#BURN (Fever Falls Book 2)

by Devon McCormack

  I got some final shots in, and it was nearly four o’clock by the time we were totally done.

  “You had that Lena Hermosa starstruck,” Dax said as we got into the rental he’d picked me up in that morning to usher me around to the various locations. “I thought she might die from blushing.”

  “She seemed a little smitten, but it was cute.”

  “That your type? Short, blonde, green eyes, a lot of blushing.”

  “Eh, I’m more into dark hair, a good layer of scruff, hazel eyes, big dick, and only occasional blushing. It’s kind of my thing. Ah, there’s that blush.”

  Dax’s face had a nice pink to it from my comment, and he was clearly doing everything in his power to fight his smile as he shook his head.

  “Oh, Jace Kruse, you’re one charismatic motherfucker.”

  As he pulled out of the parking lot, he asked, “Which way is it?”

  “Depends on where you want to go,” I teased.

  “I was gonna take you back to your place.”

  “What if we made a special trip?” I asked, feeling inspired, maybe because I was on cloud nine, or maybe because I wanted to treat Dax to something extra special, a part of Fever Falls that might just impress Mr. Sexy Sunglasses-Inside PR Rep.

  He leaned back in his seat and glanced at me in apparent curiosity for what the fuck I meant.

  “Left or right?” he asked, and I took that as a big fat yes.

  “Left,” I said, full of eagerness and enthusiasm like when I was younger and Nance and Crawford were watching Keeg and me open Christmas presents.

  I was tired from the busy day we’d had, but Dax was only in town for a few days, and if we were going to honor our deal, I had to take advantage of the opportunity that had presented itself.

  I guided him around the block, onto a gravel road, which we went down for two miles before I said, “Okay, pull right over here.”

  “Where am I parking?”

  “On the side of the road, city boy,” I teased.

  He smiled, but just as quickly, his brows pulled together.

  “Grab your shades and follow my sexy ass,” I instructed, and he obeyed.

  We headed into the nearby woods, onto a beaten path.

  “Just so you know, I think it’s a terrible idea to try and murder your PR rep right now. I won’t be here to save your ass in the press from this.”

  “Whatever. Just trust me.”

  “I do trust you,” he said, and as I turned, I didn’t see a trace of playfulness in his expression.

  It was an odd comment, considering he seemed so shocked when I’d said the same thing about him, but something about it made my chest feel full. Just as soon, his gaze shifted to the ground, like he had something on his mind, something weighing on him, but he bit down on his bottom lip.

  As we continued through the modest foliage, I shifted the conversation back to our shoot, talking about how I was sure Joshua and Zed were gabbing away to anyone who would listen about how they were famous all of a sudden.

  When we came to the familiar stream, I followed it along until we reached the drop-off, the water cascading into a wide pool at the base of the falls. The sunlight poured through the space overhead and glistened across the clear blue water.

  “God, that’s beautiful,” Dax said, and I appreciated that he could see what I always felt about the spot.

  “Glad you like it because this is our destination,” I said as I removed my shirt.

  “What are you doing? Oh shit. You’re not seriously about to take a dip.”

  “Nope,” I said as I began undoing my belt. “We’re taking a dip. Take off your damn clothes, Dax…unless you want me to help you.”

  He was too busy searching around for peering eyes to enjoy my joke.

  “No one fucking comes out here,” I assured him. “So come on.”

  He tried to stifle his smile, but it shone right on through as he took off his own shirt. We stripped down, and as I removed my boxers, he said, “Oh, we’re going skinny dipping?”

  “Fuck yeah, we are. Shouldn’t be any other kind of dipping. Why? You shy?”

  His expression turned serious again as he dropped trou, obviously impressed with himself.

  “Conceited about all the right things, aren’t you, Dax?”

  “Confident when I know there’s reason to be is more like it.”

  “You ready?” I asked.

  His eyes widened. “Oh, we’re jumping from here?” He headed to the edge and looked down.

