Fanning the Flames

by Victoria Dahl

  She’d never felt more powerful. She wanted to do this again. In an hour. In the middle of the night. In the morning. She wanted to wake up like this, shaking and strong and whole and broken all at once.

  He slid free of her and she looked up at him and let him see how much she still wanted him.

  “Christ,” he panted. “Lauren. Just...” He sat on the bed as if his strings had been cut. Lauren pushed him the rest of the way down and pressed her body to his side.

  “God, I’ve been thinking about doing that,” she whispered.

  Eyes closed, he shook his head. “Women fantasize about that?”

  “I don’t know. I do.”

  “Again, if you’re trying to scare me away...”

  Laughing, she slapped his shoulder. “I can’t help it. It turns me on.”

  One eye popped open. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  He rose up on his elbow as she turned to her back. “I’m not sure I believe you,” he whispered, his hand trailing down to trace the curves of her breasts.

  “Oh,” she sighed as goose bumps spread over her skin.

  He kissed her breast, his mouth a whisper against her nipple, then a brand, so hot against her skin. He touched her like she wasn’t too old or too soft. Like she was perfect. Like he never wanted to forget the feel of her.

  His hand snuck beneath her panties and slipped into her heat. “Oh,” he said, his breath tightening her wet nipple. “You did like that.”

  Her laugh was strangled and tortured as he brushed her hard clit.

  “I love the sounds you make,” he said, touching her again and drawing another noise from her throat.

  Jake slipped her panties off and eased her higher on the bed, and then his mouth was on her, sucking and licking and pressing and pushing her to make more noise. She gave in gracefully, moaning for him, sighing, gasping, whimpering. It didn’t take long. He was good with his tongue. Really good. He’d obviously had decades of practice, and Lauren was coming within minutes, shaking and screaming as he pushed her relentlessly higher.

  As she floated back to mindfulness, her heart still thundering in her ears, she had a brief fear that they were done.

  But then Jake rose to his knees and she saw that he was thick and hard for her again, thank God. “I don’t know if I can come,” he said, but she reached greedily for him.

  “I don’t care. I need you inside of me. Please.”

  His mouth quirked in a brief smile as he dug a condom from his jeans pocket. “Okay. Since you asked nicely.”

  She was so glad he took a moment to strip naked. She’d been too eager to care before, but now she wanted to see all of him, just the way he’d seen her. And she wanted his skin on hers. She wanted to feel him. The heat of his thighs between hers as he lowered himself. The brush of his chest over her breasts. Then his mouth on hers as he notched the wide head of his cock against her.

  Her heart quickened again. She waited. Jake teased her a little, rocking just enough to let her feel the pressure, then easing back. She kissed him harder and dug her nails into his back, but when she tilted her hips up, he didn’t give her more. The slide of him against her was torture. She whimpered. He teased.

  “Please,” she finally gasped against his mouth. “Please. I need it.”

  He rewarded her with a careful push of his hips. His cock stretched her, filling her by slow centimeters as she held her breath inside her tight throat and waited. He pulled back and pushed deeper.

  “Oh, God,” she gasped. Yes. This was what she’d been missing. For years. This feeling of being made whole. Like she’d been empty without him.

  When he was as deep as he could get, he paused and breathed slowly. She felt the way his heart thundered against hers, and tears pricked her eyes at the realization that this meant just as much to him. That he’d needed this. That it was good and frightening and so real.

  He held himself deep and still for a few more heartbeats. And then he fucked her. Carefully, at first, his eyes on her face as he moved. He watched her, as if testing her reactions, seeing what she wanted. She wanted it all. Deeper. Harder. Yes. But he refused to quicken his pace.

  Even when she pressed her nails into the muscles of his ass, he held back. If he wanted to make her beg again, he’d be disappointed. She had her own tricks.

  Lauren let go of him and slid her hand between their bodies. Her fingers brushed the wet heat of his cock as it slid out of her, and Jake’s body jerked against her. But she wasn’t out for his pleasure. She was out for hers, and when she slipped her fingertips over her clit, Lauren moaned low in her throat and arched into his thrusts. She didn’t need it harder now. It was all perfect as she stroked herself and took his cock inside her.

  Now he was the one who needed more. He pushed up on his arms, giving her better access and deepening his thrusts. Lauren smiled in animal triumph. Not that she minded begging, exactly, but she also knew how to take what she wanted.

