Fire in the Smokies (Durham Wolves) Page 9

  “Of course.” He stood, tugging her up with him. “’Night all.”

  Brianna was grateful for the quick exit. As aroused as she’d been earlier before all the commotion in the living room, she was too tired now to even consider letting Jaxon start something.

  As they entered his bedroom she headed straight for his luxurious bed. “Could I have a rain check on whatever idea you had in mind for my limp body this evening?” She tipped her head up to him as he peeled her shirt over her head. Her arousal spiked, but she was too tired to give in to it. Even as Jaxon stripped the rest of her clothes, she simply watched him.

  Jaxon smiled and nodded at the bed. “Sleep. When this all blows over, we’ll spend several days not coming out of the bedroom and I’ll show you all my tricks.” He wiggled his eyebrows as he approached her.

  With her eyes half open, she slid under the covers. She watched him drop his pants, tug on a pair of shorts and climb into the bed beside her. He gathered her body against his own and spooned her. When he smoothed her hair away from her face and kissed her temple she relaxed into his touch. “How did I get so lucky?”

  “Fate, my love. And I’m the lucky one.” With that, Brianna drifted into the deepest sleep she could ever remember, wrapped snugly in the arms of the man who claimed he would be at her side for the rest of her life.

  Chapter Nine

  Brianna was so warm. And naked. Wrapped in a perfect cocoon, her back against a hard male body, she snuggled deeper to enjoy the bliss. A large rough hand splayed over her stomach and rubbed against her skin. She pleaded with the god of dreams to let her stay in this state of perfection for as long as possible before her alarm went off. Since when did she have such erotic dreams?

  The hand caressing her wandered up her torso to encompass a breast and knead the soft globe. She moaned in satisfaction and pushed her chest out to get more purchase against those delicious fingers. To her relief, the fingers circled her nipple and flicked over the tip until it stiffened.

  Even if she woke up now, it would be worth it. Palm flat, that hand roamed down her body, over her hip and thigh, and then nudged her top leg forward, opening her sex. With her knee bent and tucked up past her center, she leaned forward almost onto her stomach.

  Brianna would be willing to give up all future memorable dreams if that hand would just please reach between her legs and caress her clit to completion.

  She got her wish. A long finger reached into her core and pulled out her moisture, swirling around her opening before circling her clit and gently pinching the nub.

  She was so close. Her senses were all in super mode. She could feel every touch as though she were not only awake, but hypersensitive. She could even smell the masculine scent of her dream man, his soap mixed with a taste of the outdoors. And sex—she could smell her arousal and his beneath the blankets.

  She could practically taste what his cock must be like on her tongue—the huge firm length currently pressing into her thigh. Even her sight wasn’t left out. Visions of a tall, muscular, sun-bronzed god with dark thick hair and deep brown eyes rounded out her perfect dream man.

  Just when she thought she would finally come under the delicate ministrations of the hand between her legs, it disappeared. Brianna moaned in frustration.

  And then, just as suddenly, she was filled to the hilt with her dream man’s huge cock. A long, low groan escaped her lips at the delicious stretching of her pussy. Exactly what she needed.

  Wait. Brianna’s eyes shot open when a chuckle filled her ear. Lips landed on her neck, tickling her and bringing her closer to the surface of wakefulness. “Are you finally going to join me, baby?” The words were tender, soft, gentle, deep. They dripped with sex. He chuckled again.

  Jaxon. Oh God. It wasn’t a dream. It was reality. As he began to pull out and then plunged back into her, Brianna gripped the sheets and pushed her ass back against him.

  Heaven. Jaxon pushed her the rest of the way onto her stomach and wormed his way between her legs, his cock never leaving her warmth. He danced both hands up her body until he gripped her fingers over her head, holding her trapped between the mattress and his huge form.

  The pressure was exquisite, better even than the dream. If he would just…move.

