay, you’re still not okay.” He took my hand and led me to the bathroom. “Come with me.”

He leaned me against the vanity then. With his feet in between mine, he pulled off his shirt. Watching him wipe our come off his body was one of the hottest things I’d ever seen.

He was lean and fit. Not a gym junkie, but it was plain to see he looked after himself. He had dark chest hair that, much like the hair on his head and in his scruff, was peppered with gray.

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” I breathed, skimming my fingers through the hair on his pec. I was so used to the fitness freaks who waxed and oiled that I’d forgotten chest hair even existed. “Oh, I really like this.”

He tossed the soiled shirt into the hamper, and he watched me thread my fingers through his chest hair as if he was trying to see if I was being serious.

Like he wasn’t a walking sex god. Jesus Christ. How could this man doubt himself?

I snaked my hand up his chest to his neck and pulled his chin between my thumb and forefinger so I could kiss him. “You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever been with. Please never wear a shirt again.”

He chuckled at that. “Pretty sure there are rules for doctors to be dressed.”

I looked down at his hairy chest, drawing my gaze slowly up to his face, taking in every inch of him. “Hm, that’s a damn shame.” I slid my hands around his lower back and pulled his hips to mine. “Okay, maybe just be shirtless for me.”

Rob hummed a humored sound, smiling. “I think you may be suffering from sleep-deprivation and impaired cognitive function.”

“I don’t think there was any impaired function about what we just did on your couch. That was hot as hell.”

His cheeks flushed pink. “It was . . . unexpected.”

“Unexpected? Pretty sure we both expected something to happen. Well, hoped. Maybe expected was the wrong word. I definitely hoped something would happen.”

“Same,” he said softly. “I’m glad you texted me.”

“I saw your light on. I’m sorry we never decorated your tree.”

He smirked. “Oh, the actual tree, and not the innuendo tree decorating?”

“We made a start on the innuendo tree. Still plenty of decorating to do yet.”

He laughed and his hands felt far too comfortable around my back. “Tomorrow, we can maybe do the real tree. If you want?”

“I want. And maybe more of the innuendo tree decorating as well. And you said you’d come for a ride on Harley with me.”

He made a cute face. “Ugh. I’m having regrets.”

“It’ll be fun. But I should go. It is late and...” and then I remembered. “Ugh.”

Of course he was concerned. “What is it?”

“Ah nothing.” I pouted and gave him my puppy dog eyes, whining to get what I wanted. “It’s just so cold outside and your house is nice and warm.”

“You could stay here,” he said, smiling. “My house is warm, and my bed is too. You can sleep here. You’re almost dead on your feet.”

“Because that orgasm blew my brains out. I’ve never come so hard in my life.”

Rob was stunned for a second, but then he laughed and took my hand again. This time he led me to his bedroom. He flicked on the lights, dimming them nicely. “Considering said orgasm and what we did on the couch, sharing a bed for the purpose of sleep is nothing.”

“Purpose of sleep?” I waggled my eyebrows at him. “Why, what else does one do in a bed? Whatever are you implying, doctor? I’ll have you know, I am a man of chaste integrity.”

He gave me a playful nudge with his elbow. “Oh please. I just had to wipe your chaste integrity off my stomach.”

I laughed, pleased that we could joke like this. “Okay, I’ll stay. Thank you.” There was no way I was saying no to that offer. “But only if you promise to keep your hands to yourself.”

I made a show of pulling off my sweater and shirt in one go, and of course his gaze went to my shoulders, my chest, my abs. I rubbed my hand over my six-pack for good measure, and he let out a slow shuddering breath.

“You didn’t promise,” I murmured. Then I undid my pants and let them slide down my legs.

He very deliberately didn’t look down. “I’ll go and turn the lights off,” he said, his voice hoarse.

I grinned as he walked out. He absolutely liked what he saw, and to be fair, most guys did. I was ripped. My job required fitness, and I liked to look good. I spent hours in the gym for this body.

But I liked that he liked it.

The fact that Rob found me attractive made something warm unfurl in my belly. Kinda made my heart thump funny too.

I folded my pants, shirt, and sweater over the chair in his room, took off my socks, but kept my underwear on. Guessing he slept closest to the door, I went to the far side of the bed and was just pulling the covers down when he appeared in the doorway.

He seemed shocked or stunned, his gaze raking down my body.

I stood there in my briefs, which might have been the problem. “Is this okay? I normally sleep naked.”

He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “Oh god.”

Oh yeah. He liked it a lot.

“If you’d rather I sleep in pajamas, I’ll need to borrow some—” Then I remembered. “Oh, can I have the flamingo pj’s? Pretty please? Just the bottoms.”

He stared at me then, probably trying to determine if I was serious, which I absolutely was. “Did you just say pretty please?”

“With a cherry on top.”

He sighed but went to his dresser and pulled out the familiar long pants. He tossed them to me. “Will you stop talking about them now?”

“Absolutely not.”

I pulled them on and they fit surprisingly well. Well-worn and soft. Yeah, he was never throwing these out.

