I literally can’t believe I’m naked in the fireman’s shower. I mean, it’s not technically his shower, but we’re in his house. This is insane. I don’t know what’s come over me, but I’m not going to question it. I haven’t had sex in years. I haven’t had good sex… ever?

I dated exactly one guy before I met Brock. I never saw stars or pyrotechnic explosions. It took a vibrator to get me to my first orgasm. But right now, I’m ready to spontaneously combust, and he hasn’t even touched me—there.

A seductive smile spreads across his face. He turns on the faucet, and water streams from heads along the wall and in the ceiling. It’s the most luxurious shower I’ve ever been in. Screw the bathtub, this is glorious.

I lean back, enjoying the splash of water across my breasts. Rivulets tickle the space between my thighs. I haven’t closed my legs, and why should I? He clearly wants what I’m offering.

He gets on his knees and wraps his hands around my thighs. With a sharp tug, he pulls my ass over the edge of the shelf. I gasp and laugh.

“Subtle.”

“There’s nothing subtle about what I’m about to do to you.” His grin is wickedly intense. It sends little sparks of anticipation down my spine.

“Show me.”

He dips his head between my thighs. A surprised cry bursts from my lips. His tongue is rough against my tender flesh. He strokes it along the inside of my thighs, nipping and nibbling as he explores all the erogenous zones no one has ever bothered to find before. And he finds all of them. Ones I never knew I had.

“Logan,” I whisper.

“Mm?”

“Don’t tease me.”

He growls in response. His mouth closes over my pussy. A jolt of electricity awakens something deep inside. Tension coils as he circles his tongue against my lips.

A heady musk joins the lingering lavender scent of an air freshener or possibly a hidden sachet. He doesn’t seem like the sachet type, but you’d never know with the way they’ve decorated the house. It looks like a model home, but lived in.

His insistent tongue draws me back. I run my fingers through thick hair before trailing them down his neck. It’s thick and corded with muscle. His shoulders flex as he leans in to brush the tip of his nose across my clit. I jump.

“You smell like heaven.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“You do.”

His gaze is hooded as he looks up at me. The sheer intensity stuns me. I knew he wanted me, but I didn’t realize that he needed me, not until this moment. There’s so much more to him that I don’t know, and I want to know everything.

What makes him burn inside? What makes him smile? What brings him joy?

He’s a mystery I can’t wait to solve. But for now, I’m letting all of that go. I only want to focus on one thing—the feel of his lips all over my body. Right now, they’re grazing the very edge of my sensitive flesh, and I want to revel in the sensation.

He carries me closer to the edge with every flirtatious flick of his tongue. He’s doing more than just teasing me, he’s helping ease all the tension and fear I’ve been carrying around for the last two years. He probably doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, but he’s healing me with his devilish lips. And I need to be healed.

As I careen closer to my breaking point, he captures my clit between his tongue and teeth. He’s gentle, lingering softly before sucking me against his mouth. The contrast in intensity ratchets up the ever-increasing constriction in my core. I strain against the need to give in, wanting to wring out every last ounce of pleasure before I dissolve into nothingness.

But I can’t hold back. I explode against his lips. Throbbing heat pours out from my core to fill every cell in my body. It’s as if I’ve laid dormant for years and now, I’m coming alive. He’s bringing me back to life.

A liberating sob bursts from my lips. I’m pulsing against him as he caresses my trembling flesh with his fingers. He slides into me, coaxing me higher until I’m screaming from the pleasure.

When he’s wrung out every last drop of ecstasy, he lifts me into his lap. I move into a kneeling position while straddling his thick thighs. I don’t know where the hell he’s been hiding it, but he pulls a condom out. I grab it from him, tear into the foil, and roll it into his thick length. For the first time, I realize—he’s huge.

I stroke his shaft several times. His head lolls back. His lips part. I need this man.

I wrap my legs around his waist and slowly lower onto him. His eyes flash open, blazing with desire. No one’s ever looked at me like this. It’s pure, masculine need. And it’s all for me.

As smile spreads across my parted lips. I rock my hips, riding my fireman, the man who saved me, not just from the fire, but from that terrible shelter. He didn’t have to do it, so now I’m going to thank him in the only way I know how.

