Prairie Fire

by Tessa Layne

  He grinned up at her. “We’re just getting started.”

  A thrill of anticipation darted through her. “Yeah?”

  “MmmHmm. I’ve got at least three hours until I need to help Gunn with chores.” His eyes filled with dirty promise. “By my calculations, that’s at least four orgasms. Maybe five.”

  This time she couldn’t hold back her laugh. “You’re full of shit, Park.”

  “Try me.”

  “Game on, buster.”

  He hauled himself up and bent over her, placing a kiss between her breasts. “Are you sure you can handle it?”

  “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” she teased.

  “I have incredible stamina.”

  Her fingers trailed over his patch of chest hair. Just enough to give him a rakish air. Just enough to prickle against her sensitized skin. “Hmm. Remind me to challenge you to pushups the next time we’re on duty together.”

  Parker dipped his head, tonguing concentric circles around her breast, coming closer to her rapidly tightening bud with each go-round. And even though she still basked in the glow of release, arousal began to spin up her body, bringing with it a delicious ache.

  Her head dropped back when he finally took her nipple into his mouth, sucking and raking his teeth gently over the sensitive tip. Each flick of his tongue took her a little higher, and she cried out softly when he moved his mouth to the other tip, giving a little pull.

  Parker’s fingers skittered lightly over her swollen folds, seeking and finding her wetness. “Ready for more?” His voice had gone gravelly.

  “Not yet.” In an instant, she’d squeezed her legs against his hips, pushed on his shoulder and twisted, rolling them both so she landed on top. “Much better,” she smirked down at him, hungry to help herself to a taste.

  Parker’s eyes gleamed in admiration. “Where’d you learn that move?”

  She shrugged. “SERE training.”

  “What training?”

  “Survival, evasion, resistance, and escape training.”

  “Remind me to be on your side in a bar fight.”

  She gave a satisfied purr, brushing her palms over his pecs, and making her way down. He had the most amazing skin. Warm and taut. His abs rippled under her touch, and he sucked in a breath when she reached the fuzzy trail below his belly button, stomach going concave.

  Shifting off him, she slipped her fingers inside the waistline of his station pants, tracing the area between his hip bones. Parker’s hands came to his fly, and she helped him slip out of his pants. Then she pushed him back on the bed. She was more than ready to take her pleasure from him, but first, she needed to even the score. Blow his mind a bit.

  He stared up at her through hooded eyes as she slowly perused his frame. So the man liked boxer briefs huh? No complaints from her. She loved the way the material clung to his muscled thighs. More importantly, she loved the way his cock strained against the fabric, the glistening head peeking out from the elastic. Definitely, time to get those out of the way.

  She kneeled between his legs, running her hands over his thighs, pressing her fingers into his skin. The hair scratched her palms, but underneath, his muscles stilled, and his body went taut at her touch. Sliding her fingers under the hem, she explored higher up his legs, seeking and finding the sensitive space at the juncture of leg and torso.

  His hips rolled, and he made a noise in the back of his throat that was pure animal. Cassie’s body tightened in need. It was heady, the power to draw a moan from him. Parker, so strong, so capable. So calm in a crisis. Moaning at her touch.

  She couldn’t think of anything hotter.

  His hand came again to his waistband, and she helped him push down the last barrier between them. When he’d kicked it aside, she paused to admire him. Parker’s cock jutted long and thick against his belly, and her stomach fluttered at the thought of it stretching her. Filling her up.

  She couldn’t help it. She licked her lips in anticipation. So much to enjoy. She brought a hand to his balls, gently cupping him and giving a tiny pull from the back.

  He hissed out a breath and grabbed the blanket, squeezing it.

  “Like that?” she whispered. Desire slicked her thighs, but she was determined to take this slow.

  “Fuck yes,” he bit out roughly. “Jesus, Cassie, do that again.”

  She did, this time slipping a finger along his crack and pressing. Parker groaned and thrust into her hand. Reaction noted. Continuing her exploration, she slid her hand up his cock, pulse kicking up at the length and heat of him. He thrust against her, groaning, and she swiped a thumb over the head, spreading his pre-come.

