Read Surge (St. Martin Family Saga: Emergency Responders) Book 3: St. Martin Family Saga: Emergency Responders for Free Online

“Your altruistic nature is just one of the things I love about you.” He kissed her cheek as he patted her butt.
    She brought the pizza to the table and they devoured it.
    “Mmm. Superb.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You have very talented fingers.”
    They ate until they were full and then she started the cleanup process. He watched her as he delighted in a slice of Tiramisu. She packed him two leftover slices of pizza for tomorrow’s lunch and grabbed a pre packaged side salad from the fridge.
    She hollered from her bent over position at the refrigerator, “What dressing do you want for your lunch salad?”
    “Italian.”
    She pulled a picnic package of utensils and a white sack from beneath the counter. Smiling, she wrote a love note on the napkin and laid it on top of the styrofoam containers, wishing she could be present when he read it.

Chapter 4

    “Bug a boo.” The hair at the nape of her neck rose and she giggled as he tickled the sensitive skin behind her ear. She turned, looking up into his eyes. “Coffee?” He held a steaming mug hovering just above her. Smiling she sat up and reached for the cup. The first sip of the smoky caramel notes awakened her senses and the liquid radiated warmth from her belly. He sat next to her on the bed in their apartment, sipping a mug of his own, already dressed in his paramedic uniform and ready to begin his long grueling day. His hand patted her head. “I gotta go start my shift at the station. Don’t forget I’m on nights this week so I’ll be sleeping at the hospital.”
    She forced a slight smile on her face so he wouldn’t clue in to her quickly diminishing mood and set her mug on the bedside table. She didn’t know how he kept up with it all. His schedule made her dizzy. “I’ll miss you Cracker Jack.” She leaned into his side, and he kissed her head. They would miss each other in the morning when she left for work. Heck, he was probably going to try to work at the station when he left the hospital in the early morning hours. He’d been doing that lately—running between the two, racking up as many hours in a week as he could. She worried about his unrelenting schedule and his body’s need for sleep and relaxation. Sometimes he didn’t even eat. “Don’t forget the leftovers I packed for you. You can have them for dinner.”
    “Oh yeah, almost forgot. Where would I be without my girl?”
    Without his girl he’d be a lot better off financially. She was a burden, but he always said she was a burden he didn’t want to live without. He stood and she laced her hand through his, not wanting to break their connection.
    He kissed her knuckles. “Don’t go back to sleep, okay?”
    He knew her so well.
    “Okay.” He attempted to walk away, but she wouldn’t release his hand and instead pulled him close to her.
    “What is it?”
    “I just don’t want you to go.”
    He followed her body down to the bed, one of his legs nestled between hers. His hands framed her face before he went in for a deep kiss. He tasted of coffee and cinnamon and she reveled in it. He pulled away, but hovered close to her face. “I more than love you Bug. I want to stay here in your warmth, but I also want to provide us with a future and I need you to be proud of me.”
    God his words cut her to the bone. “Jackson.” Her voice was a whisper. “I’ve never been more proud of anyone. I sometimes feel inferior to the man you are and strive to be. I should be the one saying I want you to be proud of me.”
    “Silly girl, shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “You shut up too then.”
    “Gladly.” His lips descended on hers again and she wished more than she’d wished for anything that time could be frozen at this moment.
    “I’ve got to go. Need to air up my bicycle tires.”
    “Why do you have to ride that bike all the time? It’s dangerous—especially over the bridge.”
    “How many times have I told you not to worry? I ride