Let Me Love You

by Kristin Miller

  Joey hadn’t left her thoughts since she left the winery.

  Don’t be working. Don’t be at the fire, she thought, but she knew better.

  As she pulled into the station’s parking lot and drove around back, her heart jumped into her throat. Her hands became clammy as they gripped the steering wheel, and tiny beads of sweat gathered at the nape of her neck.

  She spotted Joey’s truck parked in one of the front stalls…and her stomach wrenched. She parked and ran around the front, pushing through the front door.

  The bay was empty…and the fire truck was missing.

  A forty-something guy wearing black cargo pants and a white cotton T-shirt emerged from the hall on the side of the engine bay.

  “Can I help you?” he asked, a boot in one hand and a rag in the other.

  “I’m here to”—how to put it?—“see how the fire’s going. I heard they’re starting to send out early evacuation warnings.”

  “That’s right.” He scrubbed the toe of his boot with the rag while holding her gaze as if he wasn’t the least bit concerned about the fire or the evacuation warning. “And where do you live?”

  “Me?”

  He nodded.

  “I live at StoneMill Winery.”

  He pointed at her, though the boot was still in his hand. She’d never been pointed at with a dirty sole before. She didn’t know whether to be offended, or tell him he had a wad of gum stuck to the bottom.

  “We were called out to assist in putting out a fire east of Moose Valley Road,” he said, continuing to shine the toe of his boot. “It’s increased to fifteen acres, but we’ve got it fully contained now. It’s not close enough to cause concern for the residents who live in town, but the ones who live on the outskirts in the east are getting notifications.”

  She wasn’t concerned about the fire coming close to the winery. Her thoughts swarmed around Joey and whether or not he was safe. It was the middle of the night…it’d be cold, dark, and lonely. At least that’s how she would feel if she were left in the middle of the forest with a fire creeping around her.

  “That’s good to hear,” she said, trying to play it cool by shoving her hands in her pants pockets. She missed the pocket, and had to stare at her pants to find it. “Really good to hear. What about the staff from the station? When do you think they’ll be back?”

  He eyed her curiously, as if he knew something was up. “As far as I know, they’ll work the fire until it’s out.”

  “What about Blue Lake? What happens if there’s a fire here while the guys are away? Wouldn’t it be smarter to have one truck here, one truck there? Just in case?”

  “We’re pretty slow,” he said, “but if there’s a fire in town, the station in Kiss will cover.”

  Kiss County was a twenty-minute drive away! Her entire winery could burn down in the time it would take them to send a truck over.

  She tried to get a grip on the situation, but her mind raced, amped up on something she’d never felt before. Joey was out in the wilderness. Alone. Fighting a raging forest fire. He did this for a living, but she’d never been as close to him as she was now. Before, she’d hear about the fire crew going out on a call, and she’d never thought too much about specifics. She hadn’t really put a face to the crew fighting the fire. But now, she could picture it—picture him. Clearly. She could see his dark eyes scanning the horizon. Could feel his heart pumping out of his chest. She could nearly see the sweat dripping from his bare chest as he gripped his hose and…okay, wrong picture to paint, but still.

  “So none of the guys will be coming back tonight?” she asked, failing to hide the disappointment and worry in her voice. “Or in the next few days?”

  “No, I’m afraid not,” he said, striding back toward the hallway. “I won’t even be here that much longer.”

  “Really?” Lucy’s heart fell to the glossy engine room floor. “You guys are just going to leave the station completely empty?”

  “No,” Joey said from the doorway behind her. “I came back to man the station for the next shift.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “You’re here,” she said, the air coming up shallow in her lungs. Relief spread through her like a flood. “I didn’t think—”

  “Where else would I be?” he interrupted, striding past her to hang his coat on the hook against the wall to her right. He wore thick black pants with reflective material on the legs and a white T-shirt that had dark smudges all over it. “I pretty much live here.” The corner of his lips turned up, and she shuddered.

  Did he realize he could grace the cover of any firefighter magazine when he was suited up this way? She’d pin his picture up on her fridge no matter which month it was. Santa Joey in March, well past Christmas? Sure, why not? Summer Joey tossing around a beach ball? She’d smear sunblock on his back for days.

  He stared at her with those warm honey-brown eyes of his, making her forget what he’d asked in the first place.

  “I didn’t want to bother you by coming in like this, but I’m not here for me.” She watched the only other fireman in the station leave the way she’d come in, and became hyperaware that they were now alone. Just the two of them in the big, echoing engine bay. Needing to move to get the jitters out of her legs, Lucy walked toward the weight room at the back of the station. “I wanted news on the fire.” Sure she did. She also wanted to know if Joey had thought about calling her this week, but wouldn’t ask. “My foreman was worried about his home. He got a call about an early evacuation.”

  Joey plopped onto the bench near the hook and bent over to unstrap his boots. He glanced up at her, his fingers working the strings. “Did you get the information you needed?”

  No, but at least she knew for certain he’d be out of harm’s way. For the next shift, anyway. “I think so.”

