Prairie Fire

by Tessa Layne

  She slipped onto the bike, a small measure of ease settling through her. She loved this bike like she loved her aircraft. There was something so centering about flying. In the air, everything came into sharp focus. Flying down the road was the next best thing.

  The engine roared to life beneath her, sending a little thrill through her body. She’d chosen the Ducati over a Yamaha for one reason only. The vibration of the engine felt closest to the Blackhawk’s. She might have a lower profile racing down the road on a Yamaha, but the engine didn’t have enough bass for her taste. And when it came to engines, it was all about the bass.

  Parker pulled up, elbow hanging out of his beat-up Chevy pickup. “Ready?” His easy grin set off the butterflies again.

  “You sure you don’t want to ride on back?” Cassie cocked her chin.

  His mouth quirked. “Are we talking bikes or something else?”

  “I love it when you talk dirty, Parker.” She did too. His frank talk fired her up in all the right places. And maybe a few wrong ones. Her thighs tensed against the saddle.

  His smile widened. “Sorry, sweetheart. The only way I’m riding your bike is at the controls.”

  Cassie’s heart thudded extra hard. It should be illegal for a voice to sound that sexy. “You like being in charge, don’t you?”

  Heat flared in his eyes. “Always.”

  “Let’s go then.” She revved the engine, calculating whether or not she could take a quick turn around Prairie’s perimeter and still catch up to Parker by the time he reached the edge of the Hansen property. Best not to risk it in broad daylight. She’d have to content herself with observing the speed limit signs. The last thing she wanted was a ticket from Prairie’s police chief and her family’s neighbor, Travis Kincaid.

  “After you.”

  “You want to admire my backside, don’t you?” Cassie said, slipping back into an age-old exchange she and Parker had developed years ago. Apparently, he remembered, because he answered without missing a beat.

  “Always best to keep trouble in front of you.”

  “Try to keep up.” Resisting the urge to show off with a wheelie, she popped the bike into gear and took off down the road toward the Hansens’.

  By the time she signaled the turn onto the spread, agitation vibrated through Cassie’s limbs. The drive had been the slowest fifteen minutes. As the wheels hit the dirt drive, again she resisted the urge to pop a wheelie and fly over the rise. Growling low in time with the engine, she downshifted and slowed to a stop, pulling the bike up next to the line of trucks parked outside the Hansens’ farmhouse. She hadn’t been on their ranch in years. The house was still blue and white, the back porch just as tidy as she’d remembered. Martha Hansen had always run a tight ship.

  Parker strode around the front of his truck to meet her just as she removed her helmet. “I love it when you do that.” He shot her a smile that made her legs throb.

  “What?”

  “Toss your hair when you take off your helmet. Sexy as hell.”

  He closed the space between them, and suddenly she was aware of his bigness. Five-feet ten wasn’t exactly short for a woman. In fact, her height had distinct advantages in the military. But close-up, Parker towered over her. And he was broad. Well-muscled from years of hard physical labor. She placed a palm on his chest, reveling at the hard muscle filling her palm. “No. This. Is sexy as hell.” She gave his pec a little squeeze. Then ran her hand over his shoulder and down his arm, stopping when she reached his rock hard triceps. “And this?” She squeezed the muscle. “Makes me giddy.”

  His mouth twitched. “Giddy? Is that all?”

  “I’ll show you later how giddy.”

  He made a noise in the back of his throat, and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together. “I think I don’t want to wait until later.” He gave a gentle tug and turned, leading her down past the stables and through a break in the trees to where his bunkhouse stood. Parker pushed open the door and stepped in, putting the bag of food on his small kitchen table, then spun around pulling her flush against his body.

  The agitation that had hounded her during the drive over quickly morphed into anticipation. Parker walked her back, pushing the door shut behind her, and sandwiched her between the wall and his body, clicking the lock into place.

  “No chance of interruptions now.”

