River held up the bag of books that she had brought with her.
“What’s that?” Luke asked, eyeing the bag suspiciously.
“I brought you books.”
Luke started to protest, and River held up her hands to stop him.
“These aren’t your high school English teacher’s books,” River said. “These are fun, science fiction stories. There’s some outer space and time travel and stuff like that going on. I’m going to show you some of what you’ve been missing by avoiding books. You’re going to love these, and it’s going to help pass the time while you’re stuck here letting that leg heal.”
Luke made a face, but didn’t protest any more. River started reading aloud to him. She read through the first five books in the first week, and Luke was hooked. So River found five more books, and read them the next week. She spent her whole vacation reading to Luke, and helping him discover that he didn’t hate reading so much, after all.
When River ran out of vacation time, she returned to work. But she spent her free time at the base, reading to Luke and talking and laughing with him. He didn’t have another accidental shifting after she started spending time with him. Even Zach begrudgingly admitted that River was helping Luke heal.
Six weeks after River started spending time with Luke, the medicine woman came and checked on his leg. The New Year was days away, and the weather had finally cooled down to the point where the smokejumpers were getting a much needed break from fire fighting. The medicine woman was a little strange, but she was kind and River liked her. After doing a thorough checkup on Luke, and hearing that he had not had any more problems shifting without warning, she declared that he was fully recovered. After she left, and River and Luke were alone again, River threw her arms around Luke and started crying.
“This is such awesome news,” River said, burying her head into Luke’s shoulder. Luke had explained to her that if he couldn’t get his shifting under control, he wouldn’t be able to work anymore. And he wouldn’t be able to go out in public, for fear of accidentally exposing the clan.
“You did this, River. You sat with me and kept me calm. I couldn’t have recovered without you. I don’t know what I did to deserve someone as wonderful as you, but I’m so glad I have you.”
Luke wrapped his arms around River and kissed the top of her head. River squeezed Luke closer, and then giggled like a schoolgirl when she felt his erection pushing out at her from under his shorts.
“Feels like someone is pretty excited about being given a clean bill of health,” she teased.
Luke frowned, and pressed his pelvis against her. “What, are you complaining?” he asked.
“My only complaint is that your dick should be inside of me already, not hiding behind those shorts of yours.”
Luke didn’t have to be told twice. He pushed River down onto the bed and tore off the t-shirt and sweatpants she was wearing. He pushed his own shorts and underwear off as he put his lips on River’s lips, and started kissing her with urgency. Without breaking their kiss, he unhooked her bra and pushed it off to the side of the bed, then pulled off her underwear. River reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head, gasping for air as they momentarily pulled back from kissing for her to slide the shirt off.
“Luke, I know we’re in a back corner, but this bunkhouse is pretty open. What if someone walks in on us?”
“Then they can be jealous,” Luke said, and then went back to kissing River. It had been several long weeks since they’d had sex, and they both went at each other with an intense hunger. Once their clothes were off, Luke didn’t wait much longer before sliding his rock solid penis into River. She moaned as he filled her, slipping into her warm, ready wetness.
He thrust deep into her body, pushing his hips against her hips and letting out a growl of passion as the warmth and pressure built between them. River didn’t try to hold back as she felt the crescendo of ecstasy reach an unbearable level and then explode, sending wave after wave of tingling, hot muscles spasms across her body. She had missed this feeling so much, and she reveled in the sweet release. Luke came right after her, stiffening and letting out a passionate roar as he shot a warm stream into her.
They lay there panting and happy, feeling like everything was right with the world again. Then, from somewhere on the opposite side of the bunkhouse, they heard Trevor’s voice ringing out.
“Keep it down you guys. I could hear you.”
“Oh my god,” River whispered, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment. “I told you that was going to happen.”
Luke threw back his head and laughed. “He’s just jealous, River,” he yelled out in a voice loud enough for Trevor to hear.
