Passionate Heat

by Rachel Kenley

  Chapter Six

  Jillian picked up her cell phone on the third ring. Miles loved hearing her voice on the other end. They had exchanged numbers before she left last night, and he was almost as thrilled about getting it then as he was years before. “How’s your day been, beautiful?” he asked.

  “Long and not done yet,” she said, but he could hear the smile in her voice. “How about yours?”

  “We had a small fire in a shed behind a vacation home a few hours ago caused by a combination of rags and flammables, and a burst water pipe to assist with, but nothing more. It’s no wonder the department works on a smaller staff in the spring and summer.”

  “Have you forgotten what a sleepy little town we are?”

  “I could never forget, but even though I feel bigger, it doesn’t seem as though the place has gotten smaller. Isn’t that odd?”

  “I suppose. Of course, it’s also that this is the first time we’ve spoken on the phone in more than ten years,” she said.

  “True, although I don’t know what’s stranger, that or the fact we had sex before we managed a phone conversation.”

  “Good point.” He could almost hear her blush.

  “I did forget how lovely your phone voice is. Kind of sexy.” She laughed and the sound traveled through his body to his groin. “If the fund from your mother runs out,” he said, “you could consider phone sex as a way to bring in extra money.”

  She lowered her voice and said playfully, “What are you wearing, baby?”

  “Okay, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. And speaking of bad ideas, I had my meeting with your father this morning.”

  There was a pause before she asked, “How did it go?”

  “It was great,” he said. “We talked about old times, shared a cigar, and he offered me a place in the family business.”

  “That good,” she said, matching his sarcasm.

  “No, not even that good, but it had to be done. By the way, I didn’t mean to be the one to tell him, but the information about your divorce was news to him.”

  “Rob hadn’t let him know it was final?”

  “You sound surprised.”

  He could almost hear her thinking in the silence. “I assumed he would. Although since it’s not something he wants, I suppose he might have avoided telling my father until he could persuade me to change my mind.”

  “But that’s not going to happen,” he said, finding himself nervous for a moment. Damned old reflexes.

  “No, it’s not.” He heard a buzzer in the background. “That’s Leslie letting me know my next client is here. I’ve got to go, but I’m glad you called.”

  “So am I,” he said. “Talk to you later?”

  “Definitely.”

  He decided it was a promise he was going to follow though on.

  Toward dinner time, Miles agreed to join a few of the other firefighters for a drink since everyone’s adrenaline was still pumping from the earlier emergency. His stomach tightened involuntarily when they pulled into the parking lot of the Totman River Bar. He’d been avoiding this spot almost more than any other since his return. The house wasn’t his favorite place, but he had some good memories there with his brothers and Jillian.

  The bar, on the other hand, reminded him only of dark times when he came to get his mother after a drinking binge or Jason after he got into trouble for hustling at pool or darts. When Jason was younger, he’d always looked like an innocent mark, until he started playing and his opponents realized they’d been taken. It wasn’t surprising Jason was now an author whose continuing hero had a billiards habit which got him in trouble.

  As his eyes adjusted to the darkness and the guys called out greetings to the people they knew, Miles took in the old space. If anything had changed other than an increase in the availability of light beers, a flat-screen television, and a jukebox playing CDs instead of records, he couldn’t see it. He could picture his mother in her customary seat at the corner. He was almost surprised not to see her here, trying to pick up a guy while keeping balance on the stool.

  “Miles, over here,” Eric, one of the new and youngest members of the team called out. “What are you drinking?”

  For a moment he didn’t know how to answer since his first thought was that he wasn’t old enough to drink. You’re thirty-two, not eighteen, Anderson, he thought to himself and walked over to the table. Charlie was right. He was never going to be able to move forward unless he stopped looking back on the kid he had been and the life he used to have in this town. The bar didn’t have to change. He did.

  He took a deep breath and joined the group. After ordering a beer and some wings for the table, he started to relax and cheer for the Celtics game everyone was watching, when a familiar voice caused the hair on his neck to stand up.