  Cassie’s pulse hammered at her throat when she caught the hungry look in Parker’s eye. He brought his fingers to her temple, threading them through her tangled hair, then skimming the curve of her ear, and tracing down her neck. Each place his fingers touched set off a trail of goosebumps that led straight to her nipples. She let out a whimper of frustration. Where was his mouth? She wanted his mouth on her. Breath hot on her neck, mouth firm and demanding. Anything to capture the energy dying to be released from her body.

  “Parker.” Her voice wavered.

  “No rushing. Not today.”

  “But–”

  He placed a finger over her mouth, tracing her lips. “Shh.”

  Moisture pooled between her thighs, and she squirmed against the door. “I don’t think I can take this.”

  Parker drew his other hand through her hair, following the same path but on the other side. By the time he reached her neck, she trembled from head to foot.

  “Come whenever you want, sweetheart. As often as you need. But I’m not rushing.”

  Her breath caught in her throat, then came out with a sigh as Parker lowered his head and traced a line from her neck to her ear with the tip of his tongue. She wasn’t sure how long she’d last at this pace. She’d come before his hand ever reached her waistband.

  Angling her head, she landed a kiss on his neck, catching a whiff of his aftershave. Forest. And distinctly Parker. Her clit throbbed impatiently. At this rate, she’d be dead before he made it that far down her body. But the sensations he was evoking were too good to hurry him along.

  His hands cupped her face, and finally, finally, he brushed her lips. Over and over until she opened her mouth, silently begging for more. Uttering a small cry, she leaned forward just enough that their lips fully connected. He smiled against her and gave her what she wanted. His tongue flicked inside her mouth, teasing, exploring. Moaning, she opened wider, softening, and sinking into the slow, sensuousness of their rhythm. His hips pressed her into the door while his tongue continued to slide against hers. She gave herself over to the sweet sensation building between her legs.

  Parker slipped an arm behind her back and bending, scooped her up as if she weighed nothing. Still kissing her, he moved through the room, turning, stepping, and turning again, then sitting.

  She dimly registered the give of a mattress but was too engrossed in their kiss to care where they’d landed. She liked being curled up in his lap. Parker’s hand slid across her thigh to cup her ass. She squirmed against him, eager for more.

  When he broke their kiss, their heavy breathing filled the small room. “Boots off.” His hand skimmed the length of her jeans and came to rest at the top of her laces. She was still more comfortable in her Army issued footwear most days. He had her boots off in short order, then slid her off his lap.

  Cassie reached for the hem of his navy tee when he bent to remove his own boots. Sliding a hand underneath the cotton, she skimmed over the muscles as they tensed, then she grabbed the material and pulled it over his head. Parker slipped his arms from the holes and tossed the shirt into a corner, then finished removing boots and socks.

  She feasted on the vision before her. Parker without a shirt had always been a sight to behold. The myriad of ways his muscles rippled and bunched kept her attention like nothing else. “What’s this?” She traced a long white scar behind his shoulder.

  Parker chuckled. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

  Cassie’s stomach churned. She’d never told a soul outside of the military doctors who’d treated her. She spent all her time avoiding reliving the events that gave her those scars. Her mother
had raised an eyebrow at the tattoo, and her father’s eyes filled with worry every time he looked at the scar, but thankfully neither had asked for the story.

  Memories knifed through her, and she averted her head, briefly shutting her eyes. As if that was enough to stop the onslaught. It wasn’t. Not even close. She avoided looking at her shoulder in the mirror for this very reason.

  Parker caressed her thigh. “No?” His voice was gentle. Soothing. “How ’bout I go first? You can tell me later.”

  Or never.

  Cassie swallowed down a lump of hot emotion that had lodged itself in her throat and gave him a small smile. “I’m sorry.” She shook her head, willing herself to forget. “It’s just–”

  Parker’s eyes filled with compassion. “I understand. I didn’t mean to pry.”

  She hated that look. The look that said I know there’s something wrong with you. The sexy chemistry between them had dissipated, and all because of an off the cuff remark. Her heart sank like a copter that lost an engine.

