By Fire 3 - Burnished by Fire

Author:Andrew Grey [Grey, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-11-04T12:29:35+00:00

THEY got ready for dinner after spending the late afternoon and early evening either on the pool deck or back at the FlowRider. The lesson had paid off, and Dirk was getting so he could surf pretty well, and now he was really starting to have fun with it. Lee was doing pretty well, too, and all Dirk had to do now was figure out how to install one in the backyard. When the ship pulled out of port, he and Lee stood by the railing watching the lights of St. Thomas get farther away as the sun set over the ocean.

“We’ve got plenty of time,” Lee told him as they rested in the cabin. Dirk had his eyes closed and his head resting on Lee’s shoulder. He’d thought of starting something a little more active, but being quiet and alone with Lee was enough for now. Dirk had never thought something as simple as being held for a while would feel as good as it did. He turned his head and shifted his body slightly.

They lay side by side for a long time, just kissing. In some ways, it felt strange to kiss, and Dirk kept expecting the kisses to lead to something else, but neither of them escalated the contact, both of them seemingly content to simply be together for a while. “We can probably start getting dressed for dinner,” Lee told him, and Dirk was thankful that tonight wasn’t one of the nights they needed to dress up. He slowly got off the bed and stripped off his shorts and T-shirt before pulling on a pair of jeans and a fresh shirt.

“Is this okay?” Dirk asked, and Lee patted his butt.

“More than,” Lee told him with a smile that said “after dinner you’re all mine,” and Dirk turned around.

“I’m glad you approve,” he added before tugging Lee into his arms. He thought about kissing him, but rested his head on Lee’s shoulder instead.

“I know. You keep seeing what would happen if you hadn’t gotten there in time,” Lee told him, and Dirk nodded his head against his lover’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong with me? I saved her and she’s fine. I know that,” Dirk said softly into Lee’s ear. “Then I see the people I didn’t get to in the fire just before we left.”

“Hey,” Lee told him, squeezing tighter. “That was only a few days ago, and you need some quiet time to process it. This isn’t the first time that’s happened, and it won’t be the last. You know that, and so do I. It goes with the job. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it or that we don’t feel it. Everyone goes through this in their own way, and each time it’s different. Are you feeling guilty because you didn’t get to them in time? Because you couldn’t.”

Dirk stood quietly in Lee’s arms, trying not to think about it too hard. “But what if…?”

“Dirk, you can what-if yourself to death. You didn’t get to them because the fire got there first, and you saved three children instead.

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