Hot to Touch (Kimani Romance)

by Terry, Kimberly Kaye

With Emma, his normal mode of operating had been thrown right out the window, and he hadn’t a clue in hell how to retrieve it. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to, even if he knew how.

  Beyond the normal pillow talk he had engaged in with partners of the past, saying things he knew they wanted to hear just to make them feel good, with Emma he went deeper, said things he rarely disclosed. And it felt good to do it. As they lay there, spooned together, it felt natural being with her like this as she shared stories of her life as a journalist, at times laughing along with her at the more humorous tales, and sharing her remorse when hearing of the more heartrending stories.

  Like two saddle-shy wild horses, they were beginning to warm to the idea of inviting another into their lives, both gradually giving guarded secrets of themselves to the other.

  But Shane was hungry for more. He found himself really wanting to know who she was, beyond the superficial.

  He recalled a time when Kyle had laughed at him, warning him that when love hit, it hit hard and unexpectedly and there was nothing a man could do about it, but give in and enjoy the ride.

  Love.

  Damn.

  The minute he thought it, he was brought up short mentally.

  There was no way was he falling in love with her. It wasn’t possible. Whatever it was he felt for her, whatever they had going…could never last.

  Even as he was having the one-sided mind fight, Shane rubbed his cheek against her hair, breathing in her unique scent deeply as he ran his hand over the soft skin of her stomach in an unconscious, soothing gesture.

  He shook his head, as though to rid himself of the notion that he could be falling for her.

  “With the way I was brought up, never having a real home I guess, I suppose it was a natural career choice for me, being a journalist.”

  “I guess living that way would do that for anyone,” he murmured.

  “Yes, I suppose so. I never felt as though I…” she said, pausing “…fit, I guess, is as good a word as any. I always felt like I was on the outside looking in. The whole ‘square peg trying to fit in a round hole’ syndrome.”

  Shane felt the pain behind the casual words.

  “I never felt like I was special in any way. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but mine, I guess. I just never…fit,” she repeated, her voice going soft. When her words came to a halting stop, he pulled her around to face him, looking deeply into her eyes.

  “What?” she asked, self-consciously running a hand over her hair. “I must look like a mess.” She shifted as though to move away from him, and he tugged her back against his body.

  “You’re very special,” he told her, removing his T-shirt that she’d donned, exposing her pretty breasts to his avid gaze.

  “Every part of you.” He reached out and captured one of her nipples, toying with it until it spiked against his fingers. “Inside and out.”

  She ducked her head, but not before he caught the hint of a smile and one deep dimple flash.

  “And anyone, including me, who thinks otherwise is a damn fool.”

  She raised her head and looked at him, tilting it to the side, a question in her eyes. Before she could say a word, he lifted her, placing her body on top of his, and brought their bodies flush, taking her mouth with his.

  After a long, hot kiss, he reluctantly released her.

  “Do I make you feel good, Emma? Special?” He murmured the question against her mouth.

  When he nosed down the length of her neck, she moved her head to the side to give him better access.

  “Yes,” she replied in a breathy whisper, laughing huskily. “You do.”

  “Good. Because I plan to make you feel so special you’re too weak to walk straight.”

  She laughed outright at his lecherous claim.

  With slow deliberation, he smoothly flipped their bodies so that he covered her and lowered his mouth, making good on his promise.

  Emma woke with a smile stretching her mouth wide.

  She turned, expecting to find a warm body next to her, but instead her groping hand grasped a piece of paper where Shane’s head should have been.

  Prying her eyes open, she dragged her body away from the mattress. She opened the paper, her eyes scanning over the short sentence written in a broad, masculine script.

  Be ready at formation. No excuses, slacker. Even if you can’t walk straight.

  She grinned and placed the note on the nightstand before throwing her legs over the edge of the bed, her heart light as she grabbed her clothes and started to get ready for the day.

  Chapter 14

  The daylong rush of adrenaline was fading from Emma, exhaustion finally creeping up on her as she dragged herself inside the station.

  And if Emma had been under the delusion that the intimacy she and Shane had shared, or their mutual disclosures, would affect how he treated her during the day, she would have been sorely disappointed.

  With a groan of relief, she plunked down into the first available chair she could find as soon as she entered the reception area.

  In fact, if anything, he’d been more demanding. The day’s activity had included yet another simulation, this one in a smoke-filled room where the rookies had five seconds to don gas masks and protective gear and find and drag out of the building three civilians, two adults and a child, which were made of canvas and sand to simulate the weight of each.

  And of course he’d invited her to participate.

  And of course she’d been unable to resist the challenge.

  She felt a grin tug at the corners of her mouth. They were quite a pair. “Tough day?”

  With a start, she glanced up into the sympathetic smiling face of Belle. She slumped back into the chair.

  “Yeah, you could say that,” Emma replied, wrinkling her nose.

  “This’ll make you feel better.”

  When she noted the cup of steaming liquid the woman was holding out to her, she waved it away with a smile. “Thanks, Belle. But it might take me a minute to get up,” she said with a groan. She placed her hands on the arms of the chair, preparing to push herself upright, when Belle waved a stalling hand.

