Burning Desire

by Marie Harte

  Then his fingers were there, skimming her clit, and she shot up against him, on edge.

  He moaned and thrust his tongue in and out of her mouth, following with his fingers in and out of her body.

  To her embarrassment, she teetered on the verge of orgasm already. “No, Tex, wait,” she said when she could catch a breath. “I’m almost there.”

  “So why stop?” He continued to kiss her throat, his fingers now toying with her belly while he angled his cock between her legs. Not penetrating, just resting against her. And each time he shifted even the littlest bit, she shivered, ever closer to orgasm.

  “I want you in me.” She gasped and closed her eyes. “In me, Tex.”

  She heard rusting, felt him move off her, and then he was back.

  “Condom’s on. I’m so fuckin’ hard, Bree. I promise, next time will be longer.”

  “You with all the talking. Get to it already,” she ordered, not needing a play-by-play.

  He chuckled before positioning himself, prepared to enter her. “You ready for a hard fuck, Bree?” He leaned forward to kiss her again, making love to her mouth until she was begging him to take her.

  “Please, Tex. God, now.”

  “That’s it, darlin’. You need me, don’t you?” The jerk gave her little bits of himself, driving her crazy.

  Her body hummed, close and then not close, edging too slowly toward climax. He grazed her nipples as he moved, and he whispered dirty things he planned on doing to her the next time.

  Then he lifted up on his hands to look down at her. She blinked up, watching him as he pushed inside her, inch by inch. So damn big. And so incredibly good…

  “Tex,” she breathed, electrified when he pumped and grazed the sensitive bundle between her legs. “Oh, yes, yes.” She couldn’t stop the orgasm that rushed through her, nor could she stop seizing as he shoved hard and continued to fuck her.

  The pounding took her to new heights, so big and wonderfully raw. He didn’t last much longer than she had, and before she knew it, he’d thrust one final time and jerked inside her, moaning her name.

  She’d closed her eyes, because she had to open them to see him. He shuddered over her, small pumps of his hips as he emptied into the condom. She shivered, the pleasure awe-inspiring. She’d never had an orgasm last so long. Or been so loud about it. She recalled shouting his name as she came.

  Tex looked down at her, and his intensity had yet to dim.

  He gave one final push before easing out of her and cringing. “Sorry. I’m a little sensitive. I think you made me see black there for a minute.”

  She grinned, feeling too good for any recriminations or self-doubt. “Me too.”

  “Be right back.” He returned without the condom, his cock still half-hard.

  “Does that thing ever go down?”

  “After a workout.”

  “You mean at the gym, it gets hard?” Odd.

  “What?” He stood next to the bed and stared down at her in question. “No, darlin’.” He chuckled. “I meant after having sex. A workout. With you though, it’s going to stay hard until I take care of this need. You and me got some more to work out.”

  “Again? Now?” She looked at him, and it appeared he’d need more time.

  “Give me a little room to breathe. I’m good for it. Besides, I didn’t get near enough time with those breasts and that pussy.”

  “Tex.” She blushed.

  He grinned and settled next to her on the bed again, this time resting on his side as he studied her body. “I’m just gonna say it. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” His accent thickened. “I’ve imagined this in just about every way possible. But doing what we just did didn’t come close to what I thought it would be.”

  “It was worse?” Great. Now she felt self-conscious.

  “No, dippy. It was fucking fantastic.” He frowned. “But if you have to ask that, I musta done something wrong.”

  “No, it was great. It…” She watched him draw closer to her breasts. He closed his eyes as he sucked her nipple, making love to her body. She bit back a moan, wishing she didn’t respond so readily. But the man had it easy with her. He had only to look at her and she was aroused.

  “Tex, oh.”

  He continued to kiss her while he cupped and toyed with her other breast. Then he swapped the attention, his hands all over the place.

  She needed to touch him as well, so she ran her hands over his shoulders and pecs, down his nipples to his belly.

  “Yeah, touch me like that. Fuck, Bree. You feel so good.” He moved over her and kissed his way steadily down her body.

