Feisty Firefighters Bundle

by Jill Shalvis

  She would fail him, just as she had in the past.

  And then a strange calm overtook her, and she felt detached, distant from her body. Smoke blurred her vision, darkening the landscape and cutting out light. The world looked surreal, bathed in a hot gray haze, bizarre.

  They bounded down a slight incline, then hurdled a burning log. The fire was everywhere now, roaring and hissing beside them, the heat unbearably intense.

  She ran on and on. Sprinting, climbing, leaping. And she was growing confused. She was running with Cade, clutching the dog, urgency hammering her brain, but she couldn’t remember where they were or why they were racing. She only knew that she couldn’t stop.

  Suddenly, Cade jerked her hard to the right. She stumbled, nearly dropping the dog, and staggered to a stop. Cade pulled her toward him, and she lurched closer, staring blankly at a mound of boulders.

  The air trembled, blurring her vision, and the ground beneath her rumbled and shook. She swiveled back and cringed at the fire raging toward them. Flames twisted and arced through the trees, whirling like gaseous tornadoes. A ball of flame launched itself into the air.

  Cade yanked her around and pushed her toward the boulder. She saw a slit between the rocks, barely enough to squeeze through, and understanding flashed. Holding the dog close, she wriggled through the crack into a dim, musty space. Cade immediately crammed himself in behind her.

  They were in a small cave, maybe a dozen feet deep and wide and barely high enough to stand in. The packed-dirt floor was littered with stones.

  “We need to block the opening,” Cade said, dropping the bags.

  Jordan set down the dog, then tripped when he slammed against her. Hysteria plucked at her nerves. She couldn’t help Cade if she kept stumbling over the leash. And Cade needed her help to survive.

  Which meant she had to let Dusty go.

  Her hands trembling, she unhooked the leash from her belt, then wedged it beneath a large rock. The dog immediately tried to pull free.

  “Stay,” she said sharply and stepped away. She could only pray the leash held. She didn’t have time to hold him, and she couldn’t help him if he darted outside.

  Her throat thick with dread and panic, she set to work, frantically lugging rocks over to block the entrance. She dashed back and forth, piling the stones quickly, haphazardly, rushing to stop the smoke creeping through the cracks. Outside, the deadly roars and thundering grew.

  Behind her, Cade pulled something from his PG bag. Silver flashed in the fading light as he shook it out.

  His fire shelter. The last line of defense. The final chance to survive.

  He held out the metallic fabric. “Here. Put this between the rocks.”

  “No.” She backed off. He needed that tent. He could survive inside it without her. And she’d hindered him enough.

  “Jordan-”

  “It’s yours. You use it.”

  “The hell I will.” His voice bristled with outrage. “Either stuff it between those rocks or I’ll flatten it over you.”

  He’d do it. She could see the obstinate will in his eyes, that single-minded resolve, and knew it was futile to argue. Unless she agreed to share the shelter, he’d sacrifice his own life protecting hers.

  And she refused to let him do that.

  Resigned, she grabbed the lightweight fabric and smoothed it over the rocks. Her heart beat erratically as she scooped up loose stones and stuffed them in the cracks to secure the edges. The light dimmed as she blocked up as many spaces as she could. Cade added several heavier stones so the shelter wouldn’t blow off.

  After a moment, he stopped her. “That’s good enough. We need to get back.”

  She blinked in the shadowy darkness. Light still filtered through some gaps in the rocks, but she knew they’d run out of time. Outside, the deafening noise mounted, screaming and screeching like colliding trains. Shaking, so scared she thought she might vomit, she covered her ears and cringed.

  Cade grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the back of the cave. “Wait,” she cried. “The dog.” She stooped down to jerk the leash loose, and dragged him to the far wall.

  Cade urged her down to the ground, then positioned himself beside her, wedging her between him and the musty dirt wall. She hauled Dusty into her lap and held him close. Quivering madly, shuddering with terror, she curled herself into a ball.

  She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think as the heat mounted and a throbbing blast pulsed outside. She closed her eyes, and Cade pulled her head to his chest, covering her with his body.