  “I’m getting there. Patience, baby. You make me come so fast every time, I never get to enjoy your tight hot pussy.” He chuckled again into her neck. “Between your sexy body and your moans of delight, it’s a wonder I can last one minute.” He nibbled a path to her ear, holding himself deep inside her. “When you add the rampant thoughts running through your brain, I can’t hold back.”

  Brianna only groaned again. “Shut up and fuck me.”

  “Okay. As the lady wishes…” Still pressing her into the bed, Jaxon began to fuck her from behind in earnest. The grip he had on her hands above her head told her how hard he was working to avoid shooting off instantly.

  She was so close. Hell, she’d been on the edge of an orgasm minutes ago before even being awake.

  “Come with me, baby,” he murmured.

  That did it. Brianna’s sex gripped his cock and her orgasm swept her body, shaking her from head to toe. “Jaxon,” she squealed against the pillow.

  Right behind her, Jaxon stiffened and held himself deep inside her. She could feel the pulsing of his length as he shot his come against her cervix.

  When finally she stopped milking him and he slackened against her, half on top of her and half to the side, Brianna relaxed her muscles. “You’re going to kill me.”

  “I hope not.” He spoke into her hair. “I’d miss you.”

  Brianna tried to catch her breath, difficult with her face smashed into the pillow. She turned her head to the side and sucked in oxygen. “What time is it?” The room was dark. Hopefully she wasn’t late. Had they even set an alarm?

  “Relax.” Jaxon leaned back, only enough to give her wiggle room, and caressed her skin, bringing goose bumps to her entire body wherever his fingers tickled. “It’s early still. I have a great internal alarm. You’ll never be late for anything as long as you’re with me. Unless, of course, I manage to distract you into being late.”

  “Ugh.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll have you to the base at six sharp.”

  Jaxon leaned across Brianna’s face, wiped the hair from her cheek and kissed her on the mouth. “Good morning.”

  “Is that the way you’re planning to wake me every day?” Not that she was complaining.

  “Well, it was interesting. I almost lost my concentration when you opened your mind enough to let me slip into your ‘dream’. That was amazing. I was privy to your thoughts even while you were still partially asleep.” He kissed her again, a long, deep, thorough kiss that made her blood flow once again to her sex. When he pulled away, he continued, “I’m glad to know that was the best dream you’ve ever had and I find it interesting that you would plead with the—and I quote—’god of dreams’, to let you orgasm at my hand before you awoke.”

  Brianna stiffened and opened her eyes to see him smirking at her. “I’m gonna need to talk to Juliana right away about this blocking you mentioned. That’s just…weird.”

  Jaxon swatted her ass, making her flinch. “Shower. Breakfast. There’s a fire still raging out there, haven’t you heard?” As if made of morning energy, Jaxon bounded off the bed and dragged Brianna’s limp body to the edge.

  She let him tug her like a rag doll, not helping. She pulled a corner of the sheet over her face and groaned into the mattress. “Lord, don’t tell me you’re a morning person? I don’t think I can take that.”

  Mornings were not her friend. She could not be held responsible for anything that happened before two cups of coffee. Anyone who’d ever met her knew that. “Coffee?” The ability to make requests without moving her lips or uttering sounds might come in handy on occasion.

  “I’ll go get your elixir if you promise to be at least standing and walking toward the bathroom when I get back.” Jaxon released
her and padded from the room. She listened to his footsteps. Just a few more minutes then. Her body was sated. She needed a snooze button.

  She must have drifted back into slumber, because the next thing she knew, there was a cool breeze wafting over her naked form. The sheet had been yanked from her body and her eyes shot open in time to watch Jaxon swat her ass gently.

  He narrowed his gaze and lowered his face to hers. “You fell back to sleep.”

  “Apparently.”

  Jaxon pulled her limp body to standing. His face grew serious and he groaned while he kissed her forehead.

  Jaxon stood naked before her. Why hadn’t she noticed that? His cock bobbed in front of her. Hell, they’d made love like five minutes ago. Was he always this horny?