Happy, I climbed into bed, pulling the covers up and staying very much on my side. I folded my hands under my face and grinned as he rolled his eyes and switched off the lights.

He got into bed, staying very much on his side.

“Now,” I said seriously, “please respect my chaste integrity and stay on your side. No touching, no wandering hands. Definitely no cuddling, and one hundred percent absolutely no blow jobs.”

He chuckled, his smile lighting up the darkened room. “I’ll try to remember.”

I was ridiculously happy. Giddy, even.

“Night, Robinson.”

His gaze cut to mine. “Night, Soren.”

I woke up with my arm under Rob’s neck, my other arm around his chest. My front plastered to his back, my leg hitched over his, and my erection pressed snug against his ass.

So much for no cuddling. Granted, I hadn’t said anything about spooning or grinding. My dick was very happy where it was right now. It most certainly didn’t want me to move.

But move, I should.

I peeled myself off him, missing his warmth already. I couldn’t pull my arm out from underneath him without waking him so I rolled onto my back instead. At least I wasn’t a few layers of fabric away from near fucking him.

But then he stirred, and rolled over, now using my chest as a pillow. He mumbled, slid his hand over my chest, his thigh over my leg. Was that his dick on my hip?

Yep. Pretty sure it was.

And then he froze, clearly awake now.

“Morning,” I said, my voice husky. “I think you broke the no-cuddling rule.” He immediately pulled back, but with my arm around his shoulder, I held him to me. “Nah, you’re here now. Might as well stay.”

He was quiet for a second, settling back in with his hand on my chest. But he did move his hips back so his morning wood was no longer poking me. “I was having the best dream,” he mumbled. “Best sleep too.”

“Best dream, huh? Wanna talk about it?”

He snorted. “Absolutely not.”

I might have whined. “But they’re the best kinds.”

He sighed and we fell into a contented silence. I rubbed his arm and his breathing got deeper. I wasn’t sure if he fell asleep again or just dozed, but there was no way I was risking waking him.

This was perfection.

I’d known this man for a week. We’d officially been dating for one day, and here I was waking up in his bed, with him in my arms.

Too soon? Probably.

But my god, it felt right.

This was what I’d longed for. Not some crazy fantasies about mega-rich playboys, or muscle men, or younger guys looking for a daddy-figure to rail them.

What my heart should have been looking for was a guy who was older than me. Not some young gym-bro, but a doctor, no less. Intelligent, funny, with a sexy natural body, who just wanted a simpler, quieter life.

Because if perfect for me was a person, I was beginning to think it was Robinson O’Reilly.

Waking up on my day off work with this man in my arms was something I could so easily get used to.

I had no idea what time it was, and I didn’t care. I wanted to stay in bed with him all day. Except he’d said yes to going out for a ride on my bike with me this morning and that was what my real dreams were made of.

I smiled at the ceiling and rested my eyes. I was happy.

So freaking happy.

And hungry, and I needed to piss.

But I still wasn’t moving.

“I can hear your stomach,” Rob said. “I think it’s searching for food.”

I chuckled. “You should hear what my bladder is saying.”

He laughed and rolled onto his back. “I’ll make a start on breakfast.” He rolled out of bed and stood up, and I didn’t miss the tented sleep pants, and he didn’t miss me looking at it. “Don’t blame me. It’s your fault,” he said as he walked out.

I laughed and waited for him to use the bathroom first before my turn, and yeah, I had the same problem. The flamingo pajamas did nothing to hide my morning wood, though a piss and a splash of cold water on my face helped a little.

I found him in the kitchen at the coffee machine. Christ, he was so sexy. Gray sweatpants, shirtless, stubbled chin, hairy chest. And my efforts to stop the tenting of my pants was in vain.

“How do you like it?”

“Oh, I like it exactly like this,” I murmured.

He looked at me, so I very pointedly looked him up and down. I was not ashamed for finding him so damn hot. He was a fox. Hell, I even loved the hint of gray in his hair.

“I meant your coffee,” he said, turning back to the machine.

I could see his cheeks were red, as was the tip of his ears. I had to bite back a groan because damn.

Just fucking damn.

“Black is fine,” I replied. Then, taking pity on my aching dick, I sat at one of the two stools at his small kitchen counter. It was such a cute place. The layout was almost identical to my house, probably built in the same year by the same builder. Most houses in this street were. But his was bright and cheerful, and dare I say it, maybe decorated by someone with more style than the person who chose and installed my kitchen and the paint color.

Or maybe it was the man standing in front of me offering me coffee.

Certainly made for a cheerier start to my day.

“Thank you,” I said, taking the mug. It smelled like the good stuff too.

“You’re welcome.” He sipped his own. “Now, breakfast. Scrambled eggs on toast sound okay?”

“Sounds perfect. Need me to do anything? ”

He smiled behind his coffee. “Just sitting there is more than enough.”

His words went straight to my heart, sending a jolt of warmth through me. I stuck out the leg of my flamingo pants. “It’s the pajamas, right? I told you, they’re hot. There’s no resisting a man in these.”

He chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled at me. “Today’s my last day off. Back to work tomorrow.”

“We better make the most of it then.”

“Doing what?” he asked, his voice low.

