Flirting with Destiny

by Christyne Butler

  “I—I know.” Geez, even his words were unsteady. “See what y-you do to m-me.”

  “I think this is more of a delayed reaction to the rescue than to me.” She pushed against his chest and his hands fell away, releasing her. “You need to get out of those wet clothes and into a hot shower. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

  Yeah, that wouldn’t be a problem. He wasn’t going anywhere.

  Despite how he’d kissed her seconds ago, it was as if every muscle in his body was on lockdown. Unable to move, but afraid he would end up on the floor, he braced his hands, and then his forehead, against the wall.

  She slipped away.

  Closing his eyes, he listened while she moved around the cabin. The light changed behind his eyelids; she must have closed the blinds. A few minutes later, a musky, spicy fragrance filled his nose. Candles. Then the soft strains of music reached his ears, something easygoing and instrumental filling the air before the steady pulsating sound of the shower in the nearby bathroom almost drowned it out.

  Damn, that was the best sound of all, but he wasn’t sure he could walk the few feet necessary to get there.

  He flexed his fingers. Okay, that was a start.

  Palms flat, he pushed, straightening his arms. A low, guttural moan fell from his lips before he could swallow it back and he prayed Tanya hadn’t heard that pathetic sound.

  But she probably had. She was right there next to him. He could feel her.

  “The shower is ready when you are.”

  He was ready. Boy, was he ready.

  Opening his eyes, Dev stared at the plank wall while mentally gathering the last ounce of strength he had. He stepped back, turned and headed for the bathroom on the far side of the cabin.

  Tanya was there reaching for him, but he held up a hand and kept moving. He could do this on his own. Ten steps. Fifteen, tops. Then the hot steam enveloped him, seeping into his skin.

  He reached for the button fly of his jeans and stripped them and his briefs away in one motion. The socks took a couple attempts, but soon they were gone, too.

  Pulling open the glass door, he stepped inside. This time his moan was one of pure appreciation as the hot spray covered his body. He ducked his head under the water and let it pound against his neck and shoulders. Already the muscles were loosening and coming back to life.

  Damn, that felt good.

  Almost as good as having Tanya in his arms.

  Tanya...

  Raising his head from out of the spray, he brushed the water from his face and found her standing right outside the shower, holding the glass door open.

  Staring at him.

  His body responded to the appreciation in her gaze.

  “If you’re feeling better, would you like some company?” she asked.

  He read her lips more than heard the words. This time he was sure of what she’d said.

  “Yes, please.”

  She released the door and it started to close, but Dev held it open, not wanting to miss one moment of her undressing.

  Grabbing the bottom edge of her shirt, she pulled it over her head in a smooth motion. The ponytail she must’ve put into place sometime during the afternoon disappeared. Her hair once again floated like a soft cloud around her shoulders as she bent to remove her aged boots and then her socks. When she straightened, her fingers were already at her waist and the jeans were gone in a heartbeat.

  She now stood there, dressed only in a white lacy bra, matching panties and a shy smile.

  Yes, please.

  In one motion, he reached for her.

  Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her under the water with him, the glass door closing with a soft thud, cocooning them in a private world that was theirs alone.

  “Dev!” She called out his name, then laughed. “You’re getting me wet!”

  As he hauled her up against him, his arousal pressed into the softness of her belly. He filled his hands with the perfection that was her lace-covered bottom. “I want you wet.”

  * * *

  Tanya’s laughter melted into a moan as Dev’s mouth slid from her jaw to her neck to her collarbone.

  He kept moving until his mouth reached her breast, and he took the nipple between his lips, lace included. Tugging, licking, teasing. He did it all, paying attention to each action as his fingers drew the straps off her shoulders.

  She thought about the front closure on her bra, but he found it and whisked the sodden material from her body. The panties soon followed and then his hands were everywhere.

  Touching, caressing.

  Her fingers followed the same path on his body. She wanted to explore every inch of his naked perfection, spurred by the desire he created in her and her own need to make sure he was truly okay after today’s harrowing ordeal.

  She knew he’d had to help that little boy, but she’d been so scared...

  “It’s okay,” Dev whispered, his mouth at her ear. “I’m okay.”

  It was then Tanya realized she’d spoken her fears aloud.

  Closing her eyes, she tipped her head back and let the shower wash away her tears.

  Today had been the closest she’d ever come to this kind of emergency, and now she realized, in a small way, how terrifying this part of Dev’s life was. His day job had him sitting at a desk most of the time, designing home security systems. Sometimes he supervised the installation at the construction site.

  But firefighting?

  That meant putting his life on the line, and not for entertainment or competition like the event coming up next month, but every time he answered the call of an alarm....

  “It’s just us, just you and me.” His words filled the steamy air around them. “I want you...wanted to be with you from the moment I first saw you.”

  “I’ve wanted you, too.”

  Always.