River giggled and snuggled up closer to Luke. “I think it’s time you started visiting me at my apartment again.”
Luke kissed her face. “Let’s get dressed and go right now,” he said with a wink. “I want to pick out some more books to read.”
River grinned. It turned out that she and Luke had a few things in common, after all.
Chapter Thirteen
Later that week, River walked into The Sweet Crust to pick up an order of pies for her fantasy fiction book club. Luke and Trevor were sitting at their usual table, wolfing down slices of pie and mugs of steaming coffee. Almost every time River came to pick up pies, Trevor and Luke were at the restaurant. It’s a wonder they didn’t gain a hundred pounds each with all the pie they ate.
“Hey, babe,” River said as she walked into the shop. “Since you’re here anyways, can I get a hand with the pie boxes?”
“Of course,” Luke said. “In fact. I’ll come all the way to the library and help you carry them in there, too.”
“That’s really sweet, but you don’t have to do that,” River said.
“I want to,” Luke replied, kissing her on the cheek. “Riley, you’ve got River’s order ready?”
Riley nodded. “Yup. I knew she was coming, so they’re all stacked up on the end of the counter there. This one’s on the house, River,” Riley said, waving River away as she started to pull out her wallet.
“Really? Thank you, Riley, that’s so sweet of you. I’ll be sure to let the book club know about your generosity.”
Riley just gave River a wink in response, and River and Luke headed out for River’s Jeep with their stacks of pies.
When they got to the library, River headed for the conference room where the book club usually met. She stopped short in the doorway, however, and turned to give Luke a questioning look.
“What’s all this?” she asked. The conference table was covered in rose petals, and dozens of candles cast soft, dancing light across the room. Two wine glasses sat on the table next to a bottle of champagne.
Luke grinned and set down his stack of pies. Then he took the boxes of pies from River’s hands. “I pulled a few strings to get your book club pushed back an hour. Go, sit,” he ordered, pointing to the chair at the head of the long table. River did as she was told, and Luke started arranging the pie boxes very particularly. When he was done, he turned and looked at River again.
“River, the first time I saw you walk into Riley’s pie shop, I had a feeling about you. I knew you were different. I knew my life was about to change forever. I just didn’t realize quite how much. You’ve stood by me, even when I didn’t deserve it. You’ve opened my mind and heart to new experiences, and reintroduced me to the wonderful world of books. I could never thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me. But I’d like to spend my lifetime trying. River, these pies are specially ordered for you. Come take a look.”
River stood up and walked over to Luke with a puzzled look on her face.
“Open the boxes,” Luke said.
River opened the first box, and in pretty pink icing across the top of the pie, was written the word “Will.” The second box had the word “you” written in the same pink icing.
“Luke? Is this going where I think it’s going?” River asked, her eyes widening as
she looked across the table at him. He just grinned and shrugged, and River kept opening the boxes. Together, the words on the pies spelled out “Will you marry me, River?”
When River opened the last box, she put her hands over her mouth in disbelief, and then turned to look at Luke again. He had knelt down on one knee, and was holding up a sparkling diamond ring. It shimmered beautifully in the candlelit room.
“River, we shifters have something called lifemates and lifebonds. I can explain it all to you in more detail later, but in human terms, it’s sort of like getting married. And I’ve known for a long time that you’re my true lifemate. I want to marry you, and to spend the rest of my life with you. I hope you feel the same way. I can’t imagine living without you anymore. River, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” River shouted, almost before Luke finished the question. “A million times yes! This is the best surprise ever. What better proposal could I have hoped for than this—surrounded by books, pie, and the man I love? I literally could not ask for more.”
A huge smile spread across Luke’s face. He stood up and slipped the ring onto River’s finger, then gave her a warm kiss. “I love you so much, River.”
“I love you too, Luke,” River said, then held her hand up to admire the ring
A few moments later, River’s boss, Colleen, stuck her head into the room. “Sounds like your little plan worked, Luke,” she said. “I take it congratulations are in order for the happy couple?”
