Prairie Fire

by Tessa Layne

  She wanted to taste him, discover if the spot where his neck met his collarbone was still sensitive when her tongue flicked over it. It didn’t matter they were tired and wrung out from a fire. She wanted this. Needed this. Nothing took the edge off exhaustion and adrenaline fry like skin to skin contact. And with the added excitement of sneaking around? Even better.

  “You sure about this?” he murmured, eyes searching hers.

  Always the gentleman.

  Cassie’s insides melted the tiniest bit. She nodded. “You gonna kiss me?”

  He gazed down at her, naked want in his eyes. “Not here.”

  Her pulse surged. God, he was killing her with anticipation. It took all her discipline to not stand on tiptoe and take his mouth where everyone could see them. But Park was right. Not here.

  The cafeteria door burst open, and Cassie leaped back, jamming her hands in her pockets as a group of firemen passed through. They needed to get out of here. At some point, her crew would come in search of her, and she didn’t want their questions or the inevitable harassment that would come if they suspected she was engaging in a little off duty activity.

  Parker pushed off the wall, and they fell in behind the group obviously headed down to the rec room. Before they reached the rec room, he tugged on her elbow and pulled her down a deserted hall into a darkened alcove. “This’ll do for now.” He crowded her into the corner, bracing an elbow, while his other hand cupped the back of her neck, gently tilting her head.

  Cassie sighed in satisfaction as his mouth claimed hers. The tension that had spooled tighter and tighter inside her for the last six weeks began to unravel, making her limbs soft and heavy.

  She pivoted back into the door, snaking a hand around his backside and slipping under the waistband of his sweats to cup his rock hard ass and pull him closer. She opened to him as his tongue flicked across her lip, and she tasted garlic, smoke, and something deliciously Parker.

  Her tongue slid against his, exploring. Inviting and receiving. Maybe it was because they already knew each other, maybe it was because it had been so damned long since she felt something – anything – but her nerve endings were on fire, buzzing to the point her toes went numb. Her nipples tightened into hard peaks, and her pussy throbbed relentlessly.

  Parker broke away, and the sound of their heavy breathing filled the small space. “Cassie.” His breath came in hot puffs against her collar as he nuzzled her neck.

  She laughed low, her own breathing shaky. “It’s the flight suit, isn’t it?”

  “You’re sexy as hell,” he growled. “And it has nothing to do with the suit.” He captured her mouth again in another searing kiss that left her knees shaking.

  Cassie couldn’t help it, she tilted her hips into him, searching for the pressure of his erection and moving against him when she found it. She didn’t care that they were practically fucking in a doorway. In fact, the danger of being discovered only heightened her senses.

  Parker broke the kiss, nuzzling her neck, and sweeping his palm along the side of her breast. “Yes,” she murmured as his tongue flicked a path to the opening of her suit. She needed to get out of this suit. She was combusting from the inside out, and only one thing would put out the fire. Cassie reached for the zipper and began to pull.

  “Wait.” Parker’s hand covered hers, stopping her downward momentum.

  Cassie covered a groan of frustration. “I want you, Park.”

  “Not here.”

  “Yes, here.” She rocked her hips into his cock.

  Parker chuckled low, and rocked back into her, giving her ear a little nip. “You want everyone to hear when I make you come?”

  His words sent a fire straight to her center, and a rush of heat followed. Such. A. Turn on. She let out a small moan, turning her face to his, and capturing his mouth in another hot kiss. “Maybe.” She laughed breathlessly when they came up for air again.

  Parker growled low, and nipped at her lower lip, grinding into her again. “Nope. That sound is for my ears only.”

  “Then what are you waiting for?”

  There should be a doorknob somewhere to her left. Cassie felt along the wood until she found it, and gave a twist. Heaven only knew what kind of room it was, but at the moment she didn’t care.

  Bingo.

  They stumbled into the darkened space as the door fell away before them.

  CHAPTER 4

  Parker tightened his grip on Cassie as they stumbled into the darkness. The last thing they needed was one or both of them injured. They’d never live down the ribbing.

