One Month Later
Drew made sure the back door was locked before heading into the foyer. They would be leaving for Serpent’s Kiss as soon as Beth came downstairs. She’d wanted to take a shower before changing into her club wear. He had no idea what outfit she was going to put on. She said she wanted to surprise him, so he’d ducked downstairs to watch some television while she finished getting ready.
Living together had presented a few challenges that neither one of them had foreseen. He hadn’t lived with anyone since his parents. And while Beth had technically shared a living space with Ben, he was often gone on ‘business trips.’ Drew’s twenty-four-hour shifts were a lot different than Ben’s two- to three-week jaunts.
They were working it out, but it was taking some major communication. In a way, their obstacles were a good thing. When something came up, they both had to figure out what it was about the particular issue that was causing the problem and then find a solution. It was ultimately bringing them closer and building more trust.
Hearing her heels on the stairs, Drew turned toward the sound. When he got his first glimpse of her, his mouth dropped open. Beth was wearing that blood-red top that he’d loved so much—the one that dipped down low in the front—and a pair of fitted black pants with heels. She looked downright sinful.
He reached out a hand and helped her down the last few steps. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you,” she said, slipping into his arms.
Drew took the opportunity to cup her ass.
She chuckled. “So predictable.”
“What can I say? I adore your ass.”
Beth kissed him. “I don’t think anyone would argue with you.”
He squeezed her backside, pulling her flush against his body as he relished the feel of her lips on his.
“Hmm. Are you ready to go?” she asked.
“More than ready. It’s been a long week.” Drew released her, and they made their way to the garage. What he needed was to get out of his head for a while. Nothing did that better than kneeling at Beth’s feet. He was looking forward to a night of light conversation with friends and serving his mistress.
They walked into the club holding hands. It was the middle of July and even at nearly eight at night, the heat from earlier in the day was still making itself known. He’d spent some time earlier, while Beth was at work, helping to deliver fans to the elderly. They were expecting to see temperatures near one hundred in the next two weeks. He wasn’t looking forward to fighting fires in that kind of heat. He’d rather deal with the snow.
Beth stopped right inside the door. They were alone in the small foyer. She didn’t say anything, just simply ran her thumb back and forth over the inside of his wrist below the watch she’d given him. He needed to focus.
Nodding, he lowered his eyes getting himself into the right mindset. As they’d gotten closer as a couple, Drew found that he embraced his submission to her more and more. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to submit twenty-four-seven like some, but there were times, even outside the bedroom, when he wanted and needed to let go of himself and just be.
Seeming satisfied, Beth swiped her card and led them into the main lobby. Ali was there reading a book. Given the rising temperatures outside, there wasn’t much call for a coat check.
Ali waved at them. “Good evening, Lady Beth. Drew.”
“How are you, Ali?” Beth asked. While Drew didn’t have any speech restrictions while they were at the club other than being polite and respectful, he tried to remember his place and defer to her whenever possible.
“Glad to be in the air conditioning. Mine’s out.”
Beth strolled over to the small alcove that surrounded Ali. “I hope you’re getting it fixed. It’s supposed to be pretty unbearable next week.”
“I told my landlord. He’s supposed to come over tomorrow and try to fix it. We’ll see. He doesn’t always do what he says he will.” She shrugged as if it was no big deal, but Drew knew it was. When temperatures got this high, their EMT calls went through the roof with everything from heat exhaustion to dehydration.
“That’s horrible.” Beth sounded disgusted, and honestly, he was, too. “Hopefully your landlord will do the right thing.”
“I hope so, too.”
There wasn’t much more to be said, so Beth wished the woman a good night, and they walked into the club.
As soon as they were away from Ali, Drew squeezed Beth’s hand to get her attention. She met his gaze. “I might be able to get Baily to help Ali. He’s a whiz at stuff like that.”
Beth nodded. “That’s a good idea. We’ll ask her tomorrow night if her landlord was able to get it fixed. If not, then we can make the suggestion. Do you think he’d be willing?”
“I do. He loves working on appliances. His dad used to own an appliance repair shop years ago and Baily used to help his dad growing up. I honestly think if his dad still had that shop, joining the fire department wouldn’t have even crossed Baily’s mind.”
She smiled and gave him a peck on the lips. “Come on. Let’s get a drink. Then, I’m thinking a foot rub would be nice.”
“Of course, Mistress.”
Chad was behind the bar. “What can I get you tonight?” he asked Beth. Chad had been working at Serpent’s Kiss long enough to know the protocol.
“One of my usuals and a beer.” Drew was a little surprised to hear she was ordering him alcohol. Then again, it was early. It wasn’t as if one beer was going to leave him intoxicated and unable to function.
“Coming right up.” Chad quickly filled Beth’s glass with half Coke and half Sprite before grabbing a beer out of the refrigerator and popping the top off it. The whole process took less than a minute. “Here you go.”
Beth handed him her membership card to swipe, and then they were off to find their friends. Over the last month, there had been some rearranging. Allison and John had joined Nicole, Jeff, Daniel, and a few others, including the club’s newest member, Alexander. Drew followed Beth over to their group. He waited for her to sit before tossing a pillow down on the floor and kneeling beside her.
