Wylder Bluffs Firefighters: The Complete Short-Story Collection

by Tarin Lex

  “Next week, huh.” I stalk toward her. She’s standing on the other side of her office with one sneaker pressed to the wall behind her. She doesn’t move before I’m right in front of her. Over her.

  She reaches to me to hold my arms, partially supporting me, what with my aggravated injuries. “Thorne.”

  “Mase.” I look down at our height difference.

  She touches my face. “You’re healing well.”

  “Mm,” I groan.

  “You know…” she giggles, nervously. “…growing up, I totally had the hots for you.”

  “I know.” I press my hands against the wall on either side of her. Maisie lifts her pretty hazel eyes up toward mine, and my heart explodes. “Shoulda snagged you while I had the chance.”

  “You still have…the chance…” She bites down on her bottom lip, inviting me closer with doe eyes locked on mine, spiraling hot pent-up tension straight to my dick. “Another week?”

  “I can’t wait that long.” I touch her cheek, and her jaw slacks open. I brush my thumb over her lip. She shuts her eyes. I already feel her quivering beneath me. “C’mere you.” I dip my head, taking a moment to breathe her in.

  “Mhm,” she sighs, when I cradle her face with both hands.

  I claim her mouth, and my whole world goes up in smoke. I know right then, I’ll never stop wanting to kiss these lips.

  And so it’s settled—I am the World’s Worst Everything.

  World’s Worst Friend.

  I won’t look back.

  Five

  Maisie

  Oh Holy Smokes.

  More times than I can count I’ve wanted something so badly I set out on a limb to grab it, only to wind up disappointed in the end.

  Kissing Thorne is nothing like that! It feels like flying and falling and spinning in a fast crazy circle, all at once. His hands in my hair, his mouth on my neck. Good. Lord. Mindless, vibrating warmth gathers right where I’d like him to kiss me next… My nipples peak when his hands drift lower, holding my breasts. I gasp. I press my thighs together, trapping the heat. It’s happening!

  In a low heart-stopping voice, he says, “You know how badly I’ve wanted you?”

  “You have…no idea, Thorne.”

  “Tell me how much time we have.”

  My co-worker, Angie, is out on the floor. The scuffle dissipated as soon as I whisked Thorne away. She should be okay to cover for me for a little while… “Fifteen minutes?” I guess.

  “Try again.” He frowns. His head dips lower, kissing my throat.

  “Half hour?”

  “Nnn,” he growls. His hands go to the hem of my shirt and he lifts it slowly over my head, surveying every inch that’s exposed. His palms graze up over each curve as he studies me, hungrily. “Try. Again.” He takes off my bra with one hand.

  “An hour,” I give in.

  Angie’s gonna hate me.

  Thorne’s hand circles the front of my throat. “Atta girl.” He smirks. His other hand grips my waist and pulls me against his big, hard, strengthening body.

  “Aren’t you sore?”

  “Naw, baby girl. I don’t feel a thing except my desire for you.” He doffs his t-shirt and joggers without ceremony or restraint, standing in only boxer-briefs that do nothing at all to hide his proud, heavy sex. My fingers twitch to reach out and grab it. My mouth twitches, too.

  I gulp. “Thorne, I—”

  “Turn around,” he commands.

  I spin, swiftly, pressing my hands against the wall. I have something I need to say.

  With a deep rumbling groan Thorne slaps my ass. I yelp in surprise. He groans in my ear, “That’s for torturing me for the last ten weeks in these godforsaken yoga pants.”

  “O-oh,” I stutter, feeling delirious and lost for words.

  “I’m gonna do that again,” he warns. “Other side…” His breath tickles the shell of my ear, assailing my whole body with bumps. He smells so good—sweaty, raw, virile man. I breathe in. He whispers, “…harder this time.”

  He smacks my other butt cheek, winding me, leaving a sharp sting in the wake of his strike. Hopefully no one heard that. I bite down on a whimper. I’ve wanted him to have me this way—Thorne’s way. For so long I’ve wanted Thorne to make me his.

  He presses that big fat rod right against my ass, moaning hoarsely by my face. With both hands he holds up my long hair and tastes the back of my neck with his tongue, all the way to the ultra-sensitive hollow at the base of my ear. I shiver, craving him so, so badly now.

