Rico's Recovery (Detroit Heat Book 2) (14 page)

“Well?” He regarded me with suspicion. I knew everything the simple question meant.

I swallowed. “Therapy is coming along. My therapist says I’ve got less than a month left.” Not my therapist—my
girlfriend.
I left that detail out, though.

Clay nodded. He always took the time to think through things. It was probably why he was a captain. Captains had to think. They had to be in the head of every firefighter on a scene. It meant keeping track of a hundred things all at once, and he could do it.

He proved that when he read into my statement. “Less than a month of therapy. That’s impressive, but it doesn’t guarantee anything. I’m willing to schedule your physical. When do you think you’d be up for it?”

My heart pounded in my chest. I was one step closer. “Eight weeks. That’s a month out of therapy.” I was counting on being done in four, giving me extra time to get back into shape.

Again, Clay thought it over. “Twelve weeks, it is.” I was going to protest, but he went on. “You’re eager. Maybe overeager, Rico. It’s not a bad thing, but it is something that needs to be managed with care. No offense, but you’re not capable of that. That’s where I come in. Twelve weeks.”

I thought about what Clay said for a moment. I thought about how I would have reacted before the accident. I would have already been on my feet and screaming before Clay was done. Now I only nodded.

He was right. I was going to push myself, and I
always
would. I needed people around to tell me when it was best for me to slow down. Clay did it for me, and Lizzie did it too. She was there to catch me when I fell, metaphorically and literally. Clay was there to keep me from falling.

“You’re right. I could use an extra month.” I smiled at him, grateful to have such an understanding boss.

“Good deal. I want you back, Rico. We all do. But to have you back, I need to be absolutely certain that you are good to go. If that means an extra few weeks of workouts, I’m more than okay with that.”

Easy for him to say. I was itching to get back to work. I had begun to dream about calls, and I’d wake up and analyze them to see what I could do better the next time.

Clay stood up. “When you come back here, I’m sure you’ll have a new nickname. My vote is for Lazarus, but the guys might come up with something a little less eloquent. See you in three months.”

“He’s been progressing well. He doesn’t talk much, but that boy sure does work hard. I have to give him that. Every time I up the weights or lengthen the time, he doesn’t complain. He just hits it even harder.”

I watched Alan’s face as he told me about Rico’s progress. It brightened my spirits, but he didn’t tell me much that I didn’t already know. I knew that Rico was a hard worker; I had witnessed it myself just a week before.

“That’s great. How many sessions does he have left?” I hoped that my coworker couldn’t hear the excitement in my voice. I looked down at the folder of another patient to cover it up.

Alan gave a noncommittal look. “I’m gonna say ten. I think as long as he keeps up the exercises and stretches on his own, he’ll be right as rain. What a miracle, right?”

It
was
a miracle. The sheer force that Rico had hit the ground with could have killed him. Instead, he wouldn’t have any lasting damage—at least not in the short term. There was no doubt that arthritis was going to haunt him in his later years, but something told me that Rico didn’t think that far ahead.

“Detroit’s golden firefighter will be heading back to work soon,” I said. Alan didn’t look up at me, which I took as a win. God, he was going to be so surprised in a few weeks. Rico was right, though. As fun as the sneaking around was, we were ready for an adult relationship where we didn’t have to keep anything a secret.

While my patient was taking a much-deserved break, I sent Rico a text. It was maybe the best one I’d sent him.

Three weeks left.

I didn’t know what kind of response I was going to get, but I was not at all prepared for the one he sent.

Want to meet the fam?

As mean as it was, I didn’t reply until after work. I spent the last few hours thinking about it. I
did
want to meet Rico’s family, but was it too soon? How did they feel about me? What if anyone from the hospital found out? All the waiting we’d done would be for nothing.

I decided to give him a call. There might have been something that I was missing. I had probably already pissed him off by waiting so long to reply.

When he picked up, there was nothing but happiness in his voice. “Lizzie, hey. How are you?”

I was surprised, but relieved. “I’m great, and from what Alan said, so are you. Three weeks, and you’ll never have to come to Henry Ford again.”

“I’ll quote you on that one. Anyway, did you get my text? Want to meet the family?”

I bit my bottom lip. “Rico, I’m still worried that someone might find out. I’m sure your parents are great, but—”

He cut me off, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “
Parents?
Wrong family, Lizzie. I’m gonna text you an address. I’ll see you at ten. And I’m not taking no for an answer, sweetheart.”

Rico hung up before I could say another word.
Wrong family?
Just what did that mean?

I was a little bit upset with him. I didn’t know how many times we’d talked about being careful to protect my job, but Rico was insisting, as usual. For a change, though, he had me intrigued. Just when I thought I had him pegged, he took a page from my book.

As my phone vibrated with his text, I shook my head and smiled. Yeah, I’d be there.

