Chapter Seven
It had been a few days since the fire that put a young girl in the hospital. There hadn’t been much change in her condition, and Eva could see it weighed heavily on Dalton. He’d been spending more time at work, obsessing over each arson case to the point he wasn’t sleeping or eating properly. She worried about him.
They’d just had lunch when the phone rang, breaking the quiet. Dalton left the kitchen to answer it, returning a couple minutes later. He stood in the arched entryway, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
Eva jumped from her seat. “What is it? What’s wrong, Dalton?”
“That was the chief calling about Mandy.”
“Oh, God.” She cupped her hands over her nose and mouth.
A gentle smile appeared on his face and he reached for her, tugging her close. He held her head to his chest. “She’s going to be okay.”
Eva exhaled, feeling a deep sense of relief. “That’s wonderful news.” Now he could stop pushing himself to the breaking point. She hated seeing him overextend himself.
“We were lucky. This time.” He kissed her atop the head, then returned to the table. Dalton scrubbed his hands over his face. He looked so overtired.
“You’ll catch him eventually. You’re working too hard.” She noticed the other firefighters had put in overtime too, but not like Dalton. “Why?”
He looked across the table at her once she sat down. “I have to,” he said. “Do you know why I became a firefighter?”
Mrs. Cooper had mentioned there had been a tragedy in Dalton’s family, and it was the reason he took his job seriously. But no details were shared. The older woman may be a gossip, but she knew where to draw the line. “No.”
He licked his lips. She watched as he clenched his jaw down hard, as if trying to speak, but not being able. “I had a sister.”
“I think you mentioned having a sister.”
“I didn’t tell you that we lost her to a fire. It was a long time ago, in our first family home.” He got choked up. “I tried to save her, but I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing. It was too late.”
“It’s not your fault,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “It never should have happened. Since I couldn’t go back and change that day, I did the next best thing. I became a firefighter and devoted my life to ensuring no other families in Hope Springs suffer like ours has.”
“That’s the noblest thing I’ve ever heard.” She stood up and walked around the table. Eva stroked his thick, dark hair and held his head to her stomach. “But I don’t want you hurting yourself. You have to find some balance,” she said.
“Like you?”
“I haven’t run, have I? I’m trying my best, and it’s not always easy.”
“I’m worried about you too,” he said. Dalton pushed out his chair so he could pull her to sit on his lap.
“What for?”
“You start work in Vespera tomorrow. It’ll be hard not keeping watch over you.”
She shrugged. “I’m a big girl. I’ll be just fine. Promise.”
He exhaled, and she felt the tension leave his body. “I’m so glad Mandy’s okay. Honestly, I’m not sure how I would have handled it if she never woke up. All I kept seeing was my sister, reliving that fucking day over and over in my head.”
“It’s over now,” she said. “Mandy’s fine, and I’m sure you’ll catch whoever did it soon.”
He became quiet again, his arm still securing her on his lap. Eva hated silence. It unnerved her. When he kissed her bare shoulder, a firestorm of sexual impulses scattered through her body. The mood in the room shifted from desperation to relief to lust. “Remember the other day? We left something unfinished, didn’t we?”
“I think we did.” She’d never pushed him for sex, even though lying next to his warm, hard body every night had been the ultimate temptation. Eva realized she cared about him and his feelings, further binding herself to a life without running.
“I made this table myself,” he said. “A project once I bought my own house.”
She turned her head and looked at the butcher block=style wooden table. It was rustic with beautiful grain. “I love it. You’re good at carpentry.”
“I’m good at a lot of things. How about we test out the table’s strength?”
Eva frowned for a moment until she caught his drift. Her pussy instantly grew slick just thinking about his kinky plan. She’d been desperate for his cock since they’d been interrupted by that terrible phone call.
“That’s where we eat,” she said.
“Oh, I plan on eating.” He stood up and hoisted her onto the table.
It felt sturdy enough, and she wasn’t a lightweight. She wasn’t going to deny him because, even though she wanted him, he needed to release a lot of stress. Best for him to expel that energy on her body.
