Controlled Burn

by Shannon Stacey

  “I’m not asking if you know the logical reason for her presence. I want to know if you’re okay with it. I know I focus on this being Joe and Marie’s home, but it’s your home and it can’t be easy.”

  “The difference is that Joe and Marie own the house and I rent an apartment. It’s the chance you take if you don’t buy.”

  She backed away from him so she could see his face. “That can’t be how you really feel.”

  He shrugged and moved around the island to put the roll of paper towels he’d been using back on the counter. “I love this apartment. And I love the house and I love Joe and Marie. But they’re moving on and I will, too.”

  She looked at him for a long moment, and he could tell she wanted to poke at feelings about the house more. But she must have decided against it because she smiled. “It’ll be a shame to give up that master bathroom. Especially the shower. It’s so big two people could have sex in there.”

  The thought of Jess naked against all that white tile made him instantly hard as a rock and Rick was glad he was standing on the opposite side of the island. “Yes. Two people could have sex in there.”

  She shivered and rubbed her hands on her arms. “I bet it’s warm in there, too. I think I caught a chill coming up here.”

  “I’d take you in the bedroom and warm you up, but you know the second I get my hands on you, they’ll walk through the door.”

  “I’d rather not take the chance of getting caught naked by my grandparents and a very nosy lady with a camera, thanks.” But she gave him a smile that just intensified the ache. “Rain check.”

  A few minutes later they heard Joe’s heavy tread on the deck and Jess went to open the slider for them. Once they were in out of the cold, Joe introduced the real estate agent to Rick.

  “We’ll be quick,” she promised, and he saw Jess—who was standing behind the trio—roll her eyes.

  It bothered him more than he thought, watching the woman take pictures of his home so they could sell it to somebody else. He stayed where he was behind the island, only moving when she wanted to take a shot of the kitchen. Not only did he not care to follow them around the apartment, but every time he looked at Jess, he got that mental flash of her naked and slick and soapy in his shower again.

  As Joe and Marie took the agent into his bedroom, Jess joined him at the island. “You okay?”

  “Sure. Do I not look okay?”

  “You’re usually a sociable guy, so it’s weird you’re not talking.”

  “They’re busy and, unless they want to know what kind of marble vanity top that is, there’s nothing I can really add.”

  She looked at him for a long moment, and then blew an exasperated breath at some hair that had drifted toward her face. “Fine. Don’t tell me.”

  “Okay. It’s not fun watching people get ready to sell the place I’ve made a home, even if I think it’s the right thing to do. And I also want to fuck you in my shower. So, yeah, there’s a lot going on in my head right now.”

  She tried unsuccessfully to stifle a chuckle, and then she slid her hand into his. He interlocked their fingers and squeezed as she rested her head against his arm. “I know the house thing is hard. It is for all three of you. The shower thing I might be able to help you with at some point, though.”

  At some point was going to be about forty-five seconds after the door closed behind her grandparents and their real estate lady, but he didn’t bother to tell her that. She’d figure it out when he locked the door and got her naked.

  From the other room, he overheard the woman asking about the crown molding and groaned. Assuming he—and his throbbing erection—survived that long.

  * * *

  Jessica stood at the window, watching the real estate agent leave, and she could still hear the engine out on the road when Rick’s arms looped around her waist and he kissed the back of her neck. She shivered and leaned back against him.

  “I feel dirty,” he said. “We should take a shower.”

  She laughed, but he didn’t. “The lady just left, Rick. Joe or Marie might come up to talk about what she said.”

  “I locked the door. They’ll figure it out.”

  “Or we could wait until a normal time to take a shower. It’s barely evening.”

  “The thought of you in that shower made my dick so hard I’m afraid I’ll be permanently damaged,” he said, and she giggled. “Why do you think I stayed behind the kitchen island while they roamed around taking pictures?”

  “I thought you were staying out of the way.”

  “I was. I didn’t want to alarm anybody.” He nipped at her earlobe, and she felt herself caving.

  “I do love that shower.”

  “Let me give you a really good tour.” Sliding his hand under her shirt, he ran his fingers up her spine and then tucked them under her bra strap. “Unless you have something you’d rather be doing.”

  “Something I’d rather do than be naked with you?” She turned in his arms and, after locking her hands behind his neck, hopped up to wrap her legs around his waist.

  He caught her, supporting her ass with his hands, and kissed her before carrying her into the bedroom. There was definitely something to be said for having a guy who had to stay in good physical condition for a living, she thought.

  Once he’d set her on her feet, he wasted no time stripping down. “You weren’t kidding.”

  He looked down and then laughed. “I never kid about permanent damage to my dick.”

  “You’re not going to turn that shower on cold, are you?”

  “How hot do you like it?”

  She pulled her shirt off and tossed it aside. “As hot as you can stand it.”

  He opened the wide glass door and walked into the massive shower. Jessica continued to strip as he turned the water on, so by the time it was running hot enough for him to step under the stream, she was ready to join him.

  After pulling the door closed behind her, she grabbed the bar of soap off the shelf and lathered her hands. He started to turn, but she stopped him with a hand to the shoulder.

