Count on it

Having been born with a trust fund worth over a billion dollars, I was used to women throwing themselves at me, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. My interest in entertaining shallow relationships and one-night stands had been a product of teenage hormones and

lasted about as long as a breath mint.

I knew what women saw when they looked at me…in addition to the dollar signs. My body was shredded because I liked being healthy, and it made me an effective firefighter. With my hazel eyes —framed with thick dark lashes—angular face, chiseled jaw, and straight nose, I wasn’t considered classically handsome, but I was attractive enough to end up on a list of the world’s sexiest bachelor philanthropists multiple times.

Despite my desire to stay out of the limelight, the paparazzi still found interest in me from time to time. And that was usually when women like this one came out of the woodwork. They assumed that I was such a manwhore, I wouldn’t realize that we’d never met and armed themselves with enough details of my whereabouts to make it seem plausible that I’d simply forgotten them. Usually, I bJacksoned them off firmly but politely.

However, this time, I was enraged that she hurt my woman.

“Get your hand off me,” I snarled as I jumped to my feet. “Run the fuck away, and if I ever see you near me or my—anyone important to me, I’ll have you arrested for stalking.” The irony of that threat did not escape me, nor did it deter me.

“But…um, we—you,” she stuttered as she stumbled back a few steps.

I didn’t wait around for her to make a decision or try to play another hand to snare me as her prey. I quickly weaved my way through the tables until I came to Kate and Olive’s. They both looked up as my shadow fell over them.

“Do you mind if I use you ladies as a decoy?” I asked with my best puppy dog eyes.

Olive’s eyes narrowed, and she leaned over to look around me before sitting back and staring at me haughtily.

“A decoy?” Kate asked, perking up minutely. She was trying to appear cool, but curiosity colored her tone.

I cringed. “At the risk of sounding like a pompous ass, when you have a bank account the size of mine, it can draw the wrong kind of attention.”

Both girls winced and gave me a look of sympathy. “Been there,” Kate sighed.

My eyes narrowed, and I bent over the table until my face was inches from hers. “I want their names. Now.”

Kate’s eyes rounded, and her pretty lips formed a cute little O. It was so fucking hard not to kiss her, to thrust my tongue into that mouth and finally taste how sweet she was. But my obsession was already showing too much, so I forced my eyes away from temptation and straightened back up. She’d get used to the intensity of my obsession eventually, but I needed to get my ring on her finger and my baby in her belly before she saw the true force of it.

“Um, I didn’t keep a list, but that’s really sweet of you.” When I looked back at her, she smiled warmly, seeming genuinely pleased by my actions. Probably what she’d interpreted as a gallant gesture rather than the sudden blood rage that it had actually been.

I wanted to tell her that she could come to me anytime for protection, for affection, or even just to talk. Instead, I nodded and murmured, “At your service, remember?”

Kate’s eyes twinkled. “My very own white knight.”

“Yet here you saved me from the vapid claws of a money-hungry dragon,” I teased, making her giggle and blush.

“Well, um, I think I’m going to eat…”

I glanced over at Olive, having forgotten she was there, and gave her a polite nod. “Sorry to interrupt but thank you again for your help.”

“Would you like to join us?” Kate asked softly.

Tempted, baby. So very tempted.

“Unfortunately, I need to get to the station for my shift.”

“Okay.” Her smile slipped, and I forced back my smug satisfaction at knowing she wasn’t happy about being apart from me either. “Another time.”

“Count on it,” I told her with a wink.

Fucking hell. I ached from my head to my toes.

Trudging into my bedroom, I stripped on the way to the bed and fell facedown onto the mattress. Then I shored up all my energy just to turn my head to the side so I wouldn’t suffocate.

When I’d decided I wanted to be a firefighter, my parents thought I was crazy, and I knew the rest of the world would see it as a publicity stunt. So I entered the fire academy quietly, and it became my haven. The fire chief and my ladder company were all an incredible team to work with, and they kept my involvement close to the vest.

But there were times, like tonight—or this morning if I really wanted to get technical about it—that I wondered what the hell I was thinking.

It was fucking pledge week at many campuses around the boroughs, and I’d lost count of the times we’d been called out to a fire, either from a drunken party or a hazing gone wrong. I’d spent more time in my gear than out of it, and that getup wasn’t light.

To make matters worse, a train broke down in the middle of one of the busiest junctions in the city, so several people weren’t able to make it in for their shift. This was the first time I’d stepped foot in my house in three days.

As usual, I received constant updates from Kate’s security team, but I hadn’t had time for more than a quick glance or two while she

was babysitting. And on the rare occasions when I’d been able to catch a nap, I didn’t dare think about her to avoid any erotic dreams.

I was exhausted, starving, dirty, and all I wanted was to see Kate. I was practically going through withdrawals for my girl.

After resting for a few minutes, I crawled all the way onto the bed and slipped under the covers. I grabbed the TV remote from the nightstand, then sprawled on my back and hit the button that lowered the television. It came down at an angle, so I didn’t have to be propped up to watch the screen, which came in handy when you couldn’t move.

Using voice commands, I accessed my server and pulled up the footage of Kate from the past few days. When her face appeared on the screen, it was like taking a deep breath after surfacing from hours in the ocean.

Turning my head just slightly, I inhaled the coconut & lime scent on the pillow as I watched her coo to the twins. My cock twitched, then began to harden and lengthen as images of a pregnant Kate swam in front of my tired eyes.

I didn’t bother trying to find relief, though. The idea of anyone other than Kate—even my own hand—working me to climax felt like a betrayal. Not that I would have to suffer for long. This was the one place where I let go of my tightly leashed hunger. Where I could relax and fully indulge in how much I craved Kate.

In our room, our bed, just me and my blue-eyed girl.

I closed my eyes and listened to the gentle cadence of her voice.