12-Alarm Cowboys (62 page)

“Oh my God.” She turned and raced back to the room, ashamed and sick to her stomach. Had she been that shallow? What was wrong with her?

She tried to close the door, but a large hand blocked her. “Let me alone, Dax. I can’t do this anymore.” Tears rolled down her cheeks and her throat tightened. “Please.”

He scooped her up and carried her to the bed. Sophie was tired of trying to be so strong and independent. Tired of never having a single soul whose shoulder she could cry on.

Dax sat on the bed and cradled her against him. Sophie let herself cry on the broadest shoulder in East Texas.

The gray light
of dawn slid through the curtains. Dax dozed with Sophie curled around him, her mahogany hair soft as a feather on his bare chest. She’d cried for both of them.

The time he’d spent with Sophie the last day had been a maddening mixture of frustration, annoyance, anger, arousal, passion and sadness. A cocktail of ups and downs it would take at least a week to recover from. If ever.

He forgot how she felt against him, her softness surrounding him, reminding him what he’d been missing. He was a fool to have had sex with her and an even worse fool to allow the painful thoughts out of his heart.

He’d kept the feelings hidden, crammed into dark recesses where he didn’t expect to let them out again. When he’d come into the room to check on her, she’d looked angelic, sleeping like a baby. She was so damn beautiful it made his eyes ache.

Dax struggled to leave her then. He stood by the window, waiting for the urge to check on her to pass. His heart told him to take a chance. His head told him to run. Then she’d woken up and all hell had broken loose.

Sharp words had been thrown, leaving wounds and ragged emotions. Dax sighed and wondered what would happen tomorrow when she was gone again. He had a full life. He didn’t need a woman, and he especially didn’t need Sophie.

That didn’t mean he didn’t
want
her.

If he were lucky, Myron would have towed her car and fixed it before Dax dropped her off. Then he could say goodbye and she would be on her way.

“Is it tomorrow?” Her sleep-tinged voice stopped his musings and startled his dick awake.

That wasn’t good.

“Yep.”

Oh hell, she was naked too. The blanket slipped off her shoulder and he remembered how she looked last night, punching him, her face full of fire. Her soft, curvy body bared for his view.

Shitfire.

“We should get up.”

“Ah, yeah, we should.” Parts of his anatomy were already up, like,
really
up.

“You’re comfortable.”

A strangled sound came out of his throat.

A few moments passed before she came into full wakefulness. Then she must’ve realized exactly what was poking her in the hip.

“It’s morning.”

“We already covered that.” He didn’t know whether to move and allow her to keep her dignity, or let her escape to keep his dignity.

“This is awkward.”

“We’ve had a few of those moments since yesterday.”

She tried to wiggle off his lap and instead managed to turn herself until his dick ended up between her thighs. He sucked in a breath, tortured by the soft trap.

“And a few more ahead apparently.” She glanced up at him, her dark eyes a mixture of arousal and confusion. He had to pull back and save both of them. A gentleman would.

“We shouldn’t have done what we did yesterday.”

“Bareback no less.”

“I’m clean.”

“So am I, but that doesn’t prevent pregnancy.”

His gut slammed up to his throat then back down to his feet. “What was that?”

“That’s how babies are made, Dax. I thought for sure you’d taken sex ed in high school.” She sighed. The very thought of a baby made Dax want to jump out of the bed and run like hell. It also made him imagine what a baby would look like, half Sophie, half himself.

What in the ever-loving hell was he doing?

“I, uh, should’ve thought of that.” His lame excuse was met with silence.

“There’s no help for it. I’m gonna have to bare my boobs to get out of this,” she finally said.

He tried to stop her. He truly did, but she rolled onto her back, baring those beautiful orbs to his view. The dark pink nipples hardened as the cool air hit them.

His mouth watered. “Damn, woman. You are hot as hell.”

She blinked. “Really?”

“God, yes.” He leaned down and pulled one nipple into his mouth. His hard-on did a happy dance.

She groaned and tugged at his hair. “Jeeezus.”

He suckled, nibbled and laved at the turgid peaks, her skin as sweet as honey. His pulse notched up with each suck, his heart beating a faster rhythm.

Thump-thump-thump.

“We can’t do this again, cowboy.” She ran her hands up and down his back, a purring emanating from her throat. “Not after all we said.”

He didn’t stop. Didn’t even consider stopping. Nope. Too lost in the delicious breasts in his mouth. He moved to the other breast and his hand crept down her belly. Her pussy called to his fingers, the scent of her arousal teasing his nostrils.

Good God, she was all sweet, wet heat.

He slid through her silken folds until he reached her clit. She arched her back, pushing her nipple farther into his mouth. As he pleasured her, his own body throbbed with need. He wanted to plunge into the heated depths, to bring both of them to the ultimate release.

“We should stop.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Right there. Harder. Harder.”

He continued to pluck and circle her hot button. She started to make chuffing noises and he knew she was close. He bit her nipple and she screamed as an orgasm ripped through her.

“Do you have protection?” Her voice was husky and sliced through his self-control.

He jumped to his feet and raced to the bathroom, hoping his stash was still in the drawer. “Bingo!” He snagged a condom and made quick work of putting it on before returning to the soft, sexy woman on the bed.

He rose up on his knees, the head of his cock poised at the entrance to heaven. “Still want to stop?”

Her eyes fluttered open and a slow, lazy smile spread across her face.

“I think I can stand a little more fun.”

He thrust into her depths and spots danced in front of his eyes from the sheer ecstasy of entering her. It was paradise on earth. After he slid his cock almost all the way out, he paused to tease both of them. A lazy smile crossed her face.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Fuck,” he whispered. Dax scowled at the door, willing away whoever was interrupting their sex.

