Fire in the Smokies (Durham Wolves) Read online

  Soot covered her face, having found its way in between the edges of her helmet and mask. The only clean area was the figure-eight space where the goggles had rested.

  Jaxon approached slower this time. “Sorry for the…” God, what was he supposed to say? Sorry to shift in front of you? Sorry I was naked? Sorry to inform you we are destined to spend our lives together?

  Chapter Two

  Brianna White stared at the man in front of her, unable to move a muscle. Was it possible she’d actually perished in the fire instead of escaping into this cave? Or better yet, perhaps she died of smoke inhalation or something after entering the cave.

  Seemed plausible when she considered the god of a man who’d suddenly appeared naked before her very eyes. Surely, she’d been good enough on earth for God to have given her such a gift upon entering heaven. She certainly deserved such a gift after the last several years of celibacy she’d endured trying to make something of herself as a firefighter.

  The work was tough, but it had been her dream, and no man was going to stand between her and her dream.

  On the other hand, if this was heaven, why was she still in the cave, a haze of smoke smearing her view? And why was she still encumbered with full fire gear, hot, tired and thirsty?

  Brianna swallowed the lump in her throat. She closed her eyes as the sexy man approached her for the second time, this time wearing low-slung jeans that had been made to fit his exact body. They hung open in front just enough to glimpse the dusting of sexy brown hair she’d witnessed in its entirety moments before.

  She silently wished he’d remained nude. It was her heaven after all. She hadn’t ordered the bronzed, muscular male specimen to get dressed.

  He hunched down in front of her as her gaze wandered from his torso to his deep brown eyes. Concern furrowed his brow. “You okay?”

  He didn’t touch her this time.

  She had a fleeting thought she should reach out and grasp him, just to prove he was real and not a figment of her imagination.

  On second thought, now that her mind was clearing, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. He certainly had to be all in her head. This was indisputable since she’d also witnessed him change from a wolf to a man.

  Brianna licked her lips. “Fine.” How did one address the first ghost they met after death?

  “I’m really sorry about…everything,” the man repeated for the third time. He waved his hand around behind him as though to encompass all activities of the past few minutes. “I’ve never done anything like that before… I mean not in front of anyone. I wasn’t thinking straight. Your scent threw me off my game.” He smiled, a wry grin that lifted only one side of his mouth.

  Sure, that explained everything.

  “My scent?” What was he babbling about? Smoke?

  The man leaned forward, his chest muscles straining and bulging inches from her. He inhaled deeply and his eyes fluttered closed for a moment.

  “You don’t know how happy I am you’re a woman.”

  What? Was this man on drugs? Maybe she’d hit her head and wasn’t even dead yet, just concussed.

  “Excuse me?” Brianna shook her head to clear her mind. Nothing happened.

  “I’m Jaxon. Jaxon Durham. Not like Michael Jackson. J-A-X-O-N.” He reached toward her but not with the intention of shaking her hand in introduction. Instead he gently wiped the side of her face with his fingers.

  The moment he made contact with her skin, Brianna sucked in a ragged breath. Warmth filled her, not just where he touched, but her entire body, as though she were…home.

  I must be dead.

  “Am I dead?”

  Jaxon startled, his gaze jerking from her cheek to her eyes. “No. You’re perfectly safe. Are you injured?” Without warning, he reached with both hands and began to run them up her arms to her shoulders. Even through the layers of protective clothing she wore, she could feel his touch.

  Confusion over her body’s response to this Jaxon character made her shake free of his clutch. The more he touched her, the more she wanted him to continue. She stood abruptly and backed against the rough wall of the cave.

  Smoke was filling the cave entrance now and visibility was growing poor.

  Brianna immediately regretted standing. Had she learned nothing in the fire academy? Rule number one: always stay low. She coughed and covered her mouth with one hand to block the smoke.

  “I’m fine.” She glanced around.

  “We need to move farther into the cave.” Jaxon stood and turned back toward the entrance. She could barely see him now, but he returned in seconds, holding a pack. “The wind must have shifted. Let’s go.” He took her by the arm and pulled her toward the back of the cave.

