by Dani Jace
She ached to be a part of the family again.
Ray returned sweaty and grimy, but looking totally edible. His navy T-shirt bulged in all the right places. How could any man look so hot in bulky turnout pants?
Before returning home, she hadn’t thought of sex in months. Now every time he was near, her body tightened with desire.
“Come on. I’ll get your truck off the bike.” His hulky form slid behind the wheel.
The sound of the Broncosaurus mangling the rest of the bike beneath its rear wheels set Jo’s teeth on edge. Another firefighter tossed the twisted heap to the wrecker driver.
Ray hopped from her truck and held the driver’s door open. She shrugged off his coat and immediately missed his essence. How many women had been so lucky? A firefighter’s gear was sacred. “Thanks again.”
His gaze wandered to her chest. “Didn’t want everyone to see you could win a wet T-shirt contest, Dahlin’.”
Adrenaline and cold water had her nipples at attention beneath her clinging tank top. Heat scorched her cheeks. “Shit.”
“You’ve been saying that a lot today.” He smiled in his easy way. “Can you drive?”
“No problem.” She’d sounded stronger than she felt.
“You did a good job, Jo. Kept your head.” With a large, steady finger, he lifted her chin. His soft gaze held compassion.
It would’ve been so easy to melt against him. For shelter. For comfort. Hope for total fulfillment of all of her fantasies. He pressed a tender kiss to her cheek. The scratch of his stubble shot a jolt of sensual need low in her belly.
“Have a beer when you get home.”
She straightened, donned a tough expression and climbed into the seat. “Jack Daniels.”
“Good man.” He shut the door. “But he’ll kick your ass if you’re not careful.”
“Yeah, like a lot of men.” She winked and yanked her SUV into drive.
As soon as she walked into the house, Bobby handed her a whiskey on the rocks. The glass smoked with cold vapor.
“Ray?”
He nodded. “Rough day?”
Terror followed by ecstasy. “Practicing first responder skills.”
While she held the frosty drink to her forehead, her shorts beeped. She drew her phone from her pocket and read Ray’s text.
Cheers Dahlin’ H2CUS! Text code for hope to see you soon. After a swig of her cocktail, she touched her cheek where his lips had been.
She could do with more of the ecstasy.