  “What a surprise. Figures once an Anderson was in town, you’d find him in here.”

  Miles hadn’t seen Rob Boxford since his return, although he had an appointment to meet with him tomorrow to discuss the arsons because of his connection to all three locations. It wasn’t something he was looking forward to, but at least he would have been prepared. He stood to face him.

  Time hadn’t been good to the former high school football hero. Miles noticed he looked heavier both in body and mind. Rob’s stomach was showing the beginnings of a paunch and the exhaustion in his eyes, noticeable even in the dim light, suggested the beginnings of an ulcer. Miles felt sorry for anyone working for Old Man Wagner, but Rob deserved any agony which came his way. He still had trouble imagining Jillian married to him, but he pushed the thought out of his mind. He was not going to hold her past choices against her. No one knew better than he did how unfair that was.

  Rob walked a step closer to him. “Are you as good at holding your liquor as your mom or are you a hustler like your brother? Or maybe both? After all, a couple of years in the Army will give a guy a lot of skills.”

  “What’s he talking about?” Eric asked.

  “Old news,” Miles answered simply, talking over his shoulder. “Seems Rob can’t separate past from present.”

  Rob leaned forward. “I know bad apples don’t fall far from rotten trees.”

  “And I know no amount of dredging up the past or trying to live there will get you Jillian back.”

  “Don’t you dare mention my wife.”

  “Ex-wife.”

  Rob’s nostrils flared. If there were more light in the place, Miles was certain he’d see the man’s face had gone red.

  “What’s the matter, Boxford? My past is fair game, but yours isn’t?”

  “I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. My dad stuck around, and my mother was a fine woman.”

  “Which makes the fact you turned out to be a louse so much harder to understand.” Miles appeared unbothered, but he could feel his muscles tightening and the urge to clench both his jaw and fists was overwhelming. All that mattered was Rob believed him to be composed.

  “Rob, are you joining us or not?” Rob waved to the caller without taking his eyes off of Miles.

  Good, he’s scared, Miles thought. The knowledge helped bring his heart rate down a beat.

  “This isn’t over, Anderson.”

  “If there’s something more you need to say, Robby, I’m sure you’ll find a way to tell me.”

  Rob took a step toward him, looked around and thought better of it. Miles knew Rob wouldn’t like being called by his high school nickname. It was immature of him, but fun to give into it anyway. He should have let Rob go, but as he turned away, Miles gave in to one more impulse, calling out louder than necessary, “Don’t forget our appointment tomorrow morning. I appreciate your cooperation with the investigation.”

  Rob stopped. Miles braced himself for the scathing retort, but the man took a breath and kept walking.

  “Will someone tell me what that was about?” Eric asked innocently.

  “Old news.”

  “Before your time,” some of Miles’s contemporaries on the force chimed
in.

  He was grateful for their understanding and tact, but decided he wasn’t going to hide his past or his mistake. “My mom was the town drunk about fifteen years ago, and back in high school, I dated the woman Rob eventually married. I shouldn’t have let him get to me, but sometimes old habits die hard.” There was nothing to be embarrassed about. How many times had Paula told him that? Drinking was his mother’s choice. She was the one unwilling to get help, not him. He was surprised at how much better he was when he stated the situation as simple truth, not as something needing to be explained or defended.

  As if to emphasize his thoughts, Eric said, “Jeez, what a jerk. He could never do what you do, Miles. Clearly the guy can’t deal with anyone being successful if it’s not him.”

  He smiled at Eric and clicked bottles with him in acknowledgement. As he drank, he let Eric’s comment sink in. For a young man, he was pretty insightful. Miles took his first deep breath since entering the bar. “Next round, I’m buying,” he said.

  Two hours and too many Buffalo wings later, Miles left. He was still too keyed up from the night to be ready to go home. Looking at his watch, he decided working out would be a good use of his time and a way to get rid of the remaining frustration from his confrontation with Rob.