  This was it. The moment of truth.

  She could only thank God Cade was with her, and pray that they would survive.

  Chapter 14

  Cade sheltered Jordan with his body as the firestorm raged around them. Heat scorched his back. His pulse rocketed through his veins. The hairs on his nape stood erect and tensed in the rising storm.

  The air around them quivered, and a bone-rattling screech shook the cave. The earth trembled, the skies shrieked as the molten gasses collided. Vibrations blurred the hot air.

  His lungs seized up and his heart stalled. Sweat popped from his pores, and he gagged down his acrid fear. This was it, the moment when they’d see if the shelter held, if they’d burned enough grass to protect the cave.

  To find out if they would survive.

  Time hung still. An eternity pulsed in a second. He clutched Jordan and shut his eyes, every nerve focused on the explosions blasting the cave.

  And then miraculously, incredibly, the deadly noise shifted away.

  He slumped in acute relief, then tipped back his head and exhaled. His heart battered against his chest, and his muscles began to twitch.

  And for the first time, he let the reality sink in of just how close that had been. They’d nearly died.

  He’d seen the training videos, attended classes on fire entrapments, but nothing had prepared him for the reality of it happening to him. The absolute panic, the disbelief, the horror when the fire blew close. And that gut-shaking terror when he’d realized they might not survive.

  If it hadn’t been for the dog…He loosened his death grip on Jordan and glanced down at the quivering fur on her lap. If that mutt hadn’t balked, hadn’t warned them that the fire was near…

  He swallowed the thick wedge blocking his throat, unwilling to finish the thought. But the truth remained. That dog had given them the valuable seconds they’d needed to survive.

  And they had survived. His hand still twined in Jordan’s hair, he gently stroked her scalp to soothe her and pressed her head to his chest. Trembles wracked her body, and she shuddered with anxiety and fear.

  “Shh…” he murmured. He cleared his throat, fighting to get words past the lump. “We’re safe now. The fire’s gone.”

  “Oh, God,” she said, her voice muffled against his shirt. Still shaking, she pulled back, and her fathomless gaze met his. Her eyes glistened in the cave’s dim light. The remnants of tears streaked her cheeks, cutting paths through the ashes and grime.

  But he’d never seen a more beautiful woman.

  A fierce swell of emotion surged up, relief mixed with something more, that feeling he’d been fighting for days.

  Love. He loved Jordan. He always had.

  It was true. He’d stopped denying it the moment she’d reached for that fusee. He’d seen her horror and panic, the primitive urge to escape. But despite her terror, she’d stayed.

  A thick wad of emotion choked his lungs, and he tightened his grip on her head. He could only imagine the courage, the incredible leap of faith that had taken. She wasn’t a trained firefighter, didn’t know wildfire behavior or the futility of running. Yet she’d ignored her instincts and trusted him.

  And in that moment, he’d stopped trying to fool himself and admitted how much he loved her-this brave, gutsy woman who’d once been his.

  He caressed the silky strands of her hair, ran his gaze over the smooth curve of her cheek and the feminine line of her jaw
.

  Her wide, dark eyes searched his, as if she couldn’t grasp that they were safe. Shudders still shook her body, discharging the adrenaline and fear, the need to run, the primal instinct to flee. And he continued to stroke her head, her neck, knowing she needed the warmth, the human contact.

  So did he.

  “You did great out there,” he said, his voice raw from emotion and smoke.

  “Is it…Are you sure it’s gone?” Her voice hitched on a little sob.

  “Yeah, it’s gone. Listen.”

  Her gaze flew to the entrance to the cave, which they’d been damned lucky to find. In the distance, the dull roar slid away, replaced by muffled pops. Still trembling, she gnawed her bottom lip.

  Seconds later, her gaze swiveled back to his. “It won’t come back? It-”

  “No, it’s done.” He squeezed her neck to reassure her. “There’ll be a few stumps burning, even some flare-ups, but as hot as that fire was, I doubt there’s much left to burn.”

  She jerked her head, and a tremor jolted her body. Her lips quivered, and she sucked in a tremulous breath.

