Blaze (The Firefighters of Darling Bay Book 1) (12 page)

“Samantha…How could I forget? Even for a minute?” 

“What, that she’s okay?” Tox trailed his finger down, over her chin, down her neck. Slowly. “She’s fine.” 

“I could have lost her…I can’t—” 

“Shhh, sweetheart.” The endearment slipped out so easily. “She’s sleeping. We’re the only two people not sleeping in Darling Bay right now, I’d be willing to bet.”

She lifted her chin so that his finger could find an even smoother trail down to the vee of her shirt. He paused at her neck, skimming it. A whisper of touch. 

Then, instead of kissing her mouth, he leaned down and kissed there, in that sweet, warm spot, just under her chin. A soft kiss. A reassuring kiss. 

But the noise she made in the back of her throat was anything but gentle. With a primal growl, she put her hands on both sides of his head, dragging his mouth up to hers. When they kissed, her tongue met his with a blaze that made him know he was lost. 

He wrapped his arms around her, sliding his hands down so that he could cup her deliciously soft derriere. 

He shouldn’t say it—he knew he shouldn’t—but he did. He spoke against her lips, never breaking the kiss. “I want to take you to bed.” 

She’d say no. She’d kick him out. That’s what she
should
do, after all. 

But instead, Grace said, “Behind you.” 

He tried valiantly to take his lips away. “Wha…” 

“Don’t stop,” she pleaded, her hands pulling his head back to hers. “The bedroom’s behind you. Go.” 

He went.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Grace woke in a happy tangle of legs and sunshine. 

It felt good. 

She straightened her legs, pushing them against the wall, pressing her toes onto the cool lemon-colored paint. 

It was the two extra-long legs that were wrapped with her own that she was thinking about. Heavy, muscular legs. 

Screwing her eyes shut tightly, she tried to block out the ray of sun that lit up not only her own face, but Tox’s. His chin was covered with what looked like a three-day beard growth. The hair on his bare chest ran downward, curving in at the sloping muscles of his stomach, headed under the sheet…

No, she had to focus on herself. Take inventory of her mental and physical states, just as she’d trained herself to do. From bottom to top. Calmly. 

Her legs still felt a little weak. It was a good thing he’d carried her into her bedroom. 

The middle part of her body? Well, that had been a workout she hadn’t expected. She was glad she’d been doing crunches. At least her core was strong enough. She grinned to herself at the thought. 

Her heart? Oh, no, she couldn’t think about that right now. She knew intuitively that she wouldn’t be able to trust whatever she told herself. A guy like Tox? Last night had been… No one had ever touched her like he had. He’d made her feel like a kitten and a sex doll and best of all, like she was someone he could never get enough of. No matter what she’d done, he’d wanted more. And she’d felt the same way about him. She’d wanted him harder and deeper, and then again. She blushed as she remembered the third “again” she’d wanted. And gotten. 

And then, as dawn had broken as rosy as she’d known her cheeks must have been, he’d kissed her to sleep. Quite literally, she’d gone to sleep with his mouth on hers. Breathing each other in. 

She’d never known such tenderness. 

Yeah, so she just wouldn’t think about her heart. Whatever. 

Her head. That was the problem. Her brain. Tox wasn’t good for her. She knew that. In the logical area of her thoughts, she knew that he didn’t share her pursuit of health. He didn’t sleep. He ate fast food, fried food, and way too much sugar. He drank too much coffee. He didn’t take care of a simple injury, making it worse. 

And worse, he couldn’t cultivate relationships. Or, in his words, he didn’t really
do
them. That meant he broke women’s hearts. She wouldn’t be one of them. No way. 

Still, she felt her resolve slipping. Was it that he couldn’t cultivate relationships with women? Or was it that he wouldn’t? Was it something he could fix? With help, maybe? 

She regretted the thought as soon as it flitted through her mind.
This
. She flipped back the sheet only to realize that she, too, was naked as a jaybird.
This
was why she got into crappy relationships with men. Because she thought she could help fix them. 

