Page 9 of Sequoia Flames (Black Timber Peak Hotshots #6)

NINE

VERITY

Opening my eyes, all I can see is dark and shadows.

But I can feel him above me, his dark form hidden in the soft light of the moon and the lantern.

His broad shoulders loom over me as his head dips to rest his forehead against mine.

I can feel his warm breath against my cheek and I close my eyes, sinking into his touch.

Overwhelming hunger wells up in my body and I groan.

My fingers run up his arms and tangle in his soft hair, tugging at the strands. “Come to me, Lassiter. Please. Touch me. Take me.”

His dark head shakes and I see the pale gleam of his eyes. “I shouldn’t…”

“You definitely should.”

“You’re leaving.”

“Not tonight.”

“It’s too much.”

“I need you. Make me feel good again, Lassiter. Make me forget. Just for a little while. You make me feel like a woman again and it’s been so long since I felt anything but sad. Or mad.”

He drags in a breath and I see his eyes close, his forehead resting on mine. “You deserve more than one night, Firefly.”

My lips twist. “I deserve to feel good for once. You make me feel beautiful.”

He leans down and his warm breath warms my throat as he kisses it gently. Closing my eyes, I fight tears, my heart aching. “You are more beautiful than any woman I’ve ever seen. And your ex has to be the biggest dumbass out there or he never would have let you go.”

I giggle and he groans against my throat. My smile fades and I lean up until I find his lips again. “Please,” I whisper against his lips.

“I shouldn’t…” But his hands run along my sides and then he growls, “You’re so damn beautiful, Firefly.”He rips his shirt off and throws it across the tent.

His lips find mine in the dark and move insistently.

I arch up into his chest, the soft pelt tickling at the stiff peaks of my nipples.

His hand slips down and his hands dig into the back of my thighs as he pulls me tighter against him until I can feel the hard, thick length of him rubbing at my thigh.

Slick heats burns at my lower belly and I break free from his lips, throwing my head back and groaning low in my throat.

“Lassiter, please,” I beg, writhing under him. “God, you feel so good. So hard and warm. It’s been so long…”

He hisses through his teeth as my core slips against his rigid length. “You’re so damn tempting,” he growls, his teeth running along my throat, rasping deliciously and melting my whole body into a quivering puddle of lust.

“Now, Lassiter, now, I can’t wait anymore. Please.”

“Hello! Is there somebody in there!”

My head jerks and slams into his. “Dammit,” he growls, rubbing at his head as he sits up. I grasp the sleeping bag and my wide eyes search for his dark shape.

“Who is that?”

“I don’t fucking know but they’ve got a lot of explaining to do and I’m really not in the mood for this shit,” he growls under his breath as he grabs his shirt and slips it back on.

I can barely see him but I know he’s probably got his usual surly frown on his handsome face.

I can see his hand come up and I squint, barely seeing his finger pointing at me.

“Do not fucking move from that spot, Firefly. I don’t know who the hell that is but it’s fucking strange that there’s anybody else up here right now. Stay put.”

Gritting my teeth I glare at his retreating backside. “I don’t need you telling me what to do, Lassiter.”

He whips around and points again. “You behave, woman.”

Hissing through my teeth, I sit up and grab my clothes. “Oh, there’s no way that any man is going to get away with telling me what to do,” I grunt under my breath as I dress. “Neanderthal…”

I push the tent flap up and step outside, unsurprised when Lassiter turns, glaring at me in the lamplight. “I told you to stay put, dammit.”

Huffing, I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. I don’t care how good he looks. The man’s an ass. “You’re not the boss of me.”

He rolls his eyes and turns back to the two men standing in front of him. “What are you guys doing up here? There’s a wildfire out there.”

The dark-haired guy smirks. “Yeah, we know. We tried to go down but there was no way to get through unless we were willing to jump a cliff or two. I don’t know about you but I can’t do that. So we decided to go up and see if we could find a way to signal to someone.”

The red-haired guy smiles at us, his eyes lingering on me a little too long. I shift and move deeper into the shadows. I don’t like this guy. “We’re damn happy to see you guys.”

His dark eyes roam over me again as he speaks and I fidget again. Lassiter’s pale blue eyes run between the two of us and he moves back to me, wrapping his arms around me and tugging me close. “I’m sure. What were you guys doing out here again?”

“Oh, ummm. Just hiking.”

“Uh-huh.” Lassiter nods but his eyes narrow on them. “I tell you what, honey. Why don’t you go back to bed. I’m gonna stay up with these two guys and we’re gonna talk about what’s gonna happen in the morning.”

“But… what about me?” I don’t understand why he’s pushing me out of here. I need to know any plans too.

“You already know what my plans are. And you need some rest. I’ve got this.” He leans down, his mouth whispering along my cheek as he whispers in my ear. “I don’t want you anywhere near these guys. Please, go back to bed. I’ll be fine. Don’t get undressed this time though.”

Shooting him a quick look, I nod my head and step back inside the tent, not really surprised when he closes it and makes sure that nothing is exposed.

I hear them talking as they move away and there’s something controlled and thoughtful in his voice that tells me he’s not happy. And not just because we were interrupted.

Who the hell are these guys and what are they doing up here? Did we just jump from the frying pan into the fire?

I lie down and close my eyes but my body refuses to relax and I know damn well that I’m not gonna get any sleep tonight.

I really wish that I had Lassiter’s strong, safe arms wrapped around me right now.

I sigh and roll over, staring out the front of the tent and wishing like hell that I could fall asleep and that we were alone together.

Wishing fruitlessly that those guys never showed up and wondering what’s happening out in that dark night.

Closing my eyes, I huff and wrap my own arms around me, wishing that it was the grumpy firefighter’s muscular chest cradling my face instead of the flannel sleeping bag.