A Lick of Flame

by Cathryn Fox

  What the hell had gotten into him?

  Ribbons of desire twisted inside her and her heart pounded erratically as she stared up at him, spellbound by the intensity and hunger she spotted in his gaze. As his eyes turned a deeper shade of blue, a fine tremor rippled through her, and she could hardly believe what was happening between them, hardly believe Sean suddenly wanted her. But the hard erection pressing insistently against her stomach was quickly making a believer out of her.

  His hand found hers and he gave a slight tug, pulling her along with him. Acutely aware of the sexual energy arcing between them—not to mention the incredible heat rising in her—everything inside her urged her to give in to her body’s demands, to let this sexy firefighter rock her world in a way she knew only he could.

  But there was some small, coherent part of her brain telling her to tread carefully. From his bodily reactions it was clear he wanted sex, but unlike her, Sean didn’t seem like the settling-down type, which meant everything about him was a danger to her heart.

  Despite that warning, and before she even realized what she was doing, she found herself walking hand in hand with him, cutting through the throngs of people until they reached the back of the pub. Strides determined, and without speaking, Sean led her down a narrow hallway and into a small room that contained a cot, a pedestal sink and a first-aid kit. He grabbed a blanket from the mattress, as well as the small white medical box, and guided her to the rear service door.

  When she stepped outside, Madison glanced out over the majestic cove. A cool ocean breeze washed over her face but it did little to ease the heat bubbling up inside her. Sean tightened his hold, and in that instant, as his warmth seeped under her skin and curled around her heart, she wondered what the hell he was really up to.

  Sean tugged on a ladder leading to the rooftop. After he tested it, he shot her a mischievous glance. “After you.”

  Her eyes searched his face. “Sean, what’s going on?” she asked, even though some small part of her told herself to stop questioning her good fortune and just go for it. Indulge in a wild night with Sean, let him ease the sexual tension inside her, and worry about the consequences tomorrow.

  There was a suggestive edge to his smile when he said, “What’s going on is that you lied to me.”

  His teasing tone made her lightheaded and she worked to recover her voice. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Yes, you did and it was very naughty of you.” His grin was sexy and his eyes teasing as he stepped into her. Lust exploded inside her, and as their bodies collided, she faltered backward. He splayed one hand over the small of her back to help balance her, and the heat from his fingers fired her flesh. Hot flames licked over her skin and spread like wildfire through her body, and there wasn’t a thing she could do to curb the need resonating in her blood. “And would you like to know what I do to naughty girls who lie?”

  “No.” Contrary to her words, her body vibrated with pent-up need. Of course she wanted to know what he did to naughty girls who lied, but she wasn’t about to admit it to him.

  He gave her a wink that made her nipples tingle. “Well, whether you want to or not, you’re about to find out.”

  “Sean,” she said again, but he fixed her with a look that said the subject was closed and nudged her forward.

  When she refused to budge, a smile softened his features. “If you don’t climb, I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and carry you up with me.”

  Her body stiffened, but it wasn’t from fear. She bit her lip as the scandalous image of her riding his broad shoulder rushed through her mind. But since it wasn’t in her nature to give in so easily, she shot him her best challenging glare, one that would have had a hardened convict dropping to his knees. Unfortunately, her glower didn’t work on Sean.

  In fact, he simply grinned, heat glinting in his eyes as he met her challenge with one of his own. “Don’t think I won’t do it, sweetheart.”

  Okay, so she might be a woman used to taking control, but there was something in that take-charge attitude of his that had her knees trembling. She’d never seen Sean so forceful before, and couldn’t deny that it fired her blood and made her feel a little breathless.

  “Now move,” he demanded in a soft tone.

  Gulping air and doing as he told her, she grabbed the metal rungs and began the short climb to the roof. Sean’s deep, sexy voice coached her from behind as he followed her up. When she reached the rooftop, she glanced out over the moonlit ocean, taken aback by its beauty, but more enthralled by the firefighter who was suddenly gifting her with his attention and going all alpha on her.

