Gwen was pasted to the window like a suction cup Garfield as the boys next door pulled out of the firehouse and rolled down the street in their pickup truck to get some drinks. She craned her neck, trying to see who stayed behind, but the inside of the pickup was too dark. She could pick out the orange tint of Draven’s hair, but she already knew that he was going. It was his birthday they were celebrating.

Someone always stayed behind in the firehouse in case there was a fire, and she wanted to know who was walking around, probably shirtless, only a few feet away from her.

I hope it’s not him. But as soon as the pickup truck disappeared down the street, she ran to the window in the back kitchen to see. It was the only window that looked into the firehouse and Gwen found herself looking through it more often than she would have liked to admit.

The firehouse was dark with only the light over the sink on. She narrowed her eyes and swallowed hard when she saw the man she was looking for walk by wearing nothing but a pair of jogging pants.

“Ugh,” she said as her heart started racing. Her breath quickened as she watched him walk to the fridge and open it. Her nerve endings tingled as the soft light inside lit up his muscular body in a warm glow.

“Worst neighbor ever,” she muttered to herself as she admired his huge arms and massive chest, feeling her head get lighter with every second. “I can’t stand that guy.”

Without warning, his head jerked around and his eyes locked on hers in an instant.

“Shit!” she shouted, dropping to the floor with her eyes squeezed shut. Her heart was hammering in her chest while she prayed that he didn’t see her. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”

She crawled along the floor like a Navy SEAL, as far away from the window as possible.

“This is ridiculous,” she told herself, feeling like a fool. “Get up.”

But she didn’t want to get up. She wanted to crawl under the sink and hide there until the firehouse shut down or moved.

“You’re a human, not a rat,” she told herself. “Get up off the floor and start acting like it.”

With a deep breath, she climbed to her feet, dusted herself off, and casually walked by the window, glancing out of it as if she were just walking by. “Yup, totally normal over here,” she muttered to herself as she looked out the window.

Zane was standing in his window staring right at her.

“Crap!” She forced out a thin smile, but he just stared at her in all of his shirtless glory. So she gave him the finger instead.

“Screw him,” she said to herself, trying to put that awkwardness behind her. She pulled down the curtains and turned all of the lights in the kitchen on. “I have more important things to do,” she muttered as she turned the ovens on.

And she did. Gwen was working on something new. Something big. Something that would transform this town and have everyone in it racing to her muffin shop, desperately trying to throw money at her.

She just didn’t know what it was yet.

But she had to figure it out soon, or she wouldn’t have a shop for very long. The bills were starting to pile up and she just didn’t have enough volume of sales to cover them all. If something didn’t change soon, she would be forced to close up shop.

That thought broke Gwen’s heart. She had worked so hard for this place and sacrificed so much.

She was originally from the east coast, in a small town in North Carolina that no one—except for the 400 people who lived there—ever heard of. It was just Gwen and her mother growing up, and although they didn’t have a lot of money, and had more than their share of hard times, she had a good life. Her mother had always been her best friend, which made it pure torture when she had to watch as the chemotherapy ate away the person she most respected, admired, and loved.

The doctors had given her eight months, but her mother was always a fighter and pushed it to a year and a half before she ultimately surrendered.

Gwen was shattered. Every corner in that small town had a memory of her mother. The library reminded her of the many times that her and her mother would write bookmarks of inspiration and slip them into books. You’re halfway done. Go go go! they would write on a paper, then pull out a random book, and slip it inside. Wow! Look how smart you’re getting. Keep it up! they would put in the non-fiction books, and Are you still reading? Don’t you have to get up for work tomorrow? they would put at the end of the mystery books.

Every table in the diner reminded her of something. The round table by the window reminded her of the time she told her mom that Billy Parker had asked her out, the table by the huge plastic plant reminded her of the time she told her mom that Lucas Miller had kissed her behind the barbershop, and the booth by the door reminded her of the time her mother broke down and cried when she told her they had to move out of the old house and into a one bedroom apartment.

It was too hard walking around the town and being constantly reminded of her. She was everywhere and nowhere. And it was breaking Gwen’s heart.