  “You afraid of heights?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Good.” I wrapped my arms around him.

  “Holy hell!” he yelled as we jumped. The water splashed all around us as we plunged into the pool below. I released him, and we swam to the surface.

  “Motherfucker,” he said, laughing. The way the sun glistened in his eyes, the corners of his lips high on his cheeks as he grinned about as hard as I figured he could, assured me that I’d made the right call by taking him out here.

  “We can stand if we’re closer to the other side,” I told him, swimming a ways until I felt the bottom beneath my feet.

  He kept close to me and laughed, which made me ask, “What?”

  “I have to stand on my tippy-toes in this part, but you’re fine, aren’t you?”

  “Oh, duh,” I said, realizing I hadn’t walked far enough in, so we took a few steps until Dax could stand without straining his feet. His eyes shifted to the water cascading down the side of the drop-off, splashing and creating a white mist as it hit the bottom.

  “Welcome to Fever Falls,” I announced, waving to the landmark as though I were a tour guide.

  “Wait—that’s it? This entire town is named after this itty-bitty thing?”

  I couldn’t help myself. I fucking bowed over in a fit of hysterics over his surprise. “No, Dax. This isn’t it. Tell me you are not that gullible? No. We’re in Fever Creek. The falls are down about a mile from here. Considering how warm it is today, I bet it’s packed. But we’ll say this is our own private Fever Falls.”

  He laughed at my ruse as I moved closer to him.

  “Wow. Is that the joke you tell all the girls you bring out here?” Dax asked.

  “I’ve never brought anyone out here before.” I hadn’t really thought about it until he’d mentioned that. Guess I’d never had anyone I wanted to enjoy it with until I met him.

  His expression twitched about before his gaze settled on my lips. Hooking my arm around him, I pressed my hand against the small of his back. He didn’t resist, just moved right for it as our lips crushed together.

  God, I’d thought about that mouth a few times throughout the day, when I’d seen him on his phone on the sidelines during the shoot, when we’d exchanged glances and he’d smirked in just the right way. As I pushed my tongue between his lips, he opened that mouth so willingly.

  Keeping one hand on his back, I positioned my other against his face and ran the side of my thumb through the soft hairs across it. When I finally managed to pull away from him and gaze into those beautiful hazel eyes, I said, “How do you like my surprise?”

  He rolled his eyes. “It’s alright.”

  “Is this going to impress you enough to let me…” I slid my hand down his back, cupping that ass, feeling his erection pushing up against me.

  His hand found my ass cheek too, and he said, “Just don’t forget our deal.” He winked.

  “Oh God. I’ll have to remember that the sooner I get in there, the sooner you get in here.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Well, seems like I’ll have to take notes.”

  He didn’t seem to enjoy my teasing, just scanned my face. I wasn’t sure why. “You’re a hard man to figure out, Jace.”

  “I could say the same thing about you.”

  He still seemed puzzled—troubled even—and it was starting to worry me. “You’re looking really serious right now, Dax. Am I pressuring you too much about messing around?”<
br />
  “No, it wasn’t that.”

  “Then what was just on your mind? Why do you look so serious?”

  “I was talking to Benny earlier at Fever Pitch, and he told me about the time you saved his niece.”

  “Little Rae Bae, or so I call her. Yeah. I remember. Poor thing was shaken up, but she’s hardly been fazed by it. After it happened, I told her it was an adventure, like in the movies or in one of those books she read with her parents. She took to that pretty well. Now she tells the story all wide-eyed and like it was this great adventure she made it through.”

  “That’s what I was referring to. Isn’t it weird that you have a moment like that, pulling a girl from the second floor of a house while it’s on fire, but then finding out all the world cares about is that you saved a Shar-Pei?”

  Of course I’d thought about that plenty, but I was surprised by the way Dax seemed so rattled by it, as though there was more to this conversation than anything to do with my work. “It’s kind of funny to me, really. A little random. Plenty of guys do far more than anything I’ve ever done, but never get the praise for it. I can’t complain that I was lucky enough for it to happen to me. But something about it clearly plays on your mind. Something you want to talk about?”