  Cassie’s quiet laugh bounced through the dark as they fumbled through shutting the door and searching for a light. His fingers found the switch, and he flipped it up, blinking at the sudden brightness.

  They’d found a supply closet. The scent of bleach and cleaning solution permeated the space. A quick glance revealed a shelf filled with towels and cleaning supplies, a bucket in the corner with a mop, a small sink, and a couple of folding chairs stacked against the wall. At least it wasn’t someone’s office.

  Cassie stood before him, eyes bright and cheeks flushed. Lips swollen from his kisses. Damn, she was gorgeous. The urge to claim her, to see her come undone at his hand, surged through him like dry kindling bursting into flame.

  He captured her hand and spun her against the door. Bracing his hands just above her shoulders. “Now where were we?”

  He brushed away a stray hair that had come loose from her low bun, and kissed a trail from her forehead to her ear. Cassie drew in a ragged breath and turned her face to his, eyes lit with want. “You were about to help me out of my flight suit.”

  “Was I?”

  She let out a frustrated groan.

  God, he loved to tease her like this. “I thought you said you weren’t into playing games, Park.” Her voice was laced with need.

  He took his time kissing down her neck before he answered. She tasted of salt and smoke. And desire. He could taste the desire radiating from her pores. His cock stood at full attention. If this was what her neck tasted like, heaven help him when he got to the best parts.

  “This is no game. I have every intention of making you scream my name.”

  She rolled her head against the door. “Then get on with it,” she panted.

  “Afraid we’ll get caught?”

  “No,” she whined tightly.

  “Then patience, grasshopper.”

  “Parker, please.”

  He swept a hand down her side, bringing it to rest on her hip, while he dipped in for another taste of her sensuous mouth. Cassie’s lips parted eagerly as he brushed against them once, twice, then slipped his tongue inside, exploring. She might be ready to get on with things, but Parker had been waiting too long for this to rush it. Exhaustion be damned. He wanted to savor every hitch of her breath, every little cry. After this, they’d both sleep like rocks tonight.

  “Cass.” He pulled back, and tilted her chin so she couldn’t look anywhere but at him.

  Her eyes were glassy pools of need. For him. His own answering need pounded through him, bringing a delicious ache to his balls. “Undo your hair.” He’d been dying for weeks to run his hands through her dark, thick waves.

  Still staring at him with want, she lifted her hands to pull out the hairpins and flung them down sending them skittering across the floor. He wrapped a finger through the loosened tresses and tugged, relishing the light in her eyes. “You’re beautiful, all hot and bothered like this.”

  She answered with a slow grin and reached to cup his cheek. He turned his face, pressing a kiss to her palm. “Unzip your suit.”

  “It’s about time.” Her eyes sparked with laughter as she reached up to pull the zipper.

  Parker’s breath caught in his throat as his eyes followed the zipper’s path. The Nomex suit peeled open, her ID tags jingled and came off with her t-shirt as she pulled it over her head in one swift move. One glance at the hot pink lace bra and miles of creamy skin had him reeli
ng with the desire to lose himself in her. His heart slammed into his chest at the way her flight suit slid over her hips and fell in a puddle around her boots. But what riveted his attention as his gaze drifted upward was the long, jagged scar across her upper left arm, partially covered by a large shoulder tattoo of a fire-breathing dragon.

  Holy shit.

  She’d been injured.

  No wonder she never wore tank tops. Even in the oppressive summer heat, she’d always worn long sleeves. He’d assumed it was because she zipped around town on her fancy Ducati, not because she was hiding something.

  He reached a finger to trace the scar. “Sexy.” How had he not known she was injured? The hometown gossip circle had failed him.

  Before it had been blown away in the tornado, Dottie’s Diner had been a one-stop news shop. People stopped by as much for the news as for the coffee and pie. But come to think of it, Dottie had pretty much clammed up about her daughters after Cassie’s sister, Carolina, had been publicly stood up at the altar a few years ago.

  She gave him a slow, coy smile as she crossed her arms over her head. “More where that came from.”

