Relief swept through her as light flooded the room when Thorne flipped the switch inside the door of the fourth cabin.
“Let there be light.” He strode to the air conditioner built into the outer wall, beneath the large window, and twisted a knob.
Nothing.
He checked the thick cord that ran to the outlet directly below, then whacked the air conditioner a couple of times.
His shoulders slumped. “Sorry. It just doesn’t want to be turned on.”
But I do. Closing her eyes, she prayed she hadn’t said her lustful thought out loud. How stupid could she get? There were enough things going wrong in her life at the moment; she definitely didn’t need the odd attraction she felt when she was near Thorne.
When she opened her eyes, Thorne stood mere inches from her.
Her heart pounded so loudly, she wouldn’t have been surprised if he heard it. Slowly, she licked her dry lips.
Thorne swallowed and she watched in fascination as his Adam’s apple bobbed with the action.
“Are you hungry or thirsty?” he asked in a low, sexy voice.
Oh yeah, baby. What did you have in mind? Images of her dragging her tongue over his spectacular body flashed behind her closed eyes.
“Summer?” She opened her eyes to find Thorne staring. “Are you okay?”
“Hmm? Yes, I’m fine. Why?”
“Well, it sounded like you moaned when I asked if you were hungry.”
“Oh!” She jumped back. “Um, yeah, I guess I am.” Her stomach, bless its heart, substantiated obligingly with a loud growl.
“Let’s grab something to eat; then we’ll keep searching for a cabin for you and your mutt.”
Lola bared her teeth and gave a little growl.
“Hey!” Summer cuffed his hard arm. “Tell her you’re sorry. You’ve hurt her little feelings.”
Thorne snorted and walked to the door. “I don’t talk to animals.” He opened the door and motioned Summer out. “Let’s eat.”
Summer stepped over the threshold when the old air conditioner clanged on, wheezing to asthmatic life.
“Great timing.” Thorne bent to check the locked door, then straightened with a laser white smile. “Should be good and cool by the time you come back.”
“Wait!” Summer dug in her heels as he propelled her toward the truck. “I can’t go out in this! I need to change.”
He nodded and switched directions, walking her back toward the little office. Lola trotted along behind them. “I should probably take a quick shower first, anyway.”
A shower sounded heavenly. Of course, a shower with her firefighter as her personal bath toy sounded even better, but she knew that wasn’t likely. “I’d kill for a shower about now.”
Thorne’s laugh washed over her, making her want to snuggle up and wait for it to happen again. Which was totally stupid.
“No need to commit murder,” he said, guiding her to the left of the office. “I had a new hot-water heater installed when I moved in. There’s plenty for both of us.” His smoldering gaze met hers. “Unless you’d care to share to conserve water?”
11
“I-I’m good,” Summer finally stammered. “And, besides, we hardly know each other.”
He flipped on a light and walked across a surprisingly spacious living room to a narrow door. He smiled. “Good point. But lighten up. I was joking.”
“Oh.” Darn.
“Towels are in the cabinet under the sink and there’s shampoo and soap in the shower. My sister left some shower gel when she was here. You can use that if you’d rather have it. It’s in the medicine cabinet.”
He had a sister. They had something in common. “How many sisters do you have?”
He looked surprised. “One. Trust me, it’s more than enough.”
“You don’t get along?” How sad. She didn’t know what she’d do without her meddling sisters, even though they lived close to Dallas. Crap. In all the excitement, she’d forgotten to call them. Or her mother.
“Are you okay?” Thorne’s voice brought her back.
“I just realized my family doesn’t know where I am or what happened.”
“You want to call them before your shower?”
She dug into her hobo-style handbag and finally located her phone. “If you don’t mind. I just need to check in or they’ll be worried. Especially if they hear about the fire.”
“They live around here?” Surely he’d have noticed anyone even slightly resembling the woman standing in his living room. Now that the green goop was gone, she was pretty. In a wholesome, girl-next-door kind of way. Too bad he’d never been attracted to the wholesome types. “How many sisters do you have?” It wasn’t any different from the question she’d asked him. Why did he feel like he was intruding?
“Two,” she answered with a small smile. “Autumn and Spring.”
He blinked. “Get out of here! Your folks actually named their daughters after seasons?”
She grimaced. “I’m afraid so. Growing up, we hated it. But now it’s—” She held up her hand, her attention now focused on the person on the phone. “Hey! It’s me. I’m good. I—oh, you heard about it already?” She flashed a smile, then turned her attention back to her call, while he made no bones about listening.
Summer smiled at whatever was said. “T.M.I., Sis, T.M.I… . Yeah, I’m okay… . No, the fire was on the other side; we just had a lot of smoke…. I’m not really sure.” She sighed. “I don’t know who Mom’s sources are, but yes, I did leave with a fireman.” She glanced at him, then turned her back and said in a lower voice, “Yes, he is…. None of your business, okay? … Well, yes, we did go to a motel, but he owns it! He’s just being nice…. I will. Okay… . Call Spring and tell her…. Thanks. Me too.” She ended the call and smiled. “My sister said to tell you thanks for putting up with me.”
