Montana Fire (37 page)

“You want to ride me again?” Max asked. He kissed her quick, and then nibbled on her
ear. Pinpricks of lust soared through her.

She hoped it was because he’d enjoyed it yesterday and not because his leg hurt. “Yes!”

He laughed. “Better hurry. Offer only last five more seconds.”

Jaime rolled onto the floor. “Get on the cushions.”

Max stretched out, looking like a god. He quickly dragged her on top of his chest.

Jamie pushed up onto her knees, and grabbed his thick cock.

“Easy there. He’s about to detonate.”

Needing Max to last a little longer, Jamie positioned herself over him. Torturing
him would be fun, but she was too needy. Bending her knees, she sank down on him.

“Ah, ah, ah. It grew.”

Max grinned. “You got that right.”

Jamie lifted up a bit, and slid back down, her slick walls welcoming him. Now it was
time to tease and tempt him. She leaned over and lifted his head so that his mouth
was pressed against her breast. He captured a swollen nipple between his teeth and
nipped one tit, then the other. New sensations sparked a need deep inside her. Without
thinking, she clamped down hard on his cock.

“You’ve gone too far, honey.” Max grabbed her hips and thrust all the way into her.
Her eyes watered at his massive size. “Jamie, oh, Jamie.”

Max closed his eyes and plowed into her again. Over and over, his hard cock pounded
against her back wall. Her body heated and her heart rejoiced.

“I love you, Max Gruden.”

After that, nothing but pure bliss entered her mind. Max dipped his thumb between
her legs and pressed on her clit. That was it. She burst into flames like a blazing
inferno. Nothing could douse the fire in her body.

“I’m coming, honey.”

Just as he spoke the words, he gripped her hips hard, drove up, and held on tight.
Her orgasm claimed her as his hot cum filled the condom. Jamie squeezed her eyes tight,
and let the wonder of it all transport her to another universe.

When her climax ebbed, she collapsed onto his chest, and rested her head on his shoulder.
His hands roamed over her back and butt as his kisses hit everywhere he could reach.

The fire crackled and the last log fell. “If I could stay here all night I would,”
she said.

Max rolled her off him. At the moment, Jamie was willing to give up going to the rally,
but from what Trent said, Max had looked forward it all year. In a flash, he returned
with a damp towel.

“What do you say we shower and head on over to the Fairgrounds? Afterwards, I’d like
to take you to the Steerhouse for dinner.”

Not only was Jamie taken aback that he hadn’t asked her to Italiano’s, but Steerhouse
had to be the most expensive restaurant in town. “I’d love that. Is there some reason
why we aren’t going to your usual haunt?”

Jamie sat up with her back to the fire and crossed her legs. Max knelt next to her
and lifted her hands. “I thought we’d celebrate.”

“Celebrate the capture of those terrible people?”

“That and I was hoping we could toast to our new beginning.”

That sounded wonderful. “New beginning?” Why did she have to repeat everything he
said?

“I’d love for you to move in with me.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Yes. I’d really like that.”

He gave her his patented smile and she wanted to pull him down onto the cushions and
do him all over again.

Chapter Thirty

T
he Monster Truck Rally had been a ton of fun. Jamie had spotted a few of the FBI agents
who she’d met either at the Kalispell hospital or at LACE, only this time, they were
dressed in jeans and boots. Smart. From what she could tell, no one seemed to notice
them. She bet few even suspected there’d been a threat.

After the rally, she and Max had a wonderful dinner at the Steerhouse, where they
discussed her move. She couldn’t have been more excited about this new path. As much
as she wanted to spend a few days shopping with him to pick out artwork for his walls,
they both had jobs to go back to. Next weekend, they would take the time to choose
which pieces of furniture of hers she wanted to keep and which things she wanted to
donate.

The days seemed to fly by. Getting back to work had been hard, but working with patients
again was rewarding at the same time. Dr. McDermott had announced they were closing
the clinic early on Wednesday so that the staff could attend Yolanda’s funeral. Jamie
was pleased the service hadn’t already occurred. Apparently, Yolanda’s family was
coming in from all over the country.

Jamie promised she’d say a few words, but when she faced the crowd, ready to put into
words how much Yolanda had meant to her, it had been a lot harder than she had ever
imagined. Had Max not been there nodding his encouragement, she would have broken
down for sure.

The next day, it was close to six when Sasha found her in the clinic hallway. “I’m
ready for my first happy hour with your friends.”

Sasha’s bowling league had ended, and she wasn’t planning on signing up in the near
future. Jamie guessed than many of the nurses had been rethinking their priorities.

“Great. Let me grab my purse and coat.”