“I said yes!” River said, holding up her hand to show off the sparkling diamond on her ring finger.
“Good girl,” Colleen said. “I hate to say I told you so, but I did tell you to give him a chance, didn’t I?”
“You did,” River said, smiling over at Luke. “And I’m so glad I did. He was definitely a chance worth taking.”
Luke gave River’s hand a little squeeze, and River gave him a wink back.
“Alright, my new fiancé,” River said, “I think our first act as an engaged couple should be to taste test one of these pies.”
“See, I knew you were a smart girl,” Luke said.
He popped open the bottle of champagne, and he and River toasted the beginning of their new life over sparkling wine and strawberry pie.
A FLAME TO BEAR
Chapter One
“Help me! Please, help me!” voices cried from somewhere in the smoke-filled hallway.
Trevor Hayes cursed under his breath as he tried to locate the source of the voices. He squinted through the faceplate of his helmet and felt his way down the hazy hotel hallway, acutely aware that time was running out to rescue the people still trapped inside. He kicked down the door of a room that could have been the location of the voices, but he didn’t find anything inside except an open suitcase on the bed. Whoever had been in the room had hastily abandoned their belongings, and, hopefully, made it outside to safety.
Trevor banged down the door across the hallway and found no one in that room, either. With his bear strength, he could easily knock down the rickety doors in the old hotel. But even his keen bear hearing could not accurately pinpoint sounds through the roar of the fire and the thickness of the smoke. As the heat in the building intensified, Trevor’s radio started squawking with the anxious voice of the Red Valley Fire Chief.
“Trevor, you need to get out of there, now! It’s getting too dangerous and your own life is at risk. Trevor? Trevor, do you copy?”
Trevor reached down and switched off his radio. He didn’t have time for distractions like that right now. He didn’t care what the Fire Chief thought. People were still trapped in this hallway, crying out for help. Trevor wasn’t leaving until he found them.
Trevor saw that the door to the next room stood open, and he peered inside in hopes of finding the people crying out for help. He found a dark-haired woman cowering in the corner of the room. Her outline was barely visible, but he rushed over to her and tried to see through the haze whether she was okay. She whimpered out some words that he couldn’t understand, and he lifted her limp body from the floor.
“Don’t worry, ma’am. I’ve got you. I’m going to get you out of here.”
“Conner’s stuck,” the woman choked out.
“Someone else is here? Where is he?” Trevor asked, tilting his head closer to the woman’s face to try to make out her words.
“He’s…hiding in the bathroom. Trying to get away from the smoke. I didn’t want to be stuck in such a small space, but he wouldn’t come out.”
“The bathroom in this room?” Trevor asked.
The woman nodded, and Trevor gingerly set her down on the bed.
“Wait just one minute,” Trevor said, then went to the door of the bathroom. The door handle stuck, even when Trevor jimmied it. He didn’t know if it was locked, or if the heat was warping it, but he didn’t bother to fiddle with it for long. He was almost out of time. He kicked down the door with one giant strike, and a cloud of smoke gusted into his face as he entered the bathroom. Somehow, the smoke trapped in here hung even thicker than the smoke in the hallway. Trevor could barely see, but he managed to make out the outline of a man, slumped against the tub.
Trevor rushed over to him and shook him, but the man wasn’t moving. A quick check of his pulse and breathing confirmed that the man hadn’t made it. He had succumbed to the toxins in the smoky air, and suffocated under the lack of oxygen. Trevor’s stomach turned, and he bit his lip to try to hold back the flood of horrified emotion overwhelming him. Despite his tough guy attitude, Trevor had a big heart. Sadness filled him at the realization that he hadn’t made it in time. He had let this man down. Conner, the woman had said his name was. Probably her husband or boyfriend. She was going to be hysterical when she realized Conner hadn’t made it, which wasn’t going to make rescuing her any easier.
