Heat

by Opal Carew

  “Oh, God, I’m going to come.”

  Simon’s mouth disappeared and she groaned, then he was standing over her, dripping wet, and pulled her to her feet. He flipped her around and the next thing she knew, she was sprawled on the grass between Carter’s legs, his cock an inch from her mouth and Simon was behind her, lifting her ass.

  She grabbed onto Carter’s thick member and wrapped her mouth around it, then glided downward, letting it fill her. As he groaned, Simon, who was crouching behind her, pushed his hard cock over her slickness. He glided over her as she suckled Carter’s cockhead. She squeezed her thighs around Simon’s erection. Oh, God, she was so close that …

  Simon glided faster and she squeaked around Carter’s cock, then pulled him out and moaned as she felt the orgasm begin just from the feel of Simon’s cock gliding over her intimate flesh. But then Simon pulled his cock from her so she was squeezing nothingness.

  Her body trembled at the intense need, the orgasm fading barely before it had begun.

  “Oh, no. Please.”

  “What is it, ma’am?” Simon asked. “Is there something you need?”

  “Oh, yes, please,” she whimpered. “I need you inside me. Please, sir. Fuck me.”

  At her words, Simon growled deep in his throat, then his cock pushed between her legs and—

  “Oh, God, yes!!!” she wailed as his cock pushed deep inside her.

  Simon pumped into her in deep strokes and her orgasm blossomed again. Her head rested against Carter’s groin. Her lips played around the base of his cock as he pumped it with his hand.

  Pleasure swamped her senses, filling every cell in her body as she moaned loud and long. Simon groaned and thrust deeper, then shuddered against her, his arms around her waist holding her close to his body.

  Her vision was still filled with flashing stars as Simon kissed her back and then drew his long cock from her body, sending quivers through her as it traveled down her passage.

  She gazed up at Carter, still needing more. She pushed herself up, then prowled onto his lap. She wrapped her hand around his thick cock and pressed it to her slick, dripping opening and glided down on him.

  “Damn, ma’am.” Carter grinned, his eyes twinkling. “I’m loving your thank-you.”

  She smiled, then cupped his cheeks and kissed him. His lips were firm yet tender, moving on hers as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

  She pushed herself up and down on her knees, taking his cock deep inside her body again and again. Then she squeezed him inside her, to his groan of approval.

  “Fuck, baby. You are so sexy.”

  He wrapped his hands around her hips and guided her up and down faster, then one hand slid between their stomachs and he found her clit.

  “Oh, God!” She arched against him, her body trembling with need.

  He pivoted his hips upward, filling her faster and deeper as his fingers teased her sensitive bud. Blissful sensations fluttered through her, then exploded inside her, rocking her off the edge of sanity straight to ecstasy.

  She moaned in his ear, probably deafening him, but he kept rocking. Filling her with that wonderful, thick column. She squeezed it, still riding the wave of euphoria.

  Then he thrust deep and held her tight to him. She felt his cock quiver, then erupt inside her, driving her orgasm even higher.

  Finally, she fell against his chest and sucked in air, breathing in his musky male scent.

  “My God, that was sensational,” she panted.

  Carter chuckled and Simon swept her into his arms and carried her into the house, then up the stairs.

  “Now what are you saving me from?” she asked.

  “Your breathing seems elevated, ma’am,” Carter answered, “so we want to keep an eye on you. We think what you need right now is some bed rest.”

  “And since you got so wet,” Simon added, “we’re going to ensure you’re nice and warm.”

  Carter pulled aside the duvet and Simon set her down, then both men crawled into bed with her and held her close between their bodies. She drifted off to sleep in the warmth of their embrace.

  * * *

  After they finished lunch, Rikki glanced at the text that came in on her phone.

  “I have a friend who’ll be arriving in town from Ashton tomorrow. We’re going to get together during the day,” she told Carter and Simon.

