From The Inferno (Firemen Do It Better Book 3)

by Leah Sharelle

  “See, just legs. Nothing more than legs. Did you know I am a virgin?”

  Heaven help me!

  Groaning, I placed my hands on either side of her toned legs and gently pushed them back together. I then slid my hands up and shimmied her skirt back down, covering her from my eyes.

  A virgin. You had to be kidding me. She had to be at least twenty-three or twenty-four years old. How was it possible?

  “Um, Jamie—”

  “No, no, no! Legs, not Jamie,” my drunk little virgin demanded of me, her lips set in a cute pout.

  I smiled at her adorableness and couldn’t help rising to kiss her forehead, my lips lingering a bit longer than I intended. Did I really think of her as mine? We’d barely met less than two days ago, and today was only the second time I was seeing her. Was it merely a physical attraction or something deeper? I felt an instant connection with her the first day in the café—that much I knew. Whether I could trust it, though, I was yet to figure out.

  Before I did decide, the first thing I needed to do was find out what she was hiding from. Her bruises weren’t only on her wrists. I’d noticed a few yellowing ones on her thigh when she hitched up her skirt and inadvertently gave me a tempting peek at her sweet pussy. The thought that someone, some arsehole, hurt her, put his hands on her and deliberately caused her pain… Old memories and nightmares I’d long ago put to bed, for what I thought was forever, began to resurface.

  As I stood in front of this beautiful, scared, and intoxicated woman, I wondered why I was even considering putting myself in the same kind of situation, just with a different woman. The term barking mad came to mind. A glutton for punishment was another.

  “Hmmm, Chase, I need to watch a Josh Duhamel movie. Tate and Lake say you look just like him. He’s hot, and you are definitely hot. I wanna look at him and see who is hooter—I mean, hotter,” Jamie babbled out between drunken hiccups.

  Hiding a smile, I helped Jamie to her feet. Her height made it easy and hard at the same time—easy because I didn’t have to stoop and hard because, well, her parts and my parts were matched in height. Her breasts pressed against my pecs and her… and my… Yeah, you get the point.

  “Okay, legs. I think some coffee and a nap is needed right now,” I suggested, raising my brows at Carson and Hoove, both who were already getting their wives organised to leave.

  “Yep. Day over ladies. You two have consumed enough alcohol, I think. Chase, can you look after Jamie for the night? I think one exhausted hormonal woman and a toddler is all I can deal with,” Carson said through his laughter as Lake jumped on his back.

  “Carry me, hunky hose man, then take me home or lose me forever,” she said around a yawn before face -planting against her husband’s back, her soft snores making us all laugh.

  “No wild sex for you, Hoges.” Hoove laughed, his arms full of his wife’s limp sleeping body. “Or me. Fuck me, doll, you really are a lightweight,” he said affectionally.

  Tate was the most important person in Hoove’s life and had been from the first time he met her. He was territorial when it came to Tate, and since her car accident, he tripled that shit up. I have always envied the way Hoove loved his wife and the way she loved him back—it was a fierce and deep kind of love. After Tate’s car wreck, they went through a rough patch, but Hoove being Hoove didn’t accept that and went about making sure Tate’s worship for him got back on track.

  “Will she be right with you, mate?” Hoove asked, nodding his head at Jamie, who was now leaning against my shoulder and mumbling into my shirt about blue eyes and how warm my skin was against her cheek.

  Shaking my head, I grinned at him. “She will be fine, mate. I will put her to bed in Prue’s room. I’m guessing she will be asleep before her head hits the pillow.”

  “The question is, will you be right with her?” Carson added his two cents, fighting a grin as he listened to Jamie’s ramblings.

  “Shouldn’t you be leaving?” I grumbled.

  Completely ignoring the smirks and grunts of laughter from the two idiots, I swept Jamie up into my arms, who despite her height, weighed next to nothing. Her head leaned against my shoulder, and her pretty brown eyes, slightly glazed over with the alcohol, looked at me with wide innocence.

  “Will you give me an orgasm, Chase? They sound really amazing.”