  She rolled her lower lip under her teeth and bit hard, using the sharp pain to bring her focus back, and breathing deeply through her nose. Once. Twice. Three times. Parker sat quietly next to her, stroking her thigh.

  When she thought she could speak again and keep her voice even, she raised her eyes and gave him a small smile. “Tell me about your scar.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Parker gave her props for trying. He recognized the look in her eye. Had seen it in his uncle’s eyes for years when someone brought up his father’s death. Whatever haunted Cassie was big, and the least he could do was give her a safe space to land.

  He willed his cock to settle down and laced his fingers through hers. “Not much to tell. Got on the wrong end of a barbed wire spool one windy afternoon with Gunnar and Axel. Pretty embarrassing, having to call my partners for help.”

  Cassie unlaced their fingers to trace the scar behind his right shoulder. “Mr. Safety forgot to be safe?”

  He chuckled. “Something like that. We were arguing about something stupid, and I lost focus for a split second.”

  She made a small noise in the back of her throat. “It’s funny how so much can happen in a second.” She stroked back and forth along the length of the scar. When she spoke again, her voice was lighter. Forced, but lighter. His heart swelled for her. He had to give it to her. She had an iron will. “They did a good job stitching you up. There aren’t any bumps on the jagged parts.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, that’s because I had mom pound the shit out of the scar every day for weeks.”

  “Holy smokes, I bet that hurt.”

  “I cried like a baby the first time.”

  Cassie let out something close to a laugh. “Did not.”

  “Oh yeah. Ask my mom the next time you see her. I’m pretty sure she took video.”

  This time her laugh sounded a little more genuine. Like she was coming back from whatever darkness she’d fallen into. “Oh, I’m so asking for that.”

  James Taylor’s Going to Carolina erupted from the other side of Cassie. What in the hell?

  “Oh shit, Park. It’s Carrie. Do you mind?”

  He waved at her. Cassie had always been close to her sisters. He stood and headed for the kitchen. Might as well tuck into one of the meals Dottie had made. He opened the clamshell and pulled out half a sandwich. Turkey bacon club with chipotle mayo and sweet potato fries. Nice. The sandwich was quickly becoming a favorite among the crew at the firehouse. And everyone agreed that Dottie’s food, while delicious, had reached new heights when she and Jamey Sinclaire had partnered up with the food truck during rebuilding. Hopefully, this sandwich would make the cut when the diner reopened.

  A giggle followed by a snort drifted from the bedroom. He could get used to that sound. He’d always enjoyed Cassie’s raucous laugh, but hadn’t seen much of it in the weeks since she’d been home. Hearing it sent a warmth through his chest. He ate standing, and when he’d finished the sandwich half and a few fries, strolled to the fridge and grabbed a root beer. One of the few he’d snagged from the firehouse the last time Mike had brought a sample batch. The man was magic when it came to brewing.

  The next time Cassie laughed, Parker drained the root beer and strolled back into the bedroom, pausing at the door. Cassie paced in front of the bed and caught his eye when she turned, giving him a smile that went straight to his cock. Then she rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers together in the age-old signal for yapping. Sorry, she mouthed and then muttered something noncommittal into the phone.

  She caught his eye again as she paced across the floor, this time holding the phone away from her ear. Although it was garbled, Carrie seemed to be talking about one of their other sisters.

  “I’m sure Lyd didn’t mean that,” Cassie answered, rolling her eyes in his direction again.

  Maybe he could help speed up the conversation. He stepped into the room and stood blocking her path. When Cassie stopped in front of him, he crowded her back to the bed, so that she sat down on the edge. She shot him a funny look but kept talking to her sister.

  He blocked out her words, focusing instead on executing his plan. He dropped to his knees and slipped his fingers inside her waistband. It took no time to open the button at the top of her jeans. It gave easily, and the zipper parted easily as he pushed down.