  He saw the awareness in her eyes of just how close they’d come to dying. The stark realization that they could have burned, that the charred remains of their bodies could be out there right now, writhing and smoldering in the ashes.

  “Oh, God, Cade.”

  “Yeah.” He smoothed the knot tensing her neck and stroked the smooth skin of her nape. Then he shifted his hand to her rigid shoulders.

  The dog crept off Jordan’s lap, and she lunged for the leash.

  “Don’t worry. He can’t go anywhere.”

  “You’re right.” She dropped the leash and sat back, then eased out an uneven breath. Her lips strained into a smile. “I’m just so nervous, I-”

  “Hey, it’s normal. Just give yourself time to come down.”

  Urging her back, he threaded his hand through her hair, and continued soothing her neck, giving her time to absorb the outcome, that they were safe. She leaned into him, and as the minutes passed, her breathing slowed and deepened. Her shivering gradually calmed.

  And his awareness shifted to the pain ramming his shoulder, the persistent hammering in his skull. The hard dirt floor beneath him. The smoke permeating the air, mingling with the dank smell of the cave.

  And Jordan’s soft body pressed against his, beautiful and feminine and arousing.

  Desire flashed through his veins, and his hand instinctively tightened. Battling the reaction, he tipped back his head and sucked in a breath.

  He loved her; he couldn’t deny it anymore. And everything about her appealed to him-the way she looked, the way she moved, the tender way she cared for the dog. Her hard work, her amazing courage. The woman had seeped into his brain and conquered his heart.

  But he still couldn’t forget reality, couldn’t let his emotions override common sense. And the harsh fact was that she was wrong for him. No matter how much he loved her, she needed what he couldn’t give her, a man who always stayed home.

  And he could never be that man, not without destroying his soul.

  And yet she felt perfect in his arms, and in his life. She shifted then, and their thighs touched. Her soft, full breasts pressed against his chest. The silk of her hair tickled his mouth.

  She lifted her head and her eyes met his, her face just inches away. Her pupils dilated in the dusky light. Her pink tongue moistened her lips. She hitched in a ragged breath.

  His hormones jerked in recognition. She wanted him. His answer rolled hard through his veins.

  “Cade,” she whispered.

  “It’s just the adrenaline,” he ground out. “The near-death experie-”

  “No.” She raised her hand to his mouth. Her fingers clamped his lips, silencing him. The feel of that soft skin staggered his senses, and need coiled tight in his gut.

  He leaned back and grabbed her wrist to push her away, but she inched forward, her dark eyes simmering on his. His lungs stalled, and he felt snared by that luminous gaze, lured into her erotic web.

  And in that instant, he knew he was doomed. He needed to touch her, to taste the seductive heat of her skin. To feel her satiny body shudder under his.

  His gaze locked with hers. Deliberately, he turned her hand and brushed his lips across her palm. He raked the delicate skin, skirting the scrapes, then soothed the spot with his tongue. She gasped, and the need in her eyes flared. His thumb skimmed her wrist, and he felt the erratic lurch of her pulse.

  Her eyes softened into liquid darkness, and then her lids fluttered closed. Her full lips parted, and her breathing rasped faster, more shallow.

  He dropped her wrist and caught her chin, then slanted his mouth over hers. He forgot the pain wrenching his shoulder, the filth and sweat, the fire beyond the dank cave. His world narrowed to the velvet of her lips, the lush, hot silk of her mouth, and he pulled her hard against him.

  She parted her lips and kissed him back. Her hands clutched his hair, and her tongue dueled with his, reeling him in deeper and harder.

  Maybe it was the affirmation of life, the need to connect after nearly dying. And maybe it was love, the explosion of desire long denied.

  But whatever the cause, his control slipped even more. That familiar haze fogged his brain, that insatiable heat. The heady feeling that he’d found the one woman on earth who felt perfectly right.

  And was, ironically, exactly wrong.

  With supreme effort, he wrenched away and pulled her head to his chest. His heart slammed against his rib cage. His breathing rasped in the smoky cave. He shut his eyes and grappled for control.