  Jake growled at the sight of her grin, and then he fucked her so hard she almost regretted teasing him. Almost. But instead of regret, she was filled with dark pleasure that pushed her quickly toward another orgasm. She came hard, her muscles clenching around his cock with each spasm. She dug her heels into the bed and pushed up to take him deeper and she felt him stiffen, his body bowing into hers as he grunted past clenched teeth.

  They stayed like that for a long moment, bodies still joined, breath tearing from their throats. When she opened her eyes, he looked beautiful above her, the tight muscles of his face relaxing into the same satisfaction she felt.

  Finally, he slipped free of her body and collapsed next to her. Lauren stared at the ceiling. Did he feel as shocked as she did? As moved by what they’d done together?

  She didn’t want to feel unsure with him, so she broke the silence. “How old are you? Forty-six?”

  She felt him nod.

  “Well, then...that was pretty impressive, Captain. Twice in half an hour?”

  The bed shook from his bark of laughter. “Yeah? Well, don’t raise your expectations. It’s been a while. I was trigger happy.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.”

  They laughed together, and the uncertainty that had loomed faded away. It felt good with him. Frighteningly good. Until the sweat cooled on her skin and a chill settled over her. “Do you want to get under the covers?”

  He took care of the condom and met her under the comforter, and while she was still trying to decide if she should snuggle close or not, he lay snug next to her and wrapped his hand around hers, making her smile. It didn’t feel awkward. Maybe she was just too old for awkwardness, but it felt more comfortable than that.

  “This is nice,” she whispered.

  “Nice?” His head turned toward her. “Men consider that a curse, you know.”

  “Really? What if I said you have a truly gorgeously nice cock?”

  Pink rushed to his cheeks. “Oh. I guess that would be okay.”

  “Because you do. And it made me very happy. As happy as your mouth and your fingers did before. And now just this...it’s nice with you, Jake.”

  He stared at her for a long moment, studying her. “Damn, Lauren,” he finally said.

  “What?” She tried not to feel anxious. She tried to feel confident. If this was the part where he said it was nice, but it was just sex, and... That would be okay. It wouldn’t hurt that much. Wasn’t that what she’d tried to frame it as herself?

  “I liked you before. And now? Now this is just dangerous.”

  She swallowed hard and looked away. He was right. It felt comfortable and dangerous at the same time. There were too many levels here. Too much connection. “I thought firefighters liked danger,” she whispered.

  He touched her chin then, and she had to meet his gaze or she’d be a coward,
so Lauren pulled the covers higher and made herself turn toward him. His brown eyes were clear. Honest.

  “What do you want from me, Lauren? Whatever you want, I’ll try to give you. I wouldn’t say I like danger, but I’m willing to run into it if it’s worth the risk.”

  She tried to think. Tried to breathe. She touched his chest, that chest she’d spent years coveting. His heart felt steady now. It thumped slowly under her hand.

  “Jake,” she whispered, feeling her mouth shape his name, tasting it.

  He didn’t blink or look away. He watched.

  She forced herself to be brave. “I’ve had a crush on you for a long time.”

  Now he blinked. “Really?”

  “Yes. So if you’re asking me what I’d want? What I’d choose? It’s this. With you. Only with you. Whenever we want it. I just... I like you. A lot.”

  She didn’t realize she was crying until he brushed a tear from her face.

  His eyes smiled at her, even though his mouth was serious. “Are you saying you want me to be your boyfriend, Ms. Foster?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t promise I’ll be good at it. I’m not good at this. I’m not—”

  “Stop telling me what you’re not, Lauren. I know what you are, dammit. Right now. Here. With me.”

  Turning her head toward the pillow, she desperately tried to hide her tears, but Jake pulled her close and kissed them away. She hated this. It was too much. She couldn’t do it. It was...

  She took a deep breath. It was nice. So damn nice.

  “Whatever you want,” she said back to him. “I’m willing to try. With you.”

  Chapter Eight

  LAUREN SLIPPED ON her sunglasses and settled onto the metal bench that sat a few feet from the back door of the library. She didn’t exactly need the glasses, as the little clump of aspen at the edge of the parking lot shaded her, but she had other reasons. Other sweaty, bare-chested reasons.

  Jake was out there on the basketball court again, mixing it up with the young guys. And God, he looked good doing it.