  She turned to face him, and when he opened the first-aid kit and pulled out a long stretchy bandage, she asked, “What’s that for?”

  His intimate laugh curled around her, but instead of answering, he backed her up until she was pressed against the metal railing. His glance locked with hers as he slid his hands down her arms. In a move that both shocked and surprised her, he shackled her wrists and wrapped the bandage around them. Then, as if he was worried she was about to run away, he tied her arms to the rail at her back.

  “Sean,” she rushed out, as equal measures of nervousness and excitement raced through her. “What are you doing?”

  Sean gripped her hips and pulled them toward him until her pussy was pressed against his hard cock. “Naughty girls need to be punished, sweetheart.” When he accentuated the word punished, desire flared in his eyes.

  His glance left her face and trailed over her body. With only a sliver of moon casting soft shadows over their bodies, she watched him step back and was grateful for the dark night, grateful for the way it hid her ugly scar from his eyes. But she didn’t want to think about that right now—didn’t want to think about reality. Right now all she wanted to think about was the fantasy Sean was offering her, and what she was going to do about it.

  As he stood back to peruse her, she could tell he was waiting for something, for some kind of reaction from her. Even though she was the one bound, he was putting the ball in her court. That gesture did the weirdest things to her heart. As her pulse hammered, she wiggled her hands and tried the binding. She could break it. If she wanted to. From the look on Sean’s face, he knew it too.

  So what was she going to do about it?

  As she watched his eyes smolder with want, she tried to wrap her brain around this unexpected turn of events. Honestly, they were both consenting adults who could make responsible decisions, right? Was there really anything so wrong in wanting to indulge in a few fantasies with him, to finally experience the pleasure of his touch?

  Wouldn’t it be foolish of her not to take what she wanted? What he was offering?

  If she kept her emotions out of it, surely she could enjoy the physical pleasures between a man and a woman and walk away unscathed.

  He seemed to know the exact moment when she made up her mind, the exact second when she decided to open herself up to him. He stepped close, and with a feathery-light caress, ran his finger down her arms. She began trembling from head to toe, and when he trailed his hands back up her body, brushing along the outer edge of her breasts, she could feel color bloom high on her cheeks.

  “Sean,” she said breathlessly, her voice sounding strangled, even to her.

  “Yes?” he asked, as his eyes latched on her hard nipples, which were poking through her lace bra and straining against her thin T-shirt.

  “What exactly do you do to naughty girls?”

  His mouth turned up in a half smile, and in a rough whisper, he asked, “So you admit it then? Admit that you were a naughty girl?”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but he silenced her with a kiss. His mouth came down hard, his tongue pushing inside to tangle with hers. Liquid heat pooled between her legs as her tongue joined his, urging him on. Moaning without regard, he kissed her long and seductively, and she savored the taste of his mouth as he drove her beyond the brink of sanity.

  He inched away and kissed the side of her neck,
lingering there and breathing in her scent. “Christ, girl, you make me crazy,” he murmured low, and when he inched back to see her, his eyes moving over her face, she was astonished by the raw need in his gaze. Turning his attention back to her mouth, he dipped his head and drew her bottom lip between his teeth.

  Her heart picked up tempo as Sean pressed against her, widening her legs with his knee as he deepened the kiss. Ignoring the metal rail pressing into her back, she squirmed, aching to run her hands along his body, to finally feel his naked flesh beneath her fingers.

  She gave a needy moan and pushed against him hard, letting him know in no uncertain terms what she needed.

  “Easy there, sweetheart,” he murmured in a low, barely controlled voice as he lazily gripped her T-shirt and fingered the material—a slow seduction that nearly drove her mad. “No need to rush things,” he added, but the urgency lacing his voice, coupled with his hard-on, belied his emotions. His body was clamoring for attention every bit as much as hers.

  He began pulling her shirt out of her jeans, and when he scraped the rough pad of his thumb over her stomach, her entire body pulsed, eager to feel those fingers on her breasts, between her legs.