  Would he keep moving lower?

  Why, yes, he would indeed.

  She sucked in a breath when he blew over her sensitive flesh. Then he put his mouth over her—licking, sucking—and added a finger inside her. She groaned and arched into his touch, exhausted yet wound up at the same time, letting him lead her all the way to a loud, moaning climax.

  But instead of shoving up inside her, he kissed his way back up her body, then turned to lie on his back beside her. She caught her breath and looked at him, only to see him thick and hard once more.

  “Touch me.” He drew her hand to his erection, and she could barely wrap her hand around him. “Oh, yeah. That’s it.” He closed his eyes as she pumped him, marveling at his size.

  She wanted to feel him again inside her. “Reach into the nightstand for another condom. I think I have more.”

  “Oh, God, please.” He sounded desperate.

  She chuckled.

  He found one and handed it to her. “Put it on me.”

  She did, taking her time to roll it down. He writhed, and she loved it. Despite being sated, she wanted to feel him stretching her out, filling her up. She straddled him and took him in hand, then slowly sank over him until she rested against his pelvis.

  “You feel so big,” she said on a breath, incredulous at the fullness inside her.

  “This.” He reached up and held her breasts in his hands. “Fucking this. I want you to ride me. Yeah, up and down. Let me watch those tits bounce.” He continued with even dirtier talk, and hearing him say such blunt things excited her to no end.

  Before she knew it, she was slamming up and down over him, encouraged by his moans and pleas for more. He pinched her nipples, so she did the same to him. Then the tricky devil slid a hand between her legs to rub her while she rode him. And her unstoppable libido raced him to the end, their speeded coupling growing more intense.

  “That’s it. Fuck yourself with my dick. Up and down. Yeah, more.” He sounded hoarse, his body taut, his face tight with agony.

  Then he shouted and seized, and she jerked against him, coming once more as his clever fingers and thick shaft brought her to a foggy state of ecstasy.

  When she’d finally wound down, she felt as if she’d run a marathon. Weak and trembly, she eased off him, taking the condom from him and disposing of it. She returned to the bed and crawled over it to lie next to him, her heart taking its own time to slow down.

  As the minutes passed, the awkwardness she’d been hoping to avoid settled over them.

  “So, um, I didn’t plan this,” he said, staring at the ceiling.

  She looked up as well, finding a pattern in the texture. “Me neither.”

  A pause.

  “What do you want to do about it?” he asked.

  A good question.

  “How about we pretend it never happened? We continue to work together, finish up the project. Then when it’s over, we have that date.”

  He rolled over to look at her, his face slack with repletion, his eyes hazy with a satisfied smile. “I can do that. I can’t swear I won’t envision you naked. Or not think about this every damn second until that date. But I won’t tell a soul, and I won’t act any different
at work. Deal?”

  She nodded, relieved. He wasn’t making a fuss, and he seemed to understand. She held a hand toward him. “Deal.”

  “Oh, hell, no. We just fucked, baby. No handshake seals our deal.” Tex leaned over and kissed her until they were both panting.

  “Nope, nope.” Tex pulled back. “Sorry. I can get carried away. If it were up to me, we’d spend all day in your bed. I have so many more fantasies with you to fill out. Say, you don’t own a cheerleader outfit, do you?”

  She flushed. “No, you big ass. I do not.”

  He chuckled. “Kidding. Kind of.”

  She sighed.

  “Okay, I’ll go get dressed in my…well, my clothes are wet.”

  Your pants are a little wet from me as well. She felt her cheeks heat. “How about we give them a quick run through the washer and dryer? I’ll get dressed, and we’ll have breakfast while your clothes dry.”

  “That’s a deal.” He smiled, traced her lips with his finger, and kissed her again. “One more week. I can handle that. Just friends, no sex. This never happened.”

  “Right.” She kissed him back. “Okay, getting up, here. Because if I don’t, I might never leave.”

  Sadly, he had no idea she meant that.

