Wildfire (17 page)

“Will you come for me?” Elaine whispered as she plunged her fingers forcefully inside Devon. Sliding between Devon’s parted thighs, Elaine found Devon’s tempo.

“Oh…My…God. Yes, just like that.”

“I asked you a question.” Elaine marveled at the degree of Devon’s surrender.

Devon sounded as though she might cry when she finally moaned, “Yes. Just don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

“I’m not stopping. You know I won’t stop. Come for me.”

“Harder!”

Elaine watched the pleasure play across Devon’s face. She felt powerful. She felt completely desired and needed. Devon’s body and its every movement communicated to Elaine exactly what she liked and Elaine committed it all to memory.

Devon pulled Elaine down for a ravenous kiss as her hips bucked and arched into climax. When Devon tightened around her fingers, Elaine matched it with a moan of her own.
Everything about this woman is phenomenal.

Elaine lay holding Devon as her breathing slowed. She could feel the warmth of her breath on her shoulder and for a brief moment thought to herself that she would like nothing more than to be in this position with Devon for the rest of her life. She was willing to leave the moment perfect unto itself. She could ignore the throbbing between her legs. She had gotten what her body had been crying out for…Devon.

Devon lay exhausted and content, curled up tight against Elaine as she nuzzled deeper into her shoulder. She never knew she could feel so sexually confident and comfortable with another woman, but with Elaine she was both. She was a fabulous lover, but there was more…more that made Devon feel like it was safe to open herself up to her, physically and emotionally.

Devon quietly whispered, “Thank you. And I’m sorry for being so demanding. I feel like I just can’t get enough of you.”

“I think I’m the one who should be thanking you and
never
apologize for that.”

Devon was quiet, her words barely audible. “I wasn’t sure I would see you again.”

Elaine placed a finger under Devon’s chin tilting her head up until gray eyes met obsidian. With a gentle smile she said, “I wasn’t sure you would want to see me.” With a slight shrug she added, “But I couldn’t stay away.”

Devon felt the tears well up and she tried to push them down. She cupped Elaine’s cheek, “I’m so very glad that you couldn’t.”

Elaine’s eyes reflected more than a physical need. A thousand butterflies took flight in her stomach as she interpreted Elaine’s expression. Devon knew at that moment that this was more than just sex for both of them. The thousand butterflies turned into a thousand questions...for later. Right now, there was just the two of them.

Elaine whispered, “I didn’t want to leave yesterday morning, but I knew that if I didn’t go quickly, then I wouldn’t have left at all.” She gently tasted Devon’s lips. “I missed you last night.”

Devon was as helpless to control the pounding of her heart as she was to stop her hands wandering over Elaine’s body, mapping every curve, every plane. “I missed you too and I’m
very
happy you’re here now.” Devon was quiet for a moment before meeting Elaine’s eyes. “Elaine, I understand you have a job to do. We both do. And our jobs mean a lot to each of us. So please don’t ever apologize for having to work. The only reason I wasn’t sure if I would see you again is because we hadn’t talked about it. We didn’t have the chance to before you were called out. So I was unsure if that was all you wanted.”

Elaine’s gaze never wavered as she looked into Devon’s eyes. For a moment she looked petrified, then her expression steadied. “I want more than just one night or two nights with you.”

The admission took Devon’s breath away. She had to swallow hard before she could say, “I want more than one or two nights with you as well.”

Elaine’s heart hammered against Devon’s ear, then quieted. Devon was content to let them both calm down.

After a minute, Elaine chuckled and said, “I’m glad to hear that. I took a chance coming to your camp today, you know. I figured that if you didn’t want to see me, the worst that could happen is that I would find myself hanging upside down in a tree. Being the accomplished woodsman you are, I thought you might have set a trap for an unwanted intruder.”

The laughter settled Devon’s nerves. How wonderful was this, cuddled in her lover’s arms, sharing such a pleasant afterglow?

