Chapter 86 - Hot and Bothered

As Mike and Colin started to roll up the firehose and return it to the hydrant, Cate took in and blew out a deep breath. She wandered several steps away from where the men were working to prepare herself for the next task.

Cate pulled off her helmet and reached to the back of her neck to pull her hair down from its bun, slipping the elastic from her long, damp locks and shaking them out. She ran her hand through her hair several times, separating the wet strands with her fingers. Then she twisted them back up into a messy knot and replaced her helmet.

Cate flipped open the buckles on the front of her coat and slipped it off her arms. Her t-shirt was drenched with sweat and water, and it stuck to her skin. She tossed her turnout coat onto the asphalt, away from the puddle of water, then turned back to face Jon.

He had also removed his turnout coat, and he was holding his helmet in his hands. His eyes were still shielded by his tinted safety glasses, but Cate could see them widen as his mouth dropped open and he stared at her.

Confused, Cate stared back at him, her head tilted slightly to the side. What the Hell? She saw a slow smirk spread across Jon’s face, then he chuckled.

Suddenly Cate realized why Jon was smirking. She looked down at her sopping wet navy blue t-shirt and saw the reason for his reaction. The wide red suspenders holding up Cate’s turnout pants had slipped sideways so that they lay along the sides of her breasts. The thick elastic straps pressed her boobs slightly upward and together. Though she was wearing a sports bra, it was thoroughly drenched, as was her t-shirt. Her nipples poked through the fabric, forming sharp little peaks at the tops of her mounded breasts.

Oh, Christ, she thought. My tits look like two bullseyes in parentheses. She rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly as she saw Jon mouth the words “Slippery When Wet,” then give her a lecherous grin. Fixing Jon with a defiant stare, she reached up to pull her wet t-shirt away from her skin, removing its shrink-wrap effect.

Jon gave Cate a little pout, then grinned again. He shook his head, then turned back toward Mike and Colin, wondering what was next.

“Alright, Rookies, let’s overhaul!” Mike called out gleefully. He held out a tool to Jon, a long pole with a curved metal hook at the end. Jon stepped forward and took the tool, examining it curiously. Cate stepped forward to join Mike and Jon, then followed the two men over to the smoking, charred remains of the house. Mike carried his own hook, and he showed Jon how to use the tool to probe and pull at the rubble to “overhaul” the site, or look for sources of heat that may re-kindle the fire.

Mike grinned and gave Cate a wink. “This is why cops get pissed at firefighters,” he said to Jon. “When we’re in here trying to be sure the fire’s out, we’re tromping all over their crime scene and destroying evidence. Makes their job to prove arson that much harder.” He chuckled. “Well, that and we get all the chicks.”

Jon laughed and shot Cate a little grin. “Yeah, I’ve never known a firefighter to have any problem gettin’ laid,” he agreed.

“Yeah, we’re like rock stars!” Mike grinned. “Only better lookin’!”

Cate and Jon both laughed at Mike’s tease. “Yeah, Mike, you’re right,” Cate chortled. “Firemen are better looking than most rock stars.” She raised an eyebrow at Jon. “Better bodies, too.”

“Than most rock stars,” Jon mimicked Cate’s words back at her. He gave her a playful smirk, then puffed out his chest a bit and flexed his arms as he wielded the hook to continue the overhaul. He chuckled as he saw her eyes slide over his torso. He just couldn’t stop teasing her, though he knew he was pushing his luck. Eventually she was going to get pissed at his flirting and put him in his place.

“Here ya go, Cate,” Mike offered her his hook. “You know how to do this. Why don’t you finish up, and you can start telling Jon about evidence and stuff. Collie and I will start cleaning up, since we gotta get going pretty quick.”

“Sure.” Cate stepped forward and took the hook from Mike, then moved up beside Jon. He gave her a sideways glance and a little smile as Mike stepped back, then turned and walked away.

Cate drew in a breath, waiting for Jon’s next taunt. Jon turned to look at her, trying to hold a serious expression but not quite succeeding. “So, what do we do with this crime scene?” he asked. “How do we find evidence that this was an arson fire?”

Cate smiled, then chuckled. She could see in Jon’s eyes that he wanted to continue to tease and flirt, but that he was making an effort to be serious, for her. “Well…” she began.

Cate spent the next ten minutes showing Jon what types of evidence an arson investigator would collect from a fire scene. As she spoke, she moved around the charred structure, pointing out clues on the walls and floor. Jon followed her, listening with interest to her narrative. But he kept bumping and brushing against her in the small space, and each time his focus was momentarily diverted. He could tell by the way she drew in a little breath each time they touched that she was partially distracted, too. But she was such a knowledgeable and experienced teacher that she kept on with her presentation.

Finally, Mike called out that it was time to leave so he and Colin could get back to their office in time to prepare for their afternoon classes. Cate led Jon out of the burned-out house and over to where they had dropped their gear. After retrieving their turnout coats, Cate and Jon walked back over to the gear room as Mike and Colin loaded up the truck.