  She swallowed, mouth watering in anticipation. She’d been dying to taste him. Every time she thought about their tryst in the utility closet a week ago, she’d wished they’d had time for more.

  She laid an open mouthed kiss on the inside of his thighs, inhaling him. The salty tang of sweat mixed with the sharp scent of his arousal filled her senses, and she stroked to his balls, flicking her tongue along the ridges and crevices.

  Parker groaned again, caressing her hair. A physical affirmation that set her blood singing. Giving his cock another squeeze, she opened her palm and in one slow movement, licked him from root to head, swirling her tongue over and around the top. She took him into her mouth, sucking gently and sliding her tongue over the hot skin.

  Her pussy reacted to his groans and grunts, undulating in a rhythm that matched Parker’s thrusts. Cassie stroked a hand up his chest, memorizing the peaks and valleys. He covered her hand with his, wrapping his fingers around her palm, holding it there.

  “Cassie.” A note of warning sounded in his voice.

  “Cassie, I’m close.” His voice came out strangled and desperate.

  She smiled and hummed against his cock. I don’t care. She was having too much fun to stop now.

  His cock grew longer, harder. His breathing became more shallow. He had to be close. With a roar, Parker let go, releasing spurt after spurt of hot come into her mouth. She lapped up every drop, continuing to suck and lick as he came back to earth, finally releasing him and placing a kiss on his hip bone as she flopped on the bed next to him.

  A sheen of sweat covered his chest, and he rolled over to look at her, a silly grin on his face. “Wow.”

  She smiled back, warmed through from his expression.

  “So was that to level the playing field?”

  She shrugged and winked at him. “I couldn’t let you brag about stamina until we were on equal footing.”

  He ran a hand down the swell of her hip, moving back and forth. “I had a sandwich while you were on the phone with your sister. Do you need sustenance?” His mouth quirked. “I wouldn’t want an unfair advantage.”

  “I went through survival training. I can manage anything you throw at me.”

  “That a fact?”

  He skated his hand down to cup her ass, his eyes lit with humor and heat. “Anything?”

  “Try me.” She’d happily spend all afternoon one-upping him.

  He pulled her close and rolled them, so she was pinned beneath him. “First one who taps out from too many orgasms volunteers to wash the fire truck for a week.”

  “You’re on.” She pulled him into a kiss. She’d never admit it to Parker, but she’d gladly wash the fire truck for a week if it meant an afternoon of being naked with the only person who made her laugh.

  CHAPTER 10

  “C’mon. Call it.” Parker hovered above her, slowly stroking in, then pulling almost all the way out. His chest showed red in places where she’d nipped and sucked and gotten carried away.

  She’d be sore tomorrow. Her bones felt like liquid, her muscles stretched and worked to the point of exhaustion. “I will never surrender of my own free will,” she ground out, rolling her hips while reciting from the Military Code of Conduct.

  Besides, he made her feel so damned good. She’d been sore before, never from an afternoon sex marathon, but she’d rec
over.

  Parker’s laugh came out in a short huff as he thrust home, picking up the pace. Her orgasm hovered just out of reach. She’d lost count of how many orgasms she’d had. Parker had been true to his word. In a few short hours, he’d managed to discover all the places on her body that lit her up. She’d found more than a few of his – information she’d stow away for future romps.

  “Say my name again.”

  “Which one?” She stretched her arms behind her and clutched the headboard, arching her breasts.

  Parker dipped his head, taking a taut nipple in his mouth and pulling as he thrust. There was something about that move that sent waves of pleasure straight to her clit. Nothing made her come faster.

  “Cookie Monster?” she said breathlessly.

  He thrust again as he licked a path to her other breast, taking the waiting peak in his mouth and sucking and thrusting again. He gave a grunt she knew to mean no.

  “Sex King?” She lifted her hips and met his thrust, heat building and burning through her.