Christ.

I cleared my throat. Damn, at this rate we were never going to leave the bedroom. “We need to do your Christmas tree. That’s very important. Then maybe we can take my bike and grab lunch somewhere while the weather’s good. The sun’s shining, so that’s a start.”

“Sounds great.”

“And then this afternoon I have to do very boring things like groceries and laundry.”

“Ugh. Reality.”

“Unfortunately.”

He took the eggs out of the fridge. “Then I should get started on breakfast.”

Scrambled eggs on toast had never tasted so good. He swore it was the real butter and fresh bread, but I was pretty sure it was the cook.

I did put my shirt on, and unfortunately, Rob did too. He clearly liked my fire department shirt though so it wasn’t a total loss.

And then we decorated his tree.

Literally.

He had the red and green baubles and Christmas lights from the Home Mart, and it was a pretty decent job, even if I did say so myself.

The best part for me though was how we talked while we did it. He told me how he’d decorate the tree when he was a kid. How he’d loved the holidays, and how his mom always made a big deal of it, even if they’d never had much money. Then when he was sixteen, she’d gotten ill. Had been ill for some time apparently, just never complained.

Cancer took her when he was eighteen, in his final year of high school.

And there began his desire to do medicine. To help people. To treat and heal people. She’d told him to follow his dreams and do what made his heart happy.

And medicine had made him happy. But the hours and the bureaucracy had almost killed him.

And now he was here.

It wasn’t a particularly happy story, but he smiled when he spoke of his mom; the memories happy ones, obviously.

He had an older sister who lived in Seattle. He had two nieces he didn’t see as often as he should have. He sent them gifts and they FaceTimed when they could.

He really had given up so much of his life for his work.

I told him about my family. My parents, my brother. About my childhood in Canada. How I’d loved playing hockey but blew out my knee in high school so that was the end of that. I told him I never had any inclination for college, how I’d considered joining the police but chose the fire department instead.

I’d done a few years in Calgary but then went through a two-week wildfire training course in Missoula, and I’d liked it here so much, I decided to stay.

I told Rob the truth. I’d needed a change of scenery. I’d needed to get out of my hometown and spread my wings. I hadn’t gone too far, but it was far enough away for a new start, close enough to get home in a hurry if I ever needed to.

He was just so easy to talk to. He thought about his word-choice, he was a great listener, and he had that calm and patient energy that doctors seemed to have.

And his body.

Damn.

Even in his sweatpants and a T-shirt, he turned me on. Maybe it was because of the sweatpants and T-shirt. That casual, homebody vibe that I wanted to put my arms around, that I wanted to hold, maybe snuggle up on the couch with and watch a movie.

That I wanted to do obscene things to.

“You okay?” Rob asked. “You zoned out there for a bit.”

“Oh, just thinking,” I said.

“About?”

About taking you back to bed. Right now. And not leaving all damn day.

I realized then I was holding the last bauble. I held it out for him. “That you should put this last one on the tree, then turn the Christmas lights on.”

He put the bauble on, then pressed the button for the lights. They were the type with different settings, and he chose a slow twinkling type. Gentle, just like him.

The tree looked . . . “Perfect,” I said.

He’d also put a small Christmassy center piece on his table and draped some garland across the window.

He looked around at it all, then made a face. “It’s very... Christmassy.”

I laughed and, doing what I’d wanted to do earlier, stood behind him and put my arms around him. I rested my chin on his shoulder. “It looks great.”

“I guess I’m not used to it,” he said softly.

“The first Christmas you’ve celebrated in a while should be special,” I said, giving him a squeeze. Which was not a good idea because my dick was very on board with the proximity.

I dropped my arms and took a step back. “I should go home, take a shower, and get a few things done before we go for a ride. We need to take full advantage of the sunshine.” I headed to his room before I could change my mind and pounce on him again. “Just gotta grab my clothes.”

It also helped that I could walk out holding my clothes in front of my semi-hard dick. “See you in about an hour?” I said as I got to his front door. I shoved my feet into my boots, no socks, and gave him a bright smile. “Just come over, okay?”

“Oh, okay,” he said. “Ahh, you’re still wearing my pajama pants. ”

I looked down at the flamingos. “Yeah, I’ll wash them. I promise not to steal them.” I straightened up. “Unless you want me to take them off right here. Mr. Ling might jump to some foregone conclusions if he sees me leaving your house in my underwear.”

He laughed. “Is there a back gate?”

“No, but we should seriously consider putting one in.”

Rob’s smile was so sweet, I almost couldn’t leave. “God, I do not want to leave, just so you know,” I admitted. “This is me using all my willpower to leave before I take you back to bed.”

He barked out a surprised laugh. “Oh.”

“Yeah. God, you turn me on so much.” I rolled my eyes and groaned at myself for saying that out loud. “Yes. Leaving now. Making myself walk out the door like a good boy.” I got the door open and stepped out into the brisk morning. “This is me leaving. Going home to have a very cold shower.”

That wasn’t true. I was going home to jerk off in the shower but I didn’t think I should tell him that.

He chuckled from the door. “See you in one hour.”