  Pulling into the parking lot of Maximum Results, he saw there were still a good number of cars there. He didn’t mean to, but he couldn’t help looking for Jillian’s. He didn’t find it, but given how small it was and how large some of the vehicles people drove, himself included, he wasn’t surprised. Besides, he didn’t come here to see her. He rolled his eyes at the mental lie. He was definitely hoping she was here.

  A woman’s voice called to him as he came out of the locker room. “If I knew you’d be here, I would have stayed longer.”

  “Fanny, what are you doing here?” he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “Darlin’, how do you think I keep up my energy and my girlish figure?”

  “I figured you let Sal chase you around the grill a couple of times a day.”

  “Yes, well, that too, but a woman’s got to take a little time for herself, and ever since this place opened a year ago, I make a point of coming over as often as I can to do a little something for myself. Your Jillian is around somewhere, I believe. I saw her not too long ago.”

  “She’s not my…”

  “Oh, yes, she is,” Fanny interrupted. “And the sooner you accept it, the sooner you’ll stop wandering so much.” With a wave of her hand, she breezed out before he could say anything.

  Her words stayed in his head as he changed. Could Jillian be his again? Did he want that? He headed to the free weight section, where he did some stretching before starting some basic lifts for his upper body. He switched between lighter weights and higher repetitions and heavier weights with fewer repetitions. By the time he moved to the barbells, he’d worked up a sweat and was beginning to forget his aggravation toward Rob and his questions about Jillian.

  Until he looked up and saw her smile and breasts in his field of vision.

  “Need a spotter?” she asked.

  “Lord, woman, wear a bell or something. You shouldn’t sneak up on a man who’s about to raise more than a hundred pounds over his head.”

  “I’ll remember that for next time. Are you ready?”

  As she leaned over him, she encouraged his slow and steady movements. He couldn’t resist showing off for her a bit, and he knew he puffed up a bit when she handed him her water bottle and said, “Nice work. I’m impressed.”

  “Thanks, coach.”

  “As long as you’re here, how about showing me some of your leg exercises on the equipment?”

  They moved to some of the weight machines, which were a better workout for his legs since the injury. Thirty minutes later, he was ready to call it a night. As they walked toward the lockers, he asked, “Do you have an extra water in your office? I didn’t bring anything with me since I wasn’t planning to come here originally.”

  “Sure, follow me.”

  “With pleasure.” He walked behind her, liking the way her ass moved in the yoga pants she wore. “Why are you here so late?”

  “I had a seven o’clock class followed by a client. Most of my days last until about this time, but I do have the advantage of not having to come in at the crack of dawn.”

  A thought struck him. “Was Fanny your client?”

  “Yes, how did you know?”

  “I ran into her leaving when I arrived. She said she was here to work out.”

  “She does that, too, but once or twice a week, we do some work together on her legs. Years of standing, combined with her weight, has lead to some joint issues. She’s almost sixty, you know.”

  He blinked. More than the buildings in town had changed. “No, I guess I hadn’t realized. To me, she’ll always be the age she was when I left.”

  “Unfortunately not. Miles, if she didn’t tell you why she was here tonight, please don’t let on you know. She does have a private streak, for all of her chatty ways.”

  If anyone understood the desire for have people staying out of another’s business, it was him. “Not a problem.”

  “Thanks. So, what brought you in unexpectedly?” she asked as she handed him a bottle of water.

  “Busy day at the station and…” He paused, taking a deep swallow. Did he want to tell her about his conversation with her ex? The answer was not really, but he also didn’t want to avoid the truth with her either. “I had a run-in with Rob at the Totman bar tonight.”

  “Define run-in,” she said.

  “Words were exchanged, insults thrown. General male stupidity, as much my fault as his. He brought up my family. I brought up you.”

  “Oh, fun. And when all was said and done?”

