by James, Elle
He fisted his hands on his hips. “You do if you want to get down off the roof. I’m not giving you the ladder until you lose those ridiculous shoes.”
She frowned. “Do you promise to catch them?”
“Hell, no.”
“Then I’m not dropping them.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Without her hands on the roof, she slipped a few inches. Her eyes widened, and she slapped both palms flat on the shingles. “Okay, okay.” With one hand on the roof, she slipped the straps off the backs of her heels. Then she leaned toward the edge and held out her hand with the shoes dangling from her fingertips. “Are the bushes right below my hand?”
“Seriously?” Daniel shook his head. “Yes, the bushes are below your hand. Now, drop the shoes before you fall and break your damn neck.”
Lola pouted. “You don’t have to be so grumpy. Do you have any idea how much these cost?”
“No,” he bit out, his jaw tightening. “But they sure as hell aren’t worth your life.”
“That’s your opinion.” She sighed. “Here goes. But if they’re damaged, I’m blaming you.”
“Blame me. I don’t give a rat’s ass.”
Lola let go of the shoes then released a breath.
No doubt she’d listened for a thunk and had been reassured when her shoes’ fall was cushioned by the azalea bushes. Again, he shook his head.
Good for his word, Daniel propped the extension ladder against the eaves and started up.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Daniel hid a smile. “Saving a damsel in distress.”
“I told you, I can climb down on my own.”
“You’d deprive a knight in shining armor from doing his duty?” He didn’t slow until he reached the top.
Lola snorted and muttered beneath her breath, “Knight, my pearly-white ass.”
Daniel stopped near the top and took a moment to admire the picture she made in her tiny shorts and top. The woman was flashing more skin than most women did on a beach. “Do you want off this roof or not?”
Lola bit her bottom lip. “Well, since you’re here…I guess you can help.” She eased to the edge. “Climbing up was a lot easier than getting back down.” She chewed on her lip as she scooted her bottom along the shingles to the edge.
“Turn over and lie on your stomach. I’ll guide your feet to the first rung.”
She frowned. “Are you sure that’ll work?”
“Positive.” He snapped his fingers, impatiently. “Hurry up. I don’t have all day.”
“Bossy much?” she groused and did as he said.
With her bottom in the air and her legs within reach, she presented Daniel a different perspective than he was used to. Instantly, he developed a great appreciation for her pearly-white ass. “You shouldn’t climb up ladders without someone to spot you, Ms. Engel.” He wrapped a hand around one trim ankle and guided her pretty foot to the rung. “You could fall and break those sexy legs.”
“What did you say?” She jerked around and almost slid off the roof, taking him with her.
“Hey, watch what you’re doing!” Daniel steadied her with his hands on her silky thighs then eased the other foot onto the ladder in front of him.
“You shouldn’t say things like that when you have a woman in such a precarious situation.”
“Well, it’s true.” He wrapped an arm around her and held onto the ladder.
“Which part? The part about falling, or the part about my sexy legs?” she asked, her attention on the rungs in front of her face.
“Both,” he said against her hair. “Now, I’ll take a step, and then you can take a step.”
One rung at a time, they eased down the ladder. The entire way, Daniel inhaled the scent of honeysuckle. He glanced at the ground, searching for the source, but couldn’t find one. That’s when he realized what he smelled was Lola.
He inhaled, startled at the lust coiling in his groin. Shit, the woman had to be ten or twelve years older than him.
And probably had a lot of experience in bed.
Daniel shook his head. Forget it. She had a thing for his partner, Chance.
Her tight ass bumped into his belly several times on the way down, causing more discomfort in his tightening jeans.
What the hell? The woman was a nuisance. She liked crying wolf just to catch the attention of a man so much younger. And Chance didn’t have a clue, nor would he appreciate a woman like Lola. “Do you work out or something?” Daniel asked, before he could stop himself.
“Every day. Since my husband died, I’ve taken up yoga and running. Why do you ask?”
