Page 11 of The Hotshot’s Prize (Praise Me Like Fire #2)

Ella

One Year Later

The woman staring back at me in the mirror doesn’t look like the girl who once trekked through the Grand Canyon with more camera gear than sense.

She looks…poised. Confident. Elegant.

The silk gown hugs my curves in all the right places, a soft shimmer catching the lights in the dressing room. My hair is swept up in a classic twist, makeup tastefully done. I look like I belong here.

But my heart is still the same. Still wild and full of wonder. Still beating like crazy, even after everything we’ve done…everything we’ve become.

It’s been a year.

A whole year since Zack crashed into my life, both literally and emotionally, and I haven’t looked back since.

With his steady support, his belief in me even when I doubted myself, I’ve managed to rise higher than I ever dreamed.

Wildlife magazines, conservationist foundations, even a few of the larger news syndicates have picked up my work.

I’ve chased storms and migrating herds, captured animal behavior most photographers only dream of, and Zack’s been right beside me every step of the way.

He’s more than my partner. He’s my other half. My calm in the chaos and the chaos in my calm.

And tonight…is the reveal.

The culmination of a year’s worth of chasing the impossible, displayed in a gallery that’s getting both national and international attention. Just thinking about it makes my palms sweat.

There’s a soft knock at the door.

“Come in,” I call, my breath catching even before the knob turns.

Because I know who it is.

Zack steps inside in a tailored dark suit, shirt open at the collar, no tie, just the right level of rugged elegance that makes my knees weak. His hair is slightly damp from a shower, and his grin is lazy, like he’s got all the time in the world to look at me.

And he does look at me. Slowly. Thoroughly. Like he’s remembering every inch of my body under this gown.

“Wow,” he breathes, crossing the room in long, purposeful strides. “You look like a dream I never want to wake up from.”

I roll my eyes, blushing. “You’re just saying that.”

“No.” He wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him. “I’m saying it because it’s true. And because I missed you.”

“We were apart for less than one day,” I tease, but my voice is softer now. There’s a current of something behind his eyes. A flicker of mischief, and something more.

He brushes a strand of hair from my face. “Yeah, well…I had some business to finish.”

My stomach knots. “Zack…don’t tell me—”

He grins, his eyes brimming with excitement. “I’m done, baby. Finished the contract yesterday. I wanted to tell you then, but I figured tonight would make a better memory.”

“You’re serious?” I whisper, blinking fast.

He nods. “No more fire lines. No more months apart. I’m yours. Full-time.”

I throw my arms around him with a squeal, hugging him tightly as the weight of relief and excitement crashes into me. “Oh my God! Zack. I can’t believe it.”

“That’s not all,” he says, pulling back just enough to look into my eyes. “Remember that device I told you I was developing? The one that detects dangerous backdraft patterns?”

“Of course,” I say, breathless. “You said it could save lives, give crews a tactical edge.”

“Well…it got approved. Government’s rolling it out across the states. I’ve got full rights and licensing, and I can manage everything remotely. Which means…” He pauses, smiling like he’s got the best secret in the world. “We’re free.”

“Free to do what?” I whisper.

He grins. “Whatever the hell we want. Chase rhinos in Kenya. Photograph snow leopards in the Himalayas. Wake up in different time zones and make love under different stars. I’ll carry your gear, cook your meals, and remind you every day how much I love you.”

I’m speechless.

Just for a second.

Then I throw myself into his arms again. “Zack, that’s…that’s everything I ever wanted.”

“And you’re everything I’ll ever need,” he says, kissing my forehead.

There’s a knock on the other side of the door, followed by a muffled voice. “Ella? Ten-minute warning!”

Zack pulls back with a smirk. “How much time do you actually have?”

I glance at the clock. “About fifteen minutes, maybe…”

“I can work with that,” he murmurs, voice dipping low, dark velvet laced with intent.

I laugh, a little breathless. “Zack! Now?”

But the moment the words leave my mouth, his hand curves around my waist and pulls me flush against his chest, silencing any further protest with his mouth on mine.

The kiss is soft at first, deceptively gentle. Like he’s testing the waters. Teasing me. But then my fingers fist in the front of his jacket and his tongue sweeps into my mouth, and the switch flips. This isn’t soft. This is him staking a claim.

Zack kisses me like he needs it to breathe. Like he’s waited all damn day for this moment and he’s starving.

And I’m just as hungry for him.

I pull away from his kiss and slowly kneel, shimmying my dress up a little so it won’t get dirty from the floor. I look up at Zack—he’s watching me like he can’t get enough. “You sure, baby?”

I nod, already unbuckling his belt and opening his pants to release his cock. “Please. I want to taste you.”

He chuckles, and it turns into a lustful groan as soon as my lips are wrapped around his length. “Yes, that’s it, baby. Fuck, you’re so good at this.”

I bob up and down on his length, stroking him with both my hands and my mouth, eager to make him come. The thrill of giving my boyfriend a blow job right before I have to go onstage is making me wet, and I’m starting to tremble with my own need, my thighs clenching together.

Zack’s hand in my hair pulls me off of him, and to my feet. “Love, I need to fuck you. Need to fill you with my cum before you go out on that stage.”

I barely have time to process the words before he spins me around and bends me effortlessly over the wide marble counter.

“I’ve been thinking about this all damn day,” he mutters, dragging his hands up my thighs, hiking the dress higher and higher until I can feel the hard press of him between my legs. “You in this dress. Looking like you do. All perfect and untouchable.”

“I’m not untouchable,” I whisper, turning to meet his eyes. “I’m yours.”

Something snaps in him.

He growls, a low, primal sound from deep down his throat.

One hand reaches around to cup my breast, his thumb flicking over the sensitive peak through the silk.

The other slides under the thin lace of my panties, and I whimper into his mouth as he slides his fingers into me.

I moan needily, constricting around his finger.

“Jesus,” he breathes, pulling back just enough to look at me, eyes dark and blown. “You’re dripping for me.”

My breath hitches. “I’ve been thinking about you all day.”

He slides another finger into me, curling just right, and my hips buck against his hand. He finally replaces his fingers with what I want most, thrusting into me hard and fast. I throw my head back, moaning his name as I come undone right there on the counter.

It isn’t long before I’m falling over the edge, and he’s groaning his own release as he spills inside me. When he pulls out, he grins wickedly and rearranges my clothes. “There. Now when you’re up there on that stage, you’ll feel my cum dripping out of you, and you’ll remember you’re mine.”

“You’re evil,” I gasp, half-dazed.

“Efficient,” he says smugly. “You’ll be glowing for real now.”

There’s a sharp knock on the door, muffled through the wood. “Ella? You’re on in three!”

My eyes go wide. “Shit.”

Zack chuckles but helps me off the counter, his hands gentler now. He straightens my gown with patient fingers, smooths my hair, kisses the smudged corner of my lips with a wink.

“You look better now.”

“I look ravished,” I murmur, pulse still racing.

His lips widen in an unrepentant grin. “Exactly.”

I run a hand over his chest, still trying to catch my breath. “And what happens after I accept my award?”

His mouth curves. “I take you home. Strip this dress off inch by inch. And go for round two.”

“You better.”

He leans in close, his lips brushing my ear. “You won’t sleep tonight, wild girl. I’m going to remind you exactly who you belong to.”

I shiver. “Yours.”

“Always.”

He steals one last kiss, slow, deep, and filthy enough to make me dizzy, then he smacks my ass lightly as I walk toward the door.

“Go melt their hearts, superstar,” he calls after me. “You already own mine.”

~The End