The high pitched screeching of the fire alarm ripped me from my dreams of margaritas and ocean waves and I growled as I punched my pillow over my lost sleep. I jumped out of bed, reaching for the first things I could off the floor, which turned out to be an oversized t-shirt, a pair of running shorts and some sweatpants. Grabbing my phone, I saw that it was 3:18 in the morning. I slipped a pair of flip flops on, ran to the living room and grabbed Fleetfoot's leash off the hook next to my keys.
"Come on, girl," I said, hooking the leash into the loop on her collar. She whined and pawed at the door. I opened the door and we headed down the hallway to the fire exit at the end. Before the heavy, metal door swung back shut, I glanced back at my elderly neighbor's door, wondering if should go back to help her, but then remembered she had told me she'd be in Florida for her granddaughter's birthday this week. Good for her; she was possibly getting to live my dream while I was stuck in this reality.
Fleetfoot was done with my waiting and pulled on her leash yanking me forward. It was then that I remembered we were standing in the stairwell of the 8th floor of a building that may or may not be on fire. After that, we hauled ass down the stairs and quickly made it out onto the grassy hill situated next to the parking lot.
Bit by bit, more and more people began to file out of the building in various states of sleep and undress. One of the guys that lives a few levels below me brought a pillow and a blanket, laid down in the grass and went right back to sleep. A couple that lives on the 10th floor were very clearly in the middle of something if the blush on the wife's cheeks was any indication.
Sitting down next to Fleetfoot on the grass, I rubbed her head as we all looked at the building. No smoke was visible, but it might not be that large of a fire yet. There were people talking, the occasional child crying and everyone looked, well, like they had just been ripped out of their peaceful sleep.
From behind me, I heard the screaming of a fire engine's siren and I glanced back to see how far away it was. And then I stared.
Standing not even 3 feet from me was my gorgeous, new neighbor. He'd moved into the apartment next door not even a month ago and every morning, he was up to run right about the same time as Fleetfoot and I took off. And leave for work just about the time I left for class, looking unbelievably sexy in tailored suits and sunglasses. He even made the messenger bag he carried look good. Basically, the point I'm trying to get across, is that this man was quite possibly the most attractive human on the planet.
And he was currently only wearing a pair of boxer-briefs.
He dragged a sleepy hand across his face and yawned as he looked back at the fire trucks. His silver hair, usually tied back in a bun at the back of his head, was loose and flowing around his chiseled face. I could see that the black ink that was tipping his fingers and on his face also flowed onto his neck, snaked up his arm, and down his broad chest and abdomen. I tried, I swear I really did, not to glance down any farther, but the pronounced bulge in his gray boxer-briefs and the view that I had from my vantage point on the ground had me biting my lip to keep from whining.
Fleetfoot, apparently, had no qualms about making the noises I was trying so hard to keep in as she yawned.
He turned around and I had just enough time to bring my eyes up from his crotch to his face. My face burned and I knew my cheeks had to be bright red.
"Uh," I stammered out. "Sorry, I was just…" Just staring at your package and wondering if you were a grower or a shower. I climbed to my feet, Fleetfoot staying right where she was on the ground, curling up to go to sleep. "You just moved in, right? On the 8th floor?"
"Yeah, about 3 weeks ago." A light accent flowed through his words and I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest then and there.
"I'm Aelin," I said, holding a hand out.
He took it in his own large hand and shook it. "Rowan." He paused, looking at the building. A light shiver ran through him from the crisp September morning. "Does this happen often?"
I glanced at the building over my shoulder. "I've lived here for over 4 years and never had this happen. I also haven't seen any smoke, so I'd bet some bratty kids just pulled the alarm." I looked back at him and noticed he had goosebumps all over his body. "Did you, uh, not have anything to put on when you got out of bed?"
He blushed and I found that it may have been one of the most amazingly sexy things I'd ever seen, this hulk of a man blushing at my words. "Aye, I'm still unpacking." The way he said "aye" instead of "yes" made my insides tingle. "Like you said, I just moved in."
I glanced down at my sweats and began to untie them. His voice sounded strangled when he said, "What are you doing?"
"I have shorts on under these, and I think you may need them more than I do," I said, stepping out of the pants and handing them to him.
"Are you sure?" He asked, one silver eyebrow quirked up. I had to fight the urge to lick my lips.
"Of course. Can't have you standing out here in the cold in your underwear, can we?" I smirked.
He smiled at me and put the gray pants on, tying them around his waist. "Thanks," he said, his green eyes sparkling. He looked down. "Who's this?"
I looked down to wear Fleetfoot was curled up on the ground. She was snoozing away, not bothered one little bit by the screaming of the alarm or the sirens. I sat by her and rubbed a hand down her glossy fur. "This is Fleetfoot. She's my running buddy."
"Oh, aye." Cue my insides flipping again. He sat down next to me. "I see you two running every morning." That sent a small thrill through. So not only had I noticed him, but he'd noticed me. He scratched the back of his head. "Any chance you could use another buddy? I don't really know where to run around Erilea yet. Maybe I could join you guys sometimes?"
My heart sped up and I looked at Fleetfoot to hide the blush I knew was creeping up my face. "Well, I don't mind, but I think you'll have to ask her. She's the one who runs the show."
"Oh?" I heard laughter in his accented voice. I turned back to look at him and smiled.
"Yeah, but seeing as she's out like a light right now, I guess you'll have to wait."
"I guess so," he said, smiling back.
As the fire trucks roared into the parking lot, we all watched and waited to see if our entire lives were about to, literally, go up in smoke. After about two hours, one of the firemen called to all of us that the building was all clear and we could return to our homes. Just like I had assumed, the alarm was pulled by a teenager that they had caught on the security footage and would start an investigation as to who he was in the morning.
I watched from my spot on the grass as the residents of my building sleepily made their way back inside. Rowan still sat next to me. "Not going to go back in?" He asked.
"No, not yet," I replied. "The sun should be coming up in about 10 minutes and it's one of my favorite things in the world. I want to see it." I glanced over at him. "Would you like to stay with me?"
He smiled and it was a full, wonderful kind of smile. "I would like that very much. How about I go grab a shirt and we can get breakfast afterwards? My treat."
I blushed and this time I didn't try to hide it. "I think I would like that very much as well."
"Great, I'll be right back." Rowan hopped up and ran into the apartment, a step behind the rest of our neighbors. When he came back out, he brought me a large, oversized hoodie to put on and when I did, I found that it smelled like pine and snow.
As the sun rose, I found myself watching Rowan more than I did the beautiful display before me, and thinking that maybe, there were more important things tonight than missed dreams and lost sleep.