Jules dragged herself along the hallway to her room, wanting nothing more than a shower and food. No such luck.

“Hey Jules, can I talk to you for a minute?” Chief Carter asked her.

“Sure,” she looked up with a tired glance.

“I’m sorry. It won’t take long, but I need your statement about the injured hotshot.”

She followed him into his office and relayed the happenings. Snoopy, as they called the wounded man, had simply been unlucky. A splinter of wood flying through the air like a missile pierced through his thigh, leaving a thumb-sized hole. “I made a pressure dressing and with the help of one of the rookies, he was able to walk to the rendezvous point.”

Chief Carter nodded and wrote down something, before he glanced at her. “Thanks. Sorry to keep you from your shower, but I have to have this ready before heading down to the hospital. Regulations.”

“You need anything else?”

“Not for now. Good job, by the way. And…” he put a hand on her shoulder. “Armstrong was here, worried sick about you. He’s a good guy. Don’t cold-shoulder him.”

“Thanks…I guess.” Jules couldn’t believe her ears. She’d been working with the chief for five seasons and they’d become friends, but never before had he given her personal advice.

Back in her quarters she stepped under the shower, turning the water to hot, allowing it to rain down upon her, rinsing the filth from her body and hair. The hot water did a good job softening her sore muscles and when the water ran clear, she lathered her hair and scrubbed the rests of ashes, smoke and other dirt out of it. With a sigh she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself into a large towel, using a smaller one to rub her hair dry.

Exhaustion pulled at her limbs and for a moment she feared that she wouldn’t make it to her bed, and wake up in the morning lying on the floor of the bathroom. Food had to wait since she couldn’t muster the strength to get dressed and walk all the way to the canteen.

She stepped from the bathroom, barreling right into someone’s hard chest and bouncing off. Looking up she recognized Tyler and growled, “What the hell are you doing in my room?”

“Whoa! Slow down.” Tyler reached out and steadied her with one arm, his other balancing the plate of food to keep if from landing on the ground. “You asked me to meet you here with food.”

“Food?” The smell of warm pasta and garlic bread reached her nose and even as her mouth began to water, her overtired brain cells kicked into gear. “Sorry, I totally forgot. You are forgiven – if all of this is for me.”

“I already had dinner, although…now that I see you like this, I’m getting hungry again.” He grinned and moved them over to the small desk, where he set down the plate and then pulled out the chair for her. “Dig in.”

Jules didn’t wait for a second invitation, but dug in, closing her eyes and savoring the tastes of the food. It was delicious. She knew it wasn’t polite to leave him standing around, but good manners had to wait until she’d eaten her fill.

“You know, it’s a crime to hide that body of yours beneath a towel,” Tyler said.

“Tell me something I don’t already know, please.” Jules didn’t even look up from her food, even though his gasp was music to her ears. Hungry and exhausted she wouldn’t care if she sat stark naked in front of him, as long as she could continue eating. That thought sent heated shivers into her core. And perhaps she moved her leg slightly, so the towel shifted to show a sliver of her thigh.

Another hard swallow behind her caused her to grin. It’s not that she wanted – or needed – a relationship, but the sex with him had been fantastic, and for some inexplicable reason her exhausted body hummed back to life. A repeat of what they’d done at the lake wouldn’t hurt. She could still sleep afterwards.

“What’s new around here?” Jules asked as she dug into the plate of food, making sure the gap in the towel opened a tiny bit more.

“Mike’s in the hospital. Chief says he’s fine, but it’ll be the end of the season for him.”

“What? Why?” Jules’ head jerked around, looking at Tyler in shock.

“He broke his leg. No running for at least six weeks.” His eyes were glued to her chest, where she felt the towel slowly sliding down from the rash movement. She let it slide until it reached her suddenly aching nipples, before she stopped the downward movement with one hand.

Tyler tore his gaze away and looked into her eyes again, desire for her clearly expressed in his expression and dark eyes brimming with lust. Jules felt herself becoming sleek and wet, and as much as she longed to have him pound into her, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of such an easy score.

“Poor Mike, he’s been working so hard.” Jules licked her lips, daring a glance at Tyler’s groin. The view of a huge bulge straining against his zipper met her hungry eyes, and she decided to up her ante. She emptied her plate, pushed it to the side and stood to stretch her arms over her head, knowing full well that the towel would expose plenty of skin. “My muscles are throbbing…”

“You…do… you…want more to eat?” It seemed like Tyler was hardly able to control himself. She liked the dangerous glance in his eyes, yearned for him to launch himself at her like a panther at his prey.

“I think I’ll be fine. That’s exactly what I needed right now.”

“Glad to be of service,” he groaned.

“Glad to hear it.” Jules gave him her sweetest smile. “Now, why don’t you run along so that I can get undressed?”