“Dax, are you in there?” Hannah spoke through the door. “Your phone’s been ringing off the hook and Clint just called me. There’s a fire.”

His responsibility as volunteer fire chief trumped some morning delight with Sophie, no matter how much he wanted to push himself back inside her.

“Yeah, I’m here. Be there in a minute.” He saw the regret in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Soph.”

She didn’t speak as he rolled off and pulled on his clothes as fast as he could. There weren’t many fires in Tanger and to have two so close together was suspicious.

“It could turn out to be someone’s trash burning.” He yanked on his shirt. When he popped his head through he found Sophie almost dressed. “What are you doing?”

“I’m not staying here with Hannah. I’m coming with you.”

“I can’t think about you right now. I’ll have Myron come by to pick you up.” He jogged out of the guest room and down to his own. Snatching up his boots, he turned and ran straight into Sophie.

“There’s not a chance you’re going to leave here without me.” She had already dressed and pulled on her own boots. Hell, she had her damn messenger bag on her shoulder and was currently twisting her hair into some intricate knot.

Instead of answering, he ran down the stairs. That’s when he heard the siren from the firehouse wailing in the distance. How could he have missed it?

Easy answer. He was busy sticking his dick where he shouldn’t be. Sophie was beautiful, smart and intelligent, but she was his past. She made it very clear there was no future. It was a quick fuck. Or two. He shouldn’t be disappointed and he damn sure shouldn’t be feeling a pain in his heart.

He grabbed his replacement phone from the charging station by the door and slammed outside, Sophie hot on his heels. She definitely had the speed required to keep up with him.

He wasn’t sure if he should be impressed or pissed.

They reached the truck and he threw himself in, starting the truck even as he closed the door. He flipped on the flashing lights in the back and front windows. Sophie didn’t miss a beat, climbing in like an acrobat. He continued to ignore her and dialed Clint from the phone. Thank God he’d picked up a burner at Madison’s yesterday or he’d have had to ask Sophie to use hers. It only took half a ring before his cousin picked up.

“Where the fuck are you?” His angry voice almost busted Dax’s eardrum.

“On my way. What’s going on?”

“Fire out behind the jail in the old building. Kyle’s fixing to have kittens.” A few shouts and the sound of the pumper truck siren sounded in the background. “Get your ass over here. I’ve got your shit with me.”

Clint hung up and Dax grimaced at the phone. “That’s not a coincidence.”

“What’s going on?”

Should he tell her? She was an insurance investigator and had no personal stake in Tanger or its residents. He should thank her for the memories and tell her to go home.

Dax opened his mouth to say just that, but the words didn’t come out. Not the words he should have said anyway.

“The old jail is burning. A week after the restaurant burned.”

She didn’t say anything for a few beats. “Someone is burning the older buildings in town.”

“That’s what I thought too. Then I took into account the structures are also old so the wood is drier and they burn faster. But I also know we had new insulation put in about fifteen years ago and a state of the art sprinkler system and fire alarm put in the restaurant.” He blew through a stop sign, counting on everyone in town knowing his vehicle and heeding the flashing lights on his truck.

“Your receipts—”

“Yes, the fucking receipts are in the file I gave you.” He was too worked up to worry about her feelings. Anger and frustration bubbled in his gut. He wished he’d had a chance to grab coffee because it would give him something to do besides snarl at Sophie.

She remained silent as he drove like a madman, swerving around a few cars and one foolish dog. It took less than ten minutes but it felt more like an hour. Sphincter factor of ten.

He stopped his truck on the seat and jumped out of the truck. The acrid stench of smoke filled his nose. He needed to get to the pumper, parked sideways in front of the newer jail and assess the situation.

Flames flickered in the early-morning sky, angry red and orange against the blue. He grabbed his gear and started pulling it on, hoping his daybreak foolishness didn’t cost the town more of its soul.

‡

S
ophie had never
felt so small and unimportant. When she’d been with Dax years ago, he’d been an eager volunteer firefighter with very little experience and more energy than common sense.

He was no longer that fresh-faced boy.

This was a man who took charge, shouting orders and pulling on his turnout suit with practiced efficiency. The heat from the fire was intense even a hundred feet away. She should move farther back, but she couldn’t take her eyes from Dax.

He had been serious about his family’s ranch and firm in his decision not to go to college. However, she’d judged him for that choice. He was so smart, and could have been anything other than a rancher and a volunteer firefighter. It was a waste.

At least that’s what she’d thought at the age of eighteen. Ten years, and hard life experiences had taught her how foolish her opinions had been. Dax had not only kept his family’s ranch in the black, but he’d helped his sister run the restaurant and he’d become fire chief. He was successful. On his own.

Without her.

She was the one who’d made the choice to leave everything behind. Whether or not it had been a mistake, it was far too late to change it. Regretting her decision wouldn’t gain a thing except more heartache.

Then why did her throat tighten as she watched Dax? He was ridiculously good-looking, intelligent and great in bed. Her body still hummed from the near-sex less than twenty minutes earlier.

“You shouldn’t be this close to the fire.”

She started at the sound of an unfamiliar male voice. Sophie turned to find Kyle Blackwood at her elbow. The oldest of the generation of cousins, Kyle was the most serious. It also appeared he was a deputy sheriff now. His curly brown hair was cut short against his skull, but a few random curls popped up. She decided not to mention them given the fierce scowl on his face.

His deep-green eyes regarded her steadily. “I’m serious, Miss Evans. You need to move back to the other side of the street.”

“Miss Evans?” She matched his scowl with one of her own. “I seem to remember we played in the mud together when we were barely out of diapers.”