America's Bravest (3 page)

“Good idea.” If they were going to die, at
least they’d be resting easily. Besides, they could conserve air by
lying still.

They both slid onto the makeshift beds, and
Gabe switched the light off. The area around them turned pitch
black. “Holy hell.”

“It’s scary,” Rachel commented. “I wonder
why. We work in total darkness a lot of times in a fire.”

“Yeah, but we know we’re in open air most of
the time, we have on our breathing masks and psychologically we
understand we’re not buried in some cave.”

He felt her shiver, despite the heat.
Reaching beside him, he found her hand and placed his over it.
“That better?”

“Uh-huh.”

“So, what do you want to talk about while we
wait?”

“I don’t care.”

“If they don’t find us soon, you’ll miss your
furlough.”

“No big loss.” She didn’t sound sad about
that.

“What were you going to do?”

She shifted. He could feel the weight of her
body move. “Promise you won’t laugh.”

“Scout’s honor.”

“My parents are…were…taking my sister and me
to Positano for four days.”

“Positano, like in Italy?”

“They call me
Princess
, remember?”
Her tone was disgusted.

He chuckled, the sound magnified in the small
room and in the darkness. “Does it bother you, the teasing?”

“Nah. I understand where it’s coming
from.”

“How rich are you?”

“Rich enough to fly to Italy for a few days.
Old money. On both sides, so there’s a lot.”

“Lucky woman.”

She waited a beat. “Not as lucky as you.”

“What do you mean?”

He heard a heavy sigh. “I envy the Malvasos,
Cap. You’re so loving toward each other.”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t say that if you knew
about our knockdown drag outs. A few years ago, before my cousin
Jenn married her hubby, her brother Zach physically attacked Grady
on Thanksgiving Day because Jenn was pregnant.”

“Tell my more stories about them. It’ll pass
the time. And make me feel good.”

He began talking, filling her in on his
extended family. When she asked about his immediate one, he
recounted how his two brothers lived out of town, how he supported
his mother; and when she asked for information about his ex-wife
and kids, he told her only some of it. Man, he hated his discussing
his failure as a husband, the hurt he’d caused his kids. Especially
now, when those might be some of his last memories.

oOo

Later, they were still resting on the piles
of clothes, and Gabe had gotten Rachel to tell him about growing up
in the sterile environment of the Wellington household. They’d
turned to face each other and she could feel the fan of his breath
on her when he spoke.

“You’re right,” he said after she finished.
“I’d envy the Malvasos, too.” He sighed. “I’m glad you have your
sister to commiserate with.” Her only respite in the Wellington
World was her beautiful, doctor sibling, Alexis, who felt exactly
as she did about their overbearing parents.

Conversation lulled, neither wanting to voice
the topic they were avoiding. Finally, she said, “It’s been a
while. Check and see how long.”

His watch told him three hours.

“They had to have gotten the fire out,” he
told her. “They’re probably bringing in drilling equipment as we
speak.”

“If they know where we are.”

Her despairing tone of voice killed him. He
grabbed her hands this time and held them tight. “We’re gonna get
out, Rachel, and when we do, I’ll take you to our next Malvaso
gathering. You can get some good home cooking, and a lot of
hugs.”

She whispered, “I could use a hug now.”

A long pause. “Inch over then.”

Without thinking about the breach of protocol
in the request, she slid closer to him. His chest was as solid and
muscular as she thought it would be, the crook of his arm and
shoulder as comfortable as she imagined. She cuddled in. “Don’t
tell anybody about this when we get out, Captain.”

“I think we should be on a first-name basis,
down here, don’t you?”

“Oh, okay.” A pause. “You always call me
Wellington. Why?”

“Hush and close your eyes. I’m exhausted and
you must be, too. If we’re not rescued in an hour, I’ll explain it
all.”

“It’s a deal.”

She heard him inhale. “Your hair smells like
lemon, even now, down here and amidst the dust.”

“I’m getting whiffs of the aftershave you put
on this morning.”

Those were the last words they spoke before
Rachel drifted off.

