Alpha Hero - Hope Ford Page 0,27

because I know anything more would make me would lose control. It’s the first real kiss in all these months and it hits me then that this is what home tastes like. She’s my home. She’s my forever.

I could kiss her forever. Her taste is on my lips and I can’t get enough of her.

She pulls away from me. “Terry.”

But I just keep kissing her cheek, her neck, and back to her lips.

She pulls away again. “Terry, that’s your phone.”

“Fuck,” I mutter, laying my head next to hers and breathing heavily.

The ringing had stopped but then it picks up again.

I pull the phone off the nightstand where it’s being charged.

“What?” I say into it.

It’s Mack on the other end and he’s calling me in for a big fire downtown. I’m not supposed to go back in until tomorrow, so if they’re calling me in, it’s a big one.

“I’ll be right there,” I say into the phone before hanging up.

April lifts up on her elbows and her hooded eyes are still filled with desire. God, I don’t know what I did to deserve her, but I’m so thankful she’s mine. “Everything okay?”

I nod my head and lean down to kiss her. “I have to go.”

She sits up then and tries to scoot off the bed. She still has another month to go, but she seems to have slowed down quite a bit this past week.

I help her up and put my arms around her. Her words are muffled when she asks me, “You aren’t supposed to go in till tomorrow. It must be a big one, huh?”

I know she worries. But I try not to tell her all the dangerous stuff so she doesn’t worry more… it’s not good for her or the baby.

“It will be fine. I’ll be back later tonight and then don’t forget we have the picnic tomorrow,” I remind her before grabbing my boots and putting them on. I adjust my cock in my jeans and go to kiss her goodbye.

There’s a tear glistening in her eyes. “Promise me you’ll be all right.”

I run the pad of my thumb across her lip. “Oh, I’m coming home. There’s nothing that will stop me from coming back to you.” I kiss her one more time. “And then maybe I can show you just how much I want you.” I want to tell her then. Tell her I love her and I have for some time now, but that’s not something I want to say as I’m running out the door. Tomorrow. Tomorrow we’re going to sit down and I’m going to make sure she knows.

She nods her head and stands in the doorway until I pull out and take off down the street.

8

April

It takes a special person to be married to a firefighter. I know this. But the closer I get to Terry, the more worried I am every time he walks out the door.

I try to keep myself busy the rest of the night and no matter how tired I am, I toss and turn most of the night. I did finally get a text from him in the middle of the night, just telling me that he was okay.

The next morning, I try not to get too upset that I haven’t heard from him and start baking cookies and brownies for the emergency personnel picnic today. It’s an event the city puts on every year and it’s usually fun.

A few minutes before I’m about to leave, the doorbell rings.

When I answer it, it’s Zach, one of the firemen that works with Terry and our neighbor.

My hand goes to my heart. “What is it? Is Terry okay?”

Zach nods his head. “Oh yeah, wow, is that cookies, man that smells good.” He walks past me into the house in search of cookies. When I follow behind him, he’s taking off the lid and grabs one, shoving the whole thing in his mouth.

I hide my smirk behind my hand. “So, Zach, what are you doing here?”

He smiles and pulls another cookie out. “Terry’s just now leaving the hospital and he asked me to come pick you up and take you to… oh shit, are you okay?”

He was midsentence, but I heard Terry and hospital and my legs start to buckle. I’m holding on to the back of the kitchen chair.

“Terry was in the hospital?”

“Oh shit, shoot, no, he saved a little girl last night and wanted to go check on her. That was it. He’s fine.”

It takes a minute for