“The crowns are burning pretty fucking hot and the gusts are picking up again,” Frank radioed from the air, “but the direction is favorable and holding…” The radio spit static and the wind whistled, working its way through the tiny crevices in the truck. I put the radio down and took Ember’s hand.

We’d almost come full circle without any luck. We’d called out the windows, stopped at a few of the empty cabins along the dirt road, but Reilly was nowhere to be found. Our last hope was that he’d found his way back home on his own, and we’d find him waiting for us. The cabin was our last stop and then, with him or without him, I was driving Ember the hell out of this valley.

In spite of what Frank had said, an uneasiness nagged at the back of my mind. It was that same familiar sense, that something was out there watching… and biding its time…

I pulled Ember closer beside me, sliding her along the seat of the truck and she snuggled into the crook of my arm. She reached inside my jacket to warm her hands and my cock hardened, responding to her the way it always had; beating a relentless, demanding rhythm.

“I keep thinking I’ll wake up and none of this will be real,” she said, pressing closer. “All the time we were apart, every day was the same as every other day; I’d sit down at my typewriter and wonder if I’d lost everything in my life that ever mattered.” She looked up at me, her eyes dark and brilliant. “You were all I ever wanted. And now there’s more at stake than ever. I could have lost you all over again…”

I rested my cheek on the top of her hair and exhaled. I pulled over, off the road. “There was a time in my life I didn’t believe in second chances, Ember. And you’re the one who changed all that.

“There isn’t anything in this world with the power to tear us apart, not ever again. No matter where I am… no matter where you are. You’ll never lose me. We’re a family now, and nothing will ever change that.” I lifted her chin and looked at her, really looked at her. She was radiant. “It’s about this,” I said, putting my hand on her heart, “and this.” I let my hand slip between her breasts and down to rest on her belly. “This didn’t happen just for us to lose it all again.

“Do you remember the first time we took this road?” I asked, my cock throbbing with need.

“You let me drive,” she answered, sneaking her hand inside my shirt and pressing her cheek to my chest. “I ground the gears every time I shifted… and I put a dent in the fender. It’s still there.” Her hand strayed to my thigh, maddeningly close to the rigid bulge in my jeans. “But you were so patient. You said I did a great job…”

“...you did, babygirl.”

“I had a helluva teacher,” she said. She smiled up at me and it suddenly felt like a lifetime had passed since I’d touched her, tasted her. Her fingers curved deliciously around my shaft and a wave of pure, primal need shot through me. I flashed to an image of unzipping right there in the truck and pulling her sweet-hot pussy down on top of me…

“...Jason…” she breathed, and for a fast second, I forgot everything except the way she made me feel; she was the air in my lungs, the blood in my veins, every pulsing beat of my heart. As long as we were together, I didn’t need anything else in the world. More than sleep, more than food or water, I only needed her…

It was freezing outside, but raging hot inside the cab. She was panting as the wind outside roared back to life and whipped into a sudden frenzy. The windows steamed over from the heat between us as she stretched one long leg over my lap and straddled me. Her eyes were shining, intense and her breasts were heavy on my chest. Deep down, I knew we couldn’t do this now… but it wasn’t sense that drove me. It was pure need. My whole body was hot and aching; the primitive need of man for his mate. I reached under her sweater and cupped her round, swollen curves. When her nipples went rock hard, I knew I was utterly lost. I buried my face in her throat and heard myself groan. The promise of her sweet-hot body against mine ripped away all sense of time and place. All I knew was that she was here… and she was mine…

But she stiffened, and I felt her pull away. As if in slow motion, I drew back and looked into her perfect, beautiful face.

Her full, soft mouth was slack, open. Her lovely eyes, wide and staring… over my shoulder, out the window behind me. Her pale skin and brilliant hair caught the blinding flash and I could see the reflection of burning embers in her eyes. For a moment she was bathed in brilliant light,

As the fire hit, sweeping over the truck in a violent, roaring flash.