by Cora Seton
Nothing had ever felt so good as he stopped at her shoulders to rub them, digging his thumbs into the tight muscles there. He worked his strong fingers through her flesh back toward her spine, unknotting every muscle up to her nape. By the time he reached her hairline, Sunny’s bones felt liquid. When he started down her spine, she rested her forehead on the cool tile, enjoyed the feeling of his hands on her body, as he repeated the steps of his sensuous massage, dragging moans from her when he found a particularly tender spot all the way down to her lower back, where he paused and she stopped breathing.
Those strong, talented fingers kneaded her ass cheeks and Sunny’s breath escaped on a shuddering sigh as tension inched up inside of her again. He traced a slow, enflaming line under her cheeks then gripped her thighs, his thumbs very near where she needed him most. Her flesh quivered and her inner muscles pulsated with quick needy contractions. Arching her back, she lifted her ass toward his touch, hoping he’d take the hint.
But he didn’t, his hands left her and her body deflated. Austin’s slightly furred forearm brushed her shoulder, as he reached for something on the soap caddy again. Sunny craned her neck back to see what he had in his hand but couldn’t see. A quick, wet stinging slap set her right ass cheek on fire and she tensed as it pulsed.
“What the hell?” Sunny shrieked indignantly, going rigid as she anticipated another strike from his big hand. Why the hell was that warm pulse, the dull throb left behind, pleasurable? Her damned body was practically vibrating for more.
Austin laughed, his hand glided over her cheek kneading her again, feeling entirely too luxurious and exciting with the water and bath gel lubricating his touch.
“I told you to keep your hands on the wall, Sunshine.”
He had, hadn’t he?
That sexy voice of his rumbled through her, the sensual reprimand in his tone elicited a shiver that zipped down her spine to sizzle between her legs. And Sunny just realized her arms were now at her sides. Hell, her body was so limp she felt like sinking to the floor of the shower. But she really, really wanted to see what he had in store for her next.
This kind of foreplay was something she’d never experienced, but she damned sure wanted more of it. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered.
His kneading stopped, and he leaned in close to her ear. “Add sir to that, Sunshine, and I’ll be a happy man.”
Sir? Was he out of his ever loving mind? But Sunny felt like he wouldn’t continue until he got it, so she sucked up her slight outrage, along with a shallow breath.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Sunny said, her voice low and growly too.
Austin’s hand tapped her ass this time and Sunny sucked in a sharp breath but there was no sting. Disappointment flowed through her, and grew when his heat moved away from her back, but then a moan shot to her lips when something rough raked down the center of her spine to her butt.
“What is that?” she hissed, her throat tight, her body tense.
Austin started another track on the right side of her spine and Sunny lost her breath as it scraped her raw, leaving her nerves in a frenzy as it passed over her skin.
“It’s a loofah,” he informed, sliding the rough ball of what felt like razor wire over her hip, and up her side. In an irritating sweep of his hand, he slid the loofah around to the front and Sunny’s stomach contracted hard. “Feel good?” he asked with a laugh.
“Good?” she croaked, her skin feeling alive as he leaned into her back to make slow irritating circles over her midsection.
It didn’t feel good, but it didn’t exactly feel bad either.
With every pass of the rough ball over her electrified skin, her body buzzed brighter, her need grew. Sunny pinched her knees together. God he wouldn’t go there, would he? If he did, she would probably end up on the floor. Instead of going down, Austin’s hand zipped up her body, dragging the loofah. When he reached the underside of her breast and made a slow teasing sweep with the rough cloth, Sunny tensed and her nipple went rigid. God, that would probably be worse than if he put it between her legs, she thought, grinding her teeth to keep from moaning.
“I want to hear you scream again, Sunny.” Austin’s breath rasped near her ear as his left hand slid down her body to find her heat. A shiver rocked her when he found his target. Sunny locked her knees and put her forehead against the tile as she fought to keep her hands flat on the wall. “I want you to come hard, so I can taste it on your body.”