“It shows.”
“Oh.” She paused for a second, and then continued, “Well, thank you.”
When they reached the ground, Daniel stepped back, his body hot, his pulse pounding. “Ms. Engel, you’ve got to stop calling 911. One of these days, you’ll have a real emergency, and no one will take you seriously.”
She stared up at him, her eyes wide with fake innocence. “I really couldn’t get off the roof.”
Daniel narrowed his eyes. “I know what you’re up to.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She spun away to retrieve her shoes from the bushes.
“Chance Grayson is not that into you,” Flannigan pointed out.
Eyes narrowed, Lola lifted her chin. “He will be.”
Daniel shook his head. “Why would he be? I mean, you’re probably old enough to be his mother.”
Lolo spun on Daniel. “You need to take that back, right now. I’d have to have given birth when I was a small child myself. And what’s wrong with a younger man dating an older woman?”
“Well…” Daniel rubbed the back of his neck while he looked around for an escape. “It’s just that older women aren’t as attractive to younger men.”
“Is that so?” She stepped up to him, pressing her breasts against his chest. “Are you saying you don’t find me attractive?”
“Now, don’t go puttin’ words in my mouth. I told you that you have sexy legs. I don’t say that about just anyone. Besides, you shouldn’t go fishin’ for compliments. You might not be happy with what you catch.”
“No?” With a catlike smile stretching her lips, Lola walked a finger up his chest and over his chin. “What if I like what I catch?”
He grabbed her finger in his big hand. “You like Grayson. Leave me out of this.”
“A woman has a right to change her mind.” She pulled the hand he held toward her and pressed it to her chest, running his knuckles across the swells of her breasts. “And just so you know, they’re real.” She winked up at him and pressed her hips against his.
Damned if his cock didn’t rise to the occasion.
Flannigan stared into her gaze, fighting to keep his hands from clasping her thighs and wrapping her sexy legs around his waist. Finally, he settled on grabbing her arms and pushing her to arm’s length, away from his growing erection. “Woman, you’re really playing with fire, here.”
“Oh, I’m not afraid of getting burned.” Lola batted her eyes, swept her tongue across her full, luscious lips and tilted her chin in challenge. “Are you?”
Something inside Flannigan snapped. “Fuck no,” he muttered. With his hands still on her arms, he slammed her to his chest and crushed his mouth over hers.
At first blaming it on her taunting, his kiss was angry, vengeful and harsh. But the sweet, minty taste of her mouth and that damned scent of honey-suckle wrapped around his senses. He skimmed the seam of her lips with his tongue.
When she gasped and dropped her shoes, he thrust through, caressing her mouth with fevered strokes, imitating the age-old motion of mating. His dick responded, growing so hard Flannigan could barely breathe.
At first rigid, Lola’s body was like a brick against his, her hands pressed flat against his chest. As the kiss continued, she softened, and then leaned into him. She raised her hands, entwining them around his neck to pull him closer.
What had
started as a lesson in his ability to control the situation, ended in Flannigan getting schooled by the teacher.
CHAPTER 3
HOLY HOT TAMALES! Lola’s body turned traitor. She’d tempted the big firefighter out of a need to prove he was wrong and prove that an older woman could be every bit as sexy as a younger one. What she hadn’t expected was for him to go along with it. And she certainly hadn’t expected to like it.
Once the kiss began, she had every intention of being the one to break it off and laugh in his face. But, holy guacamole! Now, she wasn’t sure she needed to breathe as much as she needed Flannigan’s lips on hers. In fact, she couldn’t seem to get close enough to the man. Too many inches were between them, though their bodies were pressed together. No, inches weren’t the problem.
Clothes were.
She slid her calf around the back of his and upward, until her crotch straddled his thick thigh. Her pussy ached for more, and rubbing against him only increased the heat.