  “No, don’t get up. I’ll bring it to you,” she said, coming from behind the counter. She ambled over and sat in the chair next to Emma, handing her the mug. “I made it from the herbs in my own garden. Chamomile, rosemary and a sprig of peppermint.”

  Emma brought the cup to her nose. “Smells great,” she said gratefully before taking a cautious sip.

  “I added a little honey as well. Nice and relaxing. Looks like you could use it.”

  “Boy, can I!” Emma took another drink, this one longer, the hot liquid easing down her throat, and sighed.

  “So, you and ‘Mr. Hot Sex on a Platter’ have been getting along pretty well, huh?”

  The blunt question made Emma spew hot liquid from her mouth, her eyes opening fully.

  “Oh, my God…what are you talking about?” she asked, accepting the napkin from the woman and wiping the dribble of tea from her chin before placing the mug carefully on the chipped round wood table near her chair.

  The woman cast her a knowing look.

  “Look, sweetie. I might be a little gray around the edges—” she ran a hand over her immaculate, upswept hair and winked at Emma “—but this old gal’s not dead!”

  Emma glanced around to see if anyone else had entered the area, overhearing the woman’s words and cackling laugh.

  “Oh, honey, take it easy…it’s no big deal. Besides, it’s not as though it’s any big secret with the way you two have been carrying on! Besides, I knew it was coming the first time I saw the two of you together,” the older woman said with a smug expression on her face.

  “And that would be…?” she asked, the question trailing off as she looked into the woman’s knowing eyes.

  “That would be when you were walking around with your tail tucked beneath your butt, acting like you were afraid of your own doggone shadow around that man. Not to mention th
e many, many times I caught Shane checking out your booty when he thought no one was watching.”

  Again, the old woman’s blunt words almost made Emma choke.

  “Calm down.” Belle chuckled again. “You two haven’t been that bad. But it’s hard to hide when two people become involved. And I don’t think you two could hide it, even if you tried.” A faraway look entered her eyes. “That kind of passion is impossible to keep under wraps.”

  To buy herself time before answering, Emma asked, “Have we been that obvious? You know…unprofessional? Are the others talking about us?”

  The last thing Emma wanted or needed was for her professionalism to come into question.

  “No one’s saying anything, no worries.”

  Emma blew out a relieved breath. “Thank God!”

  After several moments, the two women drank their sweet tea in companionable silence.

  “Well…have you?” Belle asked, returning to her question with the precision of a terrorist inquisitor.

  So much for dodging the bullet, Emma thought.

  She considered lying. But what was the point? She glanced over at the old woman calmly sipping her tea and felt a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth, before it blossomed into a full smile.

  “Ummm, well…yes,” she admitted, despite the heat she felt literally burning up her cheeks. “We have.”

  “Alrighty then, that’s what I’m talking about!” Belle replied, holding up her hand. Laughing outright, Emma slapped palms with the woman.

  Emma had never really talked to other women. Not about personal issues at any rate. With her way of living, and her line of work, she’d never really had many “girlfriends.” Even in college, she’d been so focused on school and work that she’d always been somewhat of a loner.

  “Okay, so spill.”

  “I’m not sure that there’s really much to talk about.” Emma tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear that had escaped her “uniform” ponytail, feeling oddly shy.

  She laughed at herself. Here she was at the age of twenty-eight, blushing over a guy as though she were a teenager.

  “Sweetie, when the lovin’ is good, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a woman blushing. Fact is, if a man don’t make you blush, he ain’t doing something right! That’s when you have to worry!”

  After their mutual laughter subsided, Emma turned to her, sobering, thinking of Shane and their new, albeit complex, relationship. She opened her mouth to ask a question and promptly shut it, not sure how to ask. Truth was, she didn’t even know what to ask.

  “It’s been amazing. Especially the last couple of days with him.” Emma paused, considering. “He’s beginning to open up to me. He shared some of his own story, why he became a jumper. He doesn’t seem to have a problem with me being here anymore.”

  “I would imagine not,” Belle interjected.

  “Yeah, well, I guess that’s obvious.” Emma smiled lightly before continuing. “But beyond that, he’s been really helpful in other ways. Some of the things he’s told me are personal as well. Things I would never have thought he’d share with me, he has.” She paused. “I…I think he’s beginning to trust me. I don’t think he does that very easily.”

  What Emma told Belle was true, yet, for as open as he was to her, sharing stories, encouraging the others to speak to her, share their stories, there was a part of himself she felt he kept from her.

  “Men are a funny breed. Remember that book about men being from Mars and women from… Oh, hell, where was it?” Belle asked, frowning.

  “Venus?”

  “Yep, that’s the one. Well, for men like Shane, it even goes a step farther. They don’t open up as easily. They don’t show their feelings in the same way we do.” She stopped and shook her head. “My Carl was a lot like Shane. He would jump into the most perilous situations. Hell, my man lived for it! But ask him to share his feelings and he’d as soon cut out his own tongue! They live a dangerous life, putting their lives on the line to protect and serve. Those type of men are the hardest ones to get to open up and tell you what they’re really thinking.”