  Have I ever been this turned-on? I want him… to touch me all over. Kiss me. Hold me. Wreck me, fight me, fill me.

  Fuck me—Love me!

  I can’t hold back the high-pitched moan cast by his effect on me. My breathing is ragged and threadbare as Thorne continues his raid upon my neck and jaw. I part my lips, relishing the sheer delight of his perfect touch—hard and rough, then gentle, kind, every sensation lingering brightly against my heated skin, until he makes contact there again.

  “You’re the most precious thing to me in the world,” he grumbles, as if filing a complaint instead of revering me. “And I haven’t even dipped inside you yet.”

  “I should tell…” I lose my breath, and my confession.

  “Tell me, baby girl.”

  “I-I—”

  Thorne pumps his hard rod over his boxer-briefs, pressing against me and raising my anticipation. “You feel this?”

  “Yes!”

  “That’s what you fuckin’ do to me, Mase. How you torture me.” He takes a fistful of my pants’ ephemeral fabric and tugs it, grinding his teeth. “I want these off.”

  Thorne backs away as I shimmy out of my tight pants. I hear him slide his boxers down. Standing in only my black cheeky panties, I bite my lip as I watch Thorne move to the table and lie back, never taking his eyes off me. He holds his head up by his hands. I proffer a teasing bent-over view, winning a bark of approval from him.

  I whirl toward him. Thorne’s expression is tense, and dark, straining against the edge of surrender. It’s hard to ignore the half-pained, half-eager look on his face, or the view of his hard sex twitching with need.

  So I don’t ignore it.

  I go to him, wrap my hand around him, and stroke his length, cravenly, watching his face as he gently writhes. His stomach goes taut when I dip my mouth over the tip, savoring drops of his sweet, creamy pre-cum.

  “Argh,” he keens, sorrowfully. “Fuck!” Thorne’s hand wraps the back of my head. “Keep doing that,” he mourns. “Christ. I love your mouth, baby!” Inspired, I cup his balls delicately, as I take him deeper, so the rest of his dick stretches my lips and the plump head tests the back of my throat. “Holy shit!” he cries out.

  I gently tap against his good leg, quieting him. Thorne’s so big and toned and hot, my inner thighs are slick as soap. I swipe my hair off my neck and then grip the base with both hands. Such a handful he is—truly! I sample more of his juice when I tighten my mouth around his shaft, sucking harder in and out, long and slow, reveling in his pulsating warmth and yen as my own sex impatiently throbs.

  “Gimme that pretty pussy,” he shudders, tugging me off him by my hair, “before you try to assassinate me.”

  “Thorne…” I arc my gaze up toward his.

  “Spit it out, woman.”

  Smiling, I lick my lips, tilting my head seductively.

  “Not that.” He frowns.

  I giggle, still holding his dick right next to my face. What has gotten in to me today? If I’m being honest—not just today. I want to believe I’m feeling more confident because I’m older now, and not because Thorne has been…vulnerable.

  I hoist myself over him, straddling his naked sex beneath my own. I’m already soaked. His heady scent and loitering gaze threaten to make me move too quickly. I can’t.

  “I’ve never done this before, T,” I just say it.

  His eyes go wide. “You’ve never…what. Had sex before?”

  I nod my head.<
br />
  “Fuck, Mase.” He grips my thighs. “You do want to?”

  I nod again, rapidly.

  “A’right.” He grins. “I may be only half a man right now…” A humble lie. “…but I’d love to show you how it’s done.”

  “It isn’t weird?”

  “You’re kiddin’—weird? Naw, girl.” He trails callused hands up my sides and pulls me to him by the nape of my neck. My heart spasms, hard. He kisses me, soft and slow.

  “I love you,” Thorne whispers, breaking from me just to pull me back in and then kiss me and then say it again. “I’m ridiculously in love with you, Maisie.”

  I open my mouth to say it back when he swipes my wayward hair from my face, splintering me with his soothing touch and imperfect smile I could melt into. It quiets me.

  “Let me show you”—gently, he wraps his arms over me—“what that love feels like.”

  Six

  Thorne

  There is no greater feeling in the world than balls-deep inside of my favorite woman. Favorite person. Ever.

  She’s got me thinkin’ about forever.