  “I’ve been working in publicity for a long time, and it’s just strange how it all plays out. Even when they see all these pictures of you, none of them know the real Jace Kruse. They’re gonna see what they want to see and miss some important shit.”

  “Ah, you think there’s important shit here? Cute of you to say. But who gives a fuck about what anyone else thinks? I don’t do what I do because I need anyone else’s approval. You can’t live your life that way.”

  “My entire career is based on other people’s approval,” Dax pointed out. “Not of me, but my clients. I think that’s part of what fascinates me about you. You don’t seem to give many shits about what other people think.”

  “Not true. I care what you think…about this.” I kissed him again, and while I was being serious, I was also hoping to soothe his discomfort since I could tell how much it bothered him. Sliding my hand around his ass, I pushed my fingers into the crack between his cheeks. He pulled closer to me, his body, those muscles feeling so good pressed up against me. As I pulled away and looked into his eyes, I could tell he’d eased up.

  “I think I’m about ready…”

  “To bottom?”

  “To have another jump. First one to the top gets a blowjob.”

  I erupted into laughter as he slipped out of my grasp and started swimming toward the shore. I tailed behind him, knowing I was going to lose by his clear advantage and the fact that I was still chuckling as I made my way ashore. We hurried up on the well-worn path to the top, which Dax beat me to, hurling himself off effortlessly this time. And the little prick assured me with a wink and a flash of those pearly whites that I didn’t have to blow him right away.

  We stayed at the little private paradise for some time, goofing off and sneaking kisses, then dried off and returned to the car, heading back to my place.

  The conversation had shifted to more typical subjects. I told him about growing up in Fever Falls, and he talked about the difference in how he grew up in Los Angeles. We didn’t talk about more serious aspects of our childhoods. Kept it light. And there was an effortlessness to chatting with him that was enjoyable. He’d always seemed like this cool guy to hang out with, and even more fun when we got to do the other stuff too.

  19

  Dax

  On the way to Jace’s townhouse, we got to laughing as he told me a story about his buds at work. Once we arrived, he led me to the front door, and unlike previous times when one of us would invite the other to join him, there wasn’t any question about whether or not I was going to come in. He simply set his hand on my back and urged me inside.

  “Did you want to shower up?” Jace asked.

  “Well, we’re not beating around the bush, are we?” I spun around to him as he closed the door.

  “Hahaha. I mean, I figured you’d want to wash off, but if you prefer, we can get clean and dirty together.” He winked, and a rush of excitement jolted through me.

  It wasn’t only his suggestion, but everything about the way he looked at me. He had this way of seeming so hungry for me, so ready to take me at any moment. I knew I was going to bottom for him that night. I’d known since we were swimming around in the stream he’d taken me to. The way he grabbed my ass, the way he just wanted what he likely felt was already his…I wanted to give it to him so fucking bad.

  I wasn’t typically a fan of bottoming, but surely a guy like Jace could make anyone want a lot of things they wouldn’t have considered outside of him. Plus, there was the added bonus of knowing it was in the service of helping him understand what it would be like when he bottomed for me, which…oh, what a lovely perk that was.

  “When you make a shower sound like such a good idea, how can I resist?” I said.

  He guided me upstairs, into his room, reminding me of the last time I was there and how much fun we had.

  We stripped down once again, and stepped into his walk-in shower.

  “Go on, you can rinse off first,” Jace said.

  I stood under the stream and took some liquid soap from a bottle on a shelf in the corner of the wall, and then we swapped places. I lathered my hands up and ran them in circles over my body, studying Jace as the water raced down that chiseled body. We washed off for a bit, swapping off occasionally until during one of our switches, Jace grabbed my cock.

  “Getting a little hard already,” he noted. “I think we have an issue, though.” He appeared to be remembering some important fact. “Didn’t I owe you a blowjob?”