  He had to stop. A kiss was one thing, but they’d strayed far too close to that dangerous edge, that line that they couldn’t cross. It had always happened that way between them-too fast, too hot. Reckless need and relentless wanting.

  But they couldn’t give in to it again, not without regrets. Not without plummeting to that insanity that guaranteed turmoil and pain.

  But she pulled free and rose to her knees. “Cade, please,” she begged.

  “No. It’s just-”

  “No, it’s not.” She clutched his head between her hands and her gaze pleaded with his. “It’s not just the fire. It’s more. It always has been. I need you. I-”

  “Jordan, no.” But he felt his resistance crumble.

  “I need you,” she whispered again. “Please.”

  She brushed her lips over his and kissed him again, letting him feel her desire. Working her magic with her body and tongue, fueling the torment, stoking the flames.

  He felt her rush of hunger, the passion in her kiss as her hands roved his face and his jaw. Her breasts stroked his chest. Her kiss turned raw and urgent. His own needs shut down his brain.

  She was good. Damned good. And hell, he was only human. She wanted him; he wanted her. Was that so wrong? And they’d almost died just now. Why shouldn’t they indulge in a moment of pleasure?

  With a low growl, he wrapped his arm around her waist and yanked her hard against him. Then, pulling her with him, he dropped back to the packed-dirt floor.

  She landed atop him, then pulled herself upright. “Cade.” Her lips were swollen, her voice breathless. “Your shoulder-”

  “Forget it.” It throbbed like hell, but not as much as the ache in his groin. His pulse beat hot and hard as he pulled her head down to his. Then he covered her mouth in a deep, driving kiss, fueled by years of wanting.

  He felt the satin of her lips, the fever of her tongue, her soft shudders as he delved her sweet depths. He smelled smoke and desire, and woman. Jordan. His woman. Her scent surrounded him, invaded him, until stark need twisted his gut. Until hunger seeped so deep into his heart that it wiped out every thought-except the overwhelming desire to possess her.

  Needing physical contact, needing to feel her body tight against his, he lowered his hand to her hip and pressed her back. Her soft weight settled on his groin, shorting his nerves. She rocked against him, making soft, low
moans in her throat, and his heart leaped in tattered spurts. A thick, quick surge of desire jolted through him, and he groaned.

  And suddenly, he needed to see her, all of her, to feel her hot, naked skin slick on his.

  As if sensing his thoughts, she broke the kiss and rose to her knees. Her languid eyes rested on his, hot and dark with arousal. Her hair fell in unruly waves down her back. Her swollen lips parted in an erotic invitation to bliss.

  His gaze traveled from that sultry mouth to the tantalizing curve of her breasts. To the nipples jutting beneath the tight T-shirt, beckoning for his touch.

  His hand trembling, he reached up and traced the outline of her curves through the thin shirt. He stroked the tempting fullness and fondled the pebbled nipples, feeling her tremble and shudder around him.

  “Oh, Cade,” she whispered, her voice uneven. She reached down and lifted the hem of her shirt, then yanked it over her head. His gaze stalled on the wonder of her breasts, the stretchy scrap of lace highlighting the blinding perfection.

  He tried to swallow, but his throat seemed stuffed with ashes. He wrenched his gaze to hers and saw the scalding heat, the growing hunger. The memories of those steamy, torrid nights. Of how they’d loved each other, with an honesty and passion that had left them reeling.

  She flicked one strap off her shoulder and let it drop. His gaze followed the motion, just as she planned. He quirked his mouth, recognizing the ploy, but still helpless to resist it. She knew him too well. And she wielded the power to drive him wild.

  It was as if this one woman had been made to match his body, his mind. As if she were his ideal counterpart, his destined mate.

  And no matter how many times they’d come together, it had never been enough. He’d still felt that unending hunger and constant craving.

  The other strap slid off her smooth shoulder and his pulse roared through his veins. And then she rose, lifting herself out of reach, and unhooked her bra.

  The lacy scrap fell away and his gaze riveted on the swell of her breasts, the dark nipples glistening in the dim light, the utter beauty of her bare flesh.