I want. I want. The control thing again he was so good at. But damn, he was lighting her body up like a football field on a Friday night. Sunny was not about to get argumentative, because she wanted too. So damned bad right at the minute. And she knew this abrasive, sexy control-freak could give her what she needed. If she played his game.
Austin’s breath became short and agitated as his fingers worked the heavy bundle of nerves at the top her thighs in lazy circles and her inner walls clenched and released. He pressed his thick erection to the crease of her ass and groaned. Sunny arched her back, wishing he’d just slide between her legs. Wanting him to do that so bad she could taste it.
His hips moved and his hardness slid between her cheeks as he increased the pressure of his touch, swept the loofah in maddening passes under her breast, raking the bottom of her right nipple but not going over it. Tension didn’t rise in her with each round he made on her clit, with each pass under her breast, it shot up to her throat to choke her.
Sunny could focus on nothing but the two places he was touching her. The loofah became unbearable. Her right nipple hurt it was so hard, hurting more with each irritating motion he served up. Frustration built to mix with the amazing waves of pleasure washing up from her lower body. The heat in her body ratcheted up, the waves of pleasure moved upward, but only to her midsection. The irritation continued, and Sunny fought to drag the pleasure higher, embrace it so she could come, but she couldn’t with the irritation of the loofah.
“Make me come,” she begged, her voice barely a whisper.
“Rephrase, and I will.” His deep voice rumbled through her, and Sunny shivered.
Add sir to that, Sunshine. “Make me come, sir,” she moaned, dragging out the last word, because she could take much more of this sensual torture.
Austin’s breath hitched, his fingers pinched her clit as his right hand raked the loofah over her nipple. Sunny’s body shook, she screamed, his arm banded around her middle as she screamed louder. Her teeth chattered and she screamed until her voice disappeared, as her insides turned to molten fire which was extinguished by the tidal wave of her incredible release. He held her until the tremors ceased, then kissed her cheek before moving away. Sunny locked her knees, but wasn’t sure that was going to hold. Her legs felt like damned noodles, and she felt as high on endorphins as she’d been on pot that night at the fire.
“Push back from the wall a little,” he murmured, his voice deep and sexy as it echoed off of the ceramic walls and inside her head. This man evidently had a plan, and he was going to take his sweet time carrying it out.
Sunny inched her heels back, giving him room, and his hands slid up her wet thighs causing all kinds of delicious havoc inside her body. He leaned forward and his hot breath brushed her wetness. Her muscles clenched and Sunny’s knees faltered, but Austin’s hands gripped her knees to prop her up.
“Easy baby—hold steady,” he said, and she felt his smile against her most private flesh, as he leaned in again. He inhaled deeply before she felt the rasp of his tongue as it made a quick flick across her throbbing clit. A tremor rocked her and her hands slid down the wall as her body melted toward the floor. Austin’s fingers dug in to keep her upright. He turned his face, and his laugh vibrated up her left thigh to her folds.
“You’re going to have to be stronger than that, sugar. I have a long way to go yet.” he murmured against her skin, then opened his mouth to suction it against her inner thigh. He sucked hard, his tongue flicked against her skin, and Sunny clenched her muscles tight to fight wilting to the floor.
“For me too, but the sweetest, most delicious torture there is,” he whispered hotly, very near her aching clit. For long seconds, all she felt was his warm, uneven breaths against the bud and it became unbearable. His hands finally moved to spread her, and Sunny’s muscles clenched when he leaned forward, but he didn’t touch her clit. He leaned in farther between her legs to lay the flat of his tongue on her sensitive flesh and drag it through her folds.
His long throaty murmur that accompanied the lick danced along her flesh to sizzle at her clit, then his tongue briefly dipped inside her body. Sunny’s entire body vibrated with need.
“Please—” she begged on a whisper, feeling wrung out and desperate.
“Please, what, baby?” he murmured, his voice a low, sexy rumble.
“Make me come!” she ground out.