* * *

With that parting shot, Tyler lost it. He wouldn’t let her get away with teasing him like this.

“I’m not leaving. But I’ll help you get naked,” he growled and disposed of her towel with one single yank, before he backed her up against the desk and leaned her backwards across it.

He half expected her to knee him in the groin or punch him, or at the very least, to come to her senses and force him from her room, but she did the last thing he’d expected. She pulled him closer, wrapping her slender legs around his hips and grinding her core against his aching erection.

Tyler crushed her lips with a kiss filled with need and passion, devouring her mouth to make up for the two days of constant worry. She didn’t seem to mind the rough treatment, because he caught moans of delight tumbling out of her throat.

“God, woman, I’ve missed you like hell,” he murmured against the tender skin of her neck, licking his way down to her collarbone and still further down until he reached her full breasts. Her nipples were already peaked nubs waiting for his mouth to torture them.

“It’s been two days,” she moaned, interrupted by panting.

“Two long and agonizing days.” Tyler grazed his teeth across her soft breasts, evoking squeals from the writhing woman beneath him as he closed his teeth over her taut nipple. When she arched against him, he moved to the other side, latching his lips onto a tightly furled nipple and sucking hard.

His erection ached and throbbed, threatening to burst the zipper of his jeans, but first he needed to taste her. He detangled her legs from around his hips and said, “Hold them wide open for me, sweetheart.”

Tyler looked down between the legs of the woman waiting for him, quivering. A smile crossed his face. Her wonderful rosy folds were covered by the tiniest patch of dark hair, begging for his touch. With a featherlight caress he stroked his forefinger across the patch of hair, and delving deep into her sleek lips, the juices dripping from her. It was an incredible turn on. He took out his soaked finger and licked off her juices, relishing in her sweet taste.

“Tyler, don’t make me wait, please,” she begged him.

“Patience my sweetheart, you’ll be rewarded.” He’d let her wait, tease her the same way she’d teased him. Back at the lake he’d been too horny to take his time, but now he’d make her come and come and come, before he would find his own release.

He put his hands on the inside of her thighs, stroking the soft skin, and pushed them further apart until her nether lips opened up, exposing the rosy flesh and the swollen love bud.

“Jules, gorgeous, I’ll have to kiss you,” he groaned and lowered his face, licking up and down her wonderful heated core, circling his tongue across her clit. The swollen bud danced in his mouth and he could feel the muscles in her thighs tensing beneath the touch of his hands.

He moved his hands to her ass, cupping the cheeks and grinding her core into his face. Her smell was exhilarating, full of raw desire. Desire for him. Jules squealed and writhed and it cost him quite an amount of effort to keep her still enough to worry her clit.

“Tyler, please, let me just come already,” she begged him.

He loved the sound of her voice, raspy and sweet, full of promise. “Well, how can I resist a begging woman?” He complied with her request, dipping two of his fingers deep inside her tight channel while his tongue increased the efforts on her clit. The itching and twisting of her thighs indicated the building pleasure, until she screamed out his name and her body started rocking up and down on the desk as she came all over his face.

Tyler continued licking her despite the feeble pleas to stop, because he knew he could draw another orgasm from her shattering body. When she came a second time, even more powerful than the first, he finally stopped circling his tongue in her moist heat, tasting the raw, unabated passion, and pressed her into his arms. Then he carried her over to the bed, took off his clothes and slid into her hot sheath.

“God, Tyler, that’s so good,” she sighed and took his entire length deep inside her, her inner muscles gripping him hard while he pistoned in and out of her. She matched him movement for movement, together they created a delicious friction.

“Sweetie, I’m not gonna last,” he hissed against her face, overwhelmed by the powerful pleasure of feeling her body wrapped around him.

“Don’t hold back. Come with me.” She urged him on, moving her hips to draw him in still deeper. A scratch with her nails across his back, accompanied by a long and deep thrust made him topple over the edge together with her.

Once his breathing was under control, Tyler levered his weight off of her, turning to his side and pulling her half over his own body. The single bunk bed wasn’t meant to accommodate two persons, and it took some serious effort not to send one of them toppling onto the floor.

“Jules?” he whispered once they were settled more comfortably.

She shook her head slightly against his chest and curled one hand over his opposing shoulder. “Shush.”

“I just wanted to know…”

“Sleep. I need sleep,” she mumbled tiredly to him, her body relaxing and her breathing getting slower and slower.

Minutes later, soft snores came from her and Tyler squeezed her tightly to him, pulling the blanket up over their bodies. Normally, he would have already left her bed, or at this juncture would have been furiously trying to figure out how to climb from her bed without waking her and causing a scene. Tyler never slept with a woman after sex. Never.

But Jules…she was different. For the first time in his life, he not only wanted to stay, he needed to stay and hold her in his arms, for the rest of his life.