  “I found myself feeling as though I was eighteen again with a lifetime of proving myself to people still in front of me.”

  She walked up to him and put her hands on his chest. “You have nothing to prove to anyone, Miles. Certainly not to someone like Rob. And never to me. I’ve always known the truth of your greatness.”

  The heat of her hand seeped through his T-shirt and warmed him, as did her words. He couldn’t resist, didn’t want to. He put his arms around her slender frame, pulled her close and kissed her passionately. Her immediate sigh of pleasure was all the encouragement he needed.

  There was a couch in her office, and he walked her over to it. “Lie down.”

  “If you’ll pull the shade down and lock the door.”

  He did as she asked and hurried back to her. He didn’t know if it was the need to erase the emotions of earlier in the day or simply the fact they were alone together, but he knew he needed her with a passion he was not willing to deny. “I want you naked, now.”

  “With pleasure,” she said. Her workday clothes didn’t consist of much, so it didn’t take her long to slip off her shirt and pants, followed by her sneakers. When she reached for the closure on her bra, he stopped her hand.

  “I know you don’t necessarily need a bra, but damn, I’m glad you wear one.” He licked the edges of the cup’s material. “I like revealing you,” he said as he undid the front clasp. “And I like how easily these open. None of those hopelessly engineered back hooks.”

  “I’m glad you approve,” she said as she finally lay down on the couch.

  She was lovely, and he loved how she was relaxed and ready for him.

  “You are a feast. My feast,” he said, getting down on his knees next to her and slipping off the tiny cotton panties she wore. Knowing she was flexible, he took one leg and put it up on the back of the couch, while putting his hand behind her thigh and bending her leg back, opening her up for him to enjoy. She gasped at being exposed.

  “What about the lights?” she said breathlessly.

  “They are very helpful, hummingbird. They allow me to be certain I don’t miss a spot.” He was not going to let her hide from him, not in any way.

  He could s
ee she was wet as he reached for the folds of her pussy, stroking the lips slowly and tenderly with his fingers. The skin flushed and swelled, and he thrilled to see her growing excitement. Running his tongue along the crease of her inner thigh, he breathed in her arousal, a heady combination of sweetness and saltiness. His pants were becoming increasingly tight, but for now he wanted only to please her.

  When she moaned, he gently slid a finger inside of her and was rewarded with an additional flood of wetness. He was dying to lick her there, but he planned to prolong her pleasure for as long as he could. Exploring the inner walls of her pussy, he moved his finger in slow circles, watching her responses, enjoying them all. Wanting to give her more, he slid a second finger in, driving deeper into her body and stretching the sensitive skin. Her clitoris stood out, engorged and ready, and he knew she was aching to be touched there.

  Pointing his tongue, he flicked her bud with the quickest of touches, and smiled when her body jerked as if electrified. The next time, he swirled his tongue around slowly, only to stop a few seconds later. She growled with a clear combination of delight and frustration.

  “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” she said.

  “I’m trying to please you and I think I’m succeeding,” he replied and, before she could say anything more, he took her clit into his mouth and sucked deeply as he plunged his fingers in, causing her to arch off the couch completely. He curled his fingers up looking for the elusive inner spot of bliss, all the while continuing to lick and suck at the sensitive bud that seemed to pulse against his tongue.

  She moaned loudly and grabbed his shoulders in an unconscious move to hold him closer. He had no intention of stopping until she came, but he got a thrill out of her unintended encouragement. Her growing enjoyment was beautiful to witness and it filled him with a feeling of satisfaction to know he could give this to her.

  Another rush of wetness told him she was nearing her climax. He considered stopping and letting her come down only to bring her back to this point again, but decided that sweet torture could wait for another time. Tonight he was as hungry and anxious as she was. He increased the movements of his tongue and his fingers and as she murmured a combination of his name and “Oh God,” he brought her to an orgasm which had her digging her fingers into his shoulders, biting her lip to keep from crying out completely.