The place looked like a dive. There were neon signs in the window advertising all kinds of bottom shelf alcohols. I looked around, but couldn’t see a sign with a name on it anywhere. Double-checking the address, I shrugged and headed toward the door.

There was music blaring. The place smelled like a bar from the outside. I couldn’t imagine what it smelled like once I went through the door.

It was filled with dudes. I didn’t see any women. Then it hit me. They were all wearing firefighter t-shirts. It was a bar filled with firefighters. A lady’s wet dream, if you could look past all the mustaches.

They turned to me and cheered. My heart raced and blood rushed to my cheeks. I was the only woman in the place. Covering my face as all the men around me clapped, I walked into the bar.

I was looking down when I saw the cane. I looked up to see Rico, a grin on his face.

He leaned in. “You came!” I could barely hear him over the cheering and the music.

“You didn’t give me much choice.”

Rico pulled me to him and kissed me hard. I knew the firefighters were clapping around me, but I couldn’t hear it. Rico’s passion and strength blocked everything out. He had literally swept me off my feet. It was incredible. When I opened my eyes, he was watching me. He looked in his element; so powerful and handsome.

He reached down and took my hand. After he gave it a squeeze, he said, “Thank you.”

After he explained it all to me I didn’t feel as embarrassed, but I still had firefighters lined up to thank me for what I had done for Rico. I didn’t know if they meant physical therapy or trying to get him to settle down. I just smiled and said, “You’re welcome,” more times than I could count.

After things quieted down, Rico told me about his physical exam with the fire department. “That will be the final ruling. If they give me a clean bill of health, I’m back to work.”

I’d never heard him with such emotion in his voice. I could tell exactly how much he wanted his job back. Trying to remember what he was like in the hospital was useless. He was a completely different man. I remembered falling for him in the courtyard, even when he was at his worst. In the bar that night he was at his best, and I was so happy that I was beside him.

I didn’t know how long we were there, but I heard stories about Rico and all kinds of stories about the rest of Engine 37. I did my best to follow along, but there were a fair amount of things that went over my head.

It was still a great time, and I could see just how much everyone liked Rico. An older man introduced himself as Rico’s captain. He didn’t say much, but he did thank me with a sincerity I didn’t feel from all of the others. He seemed like a man who genuinely cared.

Not long after the captain wandered away, Rico grabbed me by the hand and pulled me outside. As I followed, I saw just how little he was using the cane. A week more, and he’d be done with it.

Once we were out of the noisy bar, he pushed me against the brick wall. His lips met mine with a hard passion and I moaned, throwing my arms around his neck. It felt like ages since we’d been alone.

He pressed against me, and I could feel his throbbing manhood beneath his jeans. I was aching for him, but I knew it would just be a taste. I reached down and squeezed him through the fabric, letting him know that I didn’t just want a sample of his amazing sex.

I spoke in a low, sultry voice. “Rico, why don’t you go back in there and let them know that we’re heading home?”

“Best idea I’ve heard all day, coach.”

After he said his goodbyes, we decided on a walk. It was the first chance we’d had to actually spend time together—outside of my minivan, of course. Somehow, I didn’t think it would be long before the conversation stopped, though.

His free hand was at my ass, squeezing me and getting me wetter by the second. We passed an alley and Rico pushed me against another wall. I turned back toward the street, afraid of being seen. I didn’t see anyone around, but the headlights of a car were getting brighter. Rico’s lips had moved down to my neck. I was torn between my lust and the fear of getting caught. As the lights got brighter, I saw the entrance to a park across the street. Before the car drove past, I spoke up.

“Not here,” I whispered, and Rico pulled away from me, a little confused. “There.” I pointed across the street. He looked just as the car went by, and he smiled.

“You are bad.” He laughed and took my hand. Close call.

The park was deserted, but I didn’t think that Rico cared much if we were seen. He was overcome with lust, and no one else existed in the world except me. It was intoxicating.

He wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked around the park. He didn’t speak. He was too focused on finding the right spot.

Rico pulled me past a fountain and benches. We stepped over a line of rocks separating the path from the grass. I could feel the dew on my skin. My flats got wet almost right away, but I didn’t care.

Rico’s hand drifted down to my ass. He gave it a firm squeeze as he turned me to face him. We were just about at the wall of the park. He grabbed my ass and pulled me close. I could feel his hardness press against me as I sucked in the cold night air. I could feel the beer from the bar doing its job. Every inch of my body had a tingle about it.

When he lifted me, I laughed out loud. Rico pressed me against the cold wall, pinning me there. “There, is that better?”

I smiled. “This is perfect.”

His hands were rough, squeezing and holding me up. Any fears about his strength were demolished in an instant. I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning down to kiss him. The alcohol was making me bolder and my fear of being seen began to fade. My desire was taking over. I broke the kiss to reach down and unbutton my shirt.