  “That’s good. We’ve contained the fire completely now, so your foreman should be able to rest easy tonight.” He unlaced his other boot and pushed them both beneath the bench. Then he dug around in his pocket for his keys and wallet and set them on the half wall leading to the tiny kitchen. “How’ve you been? Sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been busy.”

  So he had thought about calling!

  “Psht,” she said, winding around the bench press and trying to play it cool. “I told you not to call, remember?”

  “Of course I remember.” He studied her, his eyes twinkling with promise. “How could I forget?”

  Tension snaked between them and somehow managed to coil around her chest. “I’m swamped trying to get the winery ready for the jubilee tomorrow. I couldn’t even tell you what day of the week it is.” She paused, waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t, her skin flushed with warmth the same way it had when he touched her in the cave. “Will you be there?”

  He held her gaze. “Do you want me to be?”

  “Yes.” She answered too sharply. “I mean, sure. I guess. It’s always our biggest day.” Her heart stammered. “Why wouldn’t I want you there? You’d have a great time. We have a dog now. A mascot.”

  Mental face palm.

  “A mascot?”

  “Yeah, Skylie picked up the German shepherd we rescued from the gulley. We’re calling him Zin.”

  “And you’re going to keep him?”

  She shrugged. “For now, I guess. He follows me around the winery, and he’s kind of growing on me. He’d be a perfect leash dog, but I don’t like putting dogs on leashes. Too restricting. They should be free to go wherever they want, you know?”

  “That’s great,” he said. “I’ll have to come by and see him.”

  “You really should. But only if you want.”

  God, she was totally blabbering.

  Why couldn’t she get herself under control? This was Joey, for Pete’s sake. She’d known him for years and had never had this kind of reaction to him before. How could one night of steaming-hot sex have flipped things so quickly?

  At first, she’d thought they could have something casual. The
kind of relationships she had with the other men in her life—not that she’d had any men lately. But her body’s reaction to him warned that she’d gone too far. She wanted him, and not just for a night or two. After tasting him once, she wanted that man in a desperate, crazy way.

  If he’d wanted something light—a no-pressure fling—they could’ve had one hell of a time together. But he didn’t. Which meant she’d officially veered into treacherous territory.

  As silence and tension filled the station, Lucy glanced around at the racks of gear, the weight room, and the pole behind her that led to the loft. The room was spacious and vacant, yet the walls felt as if they were closing in.

  “Listen, Lucy,” Joey said, rising off the bench, “I wanted to call, to talk about what happened, but—”

  “There’s no need to talk.” She had the urge to bolt and head back to the winery to bury herself in the harvest. But damn it, she had to pass by Joey to get to the exit. “Really, there isn’t.”

  Shoving his hands in his pockets, Joey sauntered toward her, his heavy boots echoing as they pounded against the floor. “Are you going to go out with Dane?”

  The directness of the question stunned her.

  “No, how could I?” She swallowed sandpaper. “I’d like to think you know me better than that. I wouldn’t do that to you. Not after what happened between us.”

  He advanced slowly. Feeling the heat flowing from his body, Lucy continued walking backward, toward the back of the station.

  “I do know you,” he said. “Or at least I like to think that I do.”

  Did he know how torn up she was about him? How she wanted to reach out and touch him? Did he know how consumed she was by fear? She liked him, and it scared the hell out of her.

  “I’d like to think I know you, too,” she said.

  As she continued her trek backward, she rammed into something long and hard, traveling up the length of her spine. She looked up. She’d backed into the damn fire pole. Joey was in front of her before she could move, one hand on her waist, the other still in his pocket. He gave off such a cool, confident vibe, as if he knew he could hold her in place without using his hands at all. When had he gotten so self-assured? Could it be he was this way only with her?

  Whatever the reason for the change, she liked it. Her hip tingled beneath his palm and spread warmth through her.

  “Joey, what are we doing?” she said, though she knew the answer.

  He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. Out of her control, her eyes fluttered closed, and her mind went blank. He smelled like campfire and pine—one of her favorite scents—and when she realized it was due to the forest fire, she felt horrible. She pulled back, but didn’t get far. He cupped the back of her neck and guided her to him. She melted into the softness of his mouth and the intoxicating taste of him. His hands tangled in her hair, dropped down her back, and gripped her waist tightly.

  There was more to his kiss than there’d been before. The heat and sizzle remained, but now there was a smolder that burned over her skin. She felt the kiss resonate deep in her bones.

  Why had she been freaking out before? Why couldn’t they repeat what happened in the cavern? They could still keep things casual. Sleeping with someone a third time didn’t tip a relationship from casual to serious, right?

  Right.

  Unsure if she was making sense, Lucy moaned into the kiss and her will weakened. He responded by pressing against her, his tongue hungrily searching her mouth. He feasted on her lower lip. Kneaded her breast. Dropped his mouth to her neck and sucked until she tingled between her legs. She raked her fingers over the muscles on his back, admiring the way they flexed and twitched beneath her fingers.

  She clawed at his shirt, and then shuffled it over his head. He was hot to touch, his skin warm and smooth beneath her hands.

  “May I?” he asked, his hands hesitating at the hem of her shirt.

  She nodded, already aching for him.