  The scratch marks she’d left on his back the week before must have healed, or he’d never have taken off his shirt. The other firefighters would’ve razzed him for years about that. Still, Lauren couldn’t manage to feel sorry at the idea. She’d liked marking him. And she liked the way he still seemed stunned that she’d want to.

  Lauren pulled an apple from her lunch bag and took a bite just as Jake paused to down a bottle of water. He glanced over then, squinting against the sunlight. When he finally realized who was watching, he smiled. Lauren smiled back, then she caught a drop of apple juice that had slipped down her chin and licked it off her finger.

  Even from across the lot, she could see the way his cheeks went red at that. Hopefully he was remembering two nights ago when she’d licked him just that way. Hopefully he was thinking she’d do the same tonight.

  She laughed and wiped her chin.

  “Hi, Mrs. Foster.”

  “Oh, Jesus,” Lauren yelped, jumping two inches out of her seat as her head jerked toward Annabelle. The girl had an uncanny ability to find Lauren at her least dignified and most perverted.

  “Sorry!” Annabelle smiled. “I was just here to see Kevin.” She gestured toward the station, seemingly unperturbed by her dad’s new girlfriend mouthing obscene gestures in his direction. Hopefully all she’d seen was a woman eating an apple.

  But this was the first time Lauren had seen her since two weeks before, when Sophie had caught her in flagrante. Lauren’s face was on fire.

  “Annabelle,” she finally started, then had to swallow and try again. “I feel like I should apologize about that night. I can’t imagine what you must think of me. It was...unfortunate. I’m so sorry.”

  “Mrs. Foster—”

  Lauren cut her off, shuddering. “Call me Lauren. Please.”

  “Lauren,” Annabelle corrected with a smile. “I’m pleased you’re hitting it off so well with my dad.”

  Lauren tried not to cringe in guilt. She and Jake had been purposefully spending the night at Lauren’s house, because Annabelle was still living with him, but it wasn’t as if it was that discreet. Annabelle knew full well when her father wasn’t home and what that meant.

  Taking a deep breath, Lauren told herself they were both middle-aged adults and there was no reason to be embarrassed. But she’d been to this little girl’s tenth birthday party. And watched her blow out the candles with her mom’s help.

  “Thank you, Annabelle,” she finally said. “I’m sorry this is all so strange.”

  “It’s not so strange,” she said, shaking her head as if Lauren were being silly. “And I was hoping I’d run into you. Here.” She handed Lauren an envelope. “An official invitation to the wedding. I’m sure you were going to be my dad’s plus-one, but I wanted you to know that I’m looking forward to you being there.”

  “Oh.” Lauren lowered her hand slowly, staring at the linen-textured paper in shock. “Thank you. That’s so kind, but...” Jake’s whole family would be there. His in-laws. Friends who’d only known him with Ruth. People who would know Lauren wasn’t anything like his late wife, wasn’t close to good enough.

  Somehow, Lauren hadn’t really considered that she might be there with him. With him. Being introduced as...what?

  She was too old to be some man’s girlfriend. And she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to be a wife. She stared at Jake, back in the game now and rushing past one of his guys to toss the ball at the basket.

  “He’s been so happy,” Annabelle said softly.

  Lauren turned to see that she was watching Jake, too.

  “Really happy, Lauren.” She smiled toward her father. “Ever since that night he brought you home. I mean... He whistles while he’s cooking. I hadn’t even realized he’d stopped, but as soon as I heard it again, it was so obvious that the house had been quiet. So thank you. I mean it. And I hope I’ll see you at the wedding.”

  She walked off with a happy wave, while Lauren still sat in stunned silence, her mouth parted and heart pounding.

  It was all nice with Jake. Even what could have been an awkward relationship with his daughter was going to be nice. And in that moment, Lauren realized that she’d planned on being alone for the rest of her life. Somehow over the past few years, she’d settled on that for herself. She’d been satisfied with it. Even pleased. But it wasn’t going to happen that way at all.

  It didn’t matter what Jake called her. It didn’t matter what Lauren said or how much it scared her. Because she loved him. Already.

  And she was so wrong for him.

  And he was happy.

  It was dangerous, just as he’d said, but it was a danger worth running into. And she was going to risk it all.

  * * * * *

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  ISBN-13: 9781459256316

  FANNING THE FLAMES

  Copyright © 2014 by Victoria Dahl

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K9.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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