That’s when she saw the beautiful images of Colwood, Montana on television and decided to pack her bags and start a new life. There was a viral video making its way around the internet that turned out to be a hoax of a bunch of men shifting into wild animals. It was taken in Colwood, Montana and Gwen was mesmerized by the scenes in the background. The town was adorable with huge snow-capped mountains towering up to the sky behind the picturesque buildings. It was exactly the type of place she was looking for.

And the hot men in the video was just enough to seal the deal.

The day she saw the video, the UPS man came with a signed delivery. Her jaw nearly hit the floor when she opened the envelope and saw a check for thirty-four thousand dollars written out to her name. She later found out that her mother had taken out a life insurance policy when Gwen had still been in diapers. It wasn’t huge, but it was a life-changing amount. At least to Gwen, it was.

She sold everything she owned and added it to her meager life savings. All of that with the thirty-four thousand dollar check was enough to move across the country and open up the muffin shop that her and her mother had always dreamed of opening.

And a year and a half later, she was about to lose it all.

“Okay,” she said, psyching herself up as she rolled up her sleeves. “What can I do that hasn’t been done before?”

She took a deep breath as she opened her fridge and pulled out the milk and eggs. “What do people like? Cotton candy, popcorn, ice cream. Hmmm. Ice cream muffins? Cotton candy pie? Popcorn pastries?”

She let out a long sigh as she pulled out more ingredients and laid them on the counter. Gwen had made so many disgusting baked goods in her attempts to make something new, that she didn’t even want to taste test her Frankenstein concoctions anymore.

Her mind started wandering as she began to make some muffin batter, mixing the eggs and flour into the bowl. She worried about her bills until Zane pushed his way into her mind like he normally did.

“I’d rather think about my bills than think about a jerk like him,” she lied to herself as she started mixing the batter a little faster.

She had been hurt earlier that afternoon when Draven had invited her out for drinks, but Zane didn’t want her to go. But now, it was making her chest flutter. The reason he didn’t want her to go was because he wasn’t going to be there.

“Don’t get any ideas,” she warned herself. “He’s still a prick.”

She shook the dirty thoughts out of her head and walked over to the pantry, opening it up while hoping for inspiration. What could be new and different?

Her eyes settled on a bag of Doritos. “Dorito muffins?” she muttered to herself. “Could work.”

She ripped the bag open, and poured half of it into the batter, mixing it up as she munched on some remaining chips.

“No wonder your shop is about to close up,” she said with a laugh as she looked at the orange triangles sticking out of the muffin batter. “What the hell are you doing?”

But she had to try something. She wasn’t getting anywhere with the same boring old muffins.

She filled a muffin tray with the batter, slid it into the oven, and then returned to the counter to make some blueberry muffins. A little bit later, while washing the blueberries, she began to smell smoke.

Her eyes darted to the oven and she gasped when she saw a blazing fireball inside. “What the hell?!?” she screamed, dropping the blueberries on the floor as she ran over. Who knew that Doritos were flammable?!?

The fire was so hot. She tried to open the oven door, but she couldn’t even go near it. Thick smoke started to pour out of every crack, quickly filling her kitchen and making it unbreathable.

The fire extinguisher! Gwen raced to the sink and dropped to her knees, grabbing the fire extinguisher in the back. “I hope this works,” she said, panicking as she ran back.

She held her breath as she yanked out the little pin and pulled the lever down. It sputtered once, but nothing came out.

“Dammit!” she shouted as she tossed it on the ground. Refilling it had been on her to-do list for the past few months, but it was always pushed down to the bottom when something more important came up. Who needs a fire extinguisher when you live next door to a firehouse?

She did. That’s who.

Her head was pounding as she ran outside, about to do the one thing in the world that she didn’t want to do: ask Zane for help.

But she was pretty desperate. The insurance bill was one of the overdue bills that were currently sitting on her desk. She hadn’t paid them for a while, and she wasn’t sure if they had cut her off yet. If her shop and home burnt down, she would be homeless. Her only possession in the world would be the embarrassing pajamas with the little dancing cartoon walruses that she was currently wearing.

