by J. H. Croix
Due to its proximity to Anchorage and the pristine coast nearby, Willow Brook often saw some of the earliest tourists. I stepped to the back of the line and glanced around. There were a few familiar faces mixed in, but the balance was definitely starting to shift.
I was here on a coffee run from the office at lunch and had a list of sandwiches to pick up as well. Janet caught my eye from behind the counter and winked. Her attention shifted away quickly as she handed over someone’s coffee and rang them up.
“Hey,” a voice said from behind me. Glancing back, I found Maisie standing there, brushing her curls out of her eyes.
“Hey, lunch run?” I asked.
“For me and Rex. He forgot to bring the lunch Georgie made for him this morning, so he called me on my way into the station. Em is working today since it’s an in-service day at school, so we’ve got her doing training duty on the dispatch line. With Rex there for backup, she can handle it.”
The bell jingled again. When I looked back, my pulse kicked up a notch when I saw Remy walking in. The moment his eyes landed on me, my heart did a little happy dance, and heat radiated from my core, spinning through my body.
Maisie glanced back, a grin stretching across her face. “Hey, Remy, are you on coffee duty for the guys?”
He smiled, nodding as he stepped to my side. Bending low, he pressed a kiss to my lips, then slipped his arm around my waist, tugging me right up to his side. It had been a month since his bout of pneumonia, and I’d all but moved in with him at this point.
He’d insisted on helping me move my clothes and everything I wanted from my kitchen last weekend, declaring it was silly for me to be running home every other day.
“Hey,” I said, glancing up into his warm gaze. Butterflies spun in my belly at the look in his eyes.
“Hey,” he replied. “What are you doing here?”
“Getting lunch and coffee for everybody at the office.”
“No need to answer me,” Maisie teased.
Remy glanced over and grinned. “Sorry ’bout that. Yup, I’m on coffee duty for the guys.”
“Next time, call me first,” Maisie replied with a grin.
Remy’s hand was resting on my hip, and he gave it a squeeze. In the time since I stopped fighting how I felt about him, I’d come to learn Remy was all about affection all the time. He bordered on possessive, and I didn’t mind it, not one bit. Remy didn’t carry the underlying jealousy and greed Bruce had exhibited, that had left me feeling so unsettled. With Remy, it was all about just being wrapped up in the heartbeat of intimacy that pounded between us.
He dipped his head again, pressing a kiss to my cheek and then to each corner of my mouth. Sweet hell, those corner kisses just melted me. It didn’t matter that we were in the middle of Firehouse Café, surrounded by people with one of my closest friends standing nearby. I lost sight of everything but Remy.
Maisie’s laugh broke into my awareness. “Hey, line’s moving. You’re holding people up now.”
Looking ahead, I saw there was a gap between me and Remy and the rest of the line, not to mention that a few other customers had come in behind him. My cheeks felt hot, but I shrugged, stepping forward with Maisie following.
“You two are ridiculous,” she stated with a grin.
Remy didn’t even bother to reply, but Janet responded when we reached the counter. “No worse than you and Beck,” she said with a roll of her eyes.
Maisie didn’t even blush. “We’re not as bad now that we have kids, and it’s not nearly as romantic.”
“Bullshit. That man can’t keep his hands off of you, even at the station,” Remy said with a chuckle.
We got our coffees and sandwiches, and Maisie hurried away to make it to the station on time while Remy walked me to my car. He carried a bag of sandwiches in one hand with a tray of coffees balanced atop that. He still managed to open my car door for me.
Once I buckled my seatbelt, he leaned down and fit his mouth over mine, his tongue sweeping inside. In a matter of seconds, our kiss was hot and heavy, and I forgot where we were until the sound of a car door slamming nearby snapped me out of it.
Kissing Remy was like diving into a fire, where everything around me disappeared into the heat and the flames. I kept thinking the feeling would fade. Maybe someday, it would. For now, I was noticing it was actually getting worse.
“Tonight,” he murmured, his words a promise.
Epilogue
Rachel
Six months later
“Henry!” I called as he suddenly took off running. We were on one of my favorite trails for an afternoon run. The air had a bite to it, with summer over and autumn taking hold.
Autumn in Alaska was a blink—color exploding at your feet, and a dash of color fluttering through the sky before snow blanketed the landscape. Yellow and gold flashed in my periphery as I picked up my jog to a flat-out run. Lately, Henry had been doing much better about sticking with me when we were running on the trails, but he still had his moments.
Rounding a corner on the trail, my foot slipped on the damp leaves masking slightly muddy ground underneath. I fell down into the leaves, relieved I didn’t hit anything hard. Looking ahead, I saw Remy standing there with Henry circling his legs.
“You could’ve let me know you were coming to meet us,” I called.
Remy glanced up, and promptly stole my breath. Dear God. He was so damn sexy and handsome. Concern crossed his features as he strode toward me. With the sun angling through the trees as it dipped down along the horizon, gold glinted on his hair, casting his features into shadow.
He moved with an easy grace, his arms swinging and his shoulders outlined by his fitted T-shirt. He reached me, kneeling down at my side. “I didn’t realize you were so close. You okay?”