  “You should let me wash your back.”

  “Okay, but then I’m washing your front.”

  She laughed and set the bar back on the shelf before touching him. Her fingertips, slick with soap, glided over his shoulders and down his arms. Then she looped her hands around and washed his chest. Her breasts were pressed against his back, almost aching with the need for him to cup them in his hands.

  But she wasn’t done with him yet. She slid her hands down his stomach, feeling his abs tighten as her touch skimmed lower.

  “Jess.” He growled her name, but whether it was a plea or a warning, she couldn’t tell. And she didn’t care.

  She closed her hand around his cock, stroking the hard length of it with her slick hand. He dropped his head back as his hips rocked slightly, but after only a few strokes, he grasped her wrist and stilled her hand.

  Then he turned and backed her up against the shower wall. The tile was cold and she arched her back, but there was nowhere to go with his body pressed against hers. He pushed her wet hair away from her face and then kissed her hard.

  She opened her mouth to him, surrendering completely as his tongue danced over hers. Then he kissed her chin. The hollow at her throat.

  The tile was already warming against her skin and she ran her fingers over his hair when his mouth closed over her nipple. He sucked hard, the sensation sizzling through her body.

  Steam was filling the enclosure as the hot water beat down on them, rinsing away the soap and leaving their skin flushed. Or maybe it was his mouth on her body. She didn’t know and didn’t care. All she knew was the feel of his scruffy jaw on her delicate skin and his hand sliding up her thigh.

  He stroked the soft flesh between her legs, and
she sucked in a breath when he pressed the heel of his hand against her clit. She ground against his hand, so close to an orgasm she could only whimper. Then he slid two fingers into her and his thumb replaced his palm. As his fingers moved, his thumb brushed over her clit and she dug her fingernails into his shoulders as she came.

  When the shuddering stopped, Rick reached around her and turned off the shower. “We’ve done the tile thing once already and you’re right. I’m too old for that shit.”

  She expected him to grab them some towels, but he pushed open the glass door and lifted her into his arms. “Not on the bed! We’re so wet even changing the sheets won’t help because we’ll soak the mattress.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, setting her on her feet. After grabbing a condom from his nightstand, he kissed her.

  She heard the crinkle of the condom wrapper and then he was turning her so she faced the bed. When he put his hand on her back, she leaned forward and braced her palms on the edge of the mattress.

  He entered her slowly, each stroke just a little deeper than the one before it. Her fingers curled in the bedspread and she tried not to hold her breath as his hands gripped her hips.

  When she finally took all of him, he paused, his breathing fast and shallow. He skimmed his fingers over her back, raking the skin lightly with his nails. She shivered and pushed back against him with a moan.

  When his hand slid up her neck and his fingers curled in her hair, she gasped and jerked her hips against his. He jerked hard in response, and she cried out. Every thrust was deep, with one hand on her hip and the other buried in her hair.

  Then, just when she thought he was going to come, he stilled. After a few seconds, he withdrew and turned her around. “Screw the bed. We’ll sleep on the couch if it gets wet. I want to see your face.”

  He picked her up and set her on the mattress, then settled himself over her. Brushing her hair away from her face, he looked into her eyes and smiled. “I like that. But I like seeing your face.”

  She felt a hot flush under his scrutiny, but she didn’t look away. Instead she cupped his face in her hands and lifted her head to kiss him. She’d never get enough of kissing this man, she thought.

  Rick nudged her knees apart and she sighed against his lips when he filled her again. “I love the feel of you inside me.”

  He grinned, his eyes crinkling. “I love the feel of me inside you, too.”

  Taking his time, he moved his hips in a steady rhythm that made her want to beat her fists on his back. But no matter how she raised her hips or dug into the backs of his thighs with her heels, he wouldn’t be rushed.

  The entire time, he drove her crazy with his mouth, kissing her mouth and her neck. Kissing her breasts and sucking hard on her nipples, almost but not quite to the point of pain. She squirmed and he reached between their bodies to stroke her clit.

  The orgasm hit hard and she moaned as the tremors wracked her body. She clutched at his shoulders and he moved his hips faster. With deep, fast strokes, he pounded into her until his hips jerked and he growled her name.

  When he rolled onto his back, they both stared at the ceiling, trying to catch their breath. He captured her hand with his and brought it to his mouth to kiss her palm. “Damn, woman.”

  She wasn’t ready to form words, so she made the same sound she made when she bit into a slab of exceptionally good chocolate cake and closed her eyes.

  After a few minutes the mattress dipped and she heard him go into the bathroom. She thought about moving, since she was sideways on the bed, naked with wet hair on top of the covers.

  It didn’t happen, though, and when Rick came back, he just stretched out beside her again. He stroked her thigh and turned his head to kiss her shoulder.

  “Stay with me tonight.”

  Since she hadn’t even been able to muster enough ambition to turn the right way on the bed, it sounded like a great idea. “You have to go to work soon, so you need to sleep.”

  “I’ll sleep.” He rolled onto his side and threw his arm over her. “I want you to sleep with me. We can have a very early breakfast together before I leave.”