  Not able to stop myself, I turned my mouth and pressed my lips to her forehead. Internally, I was trying to control my reaction to not only her but her words. Everything about her turned me on, and my prior resolve to not get involved was quickly waning.

  “We’ll see, legs. We’ll see.”

  And we would.

  Once she was sober, she was going to do some talking and answer my questions.

  I entered the back door to the house as quietly as I could with two seventy kilo dogs at my heels, vying for position to be in first.

  “Sasha, Alexei, behave,” I ordered them quietly. Pulling the baby monitor from my waistband, I tossed it onto the kitchen table. Other than a few sighs and some cute snoring, there hadn’t been a peep from the listening device for the last four hours. When I put Jamie to bed in my daughter’s old bedroom, rather than sit there and watch her sleep off her cocktail hour—hours like some creepy stalker, I decided to go out to the stables and do some maintenance. That led to a ride on my horse to check the new foals, and then it was time to feed the animals. Now there was nothing else I could do outside, and the sun had gone down. Plus, I wanted to check on Jamie. By her own admission, today was the first time she’d had any kind of alcohol.

  Choosing to be anointed with Tate and Lake at the helm was probably not the best way to do it, I thought, smiling at some of the things Jamie said to me while under the influence. She had been very cute with her forthcoming attraction to certain parts of my body, and then the whole leg showing incident, well, I was still recovering from that doozy.

  “Come on, boys. Your turn to eat.” I whistled softly to the dogs.

  Not caring that there was a sleeping woman in the house, they stomped around the kitchen, bumping into the table and chairs in their excitement.

  I busied myself for the next few minutes getting the raw meat I feed my dogs out of the defrosting tray in the fridge and filled two bowls equally with meat and dry food. One of this type of dog was expensive to feed, but two of them? I was glad I kept a few beef cattle, I can tell you.

  “They are enormous.”

  Startled at the break in the silence other than the dogs chowing into their food, I whipped around to find Jamie standing in the doorway, her clothes wrinkled from sleeping in them, and her hair a sexy mess. Whether it was her natural colour or not, her hair was beautiful, thick and long, and I ached to know what it would feel like against my bare skin. Earlier, when I carried her inside, I couldn’t feel it through my shirt, but when I placed her on the bed, I couldn’t help combing one hand through it. Soft. It felt soft, and I wanted more of it, to feel it tickling my thighs as she threw her head back in ecstasy while she rode me.

  “Hey, you slept a long time. Feeling better?” I said, standing side on to her so she didn’t notice the bulge that just formed behind my zipper. Damn, dick. Calm the hell down, mate.

  “Um, yeah, sorry about that. I don’t normally drink—ever,” she explained shyly.

  “I gathered. You want something to eat, a coffee, maybe?”

  “Hmmm, coffee might be what I need right now. Thank you.”

  I gestured with my hand for her to sit at the table, but eyeing my boys, her hesitance to move past the big dogs showed.

  “They are big, but they are softies. I promise they won’t hurt you,” I said encouragingly, holding my hand out for her to take.

  “They aren’t vicious?” she asked, eyeing my hand, not the dogs.

  “Not in the least, just big. Come on, take a seat, and I will get you some much-needed caffeine.” I wiggled my fingers in a come here motion and sighed inwardly when she finally placed her small, but not delicate, hand in
mine. As her strong fingers folded around my hand, I liked how our joined hands looked together. Just like it felt right her being in my kitchen and my house, but whether she fit in my life was yet to be seen.

  At my age, I was running out of time to find a woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and have kids with. Jamie might be the one, but baby steps were the name of the game here. First coffee, then some talking to get to know each other and maybe get some answers.

  Flicking on the kettle, I grabbed two mugs down from the overhead cupboard.

  “How do you take it?”

  “Um, actually, do you have any peppermint tea? I like coffee, but it doesn’t always like me.”

  I thought for a second, then remembered my mum brought some teas over the last time she visited. Going to the pantry, I rooted around the back of the shelf and found a small green box.

  “Strangely, I do. I only drink coffee, maybe a Milo once in a while, but my mum likes to have a cup of tea when she visits me.”