I roll my hips, letting him thrust into me before pulling back to continue the endless dance. He pulls me close, catching my nipple between his lips before turning to the other. He’s grinding his pelvis against my clit, challenging me to come while he’s inside me.

He doesn’t have to wait long, because flames of ecstasy lick at the threads of my control. They fray, snapping one by one until I can’t stop the inevitable conclusion.

I cling to him as an orgasm wrecks my balance. He holds me tight, pounding into me with relentless thrusts that intensify my ecstasy. I break wide open in a way I’ve never been with any other man. Every worry vanishes into a pool of liquid bliss.

He groans as he thrusts into me, jerking hard, filling every inch of me. His orgasm is a fierce release.

And then it’s over.

We pant, holding each other. My lips against his throat. His hands on my ass. His mouth on my shoulder.

“Holy shit,” he whispers.

“Yeah.” It’s all I can say. Words are worthless after the experience he just gave me.

We sit together until the water runs cold. Eventually, he sets me on my feet. He washes me from crown to toe, missing nothing. It’s like a rebirth, because by the time we get out, I’m exceptionally clean and smell like fields of lavender.

He towels me off.

“I’ll make the bed,” he says.

“Take me to yours.”

He doesn’t hesitate. He scoops me into his arms and carries me down the hall to his room. It’s ultra-masculine. A thick brown rug covers the floor around his four-poster bed. The sheets are black satin. The comforter’s a pale cream. The contrast is warm, inviting.

I crawl into bed. He joins me and cradles my head against his chest. His heart’s steady rhythm helps slow the thundering beat in my chest. I can’t believe I just had sex with him. Not that I’m complaining, but I never do things like this. It must be the stress.

As we lay together in silence, tension returns to tighten the muscles in my back. I reach to massage my neck.

“Let me,” he says.

“Sorry, I guess the stress is getting to me.”

“Do you regret what just happened?” His hands slide onto my shoulders. He kneads the muscles until they melt.

“No… I don’t usually jump into bed with men.”

“Me either.”

I laugh. The intensity of the massage increases incrementally. He delves deeper into the muscle, and somehow it loosens my tongue.

“I’ve only been with two other guys. A boyfriend from high school and my husband.”

“You’ve been under a lot of stress. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of it.”

“You didn’t.” I twist and cup his face between my palms. “I wanted you. But, I need to make things clear. I’m not in any position to start another relationship right now.”

“I wasn’t making any assumptions.”

I blush.

“Hey…” He tilts my chin up. His fingers trail across the edge of my jaw. “I’m not looking for anything either. My life’s… complicated. So, let’s not overthink this.”

“Sounds good to me.” I turn and offer him my back. He continues the massage. “Why are you still single?”

“You like to go right for the jugular.” His chuckle is sharp.

“Sorry. I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be. I’ve already seen you naked.”

Now it’s my turn to smile.

“I don’t have time to date,” he says. “I work long hours, and when I’m not working, I’m on call or hanging out with my brother.”

“You’re close?”

“We are now. We were living separate lives until… a few years ago. I needed a change of pace. He offered to share the house with me. I mean, it’s fifty percent mine anyway, but he could have turned me away.”

“Why did you need a change of pace?” I can’t help myself. He’s hiding something, and I want to know what it is.

“Something happened. I don’t like talking about it. But it made me rethink my life. I’d been going along thinking everything would be fine. In an instant, everything I thought I knew blew up in my face.”

“That sounds intense.”

“It was.”

“Have you ever talked to anyone about whatever it was that happened?”

“No. It’s in the past. No point in dwelling on it.”

“I used to think that my ex was in my past, but he keeps reappearing to destroy my future.”

“As long as he’s free, you can stay with me. I’ll protect you.”

“Why are you being so nice?”

“I… there was someone… I couldn’t protect her.”

Raw pain constricts his voice. Whoever she was must have been the reason he moved in with his brother. I want to ask a million questions, but I can tell he’s not ready to talk about it. After all, if he hasn’t spoken with anyone about it in over three years, why would he talk to me?

“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.” I mean every word. Keeping pain bottled up inside only rots a person from the inside out. I hardly know him, but I sense a deep wound festering in his soul.