After what felt like a lifetime and yet must have been only a moment, Flannigan lifted his head and stared down into her gaze. His big, rough hands had migrated along her back. His eyes narrowed at the same time his fingers tightened around her ass.
Lola’s head spun, and her lips throbbed. Her breathing was labored as if she’d been running a marathon. Through the fog of her thoughts, one emerged, Burn, baby burn.
She swallowed hard and went for bravado. “What’s the matter, big guy? Never kiss a real woman, before?”
“I’ve kissed plenty of women,” he said. “Some more experienced than you.”
“Yeah, did they make you lose control?” she asked, liking the feel of his hands on her buttocks—warm, hard, and strong.
“I’m always in control,” he said, his brows dipping.
“Uh-huh.” She nodded toward the house across the street. “Do you always prefer an audience when you kiss a woman?”
Flannigan shot a glance over his shoulder at Lola’s neighbor.
Mr. Harden was the nosey old man she loved to flash when he spied on her through his binoculars.
Flannigan glared at the man. “What the hell?”
“Mr. Harden’s harmless. He just likes to watch.” She tilted her head, a smile twitching at the edges of her lips. “Care to come in for a glass of iced tea? It’s the least I can offer after you rescued me from the rooftop.”
He hesitated, and then shook his head. “I should get going.” He released her bottom and stepped back.
Lola resisted the urge to sink her fingernails into his arms. Instead, she stepped back as well and shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She turned and glanced over her shoulder. “Is Chance on duty tomorrow?” She knew perfectly well he was, along with Flannigan.
The firefighter frowned. “I meant what I said. You have to stop calling 911 unless it’s a real emergency.”
Lola stooped to grab the shoes she’d dropped, giving Flannigan and Mr. Harden an extra-sexy glimpse of her bottom beneath the hem of the shorts.
Something very much like a growl sounded behind her.
“Damn it, woman.” Flannigan said. “Grayson isn’t into you.”
She turned and raised an eyebrow. “And you are?”
“I didn’t say that,” he muttered.
“Good, because I don’t think you’re man enough for a woman like me.”
His chest swelled, and his eyes flared. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Lola raked her gaze over him from the top of his head to his boots, taking in the tattoos, the dirty jeans, and ripped T-shirt stretching impossibly tight over his broad chest.
Her heart thumped hard against her chest, but she forced calm to her face. “Seems like a man with tattoos is covering up something or compensating for what he lacks in other areas.” She shot a meaningful glance at his package.
She had no doubt the man was equipped, based on the impressive bulge beneath the denim. And no doubt he was proud of it, like most men.
When she raised her face to his, she swallowed a gasp.
Anger blazed from his eyes. “My tattoos have nothing to do with compensation.”
She shrugged. “So you say.” Lola turned and walked away, placing one foot in front of the other for maximum hip action. “Don’t let me keep you. I’m sure you have younger women to impress with your…manliness. I’ll take my chances on a real man.”
A more sinister growl sounded behind her, and the next thing Lola knew, a heavy hand yanked her around, and she was flung over a broad shoulder. Strong arms clamped like vices around her thighs.
“Hey! Put me down!” Lola braced her hands on his back and pushed against rock-hard muscles.
Flannigan didn’t slow as he marched toward her front door.
With her gut being jounced on his shoulder, Lola could barely catch her breath. “Let…me…down…you Neanderthal.” She pounded his back.
The beast came to an abrupt halt.
Lola pushed herself farther upright and caught a glimpse of Mr. Harden staring at the couple, wide-eyed.
“Let me down, or I’ll scream,” Lola said. “Mr. Harden is watching us. He’ll call the sheriff and have your ass arrested for molesting me.”
“You wish.” He shoved open her door, turned and waved at Mr. Harden. “She didn’t want to walk barefoot,” he called out loud enough for the older man to hear. Then he slapped a heavy palm against Lola’s bottom, hard enough to make her jump.
She should have been angry, but the smack had an entirely different effect.