“How’s everyone been? I feel like this week went on forever,” Beth said, getting comfortable and kicking off her shoes. Drew took a swig of his beer and then placed it on the coffee table in front of him so he could get to work on that foot massage.
Nicole apparently liked Beth’s idea and kicked off her shoes as well. “It’s the heat. Makes the minutes feel like hours.” She paused and then sat up suddenly looking directly at him. “Oh. I almost forgot. I got a call this afternoon. They caught the arsonist.”
Despite his desire to please his mistress, Drew halted his movement and gave Nicole his full attention.
“That’s great news.”
Beth bumped his hand with her foot, letting him know she wanted him to continue. He mumbled his apology and went back to work.
Nicole, however, didn’t miss a beat. “Yes, it is. He’s caused enough damage over the last few months. But they caught him red-handed. Someone saw him entering an abandoned building and the police found him in the process of starting another fire. He even had burn marks on his hands and arms. Although signature-wise they can tie him to the other fires, they are going to see if Madison can identify him as the man he and Kelly saw running from that building. If so, the DA will likely add murder to the charges as well.”
Beth scratched her fingers along Drew’s scalp in an affectionate gesture. He knew she was offering him comfort. He might not have been all that close to Kelly, but it didn’t matter. Kelly was a firefighter who had been killed on the job.
***
There were some things Beth knew she would never fully understand. The connection between Drew and his fellow firefighters was one of them. She didn’t know what it was like to walk into a burning building and put your life and your trust into the hands of the men and women who were in there with you.
They’d talked a lot over the last month about what had happened to Kelly and even Shawn. The fear that something like that could one day happen to Drew was still there—it probably always would be—but she was learning to accept it and to trust in his training.
As they sat there with their friends, she tried to offer him what comfort she could. Gradually, she felt his tension ease. He rested his head against her leg as he continued to massage the muscles in her tired feet.
Alexander cleared his throat. He was the newest member of the club and had struck up an almost instant friendship with Daniel. They were both ex-military. Although Daniel had only served for four years back in his twenties, it was a connection they both seemed to be embracing. “Since we’re sharing good news . . . I think I’ve finally located my buddy’s wife.”
A couple of weeks ago, Alexander had shared more information with them as to what had brought him to St. Louis. The same incident that had caused his own injuries had killed his best friend. When he got back Stateside, he started his search for his friend’s wife. The only problem was that she’d moved—to St. Louis, apparently. He wouldn’t go into detail, but from what Beth gathered, Alexander had a message of some sort to pass on to her.
“That’s great news,” Daniel said.
“It is.” Alexander cupped his glass with both hands. Beth couldn’t see what was in it, but she would bet it was something strong.
“Are you nervous? I mean you’ve been here looking for almost two months.” Maybe it wasn’t Beth’s place, but there was an underlying anxiety in the way he held himself.
He snorted. “Terrified.”
Daniel raised his glass of amber liquid. “To the end of Alexander’s search. May all go well.”
They all raised their glasses and toasted.
Katrina strolled over to the group and propped herself up on the edge of one of the couches. “Are we having a party over here?”
“Something like that,” Alexander said, tilting his glass toward her. “The PI you recommended, Peter Monroe, found her. He found Grace.”
Beth nearly choked on her drink. Grace? Surely he couldn’t mean . . .
But the more she sat and thought about it, the more things added up. She debated whether or not to say anything, but decided to keep her mouth shut. It wasn’t as if Alexander hadn’t already found her. Any information she would provide wouldn’t assist him in accomplishing whatever it was he meant to do. Besides, maybe it wasn’t the same Grace he was looking for. There had to be more than one Grace in St. Louis, right? And who could have also lost their husband in combat. Even as she thought it, she knew the chances that there were two Graces in St. Louis with the same circumstances were unlikely.
She felt as if someone was staring at her. When she looked down Drew was gazing up at her with a concerned look in his eyes. “Are you okay, Mistress?”
The last thing she wanted was for Drew to think something was wrong. If anything, everything was right. She and Drew were living together. They had even begun to talk about marriage. Work was good. Her friends were happy. What more could she ask for?
Beth caressed the side of his face before tangling her fingers in his hair. “I’m not sure I could be any more perfect. I was just thinking about how far we’ve come in the last few months.”
That brought a smile to his face. “Does that mean you’re ready to say yes and marry me?”
She played with the hairs at the base of his neck. The words were there on the tip of her tongue. “What would you do if I said yes?”
His eyes went wide. “Are you serious? Are you really saying yes?”
All conversation around them stopped. She knew their friends had picked up on the fact that something big was happening. They might not know what it was yet, but she knew that would change in the next moment.
Beth worried the side of her cheek and nodded.
All sense of decorum left Drew as he all but tackled her, kissing every inch of her skin that he could reach. Perhaps she should have been upset—they were in the club, after all—but she was too happy. Surrounded by their friends, she kissed him back with just as much excitement.
“I’ll make you happy for the rest of our lives. I promise,” Drew declared.
She looked him in the eyes and ran the pad of her thumb over his bottom lip. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“Promise?”
“Oh yeah,” she said as she brought him in for another kiss. Life might not always be a bed of roses, but as long as Drew was with her, she was more than willing to embrace the thorns that came along with it.