  Parker squeezed her ass cheeks giving another pull on her nipple, and her orgasm crashed over her in hot waves. “Yes, Parker,” she cried out shaking from the intensity of her release.

  Two more thrusts and Parker followed, collapsing on top of her, his weight pressing her into the mattress. He pressed his mouth to hers, then propped himself on his elbows, grinning. “Sex King, huh?”

  “Don’t let it go to your head.”

  “I think the stamina issue has been settled, don’t you?” Parker rolled them onto their sides.

  She placed a finger over her mouth. “I’m not sure. We might need to test you again.”

  He lightly smacked her ass. “Enough sass. You’ve got to be starving.”

  She was famished, but she wasn’t letting him claim victory. “Are you calling uncle?”

  He laughed a throaty belly laugh that made his eyes light up. “I’m going to suggest we call a truce.” He pulled himself from the bed and walked out the door, calling over his shoulder. “One turkey bacon sandwich coming up with a helping of sweet potato fries.”

  She couldn’t stop smiling. Was this how normal people behaved? All smiles and warm fuzzies? Nothing hovering at the edges, waiting to pull you into darkness and despair? Question was, how long would it last? She’d cling to it as long as she could. I will never surrender of my own free will. Some days that phrase was the only thing that kept her putting one foot in front of the other.

  Parker returned with the clamshell in one hand and an unmarked brown bottle in the other. He held it up. “Mike’s root beer.”

  Cassie scooted up the bed, making room for Parker and pulling a sheet up to her waist. The bed was a wreck, sheets twisted and bunched, pillows scattered. Parker handed her the bottle and settled beside her and proceeded to open the box.

  She took a long sip of the root beer. It was good. Really good. She detected notes of vanilla, anise, and… was that cinnamon? “Wow. I had no idea Mike did more than beer. Has mom tasted this?”

  “I don’t know. He’s pretty selective about who he shares them with.”

  “They need to be selling this at the food truck.”

  Silence settled between them. Her mother’s food truck stood as a shining beacon of Prairie’s recent tragedy, and determination to rebuild. She munched on a fry that Parker handed over. She snuck a sideways glance, surprised to see him lost in thought. And then it hit her. Not once in the time that she’d been back had she asked. She never asked anyone questions anymore, because she didn’t want to answer the inevitable return questions about herself. But he’d been first on the scene. And his uncle had died.

  She stroked his thigh. “How are you doing since the tornado? I don’t think I ever said how sorry I was that you lost Warren.”

  A pained expression crossed his face. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t suck.” He raked a hand through his hair and sighed heavily, two creases appearing above his nose. “I think about him every day.” He flashed her a tight smile. “But we’re finally getting a clinic, and I want to be a part of that. It will be nice to have local back-up when I go on a call.”

  Cassie gave his leg a squeeze trying to put into gesture what words couldn’t accomplish. Their community had lost people to farm accidents when they’d been kids, including Parker’s dad, Monty. And she’d discovered since joining the fire brigade that most of the calls they received weren’t for fires, but for first aid. A clinic would make a big difference in a place like Prairie.

  “What happened to medical school?” That was all Parker had talked about when they’d been in high school.

  His mouth pressed into a line, and he shrugged. “Too expensive. Too many years. Mom needed me. Especially after Cody bailed and joined the rodeo circuit. I’m a good paramedic, and fighting wildfires in the summer keeps my firefighting skills up. And now Gunnar needs help managing Hansen Stables since Axe moved to Norman. I always thought being a paramedic would be a stop-gap. But I have a good life here.”

  And he did. People in town looked at him like he was freaking Superman. Admiration for him swelled through her. Parker was solid. Always taking care of everyone. Always doing what it took to ensure those he loved landed on their feet. But what about him? What about his hopes and dreams? He’d made the best of a shitty situation, but it wasn’t what he’d dreamed of when they were young. And she could hear the wistful note in his voice. “But not great.”

  He shrugged, then his mouth curved into a rakish grin. “That was before you came back.”

  “So I’m the greatness your life has been missing?” She popped another fry in her mouth. “Ha.”