Laughter fading, Elaine rolled Devon onto her back. “I think you should show me just how happy you are that I’m here and how much you missed me.”

Her voice sounding sultry to her own ears, Devon said, “I hear a command in there, Captain.”

She rolled Elaine onto her back in one quick motion finding Elaine’s lips. This wasn’t what Elaine had intended but her body grew heavy with arousal at Devon’s aggressiveness.

The fire rapidly grew into a blaze as their breath merged. Devon’s lips slowly traced a path from her jaw to her ear and ever so slowly down her neck before moving lower to capture a firm nipple between her teeth. Elaine’s wordless ecstasy fueled the flames burning out of control in Devon. Her need pushed her lower, as she settled between Elaine’s trembling thighs.

“You’re such a tease. You’re killing me. Please?”

“Don’t worry, Captain, I’ll give you everything you want and need.” With a deep feral growl, Devon buried her face between Elaine’s thighs as she sank two fingers deep within her. The thrusting of her fingers was the perfect complement to the delightful motions of her tongue. Elaine’s hips instinctively rose as she silently begged for more.

Devon paused as she tilted her head and ran her finger along Elaine’s smooth stomach. “Don’t you know that all I want to do is pleasure you?”

Elaine knew better than to try and speak. She could only hope that her eyes were telling Devon everything she felt.

Devon’s smile was that of a confident seductress. Again Elaine watched Devon’s mouth lower to her body. She gently kissed Elaine’s inner thigh, then moved her mouth slowly over her. She could only imagine the gift awaiting her.

With a firm hand, Devon brought Elaine fiercely against her mouth. She had fantasized about this, spent hours the night before remembering how Elaine had tasted. She wasn’t willing to fantasize any longer, finally she had Elaine right where she wanted her…pressed firmly against her tongue. As she slid her tongue up and down, between the folds of Elaine’s body, she was intoxicated by everything that was uniquely Elaine. Suddenly she felt Elaine’s strong thighs wrap around her. Devon didn’t think there could be anything more erotic than having Elaine hold her firmly in place, directing her to the precise place she wanted her mouth. Long strides of her tongue made way for the lighter flicking over Elaine’s engorged clit. The fire she had wanted to build in Elaine was already ablaze. With a steady rhythm, Elaine raised and lowered her hips as she ground herself hard against Devon’s face. Elaine raised her hips higher, letting out a deep gasp followed by a long moan. Devon matched her as her mouth was flooded with Elaine’s desire. She drank thirstily before slowly dragging her tongue up to bring Elaine’s clit fully into her mouth. Elaine’s hips moved wildly against Devon before rising one final time. With a primal scream, Elaine climaxed.

As they lay holding one another, a loud growl emanated from Devon’s stomach.

Elaine kissed her forehead tenderly and laughed. “I think we should take care of that.”

“You know my food supply is limited. I don’t have much in the way of variety.”

“I’m a ranger. I’m prepared for any situation and I think you might like what I have in mind.” They left the tent and Devon collected some firewood from the pile she kept under a small tarp to keep it dry.

“You’re quite the girl scout aren’t you?”

Devon laughed. “Hardly! I’ve just learned from experience.”

Elaine retrieved the backpack that she had left next to a tree. From it she produced two foil-wrapped packages.

“I hope you don’t mind my campfire special.”

Devon finished placing the grate over the fire. “Right now I could eat tree bark. Anything is better than more freeze-dried stuff.”

Elaine smiled. “Hopefully you’ll find this a little more appetizing.”

“What is it we are having for lunch?”

“It’s a surprise.”

She edged the packets close to the fire where there would be sufficient heat for them to cook, but could still be easily retrieved.

“This is an interesting contraption.” Elaine indicated the grate over the fire.

“I had it fabricated at a metal shop. The holes are small enough to keep the embers in while letting the smoke and heat out. They made it so it’s foldable to fit in my pack.”

Elaine looked at the grate again and was amazed at the ingenuity of the design. “Is there anything you haven’t thought of?”

