Sudden Response

  everything was settled, but she knew Eric wasn't about to let this go. Even if they weren't seeing each other now she knew he'd do anything and everything to get out of this.

  "Mom, I have something I have to tell you," Eric said, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

  "Oh? What is it?" Alice asked, pausing by the door.

  "I can't take your friend out because Joe and I have decided to start seeing each other," he explained. "So, as you can see it would be a little awkward taking another woman out and ditching my girlfriend," he pointed out with a helpless shrug.

  Amber's glare on her intensified as Alice narrowed her eyes on them.

  "Joe?" was all Alice had to say.

  She could confirm Eric's story and get the woman who looked close to clawing her eyes out the hell away from her or she could have a little more fun. In the end she knew what she had to do. She loved him and knew how much he hated these little setups of Alice's.

  "I have no idea what he's talking about," she said, shaking her head in wonder as she stepped away from him.

  Nathan grinned hugely as he reached out and took her hand. Eric's shocked gasp of course pleased her.

  "You betraying bitch!" he hissed, making a mad grab for her hand.

  "Honestly, Eric. You'll do and say anything to get out of trying something new. It won't kill you to give tofu another try. I'm sure the rash you developed last time was just a fluke," Alice said, starting to head for the door once again.

  "This isn't over!" Eric called after them.

  ********

  "What the hell are you doing here?" Nathan asked as he loaded his plate with chicken fingers.

  "Contemplating manslaughter," Eric said, snagging the plate away from his brother and moving down the line to add beef teriyaki and pork fried rice. With a resigned sigh Nathan grabbed another plate.

  "Where's your date?" Nathan asked, chuckling.

  "You mean your date? She's sitting at the table waiting for you," Eric said, nodding towards the woman who looked seconds away from throwing a tantrum.

  Nathan frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

  Eric shrugged even as his eyes sought out the little traitor loading her plate up three tables down. "After I explained that I was unavailable, but that you were looking for someone like her, she decided to give you a chance," Eric said, slapping his brother on the back before moving on to his next prey.

  "You better be kidding," Nathan bit out. "You are kidding, right? Eric?" he said, sounding nervous. Good. The bastard should be nervous. That woman was a nightmare.

  The second his brother pulled out of the driveway with their mother and Joe she started in on him, telling him she didn't appreciate his attitude one bit. He just barely stopped himself from sending her packing when he decided to unload the woman on Nathan to let the bastard see how it felt to be set up with a psycho.

  When she started in about Joe he set her straight on that subject. He told her that he was in love with her and the damn woman was just nervous about letting his mother know since she wouldn't want to get Alice's hopes up. Not that she could. She was his and that's all there was to it.

  "He said what?" he heard his mother suddenly demand.

  His eyes shot over to the table where he left Amber pouting and he tried not to wince as his mother turned a glare on him. It was just so wrong that one look from his mother could still make him cringe.

  "Uh oh, looks like someone's in trouble," Joe said in a mock whisper as she walked past him.

  With a glare that admittedly dropped to her ass several times he followed after her, snatching the soda out of Nathan's hand on the way. He waited for Joe to sit down and then sat down right next to her and thankfully well away from the two women glaring in his direction.

  He pointedly ignored them as he put his arm along the back of Joe's chair and ate. Occasionally he looked up to send a smug smile in his brother's direction as the harpy his mother tried setting him up with chatted his ear off about fashion and diets. Every time the poor bastard went to eat something she went into a lecture about animal cruelty that Eric easily ignored. When Nathan filled his plate up with vegetables, probably to get her to shut the hell up, she lectured him about oils and choosing organic foods.

  Joe happily ignored the woman's pointed comments in her direction and enjoyed her meal. When she finally shoved her plate away, a clear sign from Joe that she was done, he took her hand into his and was surprised when she didn't pull away. Then again they'd always been close so this wouldn't be a big deal to his mother. Even though he could appreciate the fact that she was still his Joe and clearly enjoyed screwing him over for a good laugh, he fully planned on getting her back.

  "Aren't you getting dessert?" he asked, reaching over to smooth a loose strand of her honey blond hair behind her ear.

  "Now why would I do that when you're going to buy me something at the movies?" she asked, sending him an impish smile.

  Nathan snorted at that and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "gold digger," but he ignored it, mostly because he agreed with his brother. What was it with women these days? Any other woman and he would have laughed and wished her luck with that, but this was his Joe. So he might just treat her to a soda, small of course.

  But he wanted a kiss first and he wanted it now. He stood up, giving her hand a small tug that had her standing up. "We'll meet you outside," he told his family as he stepped away from the table, dropping enough money on the table to cover his and Joe's share plus a tip, and headed for the door before his mother could stop him.

  "Why exactly are you in a rush to leave the restaurant?" Joe asked once they reached his car.

  "For this of course," he said, pulling her into his arms so that he could kiss her.

