ELEVEN

CASEN

The firehouse is quiet when I get there. The crew we’re replacing is on a call right now so I take my stuff to my room and change the sheets on my bed. It’s not long before Reece is standing there.

“Hey, man.” He greets, taking up most of the doorway. “Missed you last night at Jedi’s.”

Reece and the crew were going to meet Embyr and me there last night. I asked that they arrived an hour later than when I was planning to meet Embyr. Trinity agreed to get her there early but the rest thought that I’d still be there when they arrived. I didn’t want to share my time with Embyr and thought we really needed to have a quiet talk about everything that is going on. I still think there are things that need to be said but for now I’m content with starting over, keeping nothing from each other, and of course, when the time comes, some make up sex. I’ve been fantasizing about that for weeks now. I want to tie her up and spank her ass, but for now, I need to get answers from someone else.

“Yeah.” I turn to him, crossing my arms over my chest. “We left early.”

He mimics my stance, seeming to know that I’m on the defense. “We?”

“Embyr and me,” I answer. “I met her there early and we left to go back to her apartment and sort through things.”

He doesn’t say a word initially, almost looking paralyzed. Something is up and I’m going to find out what it is.

“She told me something interesting…something that bothered me a little bit.”

Captain comes over the loudspeaker instructing us to meet in the kitchen. Reece looks relieved but it won’t be for long. I plan to get some answers from him.

The entire day we have nonstop calls and in between we’re busy grocery shopping, cooking food for the crew, and hosting a field trip. Reece avoids me at any lull in the day and turns in early for the night. Thankfully we only received two overnight calls and before I know it, it’s six o’clock in the morning. Reece is having breakfast when I finally catch up to him.

I slam my hand down on the table. “Don’t avoid me.”

He turns his head slowly, his face menacing. “Back the fuck up, Casen.”

I pull out a chair and move closer to him. “Not until you tell me why the hell you cornered Embyr in her bathroom and asked her insane fucking questions.”

He scoffs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Get out of my face.”

“Stay away from her if you’re going to be an asshole.” I seethe. “You made her uncomfortable.”

Pushing his chair back he stands straight up. I follow suit, the two of us mere inches from each other’s faces. “What happened to bros before hos?” he asks. “Believing her over me?”

I shove a finger into his chest. “Yeah, you want to talk about putting your ‘bros’ first? How about not trying to make a bet on a girl I wanted in high school. What about that?”

He pokes me back. “What the fuck, Casen? We talked about that and got past it. Why the fuck do we have to rehash this again?”

“Because you were in her bathroom asking her things that you shouldn’t need answers to. Why do you even care who she picked?”

“PARKER,” Captain calls from outside. “Visitor.”

I turn to Reece. “We will finish this conversation later.”

The sun is shining way too bright for my eyes to adjust right away but when they do I can’t help but smile. Embyr is waiting for me, brown picnic basket in hand and oversized beach bag over her shoulder.

I close the distance between the two of us and grab the heavy basket from her hands. “What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting tonight?”

She shrugs. “I’ve changed my mind. The weather is really nice and what I originally planned was indoors. I think an early morning picnic would be much better. Plus, I had a day to take off this week after working Saturday and Sunday.”

The guys are watching us, minus Reece, and I grow ever possessive. I want to block her from their view. She’s wearing a white beach cover up over a dark red bikini. I calm the urge to yell at all of them. “I’ll be done in a bit. Come inside while I finish up.”

She follows me back into the house, setting her bag down on the table next to the basket I placed there. Reece is still in the kitchen but says nothing before walking out.

“I’ll be back in a few.”

An hour later, we are setting up a blanket on the sandy shores of North Avenue Beach. She remembered it’s my favorite place to go. Once everything is settled in, she sits down alongside me and starts to pull food from the basket. She sets out grapes, cheese, crackers, and sandwiches. The same kind of picnic I made for her just a few months ago.

I go about disbursing the food as she makes us some mimosas, smirking.