  Chapter Ten

  Tex spent Friday in a kind of delayed shock. He’d had sex with Bree, and he worried it had totally ruined him for any other woman. Period. That stupid claim that he’d ruin her had completely backfired, rooting itself in reality.

  She’d been sexy, hot as fuck, and giving. Kissing her made the world fade away, with Bree at the center of his universe.

  And she wanted to pretend it had never happened.

  He would have been hurt if he hadn’t understood why she needed that boundary. And if he hadn’t seen how much she wanted to fuck again but had to talk herself out of it.

  They spent the day at her studio looking through her computer at the many shots she’d taken. She had her laptop plugged into a wide, flat table that allowed her to see multiple shots at a time. He’d seen so many that made him proud to be a firefighter. And no one looking at them could doubt Bree’s talent as a true artist.

  He’d chosen a few that stood out, ones she’d agreed with, and they’d spent the rest of the day not talking about the incredible sex they’d had. Instead, they’d scouted more places to take pictures in addition to finally getting to the park to photograph the fallen firefighter memorial.

  By mutual unspoken agreement, dinner had been canceled, each needing some time and space to regroup.

  Saturday seemed to be much the same as the previous day, minus the sex. They’d just reached a late lunch when Bree took a call that had her looking spooked. She walked away with the phone, her movements agitated, while Tex sat at their table waiting for the food to arrive.

  She came back and put her hand over the phone. “Tex, are you busy tonight?”

  “No, why?”

  “I’m sorry about this, but my dad wants you to join us for a family dinner. To hear about our progress.”

  “And check me out.” He grinned. “No problem. It’s all going great, right?”

  She went back to her conversation, not answering him. “Sure, Dad. He’s happy to come. Seven thirty? I’ll let him know. And… Oh. Melissa’s coming too? Does she have to?” Pause. “Kidding. It’ll be fine, Dad.” She disconnected and groaned. “I’m sorry. But this way he’ll know we’re on track and there’s nothing to worry about.”

  “It’s fine. Plus, I get a free meal out of it.”

  She smiled, but he saw her strain. “My stepmom and stepsister will be there too. Melissa. Ugh.”

  “The sister you don’t get along with?”

  “That’s the one.” She waited for the waiter to set their food on the table before saying, “I know I keep repeating myself, but Tex, we need to keep yesterday to ourselves.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked, all innocence, and winked. Then he dug into his burger, famished.

  “Right.” She sighed. “I hate having to deal with Melissa, so I usually keep my family visits brief if she’s there. She was awful when I was younger. She’s not that much better now. And then my dad will be giving us the third degree about work. He’s going to dig at you to make sure you’re ‘taking care’ of me.”

  “Not a good time to say that I took care of you just fine, right?”

  She blushed, as he’d known she would. “Look, I love my dad, but he can be overprotective. I don’t want you to have any problems at work because of me.”

  “What can he do?” In honesty, though, John Gilchrist could do a lot. The battalion chief could easily make Tex’s life miserable. “I’m union. I’m good.” At her frown, he said, “I’m kidding. Honestly, yesterday was a one-timer. Just between you and me. We’re good, Bree.” One-timer? Man. So much for being honest with her. If up to him, that one time—technically, they’d done it twice—would turn into an unending schedule of sex, sex, and more sex. And cuddling. He’d liked holding her yesterday, brief though it had been.

  “I’m not trying to hide you,” she was saying. “I mean, I am, but I’m not. Geez, I feel like I’m back in high school keeping my boyfriend a secret again.” She turned scarlet. “Not that you’re my boyfriend or anything. You know what I mean.”

  “I do.” Boyfriend. Oddly enough, the term didn’t bother him. Not with Bree. The more he considered it, the more he liked the notion.

  But she clearly needed to ease into the idea.

  “I swear, Bree, I’ll be on my best behavior. Your dad will see nothing at all between the two of us but mutual admiration and professional conduct.”

  “Thanks.” She fiddled with her knife and fork.

  “Bree?”