  “But when they do, sweetheart, when they allow you into their worlds, it’s a beautiful thing. It’s special. Not something that comes easily for them. And when they open their hearts and love…it’s real. Deep. They love hard and long.”

  Had Shane loved someone who’d hurt him? Was that the reason for his initial distrust of her? The reason at times she felt his hesitance in opening up to her?

  She was ready to ask the woman the questions burning in her mind when the door to the station opened and the man in question entered the room.

  “Hey, I was looking for you,” he said, the lines etched around his sensual mouth showing his fatigue. Yet the smile on his face, meant only for her, transformed it, softening it. Emma returned the soft smile, her eyes on his, momentarily forgetting Belle, who was watching the exchange between the two lovers.

  He walked toward her, covered in soot. His face, jumpsuit and every exposed inch of skin was sooty, from the day of training in the mock blow-up site.

  Emma felt a part of her chest tighten in response to the hero he was, while another part of her, the purely feminine part, melted for the man he was, the man behind the role of hero he played on a daily basis. And yet another part wondered how long this could actually last. She shook her head, determined not to dwell on those types of thoughts and just enjoy what they had for the moment.

  He came to stand next to her and stopped. Emma glanced at his outstretched hand. Without hesitation, she placed her hand within his strong grasp and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

  “Come home with me.”

  Neither one of them heard Belle’s soft chuckle as he led her away.

  Chapter 15

  The aroma of bacon and the hum of a deep baritone singing off-key brought Emma from a sound sleep.

  Yawning wide, she opened her eyes as Shane entered the bedroom, wearing nothing more than an apron around his lean waist and balancing a tray overloaded with food.

  She narrowed her eyes and read the slogan on his apron as he approached the bed. In bold red letters were the words “Firemen like it HOT,” and on a fireman’s pole was a woman wearing a helmet and a pair of stilettos and carrying an ax.

  And nothing else.

  When he noticed her appraisal of the apron, he actually blushed, mumbling, “It was, uh, a gift.”

  She laughed outright at the almost boyish look of chagrin on his face, but she decided to let him off and not ask who the gift was from.

  He sat down, tray in hand, near her on the bed. “I thought you might be hungry,” he said.

  “Shane, there’s enough here to feed an army!” she said, eyeing the array of food as she scooted over to make room for him on the bed.

  “I thought you could use the energy, rebuild your strength.”

  She caught the twinkle in his eyes, groaning, remembering their marathon lovemaking session the night before.

  Last night, after a side trip to her room, where he’d instructed her to pack for a weekend away from the station, they’d quickly rid themselves of their clothing, their desire for each other building to a slow boil, until it was ready to explode.

  She hadn’t had time to question his order to pack, much less do any actual packing, before he was on her.

  Removing only the bare essential clothing before tumbling on the bed together, their lovemaking had been hot and fast, leaving them both temporarily sated and completely breathless.

  She’d played with the heavy sprinkling of hair on his chest, twirling it around her finger, his chest pillowing her head.

  “Pack for what?” she’d asked, once her heartbeat had returned to normal.

  “I thought you’d like to get away from the station.” As she toyed with his chest hair, he stroked a casual hand down her. “I thought we could take a trip to Sweetwater Gap, near Wind River Peak. That is, if you’re interested?” he asked, looking down at her.

>   “It sounds like fun. I’d love to!”

  “Great.” He nodded. “I have a small house near downtown Lander. It’s not much, but it’s home. We can go there tonight. We’ll wake up bright and early and drive down to the site. It’s got a lot of history, and it’s a great place to take some photos as well. I haven’t been there since Kyle took me, right before I joined the smoke jumpers.”

  At the mention of his mentor, Emma had become more alert. He had rarely spoken of him, beyond mentioning him that first time, at the bar. Beyond that, she only knew that Shane considered Kyle his best friend and owed his life to him. The fact that he wanted to share it with her, a place that held special memories for him, with her hadn’t escaped her attention.

  By the time they’d reached his home, it had been late. After taking a quick shower together, they’d fallen into bed. Waking up hours later, he’d made slow, leisurely love to her that lasted throughout most of the night.

  “This looks amazing. Please tell me you ordered out for this!” she said, and he laughed, picking up one of the plump strawberries from the platter and dipping it into the saucer of cream.

  She dutifully opened her mouth, allowing him to pop the strawberry inside. Closing her eyes she moaned. “Mmm…delicious.”

  “Nope. I made it myself.” Her eyes sprang open when she felt his mouth cover her chin, his tongue sweep out and lick away the dollop of cream and strawberry juice that had eased from her mouth.

  When his wicked tongue licked a path up her chin to her mouth, Emma opened wide and met his tongue with hers.

  When Shane felt her stomach rumble against his chest, he reluctantly drew away from her.

  “Guess I know which hunger we have to take care of first,” he quipped, and smiled when she wrinkled her nose at him. “Besides, we have to leave soon for Sweetwater.”

  “How far is it from here?” she asked around the bacon she was chewing.

  He leaned back against the headboard and swiped a piece of toast from her hand right before she could take a bite, dodging the swat of her hand.

  “Hey, get your own!” she groused as he crunched down on the toast in satisfaction.