  He’d pull the story from her another time. At the moment, he was captivated by the view in front of him. Cassie’s arms rested on her head, come-hither look in her eyes, a real live version of a pin-up girl. He swept his gaze down the swell of her gorgeously formed breasts, zeroing in on hardened pink peaks peeking through the lace, begging for his touch.

  “So perfect,” he murmured as he drew the back of his finger lightly across her skin, mesmerized by the bumps that rose where he trailed. She arched into his touch, letting out a little sigh that went straight to his cock.

  Parker loved this feminine, soft side of her, all plumped and begging for his hands, his mouth. He would not disappoint. He bent forward, licking a trail from her neck, across her collarbone, where he gave a little nip followed by a swipe of his tongue. He inhaled deeply, catching a heady whiff of her desire, and continued his downward exploration, tasting and teasing until at last, he reached the edge of the lace.

  Before he could reach behind her, she’d slipped a hand up her back and unclasped her bra, shrugging off the straps and freeing her breasts. It fell away in a whisper as he circled the dusky puckered skin surrounding her nipple with the back of a finger and then with his tongue. Cassie cried out and clutched his head as he raked his teeth gently across her hardened flesh, finally taking the point in his mouth and sucking. Swirling his tongue while she gasped and pinched her other nipple.

  Fuck, that was hot.

  A woman helping to get herself off? She hadn’t been joking when she said she’d learned a thing or two. He covered her hand, brushing it away to roll her other nipple between his thumb and forefinger, still working his tongue on the other.

  He released it, licking a trail to the other peak, and began again, his fingers now working the glistening nub he’d just abandoned.

  Cassie’s breath came in soft pants as her hands alternately clutched at his head, and scrabbled at his shirt. Parker stepped back, and with one hand reached over his head and pulled off the tee. “Better?” He grinned, suddenly wanting to feel her breasts against his chest.

  “By far.” She reached out to trace a hand over his pecs, down his abs, and slipped her fingers into the waistband of his sweats, coming into contact with the slick head of his cock for the barest of touches.

  He closed his eyes against the spots that peppered his vision. He swallowed hard and let out a grunt, rolling his hips into her touch. Fucking hell. He’d be damned if she brought him to his knees with the swipe of a finger, but damn did that feel good. Lust roared through him, tightening his balls and settling in a glorious ache at the back of his legs.

  Screw taking things slow, he wanted to bury himself inside her sweet pussy and claim her. He found her mouth, and plundered it ruthlessly, groaning as she stroked the top side of his cock and squeezed his length through the material.

  With superhuman effort, he tore his mouth away, gulping for air. The only way this would end with him not blowing his stack early was to overwhelm her with sensation. “God, you feel good. But I’m not done with you yet,” he said roughly, need for her putting an edge to his voice.

  He slipped a finger between her flesh and the matching pink silk shorts she wore, reveling in the contrast between cool silk and hot skin. “Nice.”

  “Gotta remember I’m a girl.”

  “No doubt about that. I never forgot.” He dropped to his knees and pulled on her panties, revealing a neatly trimmed triangle and swollen pussy lips. Fucking gorgeous. His cock twitched eagerly.

  He ran his hands over muscled thighs, finger pads detecting more scars on her left leg. What in the hell had happened to her? At the moment, relief overwhelmed curiosity. “Whatever happened, Cass. I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “I’m not sure I’m okay. But thanks, Ah,” she cried out, fingers clutching at his scalp as he drew a finger through her wetness.

  So beautiful.

  So responsive.

  He slipped a finger deeper inside, pulling her desire forward and circling her clit. Her thighs strained against the elastic of her shorts. Parker pushed the silk down to her ankles, freeing her to open her knees.

  Bringing his mouth to the inside of her thigh, just above her knee, he kissed and licked first one leg, then the other, slowly moving higher. By the time he reached the juncture of limb and torso, her legs trembled, and her breath came in short gasps.