Devon walked over and dropped a lingering kiss on Elaine’s lips. “Probably, but I’ve learned a lot from trial and error.”

While the meal was cooking, Devon found a blanket. Elaine sat on a small foam pad with her back against a log. Devon slid between Elaine’s legs leaning back against her chest enjoying the strong arms that circled around her, holding her close. The snow that surrounded them made the air cold, but Elaine did a fine job of keeping Devon warm. At that moment Devon wouldn’t have cared if it was fifty below zero.

The aroma of food filled the air and the fire reflected just out of the corner of Devon’s eye. She turned and for the first time and noticed the rifle lying just a few feet from Elaine. Elaine observed the expression on Devon’s face as she looked at the rifle. Remembering the circumstances surrounding the death of Devon’s parents, Elaine asked, “Does it bother you?”

Devon turned to kiss her. “I thought it would, but it doesn’t.”

“You should carry one, you know.”

“I’ve been told that and I actually do have a gun, believe it or not. It is secured in my home safe.”

“I understand, but it doesn’t do you a lot of good there, when you are out here.” Elaine’s concern was evident. “What if an animal came after you?”

“Then a gun probably wouldn’t do me much good anyway. I doubt I would even hit the predator. No matter how much I practice, I can’t hit the broad side of a barn.”

Elaine laughed. Devon’s honesty was refreshing. She suppressed the alarming feeling that suddenly overcame her. She didn’t want anything happening to Devon. She had obviously survived on her own, but still, Devon shouldn’t take chances.

They continued to sit wrapped in each other’s arms until Devon’s stomach growled again. She pulled away slightly, “I think you said something about feeding me?”

Elaine couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, ma’am, I believe I did.”

She pulled the foil-wrapped packages out of the fire while Devon found plates and forks. Elaine carefully placed the grate back over the fire making certain that it was indeed doing its job.

Devon deeply inhaled the aroma of steak and vegetables. “I never fathomed that I would be eating steak on this assignment. A pleasant surprise, I must say.” She handed Elaine a bottle of water and settled next to her on the log pulling the blanket over their laps.

“God, this is delicious.”

“I’m sure it is, compared to tree bark.”

Devon bumped her playfully with her shoulder, but said nothing as she ate. Elaine was pleased to see that Devon was enjoying her meal.
I want to have dinner with her every night for the rest of my life.
That thought had come out of nowhere and took Elaine completely by surprise. They finished eating quickly and tidied up.

Stomach satisfied, but not yet able to suggest a return to work, Devon settled back into Elaine’s arms, leaning her head back against Elaine’s shoulder. Devon could easily imagine doing this every night.
So why does the thought scare me so damn much?

To prevent herself from dwelling on the unsettling question she said, “I thought most ranger cabins were located near an observation tower.”

“They are and we do have a tower at the top of this ridge.” Elaine said, pointing up. “But several years ago a fire came through here and burned down the old cabin. When we were trying to get to the blaze we created the road that leads up there now. It just seemed like the right place to rebuild. We designed this cabin with a glass front and deck so that a ranger could still see what was going on in the canyon below. It’s nice to have a cabin designed so that we can lock a generator nearby, keep a dry stack of wood and a collection tank for water. No one wants to be in the cabin with a fire sneaking over the ridge behind them.”

Devon shivered at the thought. “Do you work the tower?”

Elaine pulled her close trying to quell the shiver. “Satellites do most of that now. I have more training duties than anything else, but I get out in the field as often as I can. Since I made captain, I have a lot more paperwork to contend with.”

Devon turned to look at Elaine. “Is it standard protocol for you to be out here by yourself?”

“Not usually, but there isn’t much activity up here this time of year. Like I mentioned before, we have had some reports of poaching, but I haven’t seen any signs of it yet. Besides,” Elaine added with a lazy smile and wink, “not much paperwork followed me up here and I have a botanist to watch over.”