  Restless and edgy, and understanding he was about to push her past her comfort zone, she closed her eyes in sweet agony. “Oh God…”

  When she opened her lids, Sean angled his head and looked at her. “Why are you praying, Madison?” he teased. “Not even God can help you tonight. Oh no. Tonight I’m going to be the one solely in charge of your pleasure.” His grin widened and his eyes gleamed when he added, “And your pain.”

  He pulled her T-shirt up until he exposed her lacy bra, but when a noise sounded on the beach below, she glanced around and realized just how exposed they were. She felt a flash of nervousness and began second-guessing her decision.

  As her heart slammed, she gulped air. “Sean.” With a nod, she gestured toward the beach below. “Someone is down there.”

  “So?”

  “So they might see us.”

  “And…?”

  “I’m not an…exhibitionist…” she said, but her words of protest were lost on a moan when Sean slid his hands around her back and unhooked her bra.

  Making no attempt at discretion, he released the clasp, and when her breasts fell free, an agonized growl ripped from his throat. He pushed the bra up and out of the way as his gaze drank in her exposed breasts. A brisk ocean breeze came out of nowhere and caressed her naked flesh, cooling her scorched body. Sean sucked in air and let it out slowly. The erotic contrast of his hot breath and the cold air tickled her skin and had her nipples tightening in sensual bliss, and she could barely believe how eager she was to feel his mouth wrapped around her hard buds.

  “So beautiful,” he murmured, and lightly brushed the outer swell of her breasts, coming perilously close to her nipples but never quite touching.

  A murmur of voices rose up to meet her ears but Sean ignored the crowd below. He slipped a hand between their bodies and cupped her hot sex. When her heat poured into his hand, a telltale sign of her excitement, he gave her a knowing grin.

  Arching an inquisitive brow, Sean questioned, “So if you’re not an exhibitionist, what are you, then?”

  “I’m…” As need consumed her, it became more and more difficult to think. But suddenly the thought of someone watching them had her skin moistening and her pussy clenching, and she couldn’t deny that she found the situation downright scandalous…exciting. Good God, maybe she really was an exhibitionist at heart. And maybe Sean knew her wants and desires better than she did.

  “Well?” he asked, clearly refusing to let it drop. “What are you?”

  “I don’t know what I am.”

  “So if you’ve never tried it, how do you know you won’t like it?”

  Still not quite ready to admit that she found the whole scenario a little bit titillating and a whole lot naughty, she clamped her thighs tight and said, “I just know.” Her voice lacked conviction and they both knew it.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “I don’t care what you believe,” she shot back, but as pleasure raced through her, she couldn’t deny that the thought of getting caught while Sean did delicious things to her body aroused her in ways she’d never thought possible.

  “Well then, until I strip away your layers, we’ll never know what you really like, now will we?”

  With that he unhooked the button and dipped his fingers into her jeans. Her clit tightened to the point of pain when he lightly swiped his finger over it. Madison’s head fell back and she was sure she was going to orgasm right then and there from that simple touch alone. Sean must have sensed it too.

  She heard his throat work as he swallowed, and as he inched her pink lips open to test her readiness he said, “Baby, what am I going to do with you? You’re so hot and wet, and we haven’t even started yet.”

  Shivering beneath his ministrations, she whimpered, and in a bold move that seemed to surprise Sean as much as it surprised her, she thrust her hips forward, demanding more. “Please, Sean,” she begged as the heady scent of her arousal reached her nostrils.

  “Such a greedy girl,” he teased.

  “And you’re a very bad boy,” she countered, her throat tight, her voice breathless.

  His grin came slow. “I know.”

  With that, he peeled open her zipper and gripped her waistband. In one quick tug, he lowered her pants. He nudged her leg, and when she kicked off her sandals, he removed her jeans completely, leaving her standing there in nothing but her lace panties, with her bra and T-shirt pushed up so he could see her full breasts.

