Fighting the Flames (Firefighter Romance #1)(35)

“Holy hell, that feels good.” His hips lifted off the bed in a rhythmic motion, thrusting in and out of her mouth. “Son of a bitch.” He arched his neck and closed his eyes, his breathing ragged and fast. Jessie knew he was close to coming, she could tell by the way his body tensed and his cock swelled in her mouth. She wanted to taste him, all of him, but he had a different idea.

Ryan reached down and pulled her up to him, his mouth landing squarely on hers. She swung her leg over his waist and slid down on him. Her fingers curled against his chest at the feel of him stretching her.

“Ahh... yes.” Jessie took all of him, pausing for a moment as her body adjusted to him, before she started to move. He felt incredible, and she wanted to stay here, in this moment, forever. The intensity and speed at which they moved steadily increased as sounds of flesh smacking flesh combined with their moans, filling the room in an erotic melody. It was uniquely them. It was the sound of that summer, a sound she’d missed and longed for throughout the past few years. And now she had it. She was living it, experiencing it, and it was better than she remembered. It was also just as terrifying. In fact, it was worse now because she knew how they felt about each other. They were in love, and it was tangible. She felt it with every fiber of her being.

She brought her body down on him, her breasts pressing to his chest, and kissed him. Ryan clutched her hips and entered her with jackhammer quick thrusts until she was crying his name, her orgasm tearing through her body with unnatural force. They were addictive—the orgasms that he gave her. She hadn’t even come down from it yet when he again rolled them over, their bodies never coming apart. He was on top of her, his forearms resting on either side of her head. He kissed her softly, his hands caressing the hair from her face. “Ryan,” she whimpered, shaking her head, unsure if it was a plea for more or for a reprieve. All she knew was that her body felt drained of energy.

He nipped at her bottom lip. “Don’t make me stop, Jess. Please.” His strokes were slow and controlled. It drove her mad. “I just need to feel you.”

Jessie shook her head. There was no way she’d deny him this, or herself for that matter. She put her arms around him and dragged them down to his ass, clutching it in her hands, reveling in the feel of the muscles clenching with each forward push of his hips. She closed her eyes and moaned, knowing full well what was coming next.

“Open your eyes for me, baby.”


She knew it, she thought as she forced her eyes open. His gaze was smoldering. That alone would’ve been enough to make her melt and reconsider her “just friends” rule, but combined with the entirety of the moment, of what they were sharing, it was overwhelming.

“That’s it,” he crooned. His lips puckered on her neck and throat, giving her hot lingering kisses that set her ablaze. “My God,” he said bringing his gaze and lips back to her. “You’re so beautiful.”

Time seemed to stop. Nothing mattered or existed but the two of them. Their bodies connected in the most natural way as they brought each other so much pleasure, it was almost paralyzing. They made love for what felt like hours before they both reached their breaking point. Jessie clung to him, her fingers digging into his back as she came apart in his arms, giving herself over to him in a way she never had before: wholly and without regret. “God, Ryan,” she cried and moaned. “Yes, God yes, it’s so good.”

“Yeah,” he groaned low at her ear. “So good...” He jerked one last time as he came before collapsing on top of her.

Jessie kissed his shoulder and stroked his sweat dampened hair. She’d never felt this content in her entire life. Ryan was the only man she’d ever had sex with unprotected. Yes, she was on birth control, but she had always been overly cautious; the last thing she needed was an unwanted pregnancy. But it was different with Ryan. She was beginning to trust him, and that frightened her. She was sure that the moment she trusted a man would be the moment she’d have her heart broken. She stopped stroking his hair, wondering if he’d fallen asleep. “Ryan?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

He adjusted his weight into his arms and peered down at her. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I have to get it off my chest.”

“Ryan.” Her voice wavered and fear gripped her.

“I love you, Jess.”

Her eyes widened. Her heart stopped. Hearing him say those words didn’t shock her. He’d said them before, but knowing he said it even though they were ‘just friends’ unnerved her. This was her fault. If she hadn’t kissed him and told him she wanted him, they wouldn’t be in a position where he felt the need to say that. “You don’t have to say anything. I just needed you to know.”

The problem was, she loved him, too, and she wanted to tell him. But she couldn’t bring herself to form the words. Instead she simply hugged him and fought back tears. Once again she’d made such a mess of things. When would she ever learn?





Chapter 18


Ryan woke the next morning to find the bed empty. He rolled over and stretched. A smiled curved his lips. Jess hadn’t thrown him out after he told her he loved her. As soon as the words had left his mouth, he’d wanted to take them back. Not because he didn’t mean them, but because he was afraid he’d crossed the line. Things had gone the exact opposite of what he’d expected. Jess had been like a wild animal last night. They made love all night until they both passed out from exhaustion.