  He was right. But she didn’t know what was worse—taking her chances against the smoke at the mouth of the cave or following this man whom she would swear had entered as a wolf.

  What did it matter really? Either way, she was fucked. None of the choices really made any sense, so what could it hurt to get away from the smoke? She’d either died in the fire, died in the cave or lost her mind.

  Wait, there was still the possibility she was dreaming. Brianna smiled as she followed the stranger deeper into the cave. That she could live with.

  The haziness of the smoke was nothing compared to the darkness that enveloped them as soon as they turned a corner.

  Brianna would have grabbed her flashlight from her pocket, but Jaxon stopped abruptly anyway and tugged her to sit on the ground.

  “I think we’re okay here for the time being.” He coughed. In fact, he started a fit of coughing that wouldn’t stop for several seconds.

  Well, that shoots that idea out of the water. She couldn’t be dead. No way would a ghost react to smoke like that.

  “Sorry. Between the smoke I ran through and the smoke filling the entrance, I think I’ve reached my limit.” He coughed again.

  “Are you okay?” It was her turn to be concerned.

  She couldn’t see him, not even a glimpse, but she held on to his arm like a lifeline. “Stay low.” The smoke didn’t seem to be reaching this far inside.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Brianna.” She let her hand rest on his forearm, but he untangled himself from her grasp and took her hand in his.

  “Nice to meet you, Brianna. You must be extremely confused.”

  “Nope. This shit happens to me every day,” she lied.

  “I don’t mean about the fire. I’m talking about me shifting in front of you like that.”

  “Pardon?” Shifting?

  “I know you watched me shift. I could feel your fear. In fact, you are still trembling.” Jaxon laid his free hand on her knee and squeezed. “I’m a shapeshifter. It’s a long story, but I swear I won’t hurt you. Please don’t be afraid.”

  “Shapeshifter?” This guy was crazy. A crazy ghost in her own personal crazy hell. Shit. That must be it. She wasn’t in heaven at all.

  “I can shift into wolf form. That’s how I dodged the flames. I came in here in my animal form.” Jaxon reached for her face, though she had no idea how he could so specifically lay his palm on her cheek in this darkness.

  His touch soothed. It shouldn’t, but it did.

  Brianna leaned into his hand against her better judgment. No matter what the hell was happening, she felt no fear of him. One of them was delusional, but she didn’t think he was harmful.

  “You are far too calm.” He chuckled, the vibrations radiating through his fingers to send a chill down her spine. “Your pulse isn’t even accelerated anymore.” He grazed his thumb across the vein in her neck.

  “Why wouldn’t I be? It won’t change anything. I’m either dead and you are one freaky-ass ghost, or I’m unconscious and you are the best wet dream a girl could conjure up in even her wildest imagination.” Brianna bit her lip. Why’d she have to go and admit all that?

  Jaxon laughed hard, so hard he started coughing again. When he finally caught his breath, he pulled her h
ead against his chest. His bare chest. Warm…smooth…hard…bare chest. She inhaled his masculine scent and the soap he’d used long before racing through the flames to get to her.

  She couldn’t believe she’d been so brazen.

  Jaxon pulled her into the V between his legs and wrapped his arms around her. She was burning. The cave was getting hotter by the minute and she had on way too many clothes.

  Brianna wiggled free of his embrace, leaned forward and tugged her fire coat off. She dropped the jacket on the ground beside them and leaned back into Jaxon’s embrace. Why not? “It’s getting hot in here.”

  “I’m not complaining.” He chuckled again and leaned his chin against her shoulder. His breath came in short pants against her neck, so close she thought he would kiss her.

  Jaxon ran his hands up and down her arms. His fingertips sent sparks up her arms and then down her torso. She only had her thermal shirt on now. It hadn’t occurred to her until then how exposed she’d be to his touch when she removed the jacket.