“How are the muscles?” His hands still on my shoulders.

“Good.”

“Get some sleep. We can check in with the crime lab tomorrow and see if they have any updates.”

He pulls me back into his arms. I can’t remember the last time I fell asleep in anyone’s arms. It’s been too long, and I miss having someone by my side. Things weren’t always bad in my marriage. There were good times, but the bad slowly started overtaking the good. And by the time it ended, it was all bad.

The next morning, I wake to find a note on the pillow beside me. Logan was called to a fire in the middle of the night. He’d warned me it might happen, but it leaves me on edge. I’m in a strange house with only my phone and a bunch of soot-covered clothes. I wonder if he’ll care if I do laundry.

Since his brother might be home, I search through Logan’s closet and find a button-up flannel shirt and a pair of drawstring lounge pants. They’re both way too big on me. I cinch the pants as much as possible. The shirt doesn’t matter as much because at least it covers everything.

My stomach rumbles. It feels odd to roam around someone else’s house, but I’m too hungry to care.

I head into the kitchen and find Jeff sitting at the kitchen table reading news on his tablet. He looks up and does a double take.

“You’re here.”

“Yeah.” I grab the hem of the shirt and bunch it in my fist. “I hope that’s okay. Logan invited me to stay for a while.”

“Is he upstairs?”

“No. He’s on a call.”

Jeff’s jaw clenches. I instinctively take a step back.

“I could leave. I should leave.” I turn to flee.

“Wait.”

I stop and slowly turn to face him. A shiver runs from my belly out to my limbs. According to the therapist I saw after the divorce, it’s part of the fight of flight response. Even though I know I’m not in danger, I can’t help but react to his anger.

“If Logan invited you, then stay. I’ll talk to him later,” he says.

“I can find somewhere else. It’s okay.” I back away. “I don’t want to start anything between you two.”

“It’s not about you. I mean, it is, but not you specifically.”

“Yesterday, when you were arguing in the office, did he ask you if I could stay? Is that what you were fighting about?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“Then I should go.”

“Something happened to Logan a few years ago. He’s been battling a savior complex ever since. He can’t walk past a cat without checking to make sure it has a collar and that it’s in the right neighborhood. Last year, a bird fell out of its nest and he took it to the local animal hospital. He wanted to keep it, but we’re never home. It was adopted out through the vet. You would have thought I’d forced him to give away his best friend.”

“Maybe it was his best friend.”

“In a way, I guess it was. My point is, he’s been taking in strays without giving a second thought to the consequences. He slept with you—”

“Oh, no, we—” He gives me a look that stops me from continuing the lie.

“He shouldn’t have done that.”

“It’s really none of your business.” I jut my chin up. There’s no way I’m going to let him make me feel bad about sleeping with Logan. We both wanted it.

“What happens in this house is my business.”

“Excuse me?” A gruff voice comes from the hall. Logan strides into the room. His gaze rakes across me before he joins me. He wraps an arm around my waist. “What happens between me and anyone else I bring into this house—which is our parent’s house, not yours—is not your business.” He turns to me. “Honey, go upstairs.”

I don’t know how we got to calling each other “honey” so quickly, but I don’t argue. He’s here to defend whatever it is that’s happening between us, so I’m not about to stop him.

As I hurry up the stairs, I catch snippets of their raised voices.

“Are you going to police my bedroom too?” Logan yells.

“I told you. It’s too dangerous to bring her here. Haven’t you been on enough domestic violence calls yet? She’s not Penny.”

Who’s Penny?

“You shut your fucking mouth. Don’t you dare make this about her.”

I cringe. They sound as if they’re about to come to blows. All because of me… and some woman named Penny. What’s that about? I should leave. This isn’t the right place for me.

After gathering my smoky clothes, I head into the bathroom. I wish I’d had the foresight to at least rinse them in the bathtub last night, but I guess I was too busy fucking Logan to think about anything practical.

I sigh as I slip on my old clothes. Staying in the women’s shelter won’t be the end of the world. If I’m right and my ex did start the fire, then it’s only a matter of time before they catch him. Until then, I’m on my own.