“Why are you smiling?”

Her dark eyes meet mine. “Because you’re here with me. There was a time I thought you would never talk to me again.”

“I just needed some time I guess, and I’m glad it’s not too late to start over.”

She grins. “So, Casen.”

“So, Embyr.” I smile back.

“What do you do?”

I laugh. “You know what I do, Em.”

She nods. “I know but I figured if we’re going to start over, we may as well do it right. Same place as our first date but hopefully a different outcome because this time it won’t start with lies.”

I’m comforted by that statement. No more lies. I feel like I’ve been open and honest with her but she needs this and I’ll give it to her. Whatever it takes to make this work. “I work for the Chicago Fire Department. I’m actually about to test for Lieutenant.”

She smiles at me. “That’s amazing. I hope you do well.”

“Me too.” I pause. “So, what do you do, Embyr?”

After chewing a grape, she popped into her mouth she answers. “I work for the Caliber Hotel and Spa. I’m a corporate event planner – my dream job.”

“So, why were you there for a wedding?”

“I was filling in,” she tells me as she takes off her cover up. “Patty had the flu and I was the backup planner. We always have a second person know what’s going on in case something like that happens. It’s just a good thing I was there and not at the conference I thought was happening last weekend. So, I assume you and Kate are not a couple, with her pushing the two of us together last week.”

“No. We’re not. If we were I wouldn’t be here with you.”

She reaches behind her, pulling off her cover up, leaving her in just a bikini that leaves nothing to the imagination. I stare at her tits as she pulls out a can from her bag. “Can you spray some sunscreen on me?”

I take the blue spray from her and she lifts her hair up, giving me access to her back. I lean in, kissing her soft skin because I just can’t help it, and then press the nozzle down covering her back. “If I would have known we were coming to the beach, I would have brought my suit.”

She grabs the spray from me and stands up, applying the sunscreen to her chest, arms, and bending to get her legs. As she does, her tits spill over her top and I can’t stop staring while I imagine my cock sliding between them at a rapid pace. “I didn’t want to spoil the surprise. You can always go in your shorts.”

I can’t think straight when she is bent over like that, and it gets worse when she stands up to pull her hair back into a ponytail. Her body, more toned than the last time I had my tongue on it, is calling my name. I want to reach out and pull her down onto my ever growing erection. Being near her is killing me.

“Do you want some?” she asks and the question throws me off.

“Some what?”

A giggle bursts from between her lips. “Sunscreen, Casen.”

“Please,” I respond, standing to my feet and pulling my shirt off before I turn around.

When she doesn’t immediately start spraying I twist around, discovering that I’ve affected her just as much. Her eyes are on my lower back. “What are you looking at?”

She clears her throat. “Since we’re being honest with one another. I was momentarily stunned by your abs but then you turned around and I got a look at those back dimples. I swear I felt like my IQ lowered about twenty points. Those are seriously fucking sexy.”

I laugh. There are a lot of great qualities about Embyr but one of my favorites is her mouth. Not when it’s wrapped around my cock but when it’s dirty. She says dirty words, does dirty things with it. I love that she wants just as much filth in the bedroom as I do. She’s never been one to hesitate, even now that I know who she really is, to tell me all her dirty thoughts.

I step up to her. “Want to get wet?”

She’s momentarily stunned before answering, “I already am.”

“Not enough.”

I pick her up by her thighs and run toward the beach. She’s beating on my back but it doesn’t stop me from running into the refreshingly cold Lake Michigan water and throwing her into it. She comes up for air and splashes water at me. “Fuck. Why did you do that?”

I grab her hand and pull it down into the water, showing her how hard she made me. “You see, Embyr. You made my cock swell with that sexy body. Instead of showing it to the rest of the beach I thought I’d give us both a cool down before things heated up.”

We swam for a little bit before heading back and finishing our food and drinks. We talked about what happened between high school and college. She admitted to having more than enough one night stands for six people, and even though I hated the thought I accepted it.