  “Oh, good. A big mug if that’s okay. My mouth has a very nasty taste in it,” Jamie admitted, holding her hand over her lips.

  “You should have used the bathroom next to your room. There is toothpaste and a new brush in the cabinet,” I scolded gently.

  “Oh, I did, but I think it is going to take another three or four times brushing my teeth before I can’t taste the cocktails anymore.”

  I laughed and poured the boiled water over the teabag. Mum always left the bag in her cup, so I did the same for Jamie.

  “Milk?”

  “No, not in peppermint tea. Thanks, Chase.”

  My body shivered at her use of my name. Each time she said it, the same involuntary reaction happened.

  Jesus, was I turning into a woman?

  Steeling myself before I turned around to face her, I placed the cup in front of her and took a seat to her right, deliberately putting myself between her and the dogs.

  “Here ya go, legs. This might help the tastebuds get back to normal.”

  A deep pink blush covered her cheeks when I called her the endearment. I liked it a lot.

  “Legs. You called me legs out on the patio, too. Why?”

  “Because, honey, you have legs that go on for days. They are the legs men dream of. I know I have been since I met you.”

  Jamie’s cup was halfway to her mouth at my confession, and her eyes bugged out at me. I wasn’t embarrassed to admit I dreamed about her, and I also wasn’t the kind of guy who played games. If I liked a woman, I said so. It just so happened I hadn’t felt the urge to say that to anyone since Melanie and I broke up. Of course, there had been women in my life, brief interludes but nothing permanent. No woman had held my interests until now.

  “Oh, I see—I think.”

  “Hasn’t a man ever told you that you have nice legs, beautiful eyes, and are very pretty?” I asked, but as soon as the questions were out, I regretted asking it. Another man even complimenting her pissed me off.

  “Ah, I’m not what men call attractive, so that would be a no,” Jamie answered, bringing the cup up to her mouth.

  “Who the fuck said you aren’t attractive? Was he blind? No, don’t answer that because I don’t give a shit. I think you are very beautiful,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief. She was drop-dead gorgeous in my eyes.

  “Thank you, Chase,” Jamie whispered, turning redder by the second.

  “You’re welcome. So, where are you from originally?” I asked, reaching across the table for the jar of chocolate biscuits I kept there. I had a sweet tooth, something my daughter had shared with me. Biscuits and lollies were a staple on the kitchen table. Melly had hated when I let Prue eat whatever she wanted, but I could never say no to my bug and her blue pleading eyes.

  “Western Australia.” Jamie’s answer came out more like a question, igniting my curiosity.

  “Western Australia is a big state. Want to narrow it down for me?”

  “Oh, um… I lived in… Perth.”

  No, you did not, legs. I left that unspoken, but I knew she was lying. Her refusal to make eye contact and the fact that her answers sounded rehearsed but not quite perfected were all signs she was in some type of trouble.

  Sitting quietly for a moment to enjoy the chocolate rush that I needed at least five times a day, I mulled over what I was going to say to Jamie next.

  “Jamie, I know we just met, but trust me when I say I am a good judge of character. I also have eyes, so I have noticed the bruises. You can talk to me. I’m a good listener and really understanding, to a point.”

  “What point?”

  “Lying, Jamie. I don’t do lying, okay. I have been there, done that, and have the scars to prove it.” Leaning forward in my seat, I put my face close to Jamie’s, doing my best not to act on the urge to press my lips to hers.

  “I think we can have something good—that is if you are staying in town and feel the same way about me, of course. Do you feel something for me, Jamie?” I asked her, holding my breath. I hoped I wasn’t reading too much into things or making a fool of myself.

  As her green eyes stared back at me, then looked down at the table before returning to me, her tongue peeked out and swiped her dry lips.

  I held in the groan that threatened at that small innocent move. Damn, my dry spell was playing havoc on me. Since meeting Jamie, my dick had been in a constant state of hardness.

  “Yeah, Chase, I feel the same way about you,” she whispered. “But things are complicated for me right now. In the space of a few days, I have found friends, a job, and a house, and then there is you.” Jamie looked sad all of a sudden.