  Shit, she wasn’t even wearing a bra. Women couldn’t wear any underwires in a fire for fear of burns, and she hadn’t bothered with a sports bra this time. She’d been in a hurry. And lately she’d been so damn fit, her body weight so low, she was more muscle than fat. She didn’t exactly have flabby breasts hanging down that needed to be lifted.

  Suddenly she felt rather naked. As though her thoughts alone had caused the next event, Jaxon’s fingers grazed the edge of her breasts. He froze, sucked in a breath and stayed right in that position with the tips of his fingers ever so lightly resting against her chest.

  Brianna’s breathing, in contrast, came in heavy pants. Her nipples jumped to attention. She wanted him to reach around and grasp them with both palms so badly she willed it. It was her dream, after all. If she wanted the man in question to fondle her tits, he would.

  But he didn’t. Goose bumps rose all over her skin.

  “God, you’re sexy.” Jaxon’s words came out on his exhale. His breath blew across her neck and sent a new shiver down her body. This time she physically shook.

  She reached with her own hands to grasp his on her biceps. Did she mean to keep him there? Push him away? Tug him around to continue this dream?

  She had no idea.

  Jaxon kissed her neck, sweet little nibbles that made a path to her ear. “I’m one lucky wolf. Thank God for female firefighters.”

  “What if I had been a man?” she joked. “Would you have left me for dead?”

  “No…but I was worried.”

  “About what?” What difference did it make?

  “When I scented you as soon as I entered the cave, I knew—”

  “Knew what?” she interrupted. He wasn’t making any sense.

  “Knew you were my…mate.” He leaned his chin on her shoulder again. “It’s complicated. But I’ll try to explain.”

  “Please do.” She spoke in jest, uneasy with this line of discussion, but somehow not afraid. No matter what weird stuff he said, she still felt some sort of draw to him. And why not humor the man? She had nothing but time. Might as well enjoy her dream, her death or her concussion to its fullest. The man’s voice was deep and warm and sexy. She could listen to him all day.

  “Wolves mate for life. When we find the one, we instinctively know it. We don’t normally spill all our cards quite like this—shifting and blurting out all the details so quickly. After all, most women would run screaming.” He kissed her neck again.

  “I don’t presently have any place to be.” Nor could I if I wanted to.

  “Love your sense of humor.” He grinned against her neck. “Anyway, I guess the smoke and your suit masked your scent enough that I knew you were my mate, but I still assumed you were a man.” He squeezed her arms, his fingers so close to her chest. “No offense. I have nothing against female firefighters, I just…”

  “None taken.” She wanted to hear the rest of this. Was her mind spinning this tale?

  “I wasn’t exactly doing jumping jacks when I found I’d met my mate and it was a man.” He took a deep cleansing breath. “I’m over-the-top relieved to find you are actually as female as they come.”

  A pause filled the smoky air. Was the smoke penetrating their new spot too?

  “So let me get this straight. You are actually a wolf. And you believe I’m somehow your destiny?”

  “Exactly. Well, except for the part about me believing it to be true. There’s no doubt. You’re mine, Brianna.”

  He said her name like she was the sexiest creature on earth, and for a moment she let the word ring through her head.

  So possessive. And why did that make her even hornier?

  His story was farfetched at best, and the entire time he’d spoken she’d grown hotter for him. Her pussy clenched inside her thermals and the fire pants she still wore. Was she actually wet, or was she sweating profusely in the heat?

  This was certainly the most convoluted dream she’d ever had. Aside from romance books, had she ever even daydreamed about the paranormal?

  She decided to change the subject. “Did you stumble upon me in this cave or specifically come searching for me?”

  “I was looking for you. We knew a firefighter was missing and hoped he—or in this case she—had found refuge in one of the caves along this ridge.”

  “We? Are there others out searching?”

  “Not anymore. My brothers were looking also. We’d split up and each took a section of caves. Now that I’ve found you, they can retreat.”

  “Except they don’t know you found me.”

  “They do.” He inhaled. “We can communicate…telepathically.”

  Oh, great. So now she was sitting in the dark in the embrace of a man who was a wolf, claimed she belonged to him and could communicate telepathically.

