Fighting the Flames (Firefighter Romance #1)(26)

He frowned. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her he wasn’t going to be just some guy she had sex with when the mood struck, but he refrained. Saying so would make him sound needy, and he was afraid he’d scare her away again. That was the last thing he wanted.

“I’ll stay for a while though.” She swirled her finger around his chest. “I don’t think I could walk home right now anyway.”

“Why’s that?” He tucked his hand behind his head and enjoyed the feel of her touch. It sent shivers through his body and caused goose bumps to erupt on his arms.

“Because my legs are still shaking from that orgasm. I’m pretty sure if I try to stand, I’ll fall.”

He laughed. “So what you’re saying is if I give you several more orgasms like that last one, you’ll be incapacitated and have to stay here?”

She playfully smacked him and laughed. “That’s not even close to what I said.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s what I heard.”

“Oh yeah?” Jess sat up, flung her leg over his waist, and straddled him.

He cocked a brow and grinned. “Yeah.”

Jess smoothed her hands up his torso, lowering her body until it was flush against his, and then she kissed him. It was a kiss unlike any he’d ever had: slow, easy, and full of passion and sexual desire. That single kiss was enough to arouse him to the point of frustration. He wrapped his arms around her and ground his hips up, rubbing his hard cock on her warm folds. “Again?” she asked.

“Again,” he confirmed, adjusting her body so that he could enter her. But before he had the chance to do so, his pager went off. He grabbed it from the night stand and looked at the message. “Son of a bitch.”

Jess sat up on him, his cock resting against her *. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Fire call,” he said, setting the pager down and clutching her hips. “I have to go.” What he really wanted to do was slide inside her and make her scream his name until she was too damn exhausted to do anything but fall asleep in his arms.

“Oh.” She was clearly disappointed. So was he.

Ryan palmed the back of her head and brought her down to him for another kiss. Damn. It was torture feeling her wet * on his shaft and not being able to do anything about it. He groaned. If he didn’t get out of there right now, he knew he never would. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll spend the whole day together like we used to.”

“I’d like that.” She rotated her hips on him, making him jerk in response.

He rolled his eyes. “You’re killing me, Jess.”

She giggled and climbed off him. “We can finish this tomorrow.”

“Damn right we will.” Ryan dressed quickly while Jess gathered her clothes from the bedroom floor and the kitchen. He ensured she made it home safely before getting in his truck and taking off. For the first time in a long time, he was looking forward to the next day. He’d made up his mind: he would find out why she’d run away, and then he would do whatever was necessary to make sure she never did it again. Once and for all, Jessie Taylor would be his.





Chapter 15


Jessie stared out her window and watched until Ryan’s truck disappeared from view. She blew out a breath and leaned against the window, a smile plastered across her face. Sex with that man was as incredible as it had always been. She had gone to his house to talk, to tell him she was sorry for running out, but that they couldn’t get involved again. She’d jumped from one bad relationship to another, and it was time to take a break, to focus on reclaiming her independence and finding herself.

Well, that had been her intention anyway: to explain that the only thing she could offer him was friendship.

Then he answered the door in nothing but a towel and she knew she was in trouble. His dark hair had been wet and messy, his body lean and damp, beads of water trickled over his shoulders and down his abs. In two seconds flat, she’d gone from a mature woman who wanted to have an adult conversation to a sex-crazed, hormonal teenager who wanted to jump his bones. And that’s exactly what she’d done. It was unsettling how he had such an effect on her. She went inside and saw her sister sprawled on the couch, snoring lightly. Jessie covered her with a blanket and then went to bed.



“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” Jessie smiled and handed Lisa a cup of coffee.

“You’re in a good mood. I take it things went well with Ryan? God knows you were there long enough. I got tired of waiting up for you.”


“Yes, things went very well—although we didn’t do much talking.”

Lisa stopped with her cup halfway to her mouth. “You had sex with him?”

Jessie grinned and sipped her coffee.

Lisa shook her head in disapproval; her frown morphing into a broad smile. “You’re terrible.”

“Probably, but Ryan sure as hell isn’t.”

Lisa laughed. “Does this mean you’ve changed your mind about him?”

“No. Last night was a moment of weakness.” Jessie sighed. “I still just want to be friends.”

Lisa narrowed her eyes. “You have to tell him. Think with your brain, not your clitoris.”

Jessie laughed, she couldn’t help it. Her clitoris was exactly what she had been thinking with. “I know, I know. We’re going to spend the day together. I’m going to tell him. Today…”