But when Trevor stepped back to the bed of the hotel room, the woman had passed out as well. She was still breathing, and her heart was still beating, but she had lost consciousness from smoke inhalation. Trevor scooped her up, and started heading for the stairwell. He had four flights of stairs to get down, and the darkness and smoke in the stairwell made it impossible to see anything. Trevor couldn’t even see the face of the woman he held in his arms. He tried to move as quickly as possible without risking stumbling down the staircase. As he passed by the second floor, orange and yellow flames blazed through the open doorway. Trevor plastered himself against the wall opposite the door, getting as far away from the hot blaze as he could. He inched along quickly, and made it past the spot just as a mini-explosion sounded and a solid wall of fire shot into the stairway, blocking the pathway completely. He’d shuffled through just in time.
He sped down the last leg of the stairway, and burst out of the exit door into the cool, Northern California night. The blast of cool air that greeted him was a welcome relief, and, even though smoke-filled air still reached the area surrounding the burning hotel, the outside air was much clearer and easier to breathe. Trevor looked down at the woman, limp in his arms. In the clearer air, with the light from the fire trucks and the streetlights, he could see her somewhat visibly for the first time.
Soot covered her face and her closed eyes, but he could still tell that she was beautiful. Her face was shaped like a perfect oval, and her auburn hair, although dirty and tangled, hung in tempting curls. Trevor looked around for a paramedic, and saw two of them rushing toward him. He handed off the woman into their capable care, and then turned to find the fire chief glaring at him.
“I told you to get out, Trevor,” the angry chief said. “Next time, you listen, or I’m pulling you from front line duty.”
Trevor nodded halfheartedly, although he knew he would never leave someone behind in a fire. If he heard anyone screaming, he wasn’t leaving the building until he found the owner of the voice. But arguing about it with the fire chief would just be a waste of time. Trevor wanted to go somewhere and be alone right now, but first he had to tell the chief about the man who suffocated.
&
nbsp; “There was someone in there on the fourth floor who didn’t make it,” Trevor said, struggling to keep his voice neutral. “Male, about my age. I think the girl I rescued knew him. Possibly her boyfriend or husband.”
The fire chief nodded somberly. “We’ll check it out. Why don’t you head out? You look exhausted. This blaze is contained now, although the hotel is a complete loss.”
Trevor nodded, and walked away from the chief. Trevor had a feeling the older man was actually dismissing him for disobeying orders, not for being tired. But Trevor didn’t care enough to protest right now. This firefighting job was just a side, volunteer job anyways. Trevor worked full time during the summer as a smokejumper, parachuting out of airplanes to fight wildfires. But, right now, in February, the wildfires had died off. Trevor had grown restless, and had volunteered with the Red Valley fire department to keep his mind and body occupied. The first few weeks had been somewhat boring. Most of the calls the fire department received had been medical emergencies. Trevor did know basic first aid, but the fulltime paramedics did a better job of emergency medical care. Things as a volunteer firefighter had been pretty mundane—until tonight.
Trevor squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to block out the image of the man who had suffocated in the hotel bathroom. The man’s face had been frozen in a look of desperate terror, and Trevor could only imagine what the man’s last thoughts had been. Since Trevor usually worked in remote forests, he wasn’t used to seeing people suffering from the blazes. The worst thing he’d ever seen was a deer get burned up, which, while sad, was not the same as seeing a human die from smoke inhalation.
Trevor looked around the scene outside the burning hotel. Several guests were milling about in pajamas, holding their hands over their mouths in shock. Two large fire trucks were parked in the fire lane, and two ambulances were parked not far from the fire trucks. Several emergency personnel still rushed back and forth across the large parking lot, trying to help the dozens of dazed people who had just been evicted so unexpectedly from their hotel rooms.
Fire Bear Shifters: The Complete Series Page 26