“I’m fine, just a little muddy.”
“Just a little muddy?” he asked, a grin stretching slowly across his face.
Remy’s grins never failed to send butterflies spinning in my belly. He held a hand out. I reached up a muddy hand in return, warning, “You’re gonna get mud all over you.”
“That’s quite all right, sweetheart,” he replied as he tugged me up.
He pulled me straight into his arms, releasing my hand and sliding his palm down to cup my bottom. “I think I want to see a muddy print on that sweet ass,” he murmured, right before he fit his mouth over mine.
There we were, in the middle of the woods, me with mud all over my back, and Remy kissing me, somehow making me feel as if I were the sexiest woman in the world.
He did that. All it took was a look, a touch, or a kiss.
Every.
Single.
Time.
By the time he drew back, I was barely able to stand, fire sliding through my veins and making my knees weak.
“I just came to see if you wanted to grab dinner tonight.”
“You walked a half mile on the trail to see if I wanted to have dinner tonight?” I asked with a laugh.
He nodded. “Of course, sweetheart. I saw your car. I knew you two were going for a run this afternoon, and I didn’t want to wait to see you.”
“Do you mean dinner out?” At his nod, I smiled. “Of course. I need to shower first though.”
“I’ll join you for that,” he murmured in reply. The gruff sound of his drawl never failed to make my heart beat a little faster.
He followed me home, home being his house now. Lately, he’d declared repeatedly that I needed to stop calling it his house and call it our house.
Remy tugged me into the shower with him when we got home. I couldn’t say I’d thought much about it before—because I’d never been with a man who made me feel the way Remy did—but there was never a time when I didn’t want him.
With steaming water pounding down around us, I found myself held in his arms, the cool tile pressing against my back as he sank inside of me, filling me in one deep surge. After he left me limp and sated from an explosive orgasm, I looked over as we were drying
off, taking in the chiseled, cut lines of his muscles. Although my body was still tingling from the pleasure he’d sent spinning through me, I itched to touch him again already. Looking up, he caught my eye and winked.
“I think we should have dinner here,” I said.
He tied the towel around his waist, his gaze considering. “Okay.”
I couldn’t say why, but I sensed something simmering under the surface with him. We’d settled into a comfortable routine with each other. All my worries after everything happened with Bruce had come to naught with Remy.
Speaking of Bruce, he’d left Willow Brook when I wasn’t even paying attention. Rex had let me know. Even now, I couldn’t describe the joy and relief I felt in realizing I had truly moved beyond the hold he had on me. The weight of fear I had carried was gone.
With Remy, everything was different. Being with him was easy. His strength was something I still leaned on. Yet, the gentleness that lay underneath was what defined him as a man. I savored his possessiveness, if only because I knew it came with no malice. It was simply that he was the man for me.
Remy
I meant to have it be an event, something special. But when Rachel said she wanted to have dinner at home, I couldn’t say no. Hell, I couldn’t say no to anything she asked.
Especially not when she was naked after her shower, her skin flushed pink all over from the steam. Most definitely not with the sharp memory of her slick pussy clenching around my cock only moments prior.
So, instead of over wine and candlelight, I proposed to her in our kitchen, with Henry snoring where he was sprawled out on the floor in the middle of the room.
“What?” she asked, her eyes widening.
“I hope you’ll marry me,” I repeated. “When you’re ready.” I paused, having to clear my throat to speak through the emotion catching in it. “I know, maybe…”
A tear rolled down her cheek, and she stood from where she was sitting on the stool across from me, hurrying around the counter and flinging her arms around me. I held her fast against me, feeling the thud of her heartbeat against mine. Leaning back, she cupped my cheeks in her hands and dusted kisses all over my face.
“You haven’t answered,” I said.
“Yes. Of course, yes,” she said, becoming perfectly still in front of me. “There was never any doubt.”
Another tear rolled down her cheek, and I lifted my thumb to brush it away. “What are those tears for?” I asked as concern tightened my chest.
“Those are happy tears,” she replied with a smile.
“Happy tears? I don’t like it when you cry.”
She rolled her eyes, leaning forward to kiss me. When she drew back, her lips were a whisper away from mine. “I know you don’t. I promise, those are good tears. You timed it perfectly.”
“I did? I meant to take you out for dinner in Anchorage, but I couldn’t say no when you said you wanted to have dinner here.”
A wide smile stretched across her face. “Good thing I can’t say no to you either.”
“Why is it perfect?”
“Because I fell down in the mud today, and you helped me up. Just like last spring.”
“I’ll always help you up.”
“I know.”
Then, she was stepping between my knees and winding her arms around my neck. Every kiss reminded me again and again and again why loving her was worth the risk.
Thank you for reading Crash & Burn - I hope you loved Rachel & Remy’s story!
I have a new series coming soon - squee! This Crazy Love will be the first book in the Swoon Series, coming in May 2019 - small town southern romance with enough heat to melt you! I promise you this series has plenty of alpha men with hearts of gold & sassy women who bring them to their knees!