He’d bet her sister said more than that. He smiled and nodded. “Are you going to call your mom before you take your shower? If you are, I’ll take mine first.”
“Oh! I’m sorry. Sure. Go ahead. I do need to call my mother, anyway.”
Thorne turned on the shower and stripped. It was a good thing he was taking his shower first. That way he could cool off before he was tortured with imagining her standing naked in his shower with nothing separating them except a hollow door with no lock and a shower curtain.
No doubt about it, he needed to hustle through dinner and drop her at her cabin. The longer they were together, the more tempted he’d be to discover what she hid under her pup tent.
He looked down at his erection and bit back a groan.
It was going to be a long night.
12
After she’d hung up from her mother, her cell immediately rang. She squinted at the caller ID and saw it was her sister. Shoulders slumped, she rubbed her temple as she answered. “Hi, Spring, I assume you’ve heard everything by now, too.”
She reclined in the squishy brown leather chair and examined the broom-splatted texture on the ceiling. Thorne really needed to paint.
“All I have to say is can I run away from home and stay with a hunky firefighter, too?” Summer’s sister laughed, snorting into the phone. “Details, woman, I want details!” She heaved an exaggerated sigh. “I want to live vicariously.”
“I tried to tell you not to rent the garage apartment at Mom and Dad’s,” Summer felt compelled to point out.
“Yeah, I know.”
Summer jumped up to pace the small living room, glancing now and then at the little cabin that would be her temporary home while she talked.
Feeling alone and bizarrely lonely for her family, she picked up her sleeping dog and settled on the sofa with Lola in her lap.
Summer squirmed on the couch and shot a glance at the closed bathroom door. Thoughts of Thorne’s sexy mouth on her nipples made them ache. If Thorne made a move on her, would she be able to resist? Did she want to?
Summer groaned and tore her gaze from the bathroom door. She’d never den
ied her sexuality, but after her divorce the opportunities for sexual gratification had been few and far between. In fact, she couldn’t even remember her last time.
But being in such close proximity to easily the sexiest man she’d ever met had her thinking way too graphic thoughts about her host. Thoughts she had no business thinking. But it was difficult to carry on a conversation knowing Thorne was naked in the next room.
“I just called to make sure you’re okay. And to tell you I support you in whatever you decide to do.” Her sister’s voice brought her back to the conversation.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Mom said you were thinking about reconciling with Cory, that you and he were working things out at the motel.”
“Are you freaking kidding me? She said that?” Summer jumped up, dumping Lola on the couch. Furious, she paced from one end of the cramped living room to the other. Passing her reflection in a mahogany-framed mirror, she wouldn’t have been surprised to see steam coming from her ears. In a low voice, she half-growled her words. “I am not, repeat not, getting back together with Cory Wadsworth. Ever.”
“That’s a relief! I—oh, shoot, my ride’s here. Gotta run! Love you!”
“I love you, too,” Summer whispered as she pushed the disconnect, too distracted by the renewed flash of lust heating her, along with the steam wafting from the bathroom, to remember much of the conversation.
Thorne quietly closed the bathroom door and took a deep breath. Damn. Why was it whenever he found someone who interested him, she ended up taken? Who had Summer been whispering her love to?
He twisted the bulk of the towel he’d wrapped around his hips to hide the remnants of his erection. No doubt he’d lived alone too long when he didn’t even think to bring clothes into the bathroom anymore. He briefly considered dressing in his dirty clothes, but they were beyond merely soggy, thanks to the leaking shower door. Maybe he could make a dash into the bedroom without Summer noticing.
Swinging the door open again, he barely had time to react when Summer fell into his arms.
“Oh!” She did a face plant into his chest, her hands going to his waist in an effort to regain her balance.
The precarious tuck job on his towel gave way, the towel falling into her hands.
They stood, frozen in shock. Her wide-eyed gaze was locked on his penis. As a result, it was rapidly recovering.
Belatedly he covered his jewels with his hands and edged toward the bedroom.
“I-I’m sorry!” She thrust his towel toward him. “I didn’t mean to—”
“I know. It was an accident. Let’s forget it, okay? I’m going to get dressed while you shower. Do you need anything?”
You, deep inside me. But, of course, she couldn’t say that. Heck, she shouldn’t even be thinking it. Flushed and clean-smelling after his shower, Thorne looked good enough to lick. All over. She swallowed. “Um, no, I’m fine. Thanks.”
“You have clean clothes?”
Unfortunately. She nodded and held up the duffel he’d packed for her.
Holding the towel in front of him, he continued to back out of sight. “I’ll just get ready and wait out here for you, then.”
Closing the door, she leaned against the steam-warmed wood and sighed. She had to get a grip before she did something stupid.
Like throw Thorne to the floor and have her wicked way with him.
13
Thorne paced the living room and listened to the sexy sound of his shower. Showers had never had the erotic effect on him the current one had—maybe it was because of the person taking it.
He closed his eyes, picturing Summer’s nudity as the steamy water slicked over her skin.
With a growl he stomped into the kitchen and pulled open the freezer door. Grabbing an ice cube, he stumbled in his haste to get to his bedroom. Behind the door, he immediately shucked his jeans, letting them and his boxers drop to his ankles.