While she slept, he figured out that in a
five-by-ten-by-ten room, they’d have about 18 hours of air. Divide
by two, nine each. Carbon dioxide would be slowly replacing the
oxygen. He wondered if their drowsiness was caused by that. Holding
Rachel near, he closed his own eyes.

oOo

Gabe awoke with a start. He was dreaming
Rachel had cuddled up to him. He’d felt her nestled against his
chest. No, wait, she
was
nestled against his chest.

But she roused, too. “What—where are…?
Oh.”

“We’re in the basement of the abandoned
building.” He said the words soothingly as he rubbed her arm up and
down.

“I remember. What time is it?”

“Move over and I’ll check.” He picked up his
helmet and shone the light on his watch. “It’s three o’clock. We’ve
been down here four hours.”

“That’s not good, is it? That they haven’t
found us yet?”

“No, Rach, it isn’t. And I hate to be
indelicate, but I have to pee.”

“Me, too.”

With as much discretion as could be managed
in a small space, they both took care of business on the farthest
side of the room and covered it with debris.

When they settled back on the clothes, she
said, “I figured in my head how much time we have left.”

“I did, too, earlier.” He tugged her close
again. “Don’t think about that.”

“Tell me why you always call me by my last
name, Gabe.” Her voice was thick with emotion. “Tell me why you
never touch me on the back or shoulder like you do everybody in the
house. And you rarely hug me when we have a save.”

“I’m your captain. I’m very careful with
women.”

“I’ve seen you hug Licia and Sydney.” She
waited. “You said you’d tell me if we weren’t rescued.” She tugged
on his shirt. “’Fess up.”

No response. Every instinct he had told him
they shouldn’t be doing this. He shouldn’t tell her about the
feelings that he’d developed for her over the eighteen months she’d
been at House 7. But they could have only a few hours to live, and
nausea, disorientation and drowsiness could claim them anytime.

“If you’re shy, I’ll start. Remember when we
pulled that baby out of the burning house six months ago? You
forgot about your distance and hugged me then. Didn’t let go for a
while. I liked it.”

“So did I. A little too much.”

Now she went silent.

All right
, he thought.
Who
knows what’s going to happen?
“Remember when you first got
here? The guys took your clothes when you were showering because
they wanted to haze you like they would any male firefighter. You
came out of the locker room wrapped in a towel, your hair wet? I
practically swallowed my tongue.”

“The other guys laughed at me.”

“What can I say? Maybe they don’t see you as
I do.”

Rachel started talking again. “One time we
were working out in the weight room, you took off your damn shirt.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off your arms and chest.”

He chuckled, then sobered. “Last year, you
got hurt when that girder fell. We couldn’t get you out right away
and ended up using the Hurst tools. I about lost my mind. O’Malley
asked me why later.”

“What did you say?”

“That you were one of mine. That I’d react
the same way to any of my crew being pinned.”

“Oh.”

“I lied.”

“Oh!” Silence. “Your ex-wife is
beautiful.”

Now he stroked her hair. He couldn’t see it,
but knew the strands were steel-blond, not dyed, and thick and
silky. “Not as pretty as you. And certainly not as feisty,
independent and strong as you.”

“Thank you, Gabe.”

“That guy who picked you up for a date last
week? We called him pretty boy. He’s more handsome than
Ramirez.”

“He’s an underwear model.”

“Shit.”

More silence. She was probably deciding
whether or not to go further, as he’d been. “I changed the week I
was going to volunteer at the camp because you signed up for the
same one.”

“Ah. I wondered what happened to you. I was
looking forward to seeing you in shorts and a bathing suit.”

They passed time in the same vein, only the
confessions got more intimate, more personal. Finally, he checked
his watch again. “Time’s running out.”

She buried her head in his chest and he
cupped her neck, drew her closer, tighter.

“I’m not sure we’re gonna make it out of
here, Rachel.”

“We should probably lie still, then. Not
talk, even, to conserve air.”

He was silent for a few seconds, then said,
“Me? I think we should use what’s left of our time wisely.”