Dalton tugged away her t-shirt and unfastened her bra. Dalton stood there, staring at her, hunger in his eyes. When he removed his shirt, she couldn’t keep her own eyes off those defined muscles. She loved every inch of him. The man was pure power and strength, all pent up.
She could see the hard ridge of his cock beneath his joggers, and he was impressive. Her mouth salivated, every cell a livewire.
He helped her wiggle out of her shorts and panties, the coolness of the table making her yelp as her moist pussy settled back on the hard surface. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m going to take care of you.”
Dalton held the back of her neck and eased her down until she was on her back. She arched at first from the chill on her bare skin. Being in the open kitchen in the middle of the afternoon left her feeling so exposed. But for the first time in her life she didn’t feel shame. Dalton made her feel beautiful and desirable, every single inch of her. He tugged her thighs until her ass was at the edge of the table, then flung her legs over each of his strong shoulders.
With her legs spread wide, she was eager and ready for his cock. “Dalton, please.”
He narrowed his eyes. “First things first. I plan to enjoy you properly.” Dalton sat back down on a kitchen chair, adjusting his weight to bring it closer to the edge of the table, the wooden legs scraping the tiles. “Such a pretty pussy,” he said.
Her heart raced like a freight train. She swore she’d explode with one touch to her clit. He leaned in close then licked her pussy folds with the flat of his firm tongue. She instinctively pushed against his mouth. It felt so good, so dirty, and she wanted more.
****
His girl was ripe. He could practically smell her desire perfuming the air, and his cock reacted. But he held off, not willing to settle for another quick fuck. This time he planned to give her a taste of pure pleasure.
Dalton flicked her clit with his tongue, watching her belly jiggle slightly as she jolted from the contact. She was in for a world of pleasure. He settled in comfortably, her thick, juicy thighs at each side of his head. He lapped up her slit, like a puppy, over and over until she was moaning and twisting on the wooden table. Her taste was addictive, her soft folds ultra-sensitive to his ministrations.
“Dalton, you’re killing me.”
“You’re not going to die. I plan to take you to heaven and back.” He began to fuck her with his tongue, plunging in and out of her hot little cunt. Dalton suckled her clit, flicking it with his tongue. He could live between her legs, but Eva was close to the breaking point. Her pussy kept pulsing against his mouth, her body twitching involuntarily.
She soon settled, no longer working against him. Her mewling morphed into deep, satisfied moans as she ground her pussy into his face. She reached between her legs, grabbing a handful of his hair. “Dalton!”
As soon as she exploded against his tongue, he bolted to his feet and released his erection. He plunged into her wet pussy, groaning as she convulsed around his cock. She screamed his name, grabbing the edges of the table to anchor herself.
“You’re so tight, baby. Hot and tight and perfect.” He fucked her hard, holding her hips and ramming into her. The past few days had been hard on him, body and mind. He hadn’t given his woman the attention she deserved. He’d been pushing her away, feeling sorry for himself, and living in the past.
He needed balance, needed to nurture this new relationship before he lost it.
“I want to feel you,” she said, reaching out for him.
She was becoming his entire world, and he couldn’t imagine his home without her in it. He gave her what she wanted, crawling up on the table and settling himself over her naked body. The old table held both their weights, but even if it shattered to splinters he wouldn’t stop now.
Once skin to skin, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. She ran her fingers into his hair. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what, baby?”
“Putting up with me. It’s not easy for me to trust.”
He kissed her swollen lips, his arms hooked under her shoulders to keep her close. “You can trust me, Eva.”
A tear slid from the corner of her eye. “Please don’t leave me,” she said. “I don’t think my heart could take it.”
“I’m nothing like the other men you’ve known. I promise you that.” He reached one hand between them and filled her pussy again. She tossed her head back and groaned. “And I’ll never get enough of you.”
He kissed her hard on the mouth, devouring her as he pumped his hips. They were making love, not just fucking. They’d only known each other a short time, but their connection was undeniable. Even though they both had their own baggage, they completed each other.