  Carter’s eyebrow quirked up. “So you’d rather see this friend than us?”

  Her gaze darted to him and he laughed.

  “It’s okay,” Carter said. “We have some errands to do and some work around the yard. That beautiful garden doesn’t stay weeded by itself.”

  “We can pick you up on the way to shift the next day,” Simon said.

  “That would be great. But does that mean you’re trying to get rid of me?”

  “No way.” Carter pulled her onto his lap. He squeezed her butt as he pulled her close to his body and kissed her. “You’re staying for dinner, then overnight. Right?”

  She grinned. “Whatever you say.”

  * * *

  The next morning, Rikki asked Tina if she could ride to work with her. She was meeting Tony at the park along the shore of the lake, which was a block from the store where Tina worked. Rikki walked along the sidewalk, the light breeze ruffling the skirt of her sundress. It was a beautiful, hot summer’s day.

  Rikki settled on the bench near the fountain and waited for Tony to arrive.

  She was a little nervous to see him again. He and Jesse had been good friends and the three of them had often been out together. In fact, she’d been very attracted to Tony. If she’d never met Jesse, then she’d often thought there could have been something between her and Tony.

  “Well, there’s the most beautiful girl in the world.”

  She glanced up to see Tony walking toward the bench. She almost didn’t recognize him since he’d shaved off his scruff. He wore his hair differently, too. The thick, dark mass of waves was gone. Trimmed tight to his scalp. The loss of the scruff made him look younger, but the short cropped hair made him look more rugged and masculine.

  “Tony.” She stood up and walked toward him. “It’s good to see you.”

  He smiled as he took her hands and glanced up and down at her.

  “You look lovely. That’s a nice dress.”

  “Thank you.” She’d thought he was going to pull her in for a hug and her heart pounded. There was still an attraction between them and she didn’t know how to handle that.

  But she was being crazy. He was just an old friend of Jesse’s looking her up on the way through town. He and Jesse had been close so of course he’d want to ensure she was okay.

  He led her to the bench and they sat down.

  “Muldone seems like a nice place. It must be nice having a mountain view.”

  “It is pretty here,” she said. “And I love coming to this park by the lake. I thought we might go canoeing. There’s a rental place about a five minute walk from here.”

  “Sure. Let’s do it. Then I’ll take you to lunch.”

  “Well, there’s Lakeview Café, which some friends here recommended. Apparently, the food is great and as the name implies, it has a great view of the lake.”

  “Okay, we have a plan. Lead on.”

  They walked along the path that followed the shore. Couples and families sat on benches or at the scattered picnic tables around the park while kids raced around playing. Rikki and Tony arrived at the canoe rental place and were soon gliding through the calm water, the sun shining down on them. Rikki was in the front and Tony sat in the back to steer.

  Tony updated her on the men at the firehouse. A couple had moved on, but most were still there.

  “How are Jim and Roy?” she asked.

  Jim Mahoney had been Jesse’s mentor. He was an old friend of Jesse’s father and had taken Jesse under his wing. Roy Andrews and Jesse had gone through training together and Roy, Tony, and Jesse had been inseparable.

  “Jim
retired last year. He and his wife have been doing a lot of traveling. Roy’s good. He’s a lieutenant now.” Tony dragged his paddle in the water to turn them to avoid an oncoming canoe. “He’s a good leader.”

  “That’s good to hear. I guess he’s more serious than he used to be. He used to pull practical jokes all the time. I think he pushed Chief Rogers’ patience to the edge more than once.”

  “Yeah, he got more serious after we lost Jesse. It was tough going with him for a while. He didn’t really know how to handle it. But then he buckled down and threw himself into the career, taking courses and pushing himself.”

  She drew in a deep breath at the sense of loss she felt at the reminder of Jesse’s death. But these men had suffered, too. They’d lost a friend … a brother.

  “I hope he still finds time to laugh,” she said, hating to think that his lighthearted spirit had been crushed.