  “Why not?”

  “Oh come on. You’re telling me you let go of all your hopes and dreams and you’re ready to settle down five miles from where you grew up?”

  He gave her a funny look. “Sometimes life decides our path for us. I couldn’t abandon mom after Cody joined the rodeo circuit.”

  “You mean wouldn’t.”

  He shrugged. “Fine, wouldn’t. Mom’s had enough tragedy in her life. I’m not going to contribute to more.” His mouth set firmly.

  “But what about being a doctor?”

  His eyes flashed. “What about it? I’m still making a difference. Prairie doesn’t have a doctor. But they have me, and the rest of the guys in the fire department, and we take that role seriously.”

  “As cat rescuers?” she teased.

  He snorted. “I’ve delivered babies, saved Jamey Sinclaire’s sight, and rescued cats.”

  Something in her chest softened as she took in the stubborn set of his jaw. “Prairie’s own Superman.”

  “Maybe. The point is. I’ve made a good life here, with people I love.” He skewered her with a look that went straight to her heart, making her breath stop. “And you wouldn’t have come home if you didn’t love them too.”

  She nodded slowly. He had her there.

  He hooked her pinky finger with his forefinger. “Why did you come home, Cass?”

  Her heart began to thump loudly. Leave it to Parker to ask the question she’d been hoping to avoid. She hesitated, nearly giving into the urge to give him more than her standard answer. In the end, cowardice won out. “Dad called right after the tornado. Said mom needed help and she was too proud to ask. He’d never call unless he was really worried. There was a vacancy in the Guard unit locally, and I was able to transfer from Washington to Kansas.” She flashed him a grin. “The rest, as they say, is history.”

  His face softened. “Maybe you were meant to come home.”

  She snagged another fry. “So we could pick up where we left off?”

  He shot her a smile that made her insides topsy-turvy, and looped a stray lock of her hair around his finger, winding then unwinding it. “I think you’d agree we’ve got the sex thing nailed.”

  Warning bells went off in Cassie’s head. Parker would be crazy to fall for her. She couldn’t let him.

  “I think we’re better off sti
cking to friends with benefits.” She winked at him. “That seemed to work pretty well before.”

  “Wait. We had sex the night before you left for basic. How is that friends with benefits?”

  Parker clearly wasn’t buying this. Cassie snagged another fry. “Let’s see. We were pretty much best friends. And then we had sex.”

  “Once,” he growled.

  “Not anymore. We’re up to, what? Five, six times if you count fooling around?”

  Parker’s face grew serious. “I don’t do casual.”

  “That’s all I do.”

  His eyes bored into her, searching for an answer she couldn’t give. “You never were that way, Cass.”

  He was right. But the trust and love had been beat right out of her. And she wasn’t sure she’d ever find her way back to the way she used to be. She shrugged and averted her eyes, unable to bear his scrutiny. “Yeah. Well, people change. Life happens.” People die.

  “Hey,” Parker hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her gaze back to his. “I know you. You don’t need to put up walls with me.”

  His eyes were soft. And drowning in his gaze was like a punch to the gut. Parker Hansen was a gentle man. Sexy as sin and able to push all her buttons. Strong and stable. Kindhearted, gentle.

  The kind of man who was perfect for someone else.

  Some nice, sweet thing. Not a fucked up, hot mess like her, with so much shrapnel on the inside that she wasn’t sure her heart could ever knit together again. For a gut wrenching second she was wracked with agony. “You know who I used to be,” she said thickly, a ball of emotion sticking behind her tongue. “Don’t confuse the two.”

  “You’re still in there.”

  She shut her eyes, regret filling her. “I’m not sure I am, Park. I don’t think you want to waste your time on me.”

  Parker’s jaw set, determination sparking in his eyes. “Try me.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Cassie throttled down her bike, slowing to what felt like a crawl as she approached town. Of all the days in the calendar year, Cassie hated today the most. Even the extra-long ride she’d taken after the annual 4th of July parade this morning hadn’t done anything to calm her jitters.