The fresh air outside felt like heaven in contrast to the thick smoke that was burning her eyes and throat. She sprinted across the line that divided her property from the firehouse and ran right up to the building, not even stopping to knock.

“Hello!” she screamed when she opened the door of the firehouse and ran inside. She immediately began searching for a fire extinguisher, not even waiting for an answer. For a firehouse, they sure have a lack of fucking fire extinguishers! she thought as she ransacked their place, ripping open cupboards and drawers, and finding nothing.

She ran up the stairs into the hallway and looked around. There were five bedrooms along the hall with a fire pole at the end.

“What are you doing?” Zane asked as he strolled out of one of the rooms. Gwen was so panicked that she didn’t even take a second to admire his naked chest. She only took half a second.

“Or what are you wearing is probably the better question,” he said with a chuckle. “Are those dancing walruses?”

Even in her most desperate hour, she still had a hard time asking Zane for help. “Is Draven back yet?” she asked, hopping from foot to foot.

Zane shook his head. “Jax?”

“Nope.”

“Axel?”

“Nope.”

“Gunner?”

“Nope. It’s just me.” He smirked as he leaned against the wall, looking her up and down with hungry eyes. “Do you have a fire you need to put out?”

She narrowed her eyes on him and gritted her teeth. “You couldn’t handle my fire,” she said, forgetting all about the kitchen fire. For a second. “But my shop is on fire,” she said, going right back into panic mode.

Zane straightened up. “Seriously?”

Gwen cringed. “A little bit.”

He raised his nose in the air, sniffed twice, and then bolted past her, sprinting to the fireman’s pole without another word. Her body flooded with warmth as she watched him leap onto the pole with one hand and slide down.

That was hot.

She ran to the pole to follow him down, but she couldn’t stop herself from stopping in front of his room to take a peek inside. She gulped when she saw his t-shirt lying on the bed, and before she knew what she was doing, she ran over, grabbed it, stuffed it to her nose, and breathed in his intoxicatingly manly scent.

A moan escaped from her lips as she tossed the shirt back down and ran to the fire pole, sliding down it in a much less graceful manner than Zane.

He was already gone when her feet planted on the floor. Man, he moves fast!

She hiked up the bottoms of her walrus PJs and ran back to her shop, hoping that he had brought a fire extinguisher with him.

The sight of thick smoke pouring out of the open door filled her with dread as she took a deep breath and ran inside. It was hard to breathe and see with the smoke burning her eyes. She coughed as she ducked down, forcing her way into the kitchen.

She stepped back in shock when she saw Zane over the blazing oven, smacking the flames down with his hands.

No! She wanted to scream at him to get back, to come to safety, but all she could do was cough. The vicious flames were licking his chest, and rising up his arms, swallowing them in searing flames. If he wasn’t careful they would devour him whole.

It was too hot. It was too dangerous. But he didn’t stop. He grabbed a wet dishtowel and attacked the flames with a ferocity that surprised her. Soon, the flames were gone and the angry smoke was dissipating, flying out the windows that Zane had opened.

“Are you okay?” Gwen asked, rushing over to check on him once the air was breathable again.

He turned and looked at her, but there was no pain on his face—only concern. “What are you doing in here?” he asked. “Did you inhale any smoke?”

“You’re worried about me?” Gwen asked with a cough. “The flames…” The words fell away when she saw his chest and arms. The thin hairs that she loved so much were gone, but his skin was intact. In fact, it was looking better than ever. “How is that possible?” she whispered.

She swallowed hard as she reached out and touched the warm skin of his chest, slowly dragging her fingertips down to his abs. His chest vibrated under her touch as a low rumble filled the room.

“What was that?” she asked, snapping her arm back as she looked around in a panic. It sounded like a wild animal was loose in the kitchen.

Zane grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him. “Are you hurt?” he whispered as he looked her over. His dark eyes were brighter than ever, and they were sending warm shivers racing through her.