  Sean leaned against her and buried his face in her neck as he slipped a hand into her panties to toy with her aching clit. “You’re so goddamn beautiful, Madison, and I want you so fucking much it’s killing me.”

  “Sean, please,” she murmured, barely able to comprehend what he was saying as her body ached for more. She gyrated against his fingers. “God, I’m burning up.”

  That seemed to trigger a reaction in him. He shot her a roguish grin and said, “Then it’s a good thing I’m a firefighter, because I know just how to douse those flames.”

  The teasing in his voice combined with the intimate promise in his eyes had her blood pulsing hot. Lust sang through her veins and she wrapped her fingers around the bar behind her to hang on for the ride of her life.

  Sean ran a warm palm over her neck, her breasts and her stomach. The feel of his skilful hands on her body nearly drove her wild with need. His nostrils flared as her scent saturated the night air and curled around them.

  “I bet you taste as sweet as you smell,” he murmured, and the heat in his voice wreaked havoc on all her senses.

  His hand trailed back to her breasts, and he lightly brushed one nipple. Madison moaned and arched into him.

  “Do you like that, sweetheart?”

  As pleasure raced through her, she swallowed and met his eyes. His jaw muscles twitched and his hungry look had her shedding her inhibitions as quickly and efficiently as he’d shed her clothes.

  With her body beckoning his, she whispered, “Sean, please.”

  In a flash of movement that took her by surprise, he gripped her lace panties and tugged, ripping the skimpy material from her hips.

  When she gasped, he said, “Now about that punishment.” Dipping his head, he lightly brushed his tongue over her extended nipple, taking full possession of her breasts, and Madison gave a deep, erotic whimper that seemed to excite him all the more.

  He drew her nipple between his teeth and clamped down. Air rushed from her lungs as emotions and sensations tore through her. She yelped, but he quickly soothed the stinging pain with a soft, sensuous lick that nearly brought her to her knees. Before she could even catch her breath, he pulled the bud into his mouth for a deep, thorough suck, one that tormented her body in the most delicious ways and shut down her ability to form a coherent thought.

  Jesus, the seductive co
mbination of pain and pleasure was unlike anything she’d ever felt before and filled her body with urgent need. As he continued to savor her nipple, his mouth felt like fire on her skin and everything in the way he was touching her told her that he cared about her wants, that her pleasures were paramount. As her heart swelled, she struggled with the restrictive bindings on her wrists, aching to touch him in return, to pleasure him the way he was pleasuring her, but he wouldn’t allow it. Oh no, Sean wouldn’t allow it at all. Instead, he closed one firm hand over hers and held her tight.

  “Oh no you don’t.”

  “But I want to touch you.”

  His eyes darkened and the corner of his mouth twitched. “Not until I say so. That’s part of your punishment.”

  Her pussy fluttered. “Oh God,” she cried out, loving the authority in his voice and his take-charge attitude, loving the way it had her sex muscles clenching and her body vibrating with heated passion. How the hell did he know what she liked when she was so oblivious to her deeper desires?

  Sean pressed his lips to her neck and filled his lungs with her scent before he sank to his knees.

  “Spread your legs more,” he said, his voice a deep sexy command.

  When she obliged, he went back on his heels and spent a long time staring at her nakedness. “So pretty,” he murmured, as he aligned his mouth with her drenched pussy.

  Her blood pressure soared as he gripped her legs. “Let’s see what else you like, sweetheart.” He widened her thighs even more and she thrust her pelvis forward in a silent plea. But instead of giving her what she needed, he toyed with her, slowly sliding a finger through her soft curls to inch her flushed lips open.

  Moisture broke out on her flesh as she writhed and moaned, positive she was going to go up in a burst of flames if he didn’t soon tame the fire between her legs.

  He made a tsking noise, the sound deeply intimate as it hung in the air and mingled with the crash of the surf below.

  “What?” She pushed that one word past her dry lips as his heat reached out to her and caused her body to quake.