“I really want this to go somewhere, Embyr. I want us to truly start over.”

She crawls over to me, gently kissing me on my jaw. “I do too, Casen. I’ve felt so lost without you, but I’ve been working on myself. I’m all in this time. I promise.”

I turn my head to kiss her fully and pull her onto my lap. “I’m all in too, Embyr, and I’ve been lost as well. I don’t want to hurt anymore.”

She lowers herself onto my lap. “I don’t want to hurt anymore, either.” She instinctually grinds down on me.

“I want to make you feel good,” I whisper wrapping a towel around her back. “Really good.”

She smiles as she kisses me and secures the towel with her hands around my back. My thumb dips into the front of her bikini bottoms, and as it makes contact with her clit, a subtle whimper escapes her lips. “I miss you touching me.”

Twisting my hand, I delve deeper, penetrating her with my middle finger. “Well, I miss touching you.”

Thrusting my finger inside her, I kiss her, swallowing her moans. She starts to move her hips but I hold them down with my other hand. “Don’t move, Embyr. They’ll all know what we’re doing.”

“I can’t help it.” She whimpers, as my pointer finger joins the middle, and I press harder with my thumb.

“If you move, I’ll rip this towel off and let the whole beach see you come on my fingers.”

She throws her head back. It’s beautiful. I forgot how much so. “You wouldn’t.”

I bite her shoulder. “Try me.”

My grip tightens on her thighs, holding her down and keeping her from grinding herself on me. I threatened her not because I didn’t want anyone to know but because if she didn’t stop, I’d turn into some high school boy that blows my fucking load in my shorts. I wouldn’t want that. I’ve had my fair share of coming into my own hands the past few months but the next time I come it will be inside her. I crave it. So much so that if it were nighttime I may slip her bikini bottoms to the side and impale her on my cock, right here on the beach.

I work her faster under my touch and her eyes find mine. My fingers slide in and out so easily with how fucking soaked she is. “You’re so wet, Embyr. I forgot how much you love doing this in public.”

She starts to moan some more, and I crash my lips to hers, sucking on her tongue and squeezing her thigh before grabbing on to her ass – hard. My gentle finger fucking isn’t getting her there so I shove them as deep as I can go, curling them so I can hit that spot. The one that sends her over the edge. I flick my fingers inside her rapidly and push down hard on her clit with my thumb, rubbing from side to side. Her hips start to fight against my hand and I let her go because I know at any moment she is going to have her release.

“Come, Embyr. Let me feel your sweet pussy milk my fingers.” I command, biting her lip.

The world could be watching, and I wouldn’t give a fuck because right now the only thing I care about is Embyr coming and seeing it happen. Not in a dream. Not from a memory. I’m going to watch her ride my fingers. When I think she’s about to go over the edge, I take my hand that’s secure on her ass and rip her top down, pinching her nipple so hard I’m sure it’ll be sore tomorrow.

Her pussy tightens and her hips are out of control. “Casen.” She cries, and I stifle the cry with my mouth. I twist her other nipple and she shoots off like a fucking firecracker, screaming her muffled release before her body goes limp.

My thumb continues rubbing her clit in circles and before I can pull away, she starts to ride my fingers again. “That feel good, baby?” I ask, knowing fucking well it does.

“Mmmhmm.”

“Do you want more?”

Her head falls back. “God yes.”

I pull both my hands off her and laugh at the dismay on her face. “Let’s pack up.”

Begrudgingly she complies and stands up, adjusting her bottoms to cover her exposed pussy.

Her hands go to her hips and I stand up, throwing all of the food back into the basket. She doesn’t say a word. She just watches me move it to the side and reach for the blanket. Stepping off, she helps me fold up the blanket and put it back into her bag.

“What about you, Casen?” she asks when we’re done, walking over to me and pushing her hip into mine. “I can’t let you go with blue balls.”

“Oh, you’re not.” I toss her cover up toward her. When it’s secure, I take her hand and ask, “Your place or mine?”