Cate showed Jon a row of hooks on the outside of the building, where they hung their wet turnout coats and gloves to dry. Cate retrieved their shoes from inside the little supply room, then she and Jon sat together on a small bench outside the shed to pull off their boots and turnout pants. They worked in silence, both lost in steamy thoughts of flames and lust.

Cate rose from the bench and directed Jon to hang the pants on the hooks while she returned the boots and helmets to the shelves in the supply shed. She carried the gear into the room, dropping the boots onto the floor while she turned to fit the helmets back into their cubbies.

After putting away the helmets Cate turned to face the boot shelves. She leaned down to pick up the two pairs of heavy rubber boots and lifted them back up to their spaces, then turned to exit the shed. She started in surprise and let out a little gasp when she almost bumped into Jon.

“Sorry,” Jon said softly. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” He looked around the room. “Are there any towels in here? I’m soaked.”

“Ummm….” Cate looked at the shelves lining the walls. “I don’t think so… at least I don’t see any,” she answered quietly. She realized Jon was staring at her as she spoke. She turned her gaze back to him. Her pulse accelerated as Jon gave her a little smirk, then took a step toward her, so he was no longer standing just inside the doorway. “I… I have a towel in the trunk of my car, in my gym bag,” she said, a bit breathlessly. “You can use it when we get back to the parking lot.”

“Yeah, but I don’t wanna get the seat of Mike’s truck all wet,” Jon’s voice was quietly seductive. He gave Cate another little slightly naughty smile. “And you’re drenched, too,” he observed. He reached out to finger a tendril of wet auburn hair that had escaped over her shoulder from the bun at the back of Cate’s neck. “We look like a couple of drowned rats,” he smirked.

Cate’s pulse raced. The danger alarms were sounding in her mind: he was too close, they were alone, and that damned voice of his… and on top of that he was wet. His damp hair stuck out in all directions, looking almost unbearably sexy. And that black t-shirt seemed to be a second skin, molded to his chest. In the dim light let into the shed by the tiny window, Jon’s eyes seemed to glow a supernaturally bright shade of blue.

“Well, you could always take that wet shirt off…” she croaked. She grimaced as she heard the words slide off her tongue. NO! her brain screamed. That’s the LAST thing you need to deal with! It was hard enough to see him like this with his clothes ON, for God’s sake.

Jon grinned at her response to her spontaneous statement. “Excellent idea,” he purred. His hands went to the hem of his t-shirt. Cate watched, unable to move or look away, as Jon peeled the wet garment away from his skin, pulling it up and over his head. Cate’s eyes went to the damp, matted fur on Jon’s chest as she sucked in a deep breath at the sight of his naked torso.

Jon chuckled at Cate’s dazed expression. “You know, you’re soaked too…” he said throatily, giving her a seductive smile as he dropped his wet shirt to the floor. Cate stood frozen as Jon stepped closer to her, his hands reaching to the hem of her t-shirt. He hesitated with the edge of the fabric between his fingers, meeting her gaze.

Cate nodded wordlessly… she couldn’t remember how to speak. Inside her head, the not-so-little voice was screaming for her to put an immediate stop to this little seduction game Jon was playing. But outside, she was mute. Her lips parted soundlessly as Jon started to pull her shirt up, exposing her midsection.

Jon realized Cate wasn’t going to stop him. His smile turned slightly naughty as she silently raised her arms, allowing him to draw the wet garment up over her head and off her body, revealing her full breasts covered by a navy sports bra. She shivered involuntarily as she dropped her arms back to her sides and looked up at Jon’s face.

His smile was gone, and his lips parted as he drew in another deep breath. His eyes locked with hers, Jon stepped forward until the damp fabric covering her breasts brushed against his pecs. Her head tipped back a bit as she looked up at him, and a little gasp escaped her lips.

Jon smiled tenderly and raised a hand to her cheek. Then he lowered his lips to brush across hers, giving her a gentle whisper of a kiss. He pulled his head slowly back and looked into Cate’s blue eyes, and his heart squeezed as he saw what he had hoped to see… longing.

Cate stared up at Jon, lost in his eyes, her heart pounding like it would leap out of her chest. Her senses were on high alert, her mind screaming at her to stop this illicit contact, and her body yearning to melt into his arms. But she couldn’t move…

Cate and Jon were startled from their moment by the sharp blast of a horn. Cate jumped at the piercing noise, her gaze slipping from his face. Jon let out a disappointed sigh, dropping his chin to his chest. Glancing at the door, Cate realized she and Jon were far enough inside the little room that Mike and Colin couldn’t see them. Thank GOD…

Sliding her gaze over Jon’s bare chest and down his arm, Cate reached out to take her wet t-shirt from his hand. She slung it over her shoulder, then pushed past him toward the door. “Let’s go,” she said hoarsely.

Jon dropped his head back and sighed in frustration, closing his eyes for a moment. He didn’t know how much more of this temptation he could take. He shook his head slightly, then bent down to pick up his damp t-shirt. He turned to follow Cate through the door.