No more. She’d promised herself that. But she let her eyes crawl over Tox’s sleeping body one more time, as she reached slowly for her robe hanging on the back of the bedroom door. Oh, his legs, so long under that sheet. His feet hung off the end of her bed. The perfect naked chest…Those amazing sea-green eyes. 

She gave a squeak as she realized his eyes were wide open, staring at her with amusement. 

“Good morning, gorgeous.” He pushed himself up on one elbow. 

“Your hair is crazy!” The words were out before she could stop them. “I mean…” 

He ran his fingers through his mop of hair slowly. “I do have mad scientist hair in the morning. What are you doing up?” 

“Coffee!” she exclaimed. “I like coffee.” 

As she ran out of the room, she could hear him laughing behind her. 

As the coffee brewed, she called her sister for an update. 

“I have to go do a couple of tests, but they say I’ll be ready to leave by this afternoon. Can you come get me then?”

“You sure you don’t need me now?” No matter who was in her bed, she’d rush to the hospital if her sister wanted her. 

“No, I’ve been up a while, and I want one more nap if I can get it. I’ll call you later.” 

Grace thought that maybe by the time she got the coffee brewed and had poured them both cups he would have been dressed and ready to get on with his day. After all, she had to get to the clinic to post on the door that she would be closed early. She had to cancel afternoon appointments. Then she’d bring Samantha home and watch over her, fussing over how many blankets to pile on and making her take anti-inflammatories until she was strong enough to answer all the questions Grace had stored up for her. 

Yeah. Maybe when she brought Tox coffee, he’d be dressed. Ready to head out. 

No such luck. When Grace ventured back in the room that still smelled like warmth and sex—their sex—he was sitting up, leaning on her headboard as if he’d been born to do it, flipping through a Yoga Journal magazine. 

He held it up. “You know about this kundalini stuff?” 

“I’ve heard of it.” 

“Shoot.” He let out a low whistle, which she thought was related to his thinking about the Svadhistana until she noticed his eyes weren’t on the magazine anymore. Instead, he appeared intently focused on the way her yellow silk robe parted when she leaned to hand him his cup.

“So,” she said briskly. “Do you have to work today?” 

“Nope. I’m on my four-day.” 

Well, so much for that method of getting him out of her house. She
did
have to get him out, right? She couldn’t let him stay. No. She couldn’t. For a moment, though, she couldn’t remember why not. The X-rated images that danced in her mind, both of what they did last night and what she still
wanted
to do to him, made her feel like she should just let the robe slip open a little more. 

So she did. Really, it was an experiment. Grace was kind of required to see if what they’d had last night wasn’t just a product of too much heightened fear and emotion after her sister’s crash. 

So she twisted as she reached for her cup, tugging the clip out of her hair at the same time. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders. When she turned to meet Tox’s gaze, she made sure she twisted back a little too far. The silk of the robe was slippery. It never did stay together the way it was supposed to. 

She bit her lower lip and then wet it with her tongue, never letting go of his gaze. 

Something in his eyes—he reminded her of something, an animal of some sort. 

As he launched himself at her with a roar she realized what it was. He was a huge jungle cat, ready to take down its quarry. 

And he took her down, hard. She was flat on her back on the bed, robe thrown to the floor, condom in his hand and then on, and he was in her, without preamble or discussion. And as he moved in her, so fast, so
hard
, and his eyes stayed on hers. Mine, his eyes said. Mine, mine,
mine
. 

She knew her eyes said the same thing back to him. 

She also knew she’d regret it later. She’d probably regret nothing more. 

But now, for this moment, as her fingers dug deeply into his back, moving to match his thrusts, she was his, and he was hers, and nothing had ever felt so right. Ever.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The next time Grace got out of bed, she was more determined. The hospital. That was where she had to be. 

She showered, and by the time she finished, Tox was pulling on his shirt. “I gotta go see a man about a dog. Literally. Walk of shame time, I guess.” 

She smiled. “At least you’re not in heels.” 

He stuck out a leg and examined his boot. “What? I could pull that off.” 

Grace had no doubt he could. “I like a man in drag. It’s hot.” 