A girlish giggle bubbled out of her chest. “I
agree. So, Captain, do you like doing it in the dark or with a
light on?”

oOo

She was a beauty
, Gabe thought as he
stared at her naked form in the dim light from the helmet. He ran
his hand down her arm, over her torso and her flank. Her skin was
like watery silk; leaning over, he caught the scent of the lotion
she used. Gooseflesh formed as soon as he touched her. If this was
the last time he got to have sex, he was going to savor it.

“I never expected this to happen,” she
whispered as he continued his exploration. Her voice was hoarse
with arousal, which only increased his. As did the way she glided
her hands along his naked back and butt!

“It wouldn’t have. We’re breaking every rule
in the book.”

“As if it matters now.” He caught the sheen
of tears in her eyes.

Not once in the months he’d known her had he
seen her cry, not even when she was pinned under that girder.

“Shh. Don’t think about that. Think about me.
Us together, this unexpected gift.”

To distract her and, hell, to please himself,
he cupped her incredibly toned breasts, kneaded them. They filled
his hands nicely. He massaged them with increasing pressure. She
sighed and he knew she was there, with him, not worrying about what
was going to happen. Finally, he replaced his hands with his mouth
and suckled a hard nipple. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the
feast.

She arched forward. “Ahhh…”

Against her skin, he whispered, “You
like?”

“Oh, I like.”

He moved lower, tongued her navel, kissed her
firm belly and lay his cheek there, savoring the taste and feel of
her. Then he slid his hand between her legs and ground his palm
against her. This time she bucked. Moving back, he closed his mouth
over her. She squirmed on the makeshift bed. “Gabe. Jesus. Oh,
God!”

Rachel was so close, so close…but she wanted
more. More of him. More time. No, no, don’t think about that. He
increased the pressure of his mouth and she let herself go. In
seconds, she exploded into acute pleasure that went on and on,
converging into one long stream of sensation.

After she came back to consciousness, she
smiled up at him. He was braced over her and grinning. His eyes
were dark liquid, and sweat dampened his hair, which was a mess
from her hands. “I’m so glad I got to see that.”

She ran her fingers over his jaw. It was
scratchy by now. “I want to watch you, too.”

Sliding her hand between them, she grasped on
to his hard length. He was hot and full, heavy and ready. She
rubbed up and down, up and down. His eyes closed, and his jaw
slackened. “Oh. Jesus. Hell.” Pushing her hand away, he opened her
thighs and thrust inside her. “Ah, Rachel, baby.”

He filled her completely. To increase the
sensation, she pressed on his butt and urged him deeper, made him
push harder. He groaned, grunted, then lost control and pounded
into her. Rachel felt taken, consumed, possessed. His face was
taut, his body unbelievably rigid. Suddenly, she tensed again. And
sparks ignited inside her. She went with it, murmuring his name,
encouraging him, and they crashed over the top together.

A while later, slick with sweat, he rolled to
the side, taking her with him. Still connected, they held each
other tightly. “That was one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever
experienced, Gabe,” she said softly.

“Me, too, sweetheart.” His hand brushed down
her now-damp hair. “Worth the oxygen we used.”

Then the light went out. She startled and he
drew her closer, their bare chests melding together, their legs
entangled. “It’s all right. I’m here. Close your eyes.”

“Will we just drift off, Gabe?”

“Let’s hope so. The symptoms at the end
are…not pleasant.” Already he felt sleepy. And now that he was
conscious of his condition, his stomach felt queasy. “Close your
eyes and try to relax.”

When she did, he said, “Thank you so much for
giving this to me.”

“I feel the same.”

Then they slept.

oOo

Crashing sounds. Loud, louder, very loud…

Gabe thought he was dreaming about the
cave-in until he startled awake. Rachel awoke, too, and grabbed
hold of him. Pitch blackness surrounded them and they could see
nothing. But the noise was loud. And they both coughed at what was
in the air. Dust.

“What…Gabe what…is the building falling in on
us?”

He got his bearings and assessed the
situation. Nausea roiled inside him, and his head felt light. His
throat was clogged. “No, that’s excavation equipment.”

“Excavation…you mean…”

He grasped her by the arms. “We’re being
rescued.”