  I laughed at my jokey bet when I raced him to the top of the drop-off, but he got down on his knees, sliding his hand up from my sac to my shaft, gripping the base, then running his tongue up from his hand to the head. He wasn’t as reluctant as he’d been those first times when he’d played with my dick. I closed my eyes and rolled my head back, focusing on the way he teased my cock, offering warm licks before sliding my cock between his lips, taking just a bit. My leg twitched, some innate response to how worked up Jace was getting me just by touching me.

  I’d fucked a lot of men in my life, enough to know the difference between the usual physical stimulation and real electric chemistry, which we had in spades.

  Oh, damn, how we had it.

  He stopped and pulled back. “Fuck, you’re precoming a lot,” he said.

  “Sorry.” Although I wasn’t. If anything, I was thrilled to be as hot for him as I was.

  He pushed to his feet and licked his lips. “Not a problem. Just surprised me, is all.” He took my lips and guided me back against the wall, pushing his hard-on against me, his wet skin slick as we rubbed up against one another.

  I was all nerves, my body trembling in eager anticipation for every kiss…every caress. When his mouth pulled away from mine, I was almost pissed with him for depriving me of its taste for even a fucking moment.

  He trailed his hand down my arm and said, “I want to take you in my bed.”

  There was an intensity behind his words that warmed my cheeks.

  He turned off the water, and as we dried off, our lips found their way together again and again and again. We were still a little wet when we slid into his bed, lying side by side, our hands probing one another, exploring as I rolled on top of him.

  “I’m supposed to be giving you a blowjob,” he said, breaking our lip-lock and rolling once again to position himself on top.

  Crawling down the bed, he continued his exploration of my body, kissing and licking in a frenzy, like he was working to make up for all the time in his life he’d spent without having experienced a man’s body like that.

  20

  Jace

  I was about to go down on a man.

  I was shocked by how much I enjoyed having that dick sliding along my tongue. And what made it even
better was knowing how much Dax wanted it. God, when he moaned, when I peeked up and caught him closing his eyes and simply savoring the experience, that was the hottest thing I’d ever seen.

  On my knees, I lifted his thick girth and slid my mouth on it, tasting that flavor I’d come to expect from Dax, just as I’d come to expect that fresh hint of cologne, only enough to get my senses all riled up over him.

  I took my time at first, adjusting to the experience, reflecting on when he’d told me to breathe that first time. As I was able to get him farther back into my mouth, he ran his hand through my hair, stroking me.

  “Yes, Jace, just like that.”

  I moved my hand and mouth together, up and down, speeding up as I gained confidence in my abilities, then snuck another glance up at him. He had his head thrown back, his free hand over his head. He jerked his hips slightly, and I tasted some more of his precum. I took a break from sucking to lick his head and enjoy every bit of it.

  I was rock-hard, and I jerked on it with my free hand as I followed my inspiration, kissing down his shaft, to his balls, licking them, pressing my face right up against them, and then taking to the flesh right beneath them, to the curve of his ass.

  What the hell am I doing?

  I didn’t fucking care. Goddammit, I had to have him.

  With Dax’s cock still in my grip, I raised my head and asked, “You mind if I eat you out?” I was fucking possessed by these impulses.

  Dax’s eyes popped open, and he glanced down at me, his mouth agape like he was shocked by my request.

  Locking his thighs in the crooks of my arms, I positioned that ass before me.

  Strange to think I was about to lick another man’s ass, but damned if it didn’t feel like the hottest thing ever, and I was brimming with confidence as I fucking went for it.

  I traced it with the tip of my tongue. I’d gone down on plenty of women, so it had to be the same idea. I licked and teased away, working to own that hole, to reassure Dax that I was pretty damn good for never having done this before. I was determined to impress him.

  Licks transformed into kisses, and then I finally managed to force myself back, lick my finger, and run it along the edges. I pushed gently, nudging my way back into him with my forefinger. Amazing how tight a hole could be, so tight one would have never guessed a big fat cock could fit up in it.