  “He has a lot of reasons to laugh these days. He’s married and they’ve just had their first baby. He seems to always have a grin on his face.”

  She smiled. “That’s great.”

  They continued chatting about common friends until, finally, their hour was up and they paddled to shore.

  He pulled the canoe onto the beach and offered his hand to help her out. When she wrapped her fingers around his, a jolt of awareness shot through her. Suddenly, this felt more like a date than a meeting of two old friends. Guilt swelled through her. If Carter and Simon were to see them now, they wouldn’t be happy.

  * * *

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Carter asked as he got out of the car, then followed Simon toward the park.

  “Why not? We’re in the area.”

  It was true; they’d been at the garden center nearby.

  “What’s the harm in dropping by the restaurant, maybe buying Rikki and her friend a drink,” Simon continued. “It’s not like we’re going to tell her friend that the three of us are involved. We’re just two of the firefighters she’s working with.”

  “So you’re suggesting we just drop by their table and introduce ourselves.”

  “Sure, then we’ll pick up on Rikki’s signals. If she doesn’t invite us to join them, then we’re on our way.” He glanced at Carter. “Aren’t you a bit curious to meet one of Rikki’s friends? It would be great to hear some of their stories. Find out more about Rikki before we met her.”

  Carter smiled. “That’s true.” He scratched his head. “But I wonder if part of it is that you want to remind Rikki of what she has here in case being with this old friend makes Rikki long for back home.”

  * * *

  Rikki and Tony walked to the restaurant and sat at a table on the outside patio overlooking the lovely view.

  They ordered and as they enjoyed their meal, he got her talking about Muldone and her new life here. She told him about her new roommates, and the work she was doing with Cassie. She didn’t mention anything about doing a calendar or about Simon and Carter.

  “So how are you doing?” she asked after the waitress dropped off their coffees and the check. “It’s nice that you’re taking time to visit your parents in Florida.”

  “Actually, I’m not doing that well.”

  “Oh?” She gazed at him.

  “There was an accident. A fire in one of the old apartment buildings in the east end.”

  She nodded, gazing at his solemn face.

  “Lots of people had already gotten out, but we didn’t know how many people were still inside. When I went in, the smoke was dense. Could barely see a thing. A couple of us made our way to the top floor and were working through the apartments, breaking down doors and going in after survivors. Most were empty, or the people were already out, but I went into one place and I heard a small voice crying out. I found him and his mom in the midst of things. She had him under her body, trying to protect him from the flames. I called for help on my radio and Kirk Dempsey got in there quickly and took the boy out. He was crying for his mom the whole time, but Kirk hustled him out of there right away.” He gazed at her, a haunted look in his eyes. “Good thing, too, because as I started to drag her out, the roof collapsed, then the floor went out. We both fell through, landing on the floor below it. I was knocked out. I was lucky that my brothers got me out of there, but the woman died.”

  He shook his head. “I know we’re supposed to do our best to save people, be happy when we do, and put the rest … the ones we couldn’t save … out of our minds. But sometimes…” He shook his head again, his eyes glazing over.

  Rikki’s heart ached. She reached for his hand.

  “Tony, I’m so sorry.”

  “I regained consciousness as they were loading me into the ambulance. Just in time to see the boy crying as his mother’s body was loaded into the one next to me. His eyes … the fear and pain in that young face … it shook me, you know?”

  She squeezed his hand and nodded, though she knew she could never really know what he’d gone through. They sat silently for a few minutes, Rikki unsure what to say.

  “Is that why you’re going to see your parents?” she asked finally. “To take some time off to work through it?”

  “It’s more than that, actually. I’m no longer on active duty. The injury I sustained affected my upper spine in such a way that I don’t have the necessary strength or mobility in my shoulders and arms to do the job properly. I can still do normal activities, and most jobs won’t be affected. I just can’t be a firefighter.” He shrugged. “Or lift weights.”