  Placing a kiss at the topmost point of her thigh, he inhaled slowly, breathing in her scent. A purely Cassie blend of sweet musk, and salty desire. A heady combination that acted like an electrical charge zipping through his torso.

  Bracing his hands on her thighs, he pushed her knees wider and leaned in for a taste, tongue sliding through her juices and coming to rest at her apex. Again and again, he tasted and licked, greedily lapping her up like she was his last meal.

  Cassie’s quiet moans echoed in the small space, spurring him on. Her hips began to move in rhythm with him, canting forward as he pulled back, then tilting as he slipped first one, then two fingers inside her tight, wet, heat. Sealing his mouth around her clit, he sucked gently as he drew his fingers forward, stroking her G-spot.

  He glanced up at her, and the sight of her stopped his heart. Her neck arched as her head thrashed from side to side, one hand pinching and tugging on a nipple, the other guiding his head as he suckled her most intimate spot. But it was the look on her face that shook him to his core. Her eyes squeezed tight, nose wrinkled, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. It was the hottest thing he’d seen until her eyes flew open in surprise and her mouth plump and bruised from their kissing opened in a wide O.

  “Come for me, sweetheart. Let me see you come apart.” Parker rasped, transfixed by her beauty, his own need rising within him. He dropped a hand to his cock, stroking as he sucked again, groaning into her sex as a lion roared to life inside him, blacking his vision at the edges.

  “Parker. Haaa… Ah. Oh, sweet Jesus, Yes.” He held her gaze as she flew apart, pussy convulsing around his fingers, body shaking as she released a throaty cry that turned into a giddy laugh. Another stroke and his cries joined hers as she continued to ride his face, still chanting his name.

  Cassidy Grace was a fucking warrior goddess. Right out of the pages of Wonder Woman. And he’d made her shout his name. Hell, yeah.

  CHAPTER 5

  “Cassie. Stop staring,” teased Jamey Sinclaire as she stepped out of Dottie’s food truck. “You look like a wolf tracking its prey. A very hungry wolf,” she added, her voice laced with laughter.

  Cassie dragged her gaze from where Parker stood talking to his buddies several yards away, face heating. “I wasn’t staring. I was thinking.” About how sexy he looked in his station pants and navy fire department tee. The way he filled out a shirt was drool worthy.

  She’d barely seen Parker since the night in Hutch. The next afternoon, air attac
k had been called to drop buckets on another fire that had sprung up to the west, and Parker and his crew had stayed in Hutchinson another four days for mop-up. He might be a sight for sore eyes, but her libido was salsa dancing through her body, eagerly anticipating another go-round.

  “About how you can get Parker’s clothes off?” Jamey smirked and flopped into a folding chair. “Dish. Your mom’s got everything under control inside the truck.”

  “There’s nothing to dish.”

  “Cassie, I have five brothers. I know that look on your face anywhere. Now spill the beans.”

  Cassie sighed, anxiety twisting into a knot in her chest. This was why she’d rarely come home on leave over the years. It was easier to keep working, or vacation in places where she was just another anonymous face. She’d visited her sisters in New York and DC. They at least gave her space to decompress and knew better than to ask too many questions. But now that she was home for good, she’d have to adjust and start seeing the people of Prairie as her new unit.

  She tried to keep from scowling. It wasn’t Jamey’s fault. Here at home, people got too curious, too personal. Expected her to open up like she was still eighteen and full of dreams. Or they wanted war stories. Gory details of how many guns she’d fired or people she’d killed – the last thing she wanted to talk about. “Park and I grew up together.” Hopefully, that would be enough to satisfy Jamey.

  For the most part, the team at the firehouse had been pretty chill. But she got the sense Parker ran interference behind the scenes. The squad always felt more cohesive when he was around. Granted, she was low man on the totem pole as the newest member of the fire brigade, but that didn’t bother her. This wasn’t the first time she’d had to prove herself. Last week’s wildfire had gone a long way with that. Nothing changed people’s opinion of you faster than when you saved their necks. And heck, she’d grown up with most of these guys. She might be the first woman on the fire squad, but she wouldn’t be the last.