  It’s been three weeks since our very first time together, illicitly in her office. We aren’t patient and PT anymore but we still need to be discrete. She thinks she should be the one to tell her brother. Jason’s my best friend, roommate, and he works with me. It should be me.

  I told Maisie I loved her but she hasn’t said it back. So I didn’t say it again after that. I got to be her first—how fuckin’ awesome is that? I reckon though, even with how she smiles when she looks at me, even when she comes so hard on top of me, she’s just not there with me yet. Not as sure about us as I am.

  We are seven years apart. We are one bright smile and one hundred ragged scars. And when Jason finds out, there’ll be one surly firefighter standing between us.

  Doesn’t matter to me anymore. I’ve never been so sure of anything else.

  After experiencing more of the same position—Maisie riding cowgirl, which she’s quite good at and a damn fine sight—I’m finally rehabbed enough to get more creative with her. At the moment she’s bent slightly over my bedroom dresser, her skirt lifted over her ass, my boxer-briefs down around my ankles. I reach around to cup her tits. Her perfect pink cunt wrapped exquisitely tight around my dick.

  We don’t have time for even a real quickie, but fuck—I had to just get inside her for a minute. I love watching her pleasured face in the mirror as I plunge in and out. Love the sound of her rhythmic purrs and slap-slap of our damp skin. Her sweet, creamy nectar basting my dick. I look down at her ass and grab a fistful of it, moaning as I smother a vulgar word at the tip of my tongue.

  And that’s the moment my bedroom door swings open and my best friend/roommate/co-worker’s face goes stark-white. Jason sounds out a bellowing “Aghhh!!!” and shuts his eyes tight as he shuts the door. Maisie and I both still. Talk about a total cock-block. Goddammit. Guess that was bound to happen? Fuck! We should’ve told him!

  We come apart and get dressed like there’s a five-alarm fire. Hell, maybe there is.

  “Was that really Jason?” Maisie whispers in disbelief.

  “’fraid so.”

  “No.” She circles her arms around her chest. “Maybe he didn’t really see anything.” Even in denial, guilt-stricken and scared, she’s so pretty I can’t help but smile. “Are you eye-fucking me right now?”

  “I’m allowed.”

  “Focus.” She grins. Her eyes pin to the spot where Jason stood a moment ago. “Why would he just open your bedroom door?”

  “No idea, babe.” I wipe my hand down the front of my face. “Figures. Just when I’m starting to feel better. Now your brother’s gonna pummel my ass.”

  Maisie pulls a face. Dang she’s cute. “I should go out there.”

  “I will do it.”

  “He’s my brother, T.”

  “A’right.” I reach for her hand, but then decide against any more physical contact in front of Jason. Not yet. “We’ll do it together.”

  #

  It’s worse than I thought.

  Jason has my back to the wall, his hands white-knuckling as he grips my neck. He isn’t bigger than me—he’s not much smaller though. He’s stronger than I am right now. He wasted no time lunging for me when we stepped out.

  I gasp for air. I try to form words that don’t come out. Maisie covers her mouth, her eyes wide as she stands shellshocked and hopeless on the other side of the living room.

  “My sister, man?” Jason levels me with his normally bright green eyes. “My fucking sister?” It’s worse, the way he asks instead of admonishing me. Like he can’t even fuckin’ believe it.

  “I-I-don-you—” Don’t even know what the hell I’m tryin’ to say.

  “You got some kinda death wish, dude?” Jason says. “Try’n to destroy every good thing in your path?” He looks down at my ankle as it starts to give. I can’t even groan, I’m damn near strangled to the point of passing out. “Your own body. Tyco—”

  “Boundaries, Jason!” Maisie warns.

  Her brother looks at her over his shoulder. “Did he tell you it was his call? Tyco didn’t need to go in that fire. The gas line—”

  “Yes, he told me.” Maisie stands right up to her brother, literally walking up to him and glaring at him. I can smell her sweet strawberry perfume. My heart constricts along with my breaths.

  “D’you know he was there when you came home from the hospital?” Jason asks. “He knew you as a baby, Mase! He’s impulsive. Aggressive. He’s moody as fuck!”

