The early dawn light filtered through my windows. I’d forgotten to close the curtains last night. Needless to say, I’d initially gone to bed sexually frustrated beyond belief. I’d eschewed taking matters into my own hands. With Lucy so near, I knew it would simply be unsatisfying. Then she’d gone and surprised the hell out of me.

My mind spun back to last night. I was curled up behind her, and I’d woken up with a hard-on. It only made sense. I might’ve found some release last night, yet what I’d thought would be a fun roll between the sheets had been far more.

Instead of satisfying my appetite, it had only served to whet it further. Lucy, petite though she was, was a bundle of curves. With her luscious bottom pressed into my cock and one of her breasts cupped in my palm, it was impossible for my body not to respond. She was sound asleep, her breathing steady. It wouldn’t have surprised me to have woken and found her long gone. In fact, I was slightly surprised that wasn’t the case.

I decided to do exactly what I wanted and not overthink any of this. So I thumbed her nipple, grinning when it puckered under my touch, and slid my hand down over her belly and the curve of her hip to dip between her thighs. She was soft and warm, her legs shifting in her sleep to give me access. I dusted kisses along the curve of her neck. Damn. She tasted so good—sweet with a hint of musk. Her personality could be so prickly, yet the sweetness underneath was such a surprise it made my heart clench.

I heard her breath hitch just as I slid my fingers through her curls and into her folds. I found her hot, wet, and ready. I almost chuckled because she made me want to tease though I knew she wouldn’t appreciate it. She tensed slightly, and then I dragged my thumb across her clit. She sighed, a little breathy moan escaping.

The sounds Lucy made? Fucking heaven. She was an expressive woman. I’d known she never hesitated to tell anyone what she thought about anything. To see her expressive side when she was wild with need nearly slayed me.

I couldn’t hold back my grin when her breath hitched again as I sank a finger, knuckle deep, in her channel. I had no illusions she was a virgin, but she was tight enough last night, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn it had been a while for her. I distantly wondered if she was sore and considered whether I should ask. She moaned again, her hips rolling into my fingers, and I forgot everything else. I knew what I wanted.

To taste her.

So with my fingers still buried between that sweet spot at the apex of her thighs, I shifted my weight and rolled her towards me with my free hand. Almost forgetting for a moment about the brace on her wrist, I paused when it bumped against me. Lifting my head away from where I’d been dragging my tongue over the curve of her shoulder, I glanced to her.

“You okay?” I asked.

Her eyes opened, snagging mine and making my breath catch and my heart give a resounding kick to my ribs. Fuck. Her eyes were so damn gorgeous. Just now, her sky blue gaze, hazy with sleep and desire, blinking under the sun filtering through the windows, set my heart to thudding hard and fast. I was so screwed. She had me by the balls, and she didn’t even know it. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at me.

Perfect, fucking perfect. I loved it when she was a little annoyed. I’d freely admit her feisty side was a big part of my attraction to her. Oh, I wasn’t so stupid as to deny that she was fucking gorgeous. Because she was. But I loved how she bristled and how sarcastic she was. I loved the contradiction of how, at a glance, you might think she was fragile and then she opened her mouth, and you discovered the opposite.

“I’m fine,” she said.

I think she meant for her words to sound annoyed, and there was a hint of it in there. But with the look in her eyes, she sounded breathy. As I drew my fingers back and sank them into a channel again, her pussy clenched around them, and my cock hardened even further.

“Good to know,” I said, not even bothering to hide my grin.

I moved swiftly, dusting kisses down Lucy’s body and bringing my lips to the core of her. She tasted salty and sweet, the center of her like honey and musk. I couldn’t get enough. Still fucking her with my fingers, I set to teasing her to madness with my tongue. I could’ve done this for hours, but she came quickly in a noisy burst, her channel clamping down around my fingers. I rose up and rolled off the bed swiftly, scooping her in my arms and leaning down to snag a condom out of the drawer I’d left open last night.

She bumped her heels against my thighs. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

But then she giggled, and my heart squeezed again.

Lucy just did it for me—in so many ways and on so many levels. I hadn’t expected last night to happen. In fact, I’d resigned myself to the reality that nothing like that would ever happen with her. To have last night, to wake up and be able to kiss her all over and have her giggling as I carried her into the shower, well, it was damn near close to heaven.

“We need a shower,” I said as I nudged the water on with my elbow.

As soon as steam started to fill the room, I started to step into the shower.

“Hey, I need to take my brace off.”

I stepped back quickly with her still in my arms. Because honestly, I didn’t want to let go. I quickly helped her take it off, setting it on the counter by the sink carefully.

Her eyes on mine, she asked, “Planning to put me down anytime?”

“In a sec.”

As soon as we stepped into the shower, I let her slide down as I quickly rolled the condom on with my now free hand. She started to turn around, but I slid my hands over her luscious bottom. Without another word, she got the message. Her palms flattened against the tile wall, she arched her back with her lush ass tilting up for me. I didn’t need to check to see if she was ready because I knew how wet she was. I slid my fingers between the sweet cheeks of her ass, spreading them and then positioning my cock at her entrance.

I held still for a beat, my cock fisted in my grip and dragged it back and forth in her folds. She moaned, and I started to slide inside. Her body tensed slightly, and I paused.

“Too fast? Are you okay?”

Lucy looked over her shoulder, her golden hair damp now and her eyes flashing. She shook her head swiftly. “Oh my God! I’m fine.”

As if in emphasis, she wiggled her bottom and pushed back against me, bringing my cock all the way into her core.