Ruthless, teeth clenched, he gripped his dick, squeezing the erect shaft hard while he ran the rapidly melting ice up and down it in an effort to deflate his current raging boner.
“What the hell is she doing in there for so long?” he grumbled. Sure, he realized it took women longer to shower, but she was heading into record-breaking shower time.
Meanwhile, his libido was in overdrive and he was desperate to hide his reaction to her.
He mopped at the melted ice with his discarded towel, then pulled up his pants.
The shower was still running when he reentered the living room. On the sofa, her little dog snored softly.
Slow steps reluctantly took him to the closed bathroom door.
Summer rubbed her aching nipples long after the soap was washed off in an effort to stop the needy ache filling her. Instead, her nipples grew impossibly harder.
With a frustrated moan, she squeezed more of the citrusy-smelling shower gel into her hand. Heck, she may as well get it over with so they could go eat.
Unerringly her hand went to her slick folds. She spread her legs, reveling in the feel of hot water sluicing over her as she stroked the satiny gel over her swollen labia.
She moaned, locking her knees to remain upright, when her questing fingers found the hardened nub. Her breath hitched as her arousal zinged into the stratosphere.
Close. She was so close.
Her free hand found her nipple and plucked, twisting almost to the point of pain.
Her other hand rubbed her clitoris. Harder. Faster.
Breath coming in huffing pants now, her hips began bucking with each stroke.
Eyes squeezed tight, she imagined Thorne’s hand bringing her such pleasure. Thorne’s mouth at her breast. And lower.
Her orgasm slammed into her, the pleasure so intense, it buckled her knees.
She swallowed a reflexive scream of fulfillment, resulting in a keening sound that echoed from the tiled walls.
Weak, she leaned against the cooler tile while she waited for her heart to resume its normal beating, her breathing to regulate, before she could even attempt to get out of the shower and dry off.
Thorne swallowed convulsively, head thrown back against the closed bathroom door, and took gulping breaths while he squeezed his newfound erection through the denim. Hard. Willing it away.
An ironic laugh threatened. How the hell was he supposed to keep his cock in his pants when his guest was on the other side of the door, naked, pleasuring herself? Oh yeah, that was exactly what she was doing in there; he knew it.
And it was killing him.
14
“I’m glad you suggested going to a drive-in for our food.” Summer glanced over at Thorne as he navigated the truck into the drive-thru lane of the local hamburger place, Buddy’s Burgers. She looked down as her less than casual attire of sweatpants and oversized sweatshirt. “I think I’d be pretty much underdressed for anything else.” Especially since she’d forgone panties and a bra in favor of comfort in the hot weather. Her femininity was also a little tender, thanks to her sexy shower, so it was a double relief to be pantyless.
“No problem. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. I wouldn’t have had the patience to sit somewhere and be waited on.”
She tore her gaze from the bulge in the front of his jeans and swallowed. “Yeah, I’m starving, too.” She reached behind the seat for her purse. “Order me a number one with double meat.”
“Put your purse away. This one’s on me.”
Laura burped. “ ’Scuse me.” She looked at her sisters in the darkness. “Do you see Summer?”
Cora shook her head. “No, it’s dark as pitch out here. Why isn’t he using the parking lot lights, I wonder?”
“Who knows? Flora, pass me another beer, please.”
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Despite her words, Flora fished another bottle from the wheeled cooler and passed the sweating longneck to her sister.
“His truck’s gone,” Cora pointed out. “Else he’s parked it behind the motel somewhere
.”
“Good. I hope he’s gone. That way, we can talk to poor Summer and convince her to go stay in a more reputable place while her home is being cleaned.” Laura peeked into the window of the first cabin. “Durned windows are so filthy, it’s nigh unto impossible to see anything.”
“Let me look.” Cora nudged her sister aside and stood on tiptoe, her face pressed against the dirty glass. “Looks like it’s filled to the brim with furniture.” She dusted her hands on her walking shorts. “Obviously Summer isn’t staying in this cabin.”
“Onward!” Laura pointed with another fresh longneck, its contents sloshing out onto her hand as the sisters made their unsteady way toward the next little building.
“Wait!” Flora grabbed the back of Laura’s shirt, halting her progress. “I thought I heard her dog barking.”
They paused, frowning in concentration.
“That way!” Cora grabbed the plastic handle and pulled the cooler in the direction of the sound, her sisters bringing up the rear.
“It sounds like it’s coming from there.” Laura pointed and hiccupped.
The sisters stared at the door of the little cabin on the curve of the parking lot. A distinctive bark was immediately followed by a howl.
The sisters’ gazes met. “Lola,” they said in unison.
The sound of toenails scratching the back of the door mingled with the increasingly excited barks as the women neared the door.
Laura marched to the door and knocked, setting off another round of howling. “Summer is obviously not here.”
“Try the door,” Cora said. Flora nodded her agreement.
Laura’s shoulders slumped. “Locked.”
Flora sniffed. “Does anyone else smell smoke?”
Feel the Heat Page 14