  “It’s just… If my stepsister is bitchy or comes on to you—she’s done this to other friends of mine—can you ignore her?”

  “Damn. That’s cold. And yeah, I’ll ignore her. Now stop fretting about dinner. Eat your lunch so you have the strength to deal with your family tonight. Let me get Gerty and Oscar to dog-sit.” He made a call and confirmed Bubbles had her own date with Klingon later that night.

  The rest of their afternoon went well. They followed a medical emergency calling for an aid vehicle, and the patient received treatment. Following that, Tex and Bree had some interesting talk with the guys from Station 28. Bree asked intelligent questions, he noticed.

  In addition to being beautiful, Bree had a brain that fascinated him. Tex was at first a superficial kind of guy, he admitted. He liked women who appealed visually. Something physical about them had to attract him. Eyes, breasts, butt, a terrific smile. Bree had all that. But she had the one thing that was guaranteed to keep him around longer—intelligence. Talking to her wasn’t a chore. She made him laugh, and the more he watched her interact with others, the more he respected her.

  “You’re really good,” he said once they drove away, heading back to her house.

  “Oh?”

  “With people. You’re smart, and you never talk down to folks. I like that.”

  She blushed. “Thank you. I could say the same about you.”

  “Could? Please. You should say the same about me. I’m ah-mazing, and yeah, there’s an H in there.” He grinned when she made a face at him. “You like board games?”

  She eyed him with curiosity. “Um, yeah.” He had no idea where that question had come from. Then he realized it came from the idea of fitting her in with the crew, seeing how she’d act with them. Something he’d rarely done with his exes.

  “The guys and I like to hang around together away from the station sometimes, when we’re not there working out. We play a lot of board games and cards.” He shrugged. “Sounds stupid maybe, but it’s a great way to de-stress.”

  “It doesn’t sound stupid at all.” She turned to face him and tucked a strand of
hair behind her ear. He could feel her attention, and he basked in it. “I kind of envy you. You have a great bunch of friends you’re close to. I have Carrie. She’s like a sister, and I love my parents. But I don’t have a crew of people, if you know what I mean.”

  “A crew?”

  “Now I sound stupid.” She huffed. “I mean, a group for support. People who love you and accept you and help when you need it. And even if you don’t think you need it, you have them there for you. I have that with Carrie, but sometimes it would be nice to be with a group and feel that kind of energy.”

  He shrugged. “I can’t say I looked for it. Though maybe I did. I don’t know.” He turned toward her neighborhood. “I had three older brothers growing up, so we had a tight family. Lots of love at home, and I know I’m lucky to have it. Then I joined the Corps, and I had that same belonging there.” A lightbulb went off in his head. “And maybe that’s why I turned to firefighting. Not only could I help people, but it felt familiar. Kind of like the military yet different. And there’s that physical aspect to the job that I love, but also the people.” He smiled. “A better bunch of guys I couldn’t hope to have by my side in the thick of things. Mack’s a motormouth, funny and obnoxious. But he’d never leave a man behind. Same with Brad and Reggie. They push and prod if they think you’re not okay.”

  “That sounds…interesting.”

  She’d heard his tone, obviously.

  “I’ll let you in on something. I was so down after I blew it with you Sunday that I told the guys what I said. After laughing at me for being a moron, and smacking me around and calling me names, they helped me realize I should just be honest and grovel a lot. But the flowers is all me.” Brad had mentioned buying her some, but Tex had already been thinking along those lines.

  She chuckled. “They did good. I truly love the flowers. I have them in a vase on the dining room table.” She paused. “Want to see?”

  “Sure.” Not smart, Tex. The vibe in the truck was changing, growing more intimate. She kept shooting looks at him. And he, as safely as possible while driving, returned them.

  He parked and locked up, feeling nervous, which was very unlike him. They walked into her house, and he couldn’t help watching that ass move. He all too clearly remembered plunging into her wet heat, and the hard-on from hell assumed the position of attention, making it uncomfortable to walk.