I let out a low growl, losing myself in the feel of her. I meant to make this last, to drag it out, but I couldn’t. Not with her rolling her hips back into every stroke, not with her channel throbbing and clenching around my cock. Before I knew it, my release was thundering through me with heat tightening at the base of my spine and my balls. I reached around, dipping my fingers through her curls and swirling them over her clit. She cried out, her channel milking my release as it roared through me. My knees almost gave out at the force of it.

Thank fuck there was a wall beside me. My palm slapped against it as I gripped her hip with my other hand. I heaved, trying to catch my breath and holding onto her as I slowly came to.

When the thundering of my pulse eased and my breath slowed, it occurred to me that I didn’t want to move. I’d die a happy man if I could stay buried inside of Lucy forever.

No such luck. She glanced over her shoulder, a grin curling the corner of her mouth.

“Well that was fast,” she said.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s your fault.”

Still buried inside of her, I watched as her eyes widened slightly.

“How so?” she asked.

I eased my grip on her hip and slid my thumb over her clit again, teasing in the folds of her pussy just above where my cock was filling her.

She groaned, her channel clenching again.

“It’s too good. You feel too good,” I said for emphasis.

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away. Having regained my balance, I slid my palm down her spine, slick from the water raining down upon us. Realizing I couldn’t stay buried inside of her forever, no matter how much I wanted to, I drew back slowly. I quickly disposed of the condom, leaning out of the shower to toss it in the trashcan by the sink.

When I turned back, she was already soaping up. Just looking at her with soap bubbles rolling down her skin and her lush body flushed and pink from the steam, my cock twitched. It was a damn miracle, but I could probably go another round already. Yet, I sensed we’d already barreled too far and too fast, far beyond where Lucy had ever wanted to go with me.

So I behaved like something other than the raving lunatic I was for her. We showered, we dried off, we dressed, and then I made breakfast. I was stunned that she didn’t leave earlier. I finally had to leave first when a call came in from the station. I offered to give her a ride, but she shook her head.

Just as I was about to jog down the steps to my truck, I reflexively turned back to where she stood waiting on the deck. The urge to kiss her was powerful, a current I almost couldn’t withstand. Yet, I sensed her withdrawal and held back.

* * *

I went to work that day, Lucy filling my thoughts whenever I had a spare moment. Later in the afternoon, we had a call for a fire that had flashed out of control again in a nearby stretch of undeveloped forest. We’d been dealing with this fire on and off all summer. This happened often in Alaska. There were so many large swaths of undeveloped forest, the fires could restart after we got them under control. Wind and other events could whip them back into a frenzy.

My crew, along with Cade’s, responded. It was a long afternoon of establishing new firebreaks. A group of hikers had decided it wasn’t worth following the no campfires rules set for this area and then the wind shifted again.

When we returned to the station late that evening, I was starving, filthy and exhausted, along with my entire crew. After a quick shower, I was walking out into the back area when I saw Amelia pulling Cade close for a hug. It was nothing unusual. In fact, an afternoon like this was par for the course in being a hotshot firefighter. I was well accustomed to the sight of my fellow firefighters being greeted at the end of a long day, or when we flew back in after weeks out in the wilderness fighting fires.

Something about last night and something about Lucy made me wish she were here to see me today. I gave my head a shake. I’d be lucky if she hadn’t packed up and left my house this afternoon without telling me. I strolled over, greeting Amelia after Cade pulled away. There were several guys lounging around the break room table.

Cade leaned his hips against it and chatted casually with them.

Amelia caught my eyes. “Thank God you’ve got a place for Lucy to stay right now.”

“Oh?” I countered.

“Well, yeah. We just found out the boiler we want has been back ordered, so it’s going to be another three weeks. We already paid for it. If we try to order a different one, the wait might be even longer, so we’re still camping at Cade’s parents. Lucy still can’t find anywhere to rent. It’s the worst time of year. Honestly, early summer is better. Because at least then she might be able to sweet talk somebody out of their summer rental. But right now, everybody’s all booked up,” Amelia explained.

I nodded, biting back the urge to grin. Amelia couldn’t know how damn happy I was about that. Because I was hoping for so much more with Lucy than what I had last night and this morning. Yet, I didn’t know what Lucy had told Amelia about us, if anything. I had enough sense to keep my mouth shut on that topic.

With a shrug I replied, “She’s welcome as long as she needs. I keep telling her I’d do the same for any friend.”

Beck Steele came strolling out of the locker room.

“Hey action hero,” I said.

Beck had picked up that nickname after an elderly woman he rescued declared his name sounded like an action hero’s name.

Beck rolled his eyes. “I’m no action hero. If I am, we all are.”

“Wildlands, guys?” Cade asked, his eyes scanning the cluster of us.

What I wanted to do was call and see if Lucy wanted to meet us, but I knew I might be pushing it with that. I also knew it might raise a few eyebrows if I said no because I almost always grabbed a beer and dinner with the crews. So I nodded. Other voices chimed in, and we all tromped out to head over to Wildlands, a local favorite hangout and tourist hotspot.

I caught Amelia’s eye as she climbed into the truck beside me. “You headed that way too?”

She nodded. “Yup. Lucy and Maisie are already there, and Susannah’s on the way.”

I kept my tone casual, though anticipation flared inside. “See you there.”

The moment I was in my truck and had started the engine, I grinned. I might not want to ponder it, but I was worried Lucy would find a way to avoid me. She wouldn’t be able to tonight.