  Tanya bit hard on her bottom lip, managing to hold back that last word from being said aloud, but not able to hide the truth from herself any longer.

  She’d fallen in love with this man.

  This temporary distraction, a way to stay busy as she waited to close the door on her old life before starting over again, had taken root deep inside her heart without her even knowing it.

  Moments later, Dev shut off the water, opened the shower door and wrapped her in one of the large, white fluffy towels hanging on the hook outside. He used the other towel for himself, his hands never leaving her body while his whispered words told her all he wanted to do.

  To her. With her.

  She had started out wanting to take care of him, but somehow he’d turned everything around as he backed her into the main room and headed straight for the bed.

  “Are you okay to walk?” she asked as they stumbled over each other’s feet. “You’re not too tired?”

  Dev smiled and said, “Right now, honey, I feel like I could fly.”

  Pushing the blankets to one side, he laid her down on the cool sheets, and then joined her. His mouth covered hers again as he gently freed her body from the damp towel, and soon she did the same to him.

  “Please tell me you have a condom somewhere close by. My wallet is in the bathroom, still in the back pocket of my jeans.”

  She smiled up at him and pointed to the small bedside table on the far side of the bed.

  Dev looked over his shoulder, and then lay back against the covers, reaching for the single drawer. Tanya used that moment to move across his body, getting there first.

  His hands encircled her waist as she grabbed a couple of packets, tossing them on the pillow. “Hey, where do you think you’re going?”

  She straddled his hips, the hardness of him in perfect alignment with the wetness of her center. “Oh, right here seems perfect to me.”

  He gr
oaned as she rocked against him, and then his mouth found her breasts again. Stroking, caressing, he built a fire within her until she was ready to explode.

  She reached for him, but he grabbed her wrist. “No...I won’t last. Been so long.”

  Sitting tall, she slid farther down his legs. Bracing her hands on her thighs, she watched as he sheathed himself, a thrill racing through her as his hands trembled. Once he was done, he motioned for her, and she went to him.

  A ragged murmur came from his throat as she braced against his chest and slowly lowered herself, accepting him. He held her hips in place when she started to move, the two of them falling into a natural rhythm as if they’d done this many times before.

  “So perfect,” he whispered, looking up at her, watching her. “You are so perfect. This is so perfect...”

  “For me,” she finished his sentence, his thoughts matching her own. “Perfect for me.”

  The slow pulse deep inside grew, sensations rushing to every inch of her as he arched, lifting his hips off the bed to meet hers, his control spiraling away until he took her with him over the edge.

  * * *

  Dev tried to stay relaxed, pretending he was back on that lumpy mattress surrounded by the citrusy lavender scent that was uniquely Tanya’s.

  They’d spent an amazing night in her bed, making love again and again, except when they’d gotten up around midnight and made scrambled eggs. That’s when they talked about what had made Tanya so upset during their picnic yesterday.

  It was hard to listen to her story about her young patient, a skier whose name he recognized right away, but what had been worse was hearing how the kid and his parents had refused to listen to her professional advice.

  They had every right to get a second opinion, even if that opinion came from Tanya’s boss. But when they ignored Tanya’s recommendation to take more time off from competing and the kid ended up suffering a career-ending injury, it had been Tanya who’d lost her job, thanks to that spineless loser she called a boyfriend, who’d caved under the pressure and fired her.

  And then the jerk had actually threw the monetary favor he’d done for her back in her face.

  Dev now understood two things—her aversion to accepting help and why she’d been upset about his off-the-cuff plan to get into the firefighting competition.

  Without referencing anything to do with assistance or patronage, he assured her that he did value her opinion about his health and that he wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks.

  Thanks to a second shared shower, one that lasted much longer than the first, he’d shown her just how much better he was feeling.

  That is, until he’d been awakened this morning by a killer cramp in his lower leg, the first one he’d had in weeks.

  He hadn’t even realized he’d cried out until Tanya’s strong hands were on his body, working her magic. She’d gotten rid of the cramp and then proceeded to give him an all-over massage that had him falling back asleep without even realizing it.

  Or remembering that he’d agreed to an acupuncture session.

  “Are you sure about this?” Tanya walked out of the bathroom, drying her hands. “I know you mentioned doing this during the picnic, but that was before your unplanned rescue. I’m worried you’ve taken a step back in your recovery because of what happened yesterday.”

  He didn’t want to say that he agreed with her, but yeah, he was hurting after what he put his body through rescuing Jacoby. “We’re going to see Pete tomorrow, but I’d be more worried if I wasn’t sore this morning. Besides, you’re the one who promised great results from this pincushion stuff.”

  Geez, it was a good thing he was lying down.

  Thankfully he was on his stomach. Not that he planned on watching her stick him, but this way there was no chance of him seeing the needles because Tanya had already mapped out the specific pressure points on his back.

  “You ready?”