God, if he didn’t do it soon, Sunny felt like she’d die. That’s how intense the need burning inside of her was. And this man was in charge of putting her out of her misery. She’d given him that control, and now she was second-guessing that decision. When she’d had enough, Sunny pushed against the wall to stand, but his strong arms wrapped around her thighs just as his hot mouth closed over her clit and he sucked her hard.
Sunny’s scream echoed loudly in her ears and her body seized as lightning bolts sizzled up her spine to short-circuit her brain, sending hot lava through her veins until her whole body incinerated. Austin sucked harder, in short bursts, and Sunny screamed until she was hoarse. Her body swayed like a tree in a storm, but he held her tight while he continued his onslaught, sending wave after wave of pleasure to drown her. By the time Austin lowered her down to sit, Sunny’s body was invertebrate, she was weak and incoherent. All she could do was drag in ragged breaths and rest her forehead on his shoulder.
“Worth the wait?” he asked, with a short laugh, and all she could do was nod, because there was not a sound or an ounce of energy left in her body. But Sunny knew it wasn’t over, she’d have to find some scrap of energy, because his cock was still rock solid between them and God she wanted it badly. Austin solved her problem when he gently laid her back onto the floor of the shower, lifted her hips and meeting her eyes he plunged himself inside her body, stretching her to her fullest. Her long moan mixed with his shuddering sigh to echo off the tile wall.
“That is definitely worth the wait,” he said in a strained tone, and a tremor moved through his body into hers. “But I’m afraid I’ve waited as long as I can. You feel too damned good.” Drawing back, Austin dragged his cock along her passage until he was almost out.
The sucking sound their bodies made combined with the incredible friction to induce a fresh round of desire in Sunny. When Austin pushed back into her, Sunny arched her back to plant her heels on the floor to meet his thrust. Their bodies slapped together and she moaned loudly. Sunny didn’t think she’d ever been stretched so tight, or felt so damned full.
Needing more though, she was the one to lower herself from his length then tense her muscles to thrust upward next. Austin’s fingers gripped her hips and he seemed to snap. Suddenly, his hips worked fast, their bodies fused time and again. The sound of his grunts, mixed with her labored breaths and the slapping. The incredible slapping and wet sucking. Tension didn’t inch up inside of her, it clawed up her insides until it reached her head where it exploded in a beautiful fireworks show behind her eyelids and her body shook so hard her teeth rattled, then with a roar, Austin’s hot release exploded inside her body. Sunny felt herself drift off into peaceful nothingness as he kissed her hair and lowered her body to the floor.
Chapter Twelve
‡
“Penny for your thoughts, Cap,” Braden said with a nervous laugh at her door, jerking Sunny’s attention from the fire certificate on her wall to him. Sitting up straighter, she forced herself to focus on the thick stack of reports her lieutenant, who served as their full-time paramedic supervisor as well as a volunteer firefighter, dropped into the basket at the corner of her desk.
He quickly turned to leave, but Sunny stopped him. “Are those the ones that were due two weeks ago?” she asked shortly.
If Sunny hadn’t had an attention deficit disorder for the last two weeks, since she left the rough stock ranch and the sexy cowboy who ran the operation behind, she would’ve noticed he was behind a week ago. The only reason she realized now was because the Chief brought it to her attention that morning he hadn’t received them yet. And she’d looked like a bumbling idiot to him when she said she would have to find out where they were and get back to him.
Braden’s face turned red, and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his uniform pants. “I had to take several shifts on the med units last week. We’re down two men, since Bledsoe is out on maternity leave as of last Monday, and you fired Thomas.”
God, how could she forget Bledsoe, a woman who worked her ass off up until her fortieth week of pregnancy, was off on maternity leave now? Sunny needed to pull her shit together, because she was as incompetent at her job right now as Thomas had been as a medic. The scathing, but on point, reviews that Foxy had written on his last two charts, even though Bledsoe had tried to cover for him, were the final straw. Sunny had no choice but to fire him, even over the Chief’s objections. It had been her call, and she thought she made the right one in the interest of patient safety, and the station’s welfare.