  And her damn pussy still leaked. She squirmed.

  “I know it’s a lot to take in all at once.”

  “Ya think?” She stiffened, wishing for all the world her body would stop responding to him—his touch, his smell, the deep timbre of his voice.

  Both of them coughed at once. Jaxon choked a bit before regaining his ability to breathe. Unease crept up Brianna’s spine. Why would they both be continually interrupted by fits of coughing in a dream or in line at the pearly gates?

  “We need to move again. Too much smoke.” Brianna reached for her belt, searching for her flashlight. She carried an arsenal of necessities around her waist. Regardless of her current mental state, instinct told her to move.

  Jaxon gripped her shoulders. “We can’t. We’re sort of trapped.”

  “How do you know? It’s pitch black in here. There could be ten tunnels reaching in deeper.” Grasping the object of her search, Brianna flipped the switch and the cavern lit up. Well, lit up was a bit of an overstatement considering the glare she now stared at amongst the smoke.

  Nevertheless, she aimed the light all around them and finally spotted a section of the cave large enough to accommodate them. “This way.” She nodded in the direction of the beam of light and then glanced back at Jaxon.

  His tan skin had grown pale and he shook his head. “Too small.” He glanced around. “Maybe if we stay low in that corner.” He pointed to the left.

  “Are you crazy? That opening is plenty big and we aren’t safe here. We have no choice but to try it.” Who was saving whom?

  Time was running out. Brianna took Jaxon by the arm and tugged him toward the opening. She grabbed her jacket, slipped her arms inside, put her helmet back on her head and flipped on the headlamp.

  Perfect. Now her hands were free and she could dig into the recesses of her brain for all the training she’d gotten with regard to spelunking.

  Crouching low, Brianna tucked her flashlight back in her belt and turned toward Jaxon. He hadn’t moved. “Don’t tell me my wolf in shining armor who can read minds and apparently see in the dark is afraid of tight spaces.”

  She laughed, but then her face fell. It was true. He was w
hite as a sheet. Her helmet light made him squint. Great.

  “Let’s go. Grab your pack and follow me. I won’t let anything happen to you.” She crawled forward. He didn’t follow.

  “Yeah…no. I’m sorry, but I don’t do caves. It’s absurd really, but true. I’m going to have to shift.”

  “Shift?” Into wolf form? She’d hoped that was all in her imagination. Even though she’d seen it and he’d confirmed it verbally, she still wasn’t a believer.

  “I’ll lead. I won’t be able to communicate with you since we aren’t mated yet, but you can follow me. I have a great sense of space, even better in wolf form.”

  “Fine.” Why she was agreeing she had no idea. Whatever it took to get out of the smoke was fine with her. Her eyes burned. Her throat felt raw. She couldn’t see more than a few inches now.

  And additionally, she was doubting her sanity.

  She watched, blinking, as Jaxon stuffed his pants back into his pack. As though watching a horror film, her eyes remained pinned to him as he dropped to all fours and shifted. Small pops made her flinch as his bones changed structure. Fur pushed out of his skin. It lasted only a few seconds. A large gorgeous wolf stood before her.

  He glanced at her, cocked his head and nodded toward the narrow opening in the cave. Grabbing his pouch with his teeth, he led her to the slit in the stone wall.

  Brianna was stunned. Her heart beat rapidly, but she didn’t pause. There wasn’t time. The air was thick with smoke. She’d pass out soon if she didn’t move.

  With her headlamp pinned to Jaxon’s tail, she stayed right behind him, crawling through narrow gaps, some of which were barely wide enough to accommodate either of them. Finally, they emerged into a large space.

  Brianna breathed a sigh of relief. Oxygen filled her lungs.

  How long would it last? Would they have to venture even deeper?

  She plopped down on her butt and reached for the canteen attached to her center with all her other supplies.

  A deep gulp of water cleared her throat.

  She closed her eyes for a moment. They burned.

  A popping noise made her flinch and when she opened her eyelids, she found a naked Jaxon standing inches from her once again.