Desire coiled in the pit of her belly, and her thighs burned where his hand and arm held her tightly.
Having a strong, sexy firefighter throw her over his shoulder and carry her away to make mad, passionate love was every woman’s dream.
But Flannigan was the wrong firefighter.
He stepped inside and shoved the door closed behind him with his boot. “Apologize,” he demanded.
“For what?” Lola wiggled. “You’ve made your point. You’re a caveman. You have muscles.” And a great ass.
“Is Chance’s ass why you’re so hot on him?”
Lola bit her lip. “Did I say ass out loud?”
“Yeah, and you still haven’t apologized.”
“For what? Calling it as I see it?”
His grip tightened. “For bad-mouthing my tattoos.”
“Put me down, and I might just give you that apology.” Now that Lola had noticed his firm butt in the faded jeans, she couldn’t stop staring. Just when she considered lowering her hands down his back to touch him there, he hiked her up in the air and dropped her body to cradle her in his arms.
The movement placed her face so close to his, she only had to turn her head a little and her lips would be within kissing distance.
“The apology?” he prompted.
Lola raised her gaze from his lips and stared into his eyes, her pulse hammering, pushing hot blood through her veins. “What?”
“Apology? Tattoos?”
Flannigan didn’t even break a sweat holding her above the ground. Lola shifted her gaze from his eyes to the view of his chest at the V of his neckline. “Why so touchy about the tats?”
“They hold special meaning.”
She huffed. “Of your old girlfriends?”
“No, of the men I fought with in the Army. The men who came back in body bags.”
Lola looked up, guilt twitching in her gut. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
He nodded and dropped her feet to the ground, retaining his grip around her waist. “Now, you do.”
Lola traced the little bit of a tattoo she could see on his chest and neck. “Those men must have meant a lot.”
“They were my brothers.” He caught her finger and lifted it to his lips. “Promise me you won’t call 911 unless you have an emergency.” Holding her gaze, he pressed his mouth to the tip of her finger.
Her finger tingled where his lips touched it. A spark flowed from that point all the way south, making her p
ussy clench. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, this?” He kissed her finger again. “It’s best that I focus on your hand.”
“As opposed to focusing on what?”
“What I really want to do.”
Her heart fluttered then pounded against her ribs. She curled her fingers and dragged her nails down the front of his chest. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll ravage your body?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m afraid I’ll do this.” Flannigan scooped her up by the backs of her thighs, wrapped her legs around his waist and turned to press her against the wall. His mouth crashed down on hers, stealing away her breath.
Who needs to breathe, anyway? Lola wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, her tongue meeting his in a duel for supremacy. She locked her legs around his waist and sank lower, rubbing her pussy across the bulge of his cock. She wanted much more than a kiss.
While he kissed her, she grabbed a handful of his T-shirt and dragged it up his body.
Flannigan lifted his head, fisted his shirt in his hand and ripped it over his head, flinging it to the floor.
He worked at the tiny buttons of her shirt.
Frustrated, Lola pushed aside his hands and freed the last button.
The firefighter pushed her shirt off her shoulders then nipped and kissed her collarbone, her chin, and the sensitive area below her ear.
Lola leaned her head to the side, giving him better access, while shrugging out of the shirt. Once free, she inhaled, her chest rising.
Flannigan accepted the invitation and rolled her nipple between his teeth, through the lacy cup of her bra.
A moan rose up in Lola’s throat, and she tightened her legs around him.
He pushed one of her bra straps over her shoulder and followed it downward, leaving a trail of kisses and nips.
“What are you doing to me?” she asked, every inch of her body on fire.
A low, warm chuckle rumbled in his chest. “If you don’t know by now, you’re not the experienced woman you claim to be.”
“I’ll show you experience,” she said, making room between her hips and his. She reached for the button of his jeans and thumbed it open. Then she lowered the zipper halfway and slipped her hand beneath the denim. Her lips twitching, she looked up into his face. “Commando?”