“Noted. How many open shifts do you have right now?” Sunny asked.
“Ninety-six hours worth this week and next,” Braden replied, a muscle working in his jaw. “We need to hire more people fast and train them on the fly. I told the Chief that this morning when he asked for the reports.”
“We need good, experienced people who are better than Thomas was. He was a liability and we don’t need to replace him with the same because we’re in a pinch.”
Braden huffed a breath, removed his hands from his pocket and placed his palms on Sunny’s desk. “I’d hire someone straight out of medic school right about now, fire experience or not. I know you like flexible paid employees who can also volunteer for fires, but the fact is we are in a helluva pinch. If we get two medic calls and a fire call like we did two weeks ago, we’re screwed.”
Sunny didn’t have a single resume on file for a qualified firefighter-medic. Not one, even though she kept a standing ad in the local paper. Probably because no one wanted part-time at the rate she was able to offer them. Now, she needed someone full-time, but had no applicants.
Her only option was to put herself on the schedule, or have the Chief call around to try to find someone to hire. But even if he called the school and found a graduate, they’d have to do ridealongs with trained medics before they received their licenses. That left her, or Braden, and they really needed him on standby at the station to help out if they had a fire call.
The thought of having to spend even more time away from Billy to cover medic shifts herself made her sick. “I’ll get with the Chief and we’ll figure something out.”
Blowing out a breath, he stood. “Thanks, Cap.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You know the pool is shallow, but I’ll see what I can find.”
Braden left with a nod, and Sunny rested her head on her hands. Why the hell did Austin McBride’s name flash like a neon sign inside her skull? It had been flashing there for two weeks for an entirely different reason, but now the light almost blinded her. She was not calling in a man to help out who could possibly be competition for the Chief’s job. Especially one she’d had wild monkey sex with all night long and then again in the morning before she and Billy left the ranch.
Pulling Austin McBride into the station, even temporarily until they could find someone else, would be career suicide for her. She’d probably end up with the same situation on her hands that she had with Jason in Carrolton. Or jobless, because if Austin McBride applied for and got the Chief’s job, she was out of
there. She would not work under him.
You sure didn’t mind working under him, on top of him and any other way he wanted you before dawn the night she spent at that ranch. That thought sent a wave of hot lava through her body, but Sunny hardened it right near her heart. It was better to let sleeping dogs, and wild monkeys lay.
Like she suspected after her visit to the ranch, Austin had evidently forgotten that the Chief even offered him a job, because he hadn’t called or come by the station. Either that or he’d decided he had it too good where he was to leave. Maybe he wanted to make it clear to her that their one night had been just that. Whatever the reason, she was thankful.
She’d been holding her breath and counting the days until the job opening closed. Thirteen more days and she could finally breathe again. She would be awarded the job when the Chief retired in six months, and she’d promote Braden to Captain. Life would be good for her and Billy, and she could finally move out of her mother’s house and spend more time with him.
Sitting up, Sunny shoved back her chair, and pushed up to her feet. “Suck it up, Sunny—you’ve got this,” she murmured to herself, but then she looked at the doorway. As if her thoughts conjured the sexier-than-sin cowboy, Austin McBride’s big bulk blocked her exit.
“Hi, Sunshine…” His deep, honeyed-drawl rumbled through her body to her toes, his heated gray eyes dragging it along that path, before they glided back to hers. “I just talked to the Chief and he says you need a medic, so I’m here to apply for the job.”
Her brain was in neutral as it tried to sort out exactly how she felt about seeing him again. Fear, shock—and happiness dammit. Dragging her eyes from his, Sunny sank back down into her chair, because her knees refused to lock properly. Taking several deep breaths, she scooted up to her desk, and her mind finally engaged.
“I can’t hire you, because you live too far out in the boonies to volunteer as a firefighter,” she said firmly, locking her fingers together so he didn’t see them shaking.