  Cassie’s quick intake of breath told him he had her attention. He glanced up, trying not to smile at the expression playing across her face. Curious, confused, turned-on. He waggled his eyebrows at her and grinned, giving the waistband a little tug and pulling her pants down. She leaned back on an elbow and canted her hips up so he could slide the pants down over her ass.

  His mouth went dry when he laid eyes on her very tiny, very sexy black lace and mesh thong. The scrap of fabric left everything and nothing to the imagination. Sparks shot off in his brain and spiraled straight to his cock as he absorbed the vision in front of him. She’d gone bare since they’d fooled around, and from the looks of it, she was very, very turned on.

  When he glanced up at her, she waggled her eyebrows right back. God, he loved her sense of humor. He reached out and caressed her pussy through the thin material. His brain went into reptile mode, and everything inside him tightened. Oh, yeah. He’d made her wet.

  He slipped a finger under the fabric and into her slick wet heat. Cassie hissed in a breath, eyes wide, and pointed to the phone.

  “What?” Her voice came out higher than normal. “I’m fine, Sissy. What were you saying?”

  Parker stroked her again, laughing quietly as her eyes rolled back and she arched into his touch. His cock swelled to standing. There was something so hot about playing with her this way.

  What are you doing? She mouthed, holding the phone away from her ear.

  “What does it look like?”

  She pressed her lips together, obviously holding back a laugh. He could sit here and tease her until she got off the phone, but he wanted to up the ante. How far could he go before she caved and hung up? He hooked a finger through the elastic and pulled hard. Shaking her head, but still smiling, she lifted her hips again and helped him remove the last obstacle. His chest seized as he took in her glistening pussy, pink and swollen.

  Carrie’s voice suddenly got a lot louder. “I mean… Do you think I should call him?” Cassie’s sister chattered on. What in the hell? Had Cassie put her sister on speaker? He tore his gaze away from her pussy to look up at her. She waved the phone at him and fanned herself. Taking that as a go-ahead, he slid a hand up the inside of her thigh and pressed her legs wider, nuzzling the inside of her thigh as he licked and sucked his way to her apex.

  Pausing, he inhaled deeply, letting her scent settle in his bones. Stealing a glance up, Cassie’s head was thrown back, bottom lip compressed between her teeth. When her sister paused, she muttered. “Mmmm. Yeah.” It didn’t sound like the yeah one would say to a sister. But what did he know? He only had a brother out on the rodeo circuit.

 
He wasn’t about to wait any longer, he leaned in and swiped with the flat of his tongue, reveling in the taste of her. She made a noise and her thighs tensed. Her free hand flailed for a second and found his head, clutching at him. He groaned a little as he went in for another taste of her desire. As he circled her clit with his tongue, her fingers fisted his hair.

  “Sis?” Her voice was thin and reedy. “I’ve gotta go.”

  “Wait.” Carrie’s voice crackled through the phone. “Have you even been listening?”

  Cassie’s voice grew urgent, as her hips lifted and pressed into his mouth. “Sorry. I-I really gotta go.”

  “OhmyGodyou’rewithaboy” the voice screeched through the speaker. “OhmyGodCassieWHO?”

  Parker grinned and licked again, starting at her entrance and making slow concentric circles up.

  Cassie gasped. “Gotta go,” and tossed the phone against the wall where it clattered down to the floor and beeped, finally going silent.

  A shudder wracked her frame. “You. Beast,” she gasped out between hip thrusts. “I swear.”

  “Swear what, honey?” he murmured against her slick folds, diving deeper into her.”

  She let out a keening cry, hands clutching the comforter as her flavor exploded on his tongue. He lapped and lapped, helping her ride her orgasm to the very end, making sure to cover every bit of skin he could. She was gorgeous like this, all undone.

  She finally raised her head, eyes glassy and a goofy smile on her face. “You are so going to pay for that.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Parker sat back on his heels, eyes glowing in satisfaction.

  “Proud of yourself?” Cassie asked, smothering another laugh. She’d have to call her sister later and apologize. The second Parker had pulled at her pants, she’d been a goner. The man worked magic with his tongue.