  Over the past couple of days they'd snuck a few kisses, but it had been damn difficult to kiss her the way he wanted with Nathan always under foot. He had no proof, but he was pretty sure the bastard was doing it on purpose to screw with him. More than once over the past couple of days he thought he'd die if didn't touch her and now that she was in his arms he didn't want to let her go.

  "Come home with me," he murmured against her lips.

  "What about the movie?" she asked, tightening her arms around his neck.

  "We can watch a movie at my place," he suggested, loving the idea of living that particular fantasy out again.

  "Do I get to pick the movie?" she asked in between nibbling on his lips.

  "Yes," he said, knowing that he had absolutely no plans on watching the movie.

  "He's just really shy," he heard Nathan explain. "But I know he's interested."

  "Yes, he is-Eric Parish, what are you doing?" his mother demanded in a bit of a hysterical screech.

  He pressed one last kiss to Joe's lips before pulling back, noting the beautiful blush that painted her cheeks.

  "Kissing my girlfriend. What does it look like?" he asked, turning to face his mother while he took Joe's hand into his.

  He couldn't help but be amused as he watched the play of emotions float over his mother's features. She went from shocked, to horrified when her eyes landed on Amber and then turned pleased, very pleased.

  His mother grinned hugely as she faced Amber. "Did I mention that Nathan is single?"

  Chapter 25

  "We have to go," she said, but didn't pull away from him as he reached between them and undid her pants. She said even less as he shoved her pants and panties down around her knees. After one last kiss that left her panting he turned her around and urged her to her knees.

  When she felt him kneel behind her she reached back and grabbed him by the back of his head and yanked him down for another kiss. While his tongue slid across hers she felt him grind his uniform pant covered erection against her bare bottom. She ground herself back against it, loving the way he felt and she knew that she'd never get enough of him.

  He pulled back only to release himself and she cried out in relief when he ran the tip of the velvet head over
her bottom. Just when she didn't think she could take any more teasing he gripped her hip and pushed between her legs until he came in contact with her core. She felt herself drip with excitement and knew that he felt it too when he let out a sexy little growl that had her arching her hips and pushing back until she felt the large head slide inside her.

  As he released himself so that he could push further inside her he reached around and slid his hand beneath her shirt and over her stomach until he could snake a hand beneath her sports bra and cup a breast. She leaned back against him as he slowly slid all the way inside of her. They released moans of pleasure when he was fully inside of her.

  His mouth never left hers as he took her on a slow deep ride. She loved the way he touched her, made her feel and set her body on fire and knew that she would never want another man. She loved him and no longer doubted his ability to stay with her and see this thing through. She'd been worried when he told her that he wanted to give them a chance. With his history she would have been a fool not to worry, but she loved him and couldn't deny him a chance to try.

  It was the best decision of her life. She had the man that she loved and had never been happier, but thanks to the way her mother brought her up that made her nervous. This was almost too good to be true and she was afraid that it wouldn't last. She'd been raised to believe that good things didn't happen to people like her and it was hard to accept that right now her life was perfect.

  "Are you okay?" Eric asked, pulling away to look down at her, but thankfully he never stopped his slow thrusts in her because she was pretty sure she'd kill him if he did.

  "Yeah," she said huskily as she wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him down for another kiss.

  It wasn't too long before she needed more. Keeping one arm wrapped around his neck she reached down between her legs and traced her fingers over her open wet slit and over his shaft as it slid inside of her. She carefully ran her nails over his exposed shaft and nearly came when he let out a loud growl of approval.

  "Don't stop," he whispered against her lips as his hold on her breast tightened. He pinched her hard nipple between his fingers and gently twisted it, sending a shocking surge of pleasure throughout her body.

  For the next few minutes she ran her fingers from his shaft to her clit as he continued to take her slowly. When she managed to reach between them and run her wet hand over his balls he slammed into her so she did it again and again until he let out a ragged curse and pushed her down onto the floor where he followed. He wrapped an arm around her waist and with his other hand he grabbed a fistful of her hair and gave it a tug until she tilted her head back for his kiss.

  His thrusts became hard and punishing, leaving her barely able to breathe as pleasure like nothing she'd ever known before coiled between her legs. When his hand slid down her stomach to dive between her legs she screamed and didn't stop screaming until she felt his cock harden impossibly further inside her. He groaned long and loud in her ear as she felt him release inside of her.

  Minutes later as she struggled to catch her breath he slid out of her and got to his feet. When she could only lay there watching him, he let out a long suffering sigh and reached down and pulled her up onto her feet.

  "You might want to get ready. We're going to be late for work," he said, giving her bare bottom a little pat and squeeze before he headed for the door, whistling, she noted.

  "I was ready twenty minutes ago," she pointed out, even as she struggled to pull up her panties.

  "Uh huh, sure you were," he said, tucking himself back in and zipping up and just like that he was ready for work and she needed to head back to the bathroom to get ready again. Sometimes it really sucked to be a woman, she decided as she stumbled thanks to the pants around her ankles.