  He stripped her shirt off her body, reached around her, unhooked her bra, and then let it fall to the floor. He groaned as he pressed against her, flesh against flesh. And then, in a flash of movement, he dropped to his knees. She gripped the pole over her head and held on for balance as he removed her boots, one by one, and then guided her pants and undies down her legs. She hesitated, trembling, and kicked out of them. She was anxious. Dying to feel the heat of his mouth on her. Gripping her hips in his hands, Joey kissed her inner thigh. The sensation was incredible. Waves of molten lava scorched through her veins, causing her thighs to quiver and her heart to stutter. Slowly, she opened for him.

  When he put his mouth on her center, her knees buckled. He kissed her intimately, the skill of his tongue drawing her to the brink of release.

  “Joey,” she breathed, so achingly close to climax. She gripped the pole so hard, she swore she heard a tiny crack. Pleasure speared through her, and she lost her words.

  Why was every touch and every kiss so heightened this time? Was it because she’d come here tonight worried for his safety? Something in her chest roused at the thought of never seeing him again.

  He gazed up her body, severing the thought. “I already know what you’re going to say, and I’m okay with it. I won’t ask you out, I won’t call, and—”

  “Shh.” She dropped to her knees to meet him. She cupped his face in her hands and drew him to her, kissing him to relay the message she couldn’t seem to formulate with her mouth.

  “Don’t move.” He detached from her mouth, got to his feet, and ran into the hall beside them.

  It was cold without him. Where was he going?

  He emerged from the hall, a condom clutched in his hand. She hadn’t even thought about that. She was on birth control anyway, but so thankful he was concerned about such things.

  He knelt in front of her once more, and they picked up where they left off. He kept his lips working hers, unbuttoned his pants, and shuffled out of them. The sound of foil tearing crackled through the room, followed by a quiet pause. And then, he gently laid her down. The floor was cool against her back, but when he situated himself between her hips, the chill vanished.

  Poised at her entrance, he hesitated. Gazed deep into her eyes. Brushed her hair out of her face. His expression was one of awe and reverence. As if she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life.

  He didn’t need to say the words. She could almost read his mind.

  Her heart beamed, and when he slowly moved inside her, that light erupted through her body. She was ablaze. Consumed by him. Burning with the desire to be lit this way every day for the rest of her life.

  He braced himself on his arms and drove deeper than he had before. Lucy hadn’t thought that was possible. He plunged into her, reaching places he couldn’t physically touch, pulling a tear to the corner of her eye. As they moved together, the sound of their bodies meeting in glorious harmony, he kissed her openmouthed. Softly. Giving everything.

  “Lucy,” he breathed into her hair. He thrust slowly, his thick length stroking her toward sweet release. “I want you so bad it hurts.”

  She arched beneath him, taking him deeper, her mouth falling open as she gasped for air. “You have me. Right here. Right now.”

  “I want more.” He kissed her forehead, her cheek. “I need you.”

  As he slammed his hips against her and held them steady, Lucy knew his release was close. She rolled her hips beneath him, the pulses in her core strengthening, tightening, drawing her closer to ecstasy. With a guttural cry, he bucked and slammed his hips against hers. He collapsed over the top of her, his face buried in her neck as he surged into her depths.

  “For always.” He murmured. He said the words so quietly, Lucy was sure he hadn’t mean for her to hear them.

  But she did.

  And for reasons she couldn’t begin to explain, the words sent her spinning into the strongest orgasm of her life.

  Chapter Seventeen

  When their energy had recharged enou
gh that they could drag themselves off the station floor, Joey led Lucy to the sleeping quarters. The room was small, nothing fancy, with a twin bed against each wall and a dresser situated between them. He pulled back the covers on the pristinely made bed against the right side of the room and slipped between the sheets. He pulled Lucy down over him. She laughed, kissed him, and then settled to his side, their legs and arms tangled together.

  “Can’t say I’ve ever done that in the firehouse before,” Joey said, stroking his hands across Lucy’s back. Her curves were heavenly soft, and she seemed to mold to his body perfectly. “Hope the security camera was turned off.”

  She popped up onto her elbow, eyes wide. “What? There was a camera in there?”

  “Kidding, only kidding.” He kissed her arm. Her skin smelled like a sweet combination of vanilla and sugar. “No cameras.”

  Smiling, she sighed and fell back into the crook between his arm and his chest. She fit there. He tugged her against him, rested his head on hers, and stared at the ceiling. If they were outside, they’d be gazing at the stars. The night would be clear and the air would be crisp. He ached to show her the sky and stars, to show her how freeing it was to fly. She would’ve loved it. He would’ve loved to be the one to take her up and slice through the night.

  Why did being with Lucy draw such feelings out of him? Joey couldn’t explain it, but being with Lucy made him want to get into the cockpit again. Holding her in his arms, he craved that adventure and wanted to share the feeling with her.

  Maybe these feelings continued to stir because he knew she’d appreciate it. Whatever the reason, it had to stop. He didn’t have any plans to hit the skies anytime soon.

  “If there were cameras on us, I was going to smack you…right after we watched the video together.” Laughing, Lucy’s fingers danced over his bare chest. “But now I’ll simply check the corners of the room next time we’re together.”