Jackson & Shay’s story is epic - steamy & intensely emotional. Jackson just happens to be Shay’s brother’s best friend. He’s also seriously easy on the eyes. Shay has a past, the kind of past she would most definitely like to forget. Past or not, Jackson is about to rock her world. Don’t miss their story!
Keep reading for a sneak peek!
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Excerpt: This Crazy Love
Shay
I climbed out of my car, wincing slightly as the door squeaked when I tried to shut it. With a little extra push, it closed all the way. My car was a bit like me. It was hanging in there, but it was rough around the edges. I was rather attached to it. In fact, lately, I felt more kindly toward my car than myself.
Before my thoughts meandered too far down that path—a well-worn rut of recrimination and regret—my attention was snagged by a small horse galloping across the pasture in front of me. The horse was almost black with three white feet, as if it were missing a sock. When I was a little girl, I had ridden horses for years and had missed being around them deeply.
The horse angled to the side, just enough for me to see its tail flick behind it and notice it was a male. The horse kicked its back feet up in the air and then turned to face the fence again. A white star stood out in the center of his forehead.
I was so absorbed in watching, I didn’t quite notice what he was about to do until he came sailing over the fence in a beautiful jump, the kind that would’ve gotten him a ribbon in a show. Except we weren’t in a show, and he’d just jumped out of the pasture. The horse came running straight for me, skidding to a stop before snorting and pawing at the ground.
Just as I was about to reach out, he spun around and dashed off again, kicking dirt in my face.
“Mischief!” a voice called.
Sputtering, I dragged my sleeve across my face. Looking ahead, I saw a man in the distance. A loud whistle followed his call. I wondered if that was Jackson Stone. I wasn’t close enough to see from here. Whoever it was, he walked with an easy strength and grace along the fence line.
Taking a deep breath, I glanced around. I’d left before dawn this morning. A few hours of driving got me here just as the sun was rising behind the mountains. The famous blue haze over the Blue Ridge Mountains was shot through with gold from the sun’s early rays.
My gaze made its way back to the horse I presumed to be Mischief. He slowed to a trot as the man approached him and then came to a stop, docilely lowering his head as the man slipped a halter on him. I watched as they turned toward me again. It was a minute or so before they reached me, but I recognized Jackson once he was close enough.
I once had a bit of a crush on Jackson, years back. Growing up, he’d been my brother’s closest friend. He remained one of Remy’s best friends, even though they didn’t live anywhere near each other now.
With his shaggy brown curls and his piercing blue eyes, it was fair to say I was not the only girl who had a crush on him. I didn’t think it was quite possible, but when he stopped in front of me, he was somehow more sinfully handsome than he had been before.
He wore scuffed leather boots with jeans, and a black T-shirt that didn’t do much of anything to obscure the fact that he had a body to die for, all muscle and hard planes.
Stopping in front of me, his mouth curled into a slow smile. “How’s it going, Shay?”
“Aside from getting dirt kicked in my face, I’m fine,” I said with a laugh.
Jackson’s smile turned sheepish with a shrug. “Sorry ’bout that. Mischief lives up to his name.” He glanced to the horse in question, giving him an affectionate rub under his chin. “Mischief, this is Shay, and she’s a friend. So, be nice. He doesn’t listen too well,” he added with a glance to me.
As if he understood and to prove Jackson wrong, Mischief lifted his nose, gently nudging my shoulder with it. Despite teasing, I didn’t really care about getting dirt kicked in my face. Dirt was the least of my worries. I lifted a hand and scratched between Mischief’s ears, rewarded when he lowered his head and rubbed against my shoulder again.
When I looked back to Jackson, h
is blue gaze had darkened. A prickle ran up my spine, and I wondered if coming here had been the smartest move. Problem was, it was my only move. I didn’t have any other good options.
I forced a smile and replied, “Well, he listens to you.”
A grin stretched across Jackson’s face, and my belly executed a little flip. Oh my.
“He listens when he wants and that’s about it. Let me get him back in the pasture, and I’ll take you inside.”
I watched as Jackson strolled across the parking area toward the fence Mischief had just cleared in an easy jump, as if it was nothing more than a minor nuisance. Opening the gate, Jackson slipped his halter off and patted him on the rump as Mischief flicked his tail before trotting off to join a cluster of horses in the far corner of the pasture.
“Need help carrying anything inside?” Jackson asked as he stopped beside me.
His eyes traveled to my beat-up little hatchback. If he had an opinion about it, he stayed quiet. Once upon a time—which felt like forever ago at this point—I had a pretty good life.
I certainly had a car in better shape and enough money to get by. Now, I didn’t want to tell anyone how much I needed this place to stay right now. I had maybe twenty-five bucks left in my bank account. Certainly not enough to get a new car, or cover any repairs. My little car was one of the few things that had seen me through both good and bad and was still chugging along, albeit a little banged up.
I watched Jackson’s gaze coast over my car, hoping he didn’t wonder about the dent just underneath the window in the driver’s side door. A fist had left that behind. I didn’t have the money to fix it and had learned insurance didn’t cover people punching your car.
“Shay?” Jackson asked, his voice nudging me out of this ditch on memory lane, where I tended to get trapped.