  ********

  "Is it true?" Jeff asked the second Eric stepped into the station.

  "Is what true?" he asked, noticing that every conversation had stopped and all eyes were on him.

  "About you and Joe? Mark's sister claims that she saw the two of you making out at the movies Sunday night," Jeff said, looking a little too interested for his comfort.

  After ditching his mother and brother at a chick flick they'd gone to see an action flick and the moment the lights went out his mouth was on hers until some kid with too much acne and a flashlight asked them to leave. Before he could bitch the kid out Joe was dragging him out of the theatre and to his car and demanding that he move his ass. He would have argued with her, but she chose the moment he started driving to reach between his legs and caress his aching erection.

  "Yeah, so?" he asked, wondering what the big deal was.

  Jeff grinned hugely at that little announcement. He turned to the group of men playing pool. "Pay up," he said, holding his hand out as several men slapped money in his hand.

  "I didn't think Joe was that desperate," one of the men grumbled.

  "I'm not," Joe said, walking past him. "I lost a bet," she said with a helpless shrug that earned a laugh from the men and admiration from him. He didn't think he could love a woman more than he loved her.

  "Is our third rider here yet?" he asked as he stepped behind Joe to punch in.

  That quickly ended whatever amusement the men felt. "Yeah, the cocky little bastard is out in the garage hanging out with Teddy," Jeff said.

  "Bill really fucked up when he had him do a third ride with that asshole," another man grumbled.

  "Did he ride along this weekend?" Joe asked as she walked over to the open kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

  "Uh huh," Dan, a firefighter of fifteen years said. "Teddy volunteered to work with him and guess what? The little shit got his first write up for talking shit to a nurse."

  "And he's still here?" Eric asked, shocked that he hadn't been given his walking papers then and there. The man wasn't union and Bill usually didn't put up with that type of bullshit.

  "Bill tried to give him the boot, but his uncle called in another favor. They're hoping the two of you will get the little shit to mellow the fuck out," Bret, an EMT, said as he walked into the room. "Personally I'd love to bitch slap the little bastard, but Bill already asked me not to do that."

  He shared a look with Joe and knew that she was considering killing Bill for forcing them to put up with him. Two weeks they had to put up with him, he thought with a groan as he took Joe's water from her and took a sip before returning it to her. With one look at her face he knew they were both on the same page.

  As long as Greg did what he was told, watched his mouth and didn't pull any bullshit they'd deal with him, but the second the little shit stepped out of line he'd yank him back and if that didn't work he'd drop his ass back at the station. He didn't give a flying fuck if the city council had a problem with that. As a trainer that was his right. It was also his right to refuse to sign him off, which he'd already done and wouldn't hesitate to do again. He didn't give a damn who the kid's uncle was. If he wasn't fit to work on a truck then he needed to find another job.

  He was fine with giving the kid a second chance. Working on an ambulance was a stressful job and he knew there was nothing out there to prepare a person for what to expect. Greg was a nervous wreck and he could work around that. What he couldn't deal with was too much attitude, which the man apparently had in spades.

  Every time Greg fucked up he got even cockier to hide his nerves and now that he thought his job was protected by his uncle it was only going to get worse. It was the same problem everyone had with Teddy. He didn't belong on a rig, but his training officer, from another station he'd like to add, had let him slide by and signed him off. They'd paired him with a senior EMT who was more than happy to run the show and by the time everyone realized what an asshole he was it was too late. He'd made it past his probationary period and made it into the union.

  That wouldn't be happening with Greg. If the man couldn't get his act together and accept some help with learning this job then he'd be out of here. Let his uncle push him off onto another station
because he sure as hell wasn't going to sign the kid off and have some patient's death on his conscience.

  Without a word, Joe grabbed a shift checklist and headed for the garage. He followed after her, chuckling as the guys' smart ass remarks followed. They walked over to the pegboard and found the slot for ambulance seventeen's keys empty. Hoping the crew from last night simply left the keys in the truck they walked over to the van style ambulances and found Greg and Teddy leaning against the ambulance, trading bullshit stories about women they'd fucked.

  He cleared his throat and thankfully they got the message. They sent Joe a look before changing the conversation. Teddy was a pig, but he knew better than treat any of the females that worked at the station like shit. Every man here would be all over him if he made any of them uncomfortable, well on purpose anyway. The guy seemed to make everyone uncomfortable.

  Joe tried to open the driver's side door, but it was locked. When she groaned in annoyance after peaking through the window he knew the keys weren't locked inside. Great. They were going to be down a truck until whoever worked the truck last night hauled their ass back here with the keys or Bill came in and unlocked the backups.

  "Guess we have to call dispatch to see if they can track down a set of keys for us," Joe said resignedly, shifting her backpack over her shoulder.

  Greg shook his head as he held up the keys for the ambulance.