  “Yes, I’m usually horny, but only since meeting you. Here.” He shoved a steaming cup in front of her. The smell of rich coffee filled her nostrils as she took a whiff.

  “Bless you. I don’t function well until I’ve had my coffee.”

  “I gathered that.” He smiled. “Let’s get a move on.” He tugged her free arm toward the bathroom.

  She followed reluctantly, eyeing his firm naked ass in front of her and wishing she could climb back into the bed and dig her nails into him while he fucked her senseless once again.

  “Woman, are you always this difficult to light a fire under? How did you ever manage to get to work on time before today?”

  Brianna picked up the pace and stepped into the bathroom. “Well, for starters, no one has ever worn me out to the point that I couldn’t even set an alarm before bed. Nor have I ever woken up to find a werewolf of a man pawing me all over until my brain cells were scrambled. I managed fine before you came along to hold me in a permanent state of arousal.”

  Jaxon reached into the shower and adjusted the knobs. “You’ve never slept with a man before?”

  “Well, no. Not slept slept. No. I’ve always liked to have my bed to myself.”

  Jaxon grinned and pumped his chest out. “I feel proud. I’m the first man you’ve spent the night with.” He tugged her forward and kissed her soundly. “And the last…” he added.

  He didn’t wait for a response, but grabbed the half-drunk mug from her hands and nudged her into the shower stall.

  Warm water descended over her head, perking her up. Between that and the caffeine, she might make it out of the house on time.

  Jaxon waited outside the shower. His dick said to get in and run the soap over his mate’s body. His big head reminded him she’d never make it to work on time.

  “Aren’t you coming in?” She angled her head over her shoulder and yelled through the door.

  “Nope.” Jaxon backed away. “Not a good idea. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

  It took every ounce of self-control to get himself to leave the room. But he did. The house was alive already. Serg and Mic would be just returning from the barn. Jaxon chuckled to himself. His mate wasn’t a morning person? This would be interesting.

  “Morning.” Micah leaned against the counter, a mug of coffee in his hand. “So you’re heading out with Brianna and we’ll be on standby if you need us.”

  “Yep. If I scent McKinney in the area, I’ll let you know.” Jaxon headed for the fridge.

  He had no idea what his lovely mate generally ate for breakfast. Hell, he didn’t even know if she ate breakfast. Usually the brothers left early for the barn with just coffee and came back into the main house to eat a few hours later. They were sufficiently spoiled to death now that Juliana lived with them.

  No one liked to abuse her, but she seemed to enjoy cooking breakfast for them while they took care of the early chores. Said it made her feel useful since she wasn’t working very much. This was probably not how she’d envisioned her days after graduating from college, but hiking was her passion and she intended to take advantage of the area and become a guide…as soon as the vampire threat was eliminated.

  “Baby, what do you want to eat?” Jaxon pulled out orange juice and set it on the counter.

  “Shit. You made me drop the soap. I don’t need anything. They’ll have a spread for us to grab at the base before we take off.” Brianna’s voice in his head made him smile. He could get used to this.

  It was one thing to communicate with his brothers, another thing entirely to chat telepathically with his woman.

  Jaxon grabbed a glass of juice and headed back for the bedroom. He’d jump in the shower after her and then they’d be off.

  As he left the room, the radio on the counter chimed. Juliana bustled into the room. She considered manning the radio another one of her responsibilities. Jaxon paused at the entrance to the hall to listen in.

  “Hey, James.” Juliana always called the sheriff by his first name now that they were friends. They’d apparently bonded over a long discussion about vampires and wolves when she’d first arrived.

  “Jules. Is the plan still the same for today?”

  “As far as I know.” She glanced at Jaxon with a raised eyebrow.

  He nodded back.

  “Yep. Jax is taking Brianna to the base and he’ll follow her around in wolf form. If he sees or smells anything out of the ordinary, he’ll let us know.”

  “Perfect. I’ll be patrolling the area. Keep me informed if you hear from him.”