  She laid a hand on his shoulder and damned if he didn’t relax at her touch. “Ready when you are. Just keep talking, okay?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tanya perched the straw Stetson on her head. It came complete with two beautiful yellow silk roses positioned right next to the turquoise blue stones on the hat band.

  She did a bit of posturing, looking at her reflection from all angles, but she’d known from the moment she’d spotted this beauty among the dozens of hats on display that this one was just what she’d been looking for.

  “Oh, Dev, it’s perfect.” She whirled away from the mirror hanging on the side of the vendor’s tent and forced herself to beam at the man standing behind her. “I love it.”

  Dev grinned at her and paid for the hat.

  Tanya had arrived at the Destiny fairgrounds an hour ago with Mac, knowing Dev had been here since early morning with his team, getting ready for the day’s events.

  Her grandfather had disappeared in the crowd after they’d found Dev, but he planned to join her later on when the challenges started. They’d sit with Dev’s family, some of whom she and Dev had already run into as they walked around the area roped off for vendors selling everything from food to balloons to hats.

  “You’re going to have to wear that on the plane so as not to crush it.” Dev took her hand as they moved on, his words deflating her mood just a bit. “Hard to believe in a little over forty-eight hours you’ll be winging your way to jolly ol’ England.”

  Yes, sometimes Tanya found it hard to believe, too.

  Especially since her flight left tomorrow night, not Tuesday as previously planned.

  Unable to sleep, she’d crawled out of Dev’s arms in the wee hours of the morning and through tears she couldn’t hold back, logged on to the computer and changed her departure time. Not wanting to lose it in front of him and have a teary-eyed goodbye, she’d decided to make the break quick, so she could cry in private if she wanted to.

  If she wanted to?

  Crying was inevitable, because the past four wonderful weeks had flown by as she and Dev continued to spend just about every day, and most nights, together.

  After taking it easy on the advice of his doctors for a few days following Jacoby Dillon’s rescue, Dev had jumped back into his therapy program full force, both with Pete and with her.

  Including at least two acupuncture sessions a week.

  She’d been amazed at how well he’d handled the first session. So well that he’d actually fallen asleep during the resting period. He’d had nothing but praise for her skills when she woke him after it was over, insisting his pain was gone.

  Tanya hadn’t been sure if he was only telling her what he thought she wanted to hear, but when he’d come to her a few days later and asked to do it again, she agreed, and to his family’s surprise, started to include the sessions in his therapy schedule.

  Of course, it hadn’t been all work between them.

  They had plenty of time for movies, dinners out, weekly bingo nights, special events like the blessing ceremony for Adam and Fay’s son in the family’s beautiful log chapel and a road trip to Colorado Springs to see her family one more time.

  Her mother and stepfather had liked him right away and he’d charmed her twin sisters, just as she knew he would. They spent a lot of time with Devlin’s family, too, and Tanya had found herself falling in love with them as much as she was in love with Dev.

  But she had no idea if he felt the same way about her.

  They had fun together and their physical relationship was unlike any she’d ever had before, but both of them worked hard to keep things casual and easy and light.

  Just like they’d said from the very beginning.

  “I hate to do this, but I’ve got to run.” Dev checked his watch. “The individual events are starting soon.”

  “And you need to be there for the te
am.”

  He’d told her a few days ago he’d been officially cleared as a member of the Destiny Fire Department challenge team, a requirement for him to be able to have access to the team’s staging area and to be allowed on the competition grounds.

  His name wasn’t listed as a participant in any of the events, just as one of two backups each team was allowed in case injuries required a team member to be replaced.

  “Go on.” She waved him off, hoping her words sounded causal. “I’ll be cheering for DFD from the stands.”

  He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her between two vendor tents, using the private space to kiss her so thoroughly and possessively that her breath disappeared.

  “It might be the rest of the day before I can do that again,” he whispered against her lips, his own breath coming out in short gasps, “so I wanted to make it worthwhile.”

  She closed her eyes, knowing the few hours they had tonight were going to be the last. How was she ever going to find the strength to say goodbye to this man?

  * * *

  Dev gave Tanya another quick kiss and then turned and walked away before he did something stupid.

  Like tell her he loved her.

  Keep things casual. Don’t get in the way of her plans. Don’t mess this up.

  Dev had repeated those rules to himself over and over as one day melted into the next and Tanya slowly became ingrained in his life.

  In his heart.

  He’d kept his feelings to himself, not wanting to put a damper on the great times they were having, but a plan to surprise her in London was already underway.

  Maybe in the fall when things slowed down around the office.

  Pushing that idea to the back of his mind for now, Dev switched gears and concentrated on getting ready for today’s competition.

  He’d been over the moon to find out he’d passed the physical to make the team, even if it was just as a replacement member. The chances of him being needed to step in and fill a space during any of the team events were slim.

  But he’d done it.

  He’d made it back, thanks to the hard work of a lot of people, including Tanya.