“I’ve seen some pretty men. I won’t argue with you on that.”

Grace felt herself fall a little further. 

She put in her silver hoop earrings, the ones Samantha had given her years ago. At one point, she’d wondered if Sam had stolen them. Or bought them with money made in a way that could get a person jailed. Or worse. 

She fingered them gingerly. She loved them, no matter where they came from. 

“You look incredible.”

Surprised, Grace looked down at herself. “Me?” Her voice felt high and nervous, as if she were speaking while crossing a tightrope. She was only wearing a black t-shirt and jeans with old yellow cowboy boots. Her favorite comfort outfit. “I thought I looked kind of…not that good.” 

“One,” he pulled her back into the wide circle of his arms, “You do look that good. And two, I wasn’t looking at your clothes.” 

He kissed her, and Grace came perilously close to forgetting why she had her keys in her hands. 

“No.” She pulled away with difficulty, ignoring the heat that rose inside her. “I’m going.” 

“I want to see you later,” Tox said. 

“Okay…” The word was easy, but it fell into the space between them awkwardly. “I mean, when Sam is better, and when you’re on your time off again, you go in for a couple of days tomorrow, right? It’s just…” 

“Grace.” He tilted her head up by touching her chin. “We had a good time, right?” 

A good time.
Is that what people called it now? Was it that easy for him? “Yeah.” 

“I’m going to call you later.” 

“Okay.” 

He nodded and released her. “Seems like that’s the best I’m going to get out of you, then.” 

“You got the best out of me last night, I think.” She wanted to sound bold and brazen, but instead, she just sounded shy. 

He laughed. 

Grace didn’t like the confusion she felt inside. What was wrong with her? She was scared to see any more of him, in case she really did fall, and at the same time, she hated the thought of
not
being around him.

They left the house together. It felt strange to turn and lock the door behind them. Like any other couple on a Wednesday morning. They walked down the steps, their arms brushing. With a salute at the edge of her walkway, Tox grinned as he turned right to head to his truck. 

Walking toward her car, Grace wondered how in the world he could be so casual. Maybe he was that used to leaving the house of a woman in the morning? The thought made her feel faintly ill. But she would ignore it.

Behind her came fast footfalls. A large hand at her elbow. Tox spun her, pulling her into his arms. 

“You fit here, you know that?” 

Grace’s mouth dropped open. 

“I love the way you fit in my arms. This could be good. It might actually be
good.
” Then he kissed her once, hard. “I just wanted to make sure I told you that.” 

He let her go. Grace watched him walk away, her fingers on her lips, trying to swallow the smile that just wouldn’t go away.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

After bringing her home from the hospital, Grace gave her sister an hour. 

Then she went in her room. “So.” 

Samantha sighed and flopped backward onto her pillow. “I hope you’re here to bring me more tea.” 

She knew better than that. “Who is he?” 

Sam raised her hands and let them flop onto her stomach. “Just a guy.” 

“What’s his name?” 

“Justin.” 

“What does he do?” 

“Why does that always matter so much to you?”

Grace sat on the edge of the bed, conscious that if she said the wrong thing now she could erase the careful trust that had built between them over the last year. “It matters because it says a lot about a person.” 

“Fine. He doesn’t have a job, as it happens.” 

Drug dealer. Pimp. Gambler.
It didn’t help that Grace had accidentally dated all those guys, too. “What does he want to do?” 

“He’s an environmentalist.” 

“Oh, yeah?” 

Samantha sighed. “He has money from his parents. I guess, like, a lot of money.” 

That would explain the car at least.

“He does something with cleaning water.” 

“What?” Grace tried to keep the skepticism from her voice, but found it impossible. 

“Why can’t he just be a guy? A normal guy?” 

“Where did you meet him?” 

Her sister crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t have to tell you.” 

Awesome. Had Samantha fallen off the wagon again? Was she at the bar while Grace was at work? “How’s your drinking doing?” 

Samantha took in a loud breath. “You know what? You always ask me things like
that
. How’s my drinking? How’s my using? Why not ask the more accurate question. How’s my sobriety going? Today?”