  “Ten four.” Juliana grinned.

  Brianna glanced at Jaxon as they approached her unit. “Don’t hover. These people finally respect me. I don’t want to blow it in one morning with a new boyfriend who can’t keep his hands off me. I’d rather not let on yet, if you don’t mind.”

  “What if I do mind?” he teased.

  “Tough.” Her word held no conviction and she knew it, but she still needed him to stay back. Not to mention, if he so much as grazed her with the tip of one finger, she’d melt and be incoherent the rest of the day.

  “Hey, Bri. ’Bout time you showed up.” The jester was Devin Richmond, a firefighter who’d been with the unit for over ten years.

  “Just ’cause you don’t have anyone warming your bed, making you the early bird, doesn’t mean the rest of us have to race to arrive at work first.” Brianna had learned to give as well as she got. Her choice of jibes this particular morning perhaps wasn’t the best, but she held her head high and aimed directly for the bagels and cream cheese—acutely aware of Devin’s gaze traveling toward the man she’d fucked about a dozen times in the last twenty-four hours.

  “You probably should have dropped me off and driven away. Everyone is staring.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not the one who just announced they’d been fucked nine ways until Sunday to the world at large, baby.” He laughed into her head so hard she could almost feel the vibrations.

  “It was an accident. You scatter my mind.”

  “I scatter more than your mind. But I’m going to take off because the last thing I want is for you to be anything less than completely present on the job. I don’t want you caught in a fire, nor abducted by a vampire. Please be safe. I’ll be close at all times.” Jaxon walked away without speaking out loud to his mate.

  Brianna was relieved she didn’t have to introduce him or create a scene. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Jaxon head toward the sheriff. The men exchanged a brief conversation she wasn’t privy to and then Jaxon ambled back to his truck without looking her direction.

  Brianna swallowed. She leaned against the table laden with donuts and bagels, willing the back of Jaxon to give her a sign of some sort. It was stupid. She was being petty. She’d specifically asked him not to make a scene and here he was not making a scene. Like a girl, she wanted him to acknowledge her anyway as he left.

  “Baby, you are the only thing on my mind. Stop staring daggers at my back. I’m head over heels for you and that’s never going to change. You own my soul. Eat your bagel and enjoy the respite of not having your entire entourage teasing you today, ’cause this is the only free pass you get. After today, I’m claiming you openly in front of all your cowor
kers and friends.

  He kept walking, his back growing smaller as he approached his car.

  She could have sworn at the last second he turned and winked at her. At least that’s the way she cared to remember the departure.

  There was no time to ponder Jaxon’s pronouncement further. Captain Wilson called everyone together to brief them on what lay ahead.

  The fire was anything but contained. In fact, it had spread out some during the night, continuing to move in an easterly direction. At least the wind wasn’t shifting back and forth. It was always a bitch when they had to account for strange weather.

  The forecast called for rain, but firefighters didn’t trust weathermen. They were notoriously unreliable when it came to precipitation on days when fires were raging out of control.

  Brianna would take up the western flank as she had the day before. Each “man” had their position and their job was to fight to maintain it while inching forward.

  Even though it was cool outside, she was already sweltering in her gear, her base layer soaking wet beneath the outer, flame-retardant layer. She’d be suffocating when she put the mask on and approached the flames.

  For the first time in her life, she experienced some trepidation about the work ahead of her. She had someone to live for and intended to see that it happened.

  There was no time to think about Jaxon or his brothers, and certainly not a vampire. Now that she was back at work, the notion that a blood-sucking, mythical creature was stalking her seemed absurd. She had to put it toward the back of her mind and focus.

  Chapter Ten

  Jaxon paced back and forth between the trees. He stayed as far away from the rear line of defense against the flames as he dared. It was so hot. The air was filled with falling soot even with the wind blowing in the opposite direction. And fuck all, his mate did this every day? How was he ever going to kiss her goodbye in the mornings knowing the danger she put herself in?