  Worry flooded me. Had I gone too far with my honesty speech? I didn’t like liars, which was true, but Jamie didn’t strike me as a vindictive person, someone who lied for the hell of it or to hurt people for her own benefit.

  “Jamie, I didn’t—” I started to apologise, but her finger against my lips stopped and shocked me.

  “Chase, please. I’m not taking offence to what you said. I admire your straightforwardness and respect it. I do,” she said softly. Her finger moved to my chin, and her thumb came out to hold onto my chin with her finger.

  “My name is Jamie—that part is very true, so is my age. I am twenty-five, and thanks to my verbal vomit, you also know I am a virgin,” she said, blushing the cute way she did. I loved a woman who blushed. It meant she was real, sensitive, and not all into herself.

  “And the other stuff?” I asked her.

  “A necessary evil to stay safe. Before I left home, something bad happened to me, and I found myself in a situation where my fight or flight instinct took over. I chose flight because fighting wasn’t going so well for me.” Her eyes teared up as she spoke. The information she gave wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy me, but it was a start—for now.

  Processing what she said about being safe and that bad things had happened to her, which I’d deduced from the fading bruises on her wrist and the small one on the inside of her thigh, my protective mode launched into overdrive.

  Whatever the reasons for running, she was here. Be it fate or coincidence it didn’t matter because she was here with me. I could see she was scared and worried, but she needn’t be.

  It was time to slow things down a bit. Insisting that she told me everything tonight was not going to get me any closer to being with her. Jamie needed a friend right now, a man she didn’t see as a threat. The last thing I wanted was to push her so that she felt like she had to run again. Here, I could protect her, but doing it blind didn’t sit well with me. I’d rather know what I was facing.

  Reaching out, I mimicked the same hold she had on me, her skin soft under my fingers.

  “Tell you what, legs. We will slow things down a bit, get to know each other more before we take things to the next level,” I suggested, hoping like hell she agreed with me.

  “You still want to… explore things with me even though I am… lying to you?” she asked, nearly choking on the last part as if sayi
ng it made her feel ashamed of herself.

  “That right there is why I am saying yes. Lying doesn’t suit you, almost as if you have never done it before. That isn’t you, Jamie. If I know one thing about you, I know that,” I replied honestly, feeling it all the way to my toes.

  “I’d like that, Chase,” Jamie whispered, her fingers tracing the small cleft in my chin.

  Leaning into her touch, I brought my mouth closer to hers.

  “I like the way my name sounds coming from those lips, and I have been wondering since I first laid eyes on you how soft they would feel on mine,” I whispered back. Why we were whispering, I had no idea, but it seemed to fit the mood we were creating. Soft, sensual, and sexy.

  Jamie then knocked the breath out of me with her next move. She did exactly what I prayed would happen.

  She kissed me.

  There was no real heat in it, no out of control passion, but it affected me more than anything ever had in my life.

  Her lips pressed to mine, and the softness I knew I would feel, blew me away.

  Before I could process every nuance, every tingle, it ended. I almost cried at the injustice of the kiss finishing before I was ready.

  “Wow,” Jamie said, flushing.

  “Yeah, wow,” I agreed.

  Fucking unbelievable—wow.

  7

  Sitting in Chase’s lounge room watching Safe Haven wasn’t how I expected this day to end.

  I also wasn’t expecting my first Josh Duhamel movie to hit so close to home.

  When Chase suggested we watch a movie on Netflix, I thought he would pick a ‘shoot ’em and kill ’em’ movie, so I was pleasantly surprised when he entered the actor’s name in the search bar and came up with a chick flick.

  My tennis career didn’t allow me much downtime to sit and watch television, meaning I was not up to date with Hollywood hunks and movies, but I knew a chick flick when I saw one. I was so shocked Chase chose one that I didn’t bother reading the brief blurb about the storyline. Now sitting here watching the scene where the leading lady was remembering being beaten then hurting her attacker and running without knowing if he was dead or alive, I wish I had.