He looked back up, locking his eyes with hers when he saw that she was okay. Something as scorching and hot as the fire passed between them, charging the smoky kitchen with a passionate heat.

His grip on her wrist tightened, sending a little whimper passing through her parted lips. Her hand slid down to his hard abs, and before they could lie to themselves any longer, their lips connected in a hungry kiss.

Gwen melted into his warm strong body as he took her mouth, rough and urgently. She moaned as his huge arms swallowed her, making her feel so tiny in his massive embrace.

Arousal coursed through her as their kiss deepened. They had both denied their passion for one another for so long, and it was all coming to a head as their tongues tangled and their hands gripped one another, pulling each other closer.

Gwen gasped as he picked her up and placed her in a sitting position on the counter, pressing his powerful body between her legs. Their lips never left each other as he rocked his hips against her, grinding his erection against her inner thigh.

Her pussy was so wet. So warm as it throbbed its approval. She had been wanting this for so long, she just didn’t want to admit it.

And now that it was happening, it was better than ever.

His strong hands slid down her ribs and grabbed the waistband of her pajamas. She moaned as he yanked them down her thighs, dropping them to the floor.

She wasn’t wearing anything underneath and her heart began fluttering with excited nerves now that her wet naked pussy was exposed for him.

Everything was happening so fast. It wasn’t a slow lovemaking. It was fast and urgent. Desperate and intense.

It was like they were trying to get this done before they both realized they hated each other.

Gwen slid her hands between Zane’s jogging pants and his muscular thighs. She yanked them down, exposing his long hard cock.

“Fuck,” she gasped as she ripped her mouth away from his for a second to look down at it. It was so big and beautiful. Much longer than she had imagined, and she had imagined it plenty of times.

He grabbed her chin in his strong grip and turned her face, crushing her mouth with his lips. She melted into his kiss as he pushed his hips forward, suddenly burying the head of his thick cock into her wet pussy. He thrust all the way in with one stroke, making her moan into his hungry mouth.

His chest rumbled as he filled her, but she hardly noticed. She was too busy digging her nails into his arms, trying to get used to his size. Gwen had never felt anything so big before, but she was loving every thick inch of it.

She pulled her lips away from his and dug her face into the nook of his neck as he thrust in harder and harder. She cried out as he began to move faster with quick urgent strokes.

It was over too fast. With a loud cry, they both gripped each other tightly as their orgasms slammed into them, twisting their bodies as the heated waves consumed them.

Gwen was breathing so heavily as she held him close. Her heart was hammering in her chest.

The orgasm came so quickly. He pulled it from her body so easily.

After a few breathless moments, Zane pulled away, and Gwen gasped as his cock slid out of her.

She fell back to reality when she saw her ruined stove, which was now a charred mess of useless metal. The urgency that was surrounding them a few minutes ago had left with the smoke, and now, awkwardness took its place.

Gwen hopped off the counter and quickly pulled up her pajama pants.

“Thank you,” she said, feeling her cheeks go red as she glanced at his glistening cock. “For putting out the fire, not the… well, you know.”

Zane grinned as he pulled up his pants. “You can thank me for that too.”

“That was a… mistake,” she said, instantly regretting the words once they slipped from her tingling lips.

“Oh,” Zane said with a furrow of his brow. “Right.”

“Well,” she said awkwardly. She didn’t know how to react with him standing there. She desperately wanted to think this through before she did or said anything stupid. Every word and action leading up to this had to be meticulously analyzed and then reanalyzed over and over again before she knew how to feel.

“Want me to go?” he asked with a rise of his eyebrows.

She didn’t. She desperately wanted him to stay. She wanted him to take her in his arms, carry her up to her bed, and make love to her again, this time slower and more intimate. She wanted to explore every inch of his body while he explored every inch of hers. She wanted to forget about her damaged kitchen and ruined stove. She wanted him to make her forget.

“That would be good,” she said, awkwardly turning away.

Zane left as she stared at the stove with blank eyes, pretending to assess the damage, but in reality, she was assessing the damage she had just done between the two of them.

The stove could be fixed, but she wasn’t sure if the same could be said for them.