  “Oh, my God. So what are you going to do?” Her heart ached for him. She knew how much he loved the job.

  “As you said, I’m going to spend some time with my family. Sort out some things. I know they’d love me to move back south again.”

  “Is that something you’re considering?”

  He tilted his head. “I’m considering a lot of things, and Mom is always extolling the benefits of the weather in Florida … read that as no snow … but…” He chuckled. “Truth is, I’d miss the snow. I love white Christmases. And going skiing. And tobogganing.”

  She laughed. “I know what you mean. I’ve heard they have great tobogganing and skiing here.”

  He smiled. “Well, maybe no matter where I wind up, I can come and visit you and we’ll toboggan together.”

  She stared at him and saw something in his eyes that sent caution skittering through her. A warmth and … more.

  She realized she was still holding his hand and she drew back.

  “Sure, that would be nice.”

  He pulled out his wallet, waving away her offer to pay. Once he’d settled up, he walked her outside.

  “I have to go now,” he said as they walked along the path through the park, “but I’d like you to have dinner with me.”

  “I’m not sure—”

  “You can’t say no.” He sent her his devilishly charming smile. The one that always got around her defenses. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning and I really want to see you one more time.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Okay, sure,” Rikki said. “I’d like that.”

  “Good. How about I drop you off at home, then I can come and pick you up at about six.”

  “All right. It’s a date.”

  Oh, damn, she wished she hadn’t used those words. But surely he wouldn’t read anything into it. After all, they were just friends. And they lived in different cities.

  He led her to the parking lot just five minutes past the bench where they’d met. He drove her to her house and stopped out front.

  “So I’ll be back at six. Here, give me your cell and I’ll put in my number.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you then.”

  But before she got out of the car, he took her hand and smiled.

  “Rikki, it really is great seeing you again.”

  She slipped out of the car, disturbed by the warmth in his eyes. Worried that he had more in mind than continuing a friendship.

  * * *

  “What the hell
was that?” Simon flared. His gut still clenched at the memory of seeing Rikki holding hands with that guy.

  He was sitting in the passenger seat as Carter drove home. Carter glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Simon knew Carter was just as upset, but with his more laid back nature, he handled his emotions about these things better than Simon.

  “We don’t know why they were holding hands. It could have been any number of reasons.”

  “Yeah, like he’s an old boyfriend here to win her back.”

  Carter turned onto their street. “Even if that’s true, it’s not like they had sex. You know Rikki was inexperienced. After all, you were the first man she’d ever been with.”

  “That doesn’t mean she won’t be tempted. In fact, now that she’s had sex, she’s more likely to be curious about how it would have been with him.”

  Carter pulled the car into the driveway and Simon marched to the trunk and opened it, then grabbed the big bag of soil and tossed it on the lawn. Carter picked up the grass seed, then went into the garage to grab the rakes so they could get to work.

  “It’s not like she’s going to just walk away from us,” Carter said. “Besides the fact I believe she has real feelings for us, she’s like a kid with a new toy as far as the adventurous sex goes.”

  Simon ripped open the bag of soil and started spreading it on the lawn.

  “Yeah, but think about it. It’s been an uphill battle convincing her it’s okay to have a relationship with us given that we’re firefighters. And this guy … maybe it didn’t work out because she wouldn’t take the relationship to the next level. Now that she’s pushed past her fear…” He shrugged.

  Carter smiled that infuriatingly smug smile of his.

  “Even if she was curious about what it would be like with an old boyfriend, we’ve got something that guy can’t give her.”

  Simon arched an eyebrow. “And that is?”

  Carter chuckled. “There are two of us.”

  * * *

  When Rikki answered the door, Tony smiled and glanced at her floral wrap dress in different shades of green and splashes of dark red that set off her auburn hair. She knew it accentuated her waist and showed a little more cleavage than she liked, but he’d said he was taking her to a nice restaurant and this was the dressiest summer outfit she had.