Her legs wrapped tightly around him, prodding him for more. The table creaked, but he didn’t care. Dalton fucked his woman, determined to erase the memory of any other man. He wanted to brand her, claim her, love her. His mother wanted a daughter-in-law, and Eva was the one he wanted to keep.
“This is my body, Eva. You’re mine.”
“Yes, Dalton.”
“For the love of God, tell me you won’t run from me.”
“I promise,” she said. “I don’t want to run forever.”
Something inside him instantly eased, that deep-seated dread fading away after hearing her words. Fuck, he wanted to tell her he loved her.
Their bodies entwined, hot and sweat-glistened. When she began to pant, her nails digging into his back, he knew she was close to another orgasm.
“Come for me, baby. Let me feel you squeeze my cock.” He pistoned in and out of her harder, faster. Then she detonated, her sweet, feminine screams pushing him over the edge. His release was powerful, his balls pulling up tight as he filled her with his cum.
He climbed off her body and helped her off the table.
“I’ll never look at meals the same way,” she teased.
“Neither will I.” He winked at her, still remembering the sweet taste of her pussy.
They got cleaned up and dressed, and then he took her hand and led her to the back garden. He had big landscaping plans, but hadn’t followed through on many of them. Now that he had Eva, making the house beautiful became a priority. He wanted her happy.
There was a wrought-iron bench in the far corner, and they took a seat together.
“It’s relaxing out here,” she said.
He chuckled. “It was supposed to be my oasis, but it’s a work in progress for now.”
She pointed at the flowering bushes and climbing ivy. “It’s beautiful. What more did you want to do?”
“Maybe some vegetables, a couple more trees, and a water fountain.”
“That sounds nice. I love the sound of flowing water. Back in the city I used to use a waterfall app to fall asleep. It beat the traffic outside the building.”
“I have most of the plumbing supplies. I’ll make the fountain my next project.” He tilted her chin up and kissed her lips. “For you.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “You make me feel special.”
“You are, baby,” he said. “I’m thirty-nine, Eva. I gave up hope of finding a woman I’d want to spend my life with. Then you showed up in town, and it only took one look for me to know you were the one.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
He shook his head, determined to drive out all her insecurities. “I’ve only proved myself right. Every day you steal another piece of my heart.”
Dalton didn’t want to admit that he had worries of his own. He didn’t know Eva too well, and he hoped she didn’t lose interest once she started working in the neighboring city. Would she come home after work or decide to move on without him? Normally, he wouldn’t give a shit about not seeing a woman again, but not Eva. He felt like a schoolboy in love, excited to see her every day after work.
“I wanted you to know that my job isn’t my life. It’s just been crazy lately.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself, Dalton. I understand.” She ran her hand up his thigh, her fingers grazing his flaccid cock. He jerked straighter in his seat. “I like having a man full of devotion for his community. When I first came to Hope Springs, everything felt wrong—the town, the people, the peace. But it wasn’t the town, it was me. I was just so used to being mistreated all my life that I was suspicious of any kindness. City life has a way of stealing your soul, and somewhere along the line I forgot who I was.”
“And now?”
She hugged him around the chest, cuddling in close. He loved the feel of her soft curves pressed against him. “I’m remembering who I was before the world defined me. And I want happiness. I want you.”
His cell phone went off in the kitchen, and he cringed. Dalton didn’t want his work schedule to scare her off. He’d just told her his job wasn’t his life.
“It’s okay. You can get it,” she said.
“I’ll be right back.”
He rushed off to the kitchen, the screen door slapping back in place once he entered.
“We’ve made a few connections,” said Luke. “At two of the scenes we have matching shoe prints. And on the day of each fire, the same person rented a car from that place downtown.”
“How the fuck does that help us?”
“The cops checked it out, and the person renting the cars used a fake name and stolen ID. Unfortunately, there was any surveillance, but the person on duty gave a description.”
“This is the cops’ jurisdiction, not ours,” he said.
“I know, but it’s good if the arsonist can’t get his usual ride,” said Luke.
“He’s not going to turn into some angel now. He’ll just find another way. This won’t be over until he’s behind bars.”