  He whips his gaze back to my face and without any warning punches me low in the stomach. It isn’t his hardest punch—not sure why he went easy on me. It’s hard enough a blow to make my bad knee buckle, though. He loosens marginally, just so I can shout in pain.

  “You’re hurting him!”

  “He. Hurt. You.”

  “No he hasn’t!”

  “He will,” Jason barks. He lets go. I reach up to grab my neck. It ain’t all lies. I knew all along she’s too good for me. Knew how bad my intentions were. The fact we’re together at all says everything about my self-control.

  Maisie is at my side in a second, preventing me from toppling with her crazy Herculean strength. She touches my face. “I love you.”

  When she says it I feel even more compelled to black out. Maybe I already did and now I’m hearing things. Did her beautiful mouth really say those words?

  “I love him,” she says to Jason this time, clear as day. “What you saw…it’s.” She swipes a tear. “I really love him, Jason.”

  “Pfft. How could y—”

  “Don’t be offensive,” Maisie cautions. “Just because you’ve never felt this way about anyone!” She looks at me, saying, “I know when I’m in love with someone.”

  Together, we sink slowly to the floor. I don’t hear Jason say a word. I don’t see him in my periphery. I don’t feel pain. All there is is the most beautiful person in the whole world, the woman I want for the rest of my life, admitting she’s in love with me.

  I hold her hair back with both hands. “You know I love you too.”

  She smiles. “I know. I’m sorry I took so long.”

  “What took so long?” Ah, there’s Jason again. His voice low but less threatening. He gestures between us. “How long’s this been goin’—” He frowns. “How fuckin’ long, bro?”

  I shouldn’t grin, except I know we’re a’right if he called me bro. Or we will be, eventually.

  “Three weeks,” Maisie admits. “We wanted to tell you.”

  Jason drops down into the couch. “I wish you would’ve.” He presses his fingers over his eyes. “Instead of this asshole’s cock”—he juts his chin at me—“seared in my fuckin’ brain.”

  “You didn’t see…anything else?” Her cheeks redden like canned beets.

  “No. Thank Christ!”

  I rub my knee. “Why didn’t you knock, man?”

  “I did!” He rakes his hair back
with one hand. “I knocked. I yelled.” He kicks his head back with a sigh. “No answer.”

  “Well.” Maisie stands up, smoothing her palms down her skirt. She helps me up. “If we’re all done bonding now, I’m headed to the gym.” She points. “You guys need to get to work.” She spins to me, lifting up on tiptoe to touch the nape of my neck. Her buttery-soft fingers feel so damn good right on that spot. “Y’okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good.” She pecks my cheek.

  “I didn’t say we’re done,” Jason complains.

  “No.” Maisie starts heading out, stopping to kiss her brother’s forehead and hug his neck with one arm. “I did.” At the front door, she blows me a kiss.

  Her brother scowls.

  I smirk.

  Epilogue

  Maisie – One year later

  “Oh my god, Thorne! Yes! Yes!”

  Thorne groans in tandem with my mewling cries. “You’re so wet, babe. Christ you feel good!” setting off fireworks in the cradle of my hips. “I’m gonna come!”

  I’d giggle if I wasn’t also right on the verge of detonating. Why are sex words so basic? Oh, yes. Oh, god. Feels so amazing…it’s true though! Sometimes Thorne reveres my pussy for being so tight, so wet, so yummy. I feel like I should praise him in return. But calling his perfect sex big and thick is like calling evergreen trees…green. Hell yeah it’s huge!

  And I’m obviously enjoying it.

  More sparks ignite between my folds when Thorne smacks my ass, then lumbers over me to paw at my breasts, indulgently, and then work his way up to growl more obscenities close to my ear. God I love his darkened, half-angry sex face. “Tell me you wanna feel me come.”

  “I want to feel you come,” I whimper, breathlessly. “Come in me, T. Gimme your cum!”

  “Here it comes, baby.” He pounds me harder. Somehow my pussy accommodates. The smoothed friction is a contrast to his own breathing that’s low and guttural and strained. As if by sheer will Thorne brings me along with him, driving us both to the top of our finish. I rasp a breath. My heart goes mad.

  “Yes! Right there! Oh god, Thorne!” My walls clench stronger around his sex, my body shuddering hard as I feel the tip pulse and flex, firing off a thousand shots deep in my core.