  It seemed like a big step and that was ridiculous since her own bedroom was just one floor below them. Technically they lived under the same roof. But it was the right step, she thought. It was foolish for her to get up and creep back to her bed when they both wanted her in Rick’s. “I should warn you that going to bed with wet hair doesn’t bode well for my morning look.”

  “Honey, there is no look so bad I wouldn’t want to see your face in the morning.” He nuzzled his face against her neck. “I might laugh, but I won’t be scared off.”

  She giggled and slapped his arm. “Nice. We should at least turn the right way so our heads are on the pillows.”

  “Mmm.” She could hear his breathing getting slower and deeper as he mumbled. “Five more minutes.”

  Rick had had a feeling when he walked into the station the next morning it was going to be a doozy of a tour. Whenever the meteorologists started trotting out the record cold temperature graphs and talking in excited voices about the possibility of breaking them, his job got harder.

  Some freezing rain had made things interesting, and he knew they’d probably spend most of their time responding to motor vehicle accidents. The tire chains were on the trucks in preparation and there were extra blankets in the cabs in case they were needed by any victims caught without coats.

  But then somebody had started a fire in an old warehouse being rehabbed into retail space. Now they were in hell, and it was definitely freezing over.

  They’d been first on the scene, but E-59 hadn’t even finished laying the lines before additional alarms were struck. They had L-37’s ladder in position, but with the relentless freezing drizzle falling out of the sky, it was treacherous and Rick couldn’t do anything but pray none of them would slip and fall on it.

  The only saving grace was the fact it was an empty building. It was massive and it was going to be a long night of battling the elements along with the flames. Hoses froze. Fittings. Footing was treacherous. Their exposed skin was at risk and if fighting a fire was anything, it was wet. Conditions in which water froze on contact with any surface added a hazardous element there was almost no protection against.

  But at least there were no people inside, and that was what Rick tried to focus on as his company worked on breaching the roof.

  He lost track of how long they worked on knocking down the flames. There were so many companies involved he couldn’t keep track of them all, but that wasn’t his job, anyway. That was the incident commander’s problem.

  Word filtered through they’d transported one guy to the hospital for a possible broken clavicle thanks to slipping on the ice. Rick winced when he heard that because that was a shitty bone to break. Then, a while later, he found out three guys were being transported for smoke inhalation after being rescued from a far corner of the building.

  Clearly it was going to be one of those days.

  Over time, he noticed the news cameras, and the number of cell phones being held up by the onlookers who could get close enough to catch a glimpse of the fire to impress their Facebook friends. And he wondered if Jess had seen any of it.

  She’d be worried. Even to him, the scene looked like something out of a horror movie and he’d served through a lot of winters with Boston Fire. He couldn’t imagine what it would look like to somebody who didn’t have a lot of knowledge of firefighting or freezing rain and subzero temperatures.

  His foot slipped on an icy beam and he went down hard, landing on his knee. Letting loose every swear word he knew through gritted teeth, he slowly pushed himself back to his feet and tested his weight on the leg. It was going to hurt like a son of a bitch tomorrow, but it would do for tonight.

  That was what he got for letting his attention wan
der to Jess instead of focusing on the job. No matter how worried she might be, her life wasn’t in his hands. He owed it to these guys to stay focused.

  “You okay?” Chris Eriksson appeared at his side, his eyebrows drawn together in a way that was almost comical thanks to the tiny icicles clinging to them.

  “Yeah, I’ll live. We’re going to pull out and take a break soon. I saw Porter slip a few minutes ago. He didn’t go down, but we’re all getting tired and somebody’s going to get hurt.”

  “I could use a hot chocolate. I can see the volunteer truck from here and those foam cups are a thing of beauty, man. Every time I look at them, I want to cry.”

  Rick laughed and called in to command. It was time for some hot chocolate, dammit.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jessica heard Joe give a long, low whistle and lowered her book to look up at the television screen. Her heart seemed to stop for a few seconds and she audibly sucked in a breath.

  A roaring fire filled the screen and, as she watched, the camera angle pulled back and panned the mass of trucks and firefighters surrounding the scene. And while the flames and smoke dominated the background of the shot, ice was everywhere in the foreground.

  It glistened on the fire trucks and on the snow. The camera zoomed in on a group of firefighters gathered around an older guy who was obviously in charge, and Jessica actually gasped. Their coats were encased in ice, and icicles hung from the rims of their helmets. One of the men facing the camera had ice in his mustache, and she felt a frisson of fear for a man she didn’t even know.

  “They shouldn’t be out there like that. It’s too cold.”

  “They’ve got a job to do,” Joe said.

  “Once the fire is that big, why can’t they just let it burn?”

  “And let it jump to the next building and keep spreading until it takes out an entire city block or more? That building’s being renovated, but the others have people living in them, and businesses.”

  Jessica wanted to argue with him, but she knew he was right. It was their job to put out the fire, regardless of the weather. But there were a lot of firefighters in the city doing that job. “Maybe Rick and the others aren’t at that fire. There are probably hundreds of fire trucks in Boston, right?”