Once Jamie returned, they said their goodbyes to the rest of the staff and headed
out. They’d both parked in the lot next to where the warehouse used to be. While someone
had torn down the burned remains, there wasn’t any evidence yet of new construction.
With Ed Hanson in jail, she wondered what would happen to the property. It would be
nice if the city built a park there.

Once they reached town, Jamie spotted a space in front of Banner’s. She drove on by,
letting Sasha take it. Jamie parked a block away and hurried to meet her friends.
Thankfully, the snow had melted. She could only hope the last of winter was now history.

Sasha was waiting for her by the door. “Let’s do this,” Jamie said, pulling back the
handle.

As soon as she stepped inside, it was as if her troubles disappeared. Jamie forgot
about work and focused on her wonderful friends. Once they reached the table, Amber
jumped up from her seat and hugged her. Between the cabin and moving, they hadn’t
seen each other except briefly at the funeral. Jamie then embraced Zoey, Becky, and
Melissa. Apparently, Lydia was still at work.

Jamie introduced Sasha. As they finished shaking hands, Abby came over for their drink
orders. Jamie looked to each girl. “How about we get a pitcher of Sangria. I’m buying.”

That caused a stir. Melissa leaned on her elbows. “Are we celebrating something?”

“Maybe.”

That started the chatter. Jamie couldn’t exactly say she’d been the target of terrorists,
but Dan, Trent, and Max suggested she say the warehouse arsonist came after Max, and
he feared they’d come after Jamie, too. That was why they had to go into hiding. “Okay,
here’s what happened.”

Becky’s eyes remained wide throughout her tale. “You mean you spent a whole week in
a cabin with Max?”

“I did.”

She placed a hand over her chest. “He is so dreamy. I wish I could find someone like
him.”

As was their usual refrain, everyone assured her that her time would come.

Becky glanced to the ceiling. “For two days, I had Trent Lawson checking up on me,
asking about my stalker. He’s gorgeous, and nice.”

“If you like the good looking, strong, capable kind of man. He’s okay,” Jamie said.

They all laughed.

She didn’t feel comfortable talking any more about her experience as she feared she
might let something slip. “I will let you in on a secret. Max told me he loved me
and asked me to move in with him.”

Amber, Zoey, and Sasha knew of the change in her life, but Jamie hadn’t had a chance
to tell Becky or Melissa, who squealed and clapped.

“Ladies.” Abby set down the pitcher of Sangria, along with the glasses.

Jamie poured.

Zoey lifted her glass first, and they all followed. “To love!”

“To love,” they said in unison.

Zoey set down her glass. “I want to hear all about Amber’s honeymoon, but first I
need to tell you all something. I’m afraid some of you might not be too happy.”

They all turned toward Zoey. Even though Jamie had confided in her about Max, Zoey
hadn’t told Jamie anything.

Amber stilled. “What is it?”

“Yesterday, Thad and Pete surprised me with tickets to New York City.”

Jamie couldn’t have been happier for her friend. “That’s fantastic. Why wouldn’t we
be happy?”

“Because the men convinced me to elope instead of getting married in Rock Hard as
I’d planned.”

The crescendo of noise made Jamie’s ears hurt. Amber, Melissa, Becky, and even Sasha
asked questions all at once.

Zoey held up her hand like a school teacher. “I know you all wanted to be in the wedding,
but for many reasons, we thought it would be more romantic to get married by a justice
of the peace at Rockefeller Center. Thad really wants to go to a Broadway play.”

Jamie’s heart melted. “That’s so romantic, but won’t that bother you not to have the
wedding gown and all that stuff?” She didn’t want that, but Zoey had always talked
about the perfect wedding.

She smiled. “I had that with Amber’s wedding.” Zoey glanced at her friend with much
love.

“Me, too,” Jamie said. “I wouldn’t like all the attention thrown my way.”

“Never say never,” Zoey said.

And so began a lengthy discussion of the pros and cons of weddings.

Six months later

Max escorted Jamie into Cade, Stone, and Amber’s backyard where they were having a
huge Labor Day party. It seemed as if every member of RHPD and the fire department
was there. As soon as she and Max arrived, Amber and Zoey came over and gave her a
hug.

“So glad you two could make it,” Amber said.

Jamie blushed. They were an hour late. “We were a bit delayed.”

“Uh-huh.” Amber glanced between them. “Come into the TV room. There’s someone there
to see you.” Amber grinned.

“Who?”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, now would it?”

Jamie had no idea what the surprise might be. She looked at Max, but he just shrugged.
They both followed Amber into the den where Cade was chatting with a man whose back
was to her. Amber slipped next to her husband and motioned that Jamie was behind them.

The stranger turned around. When he smiled, Jamie’s heart jumped. His white teeth
and fit body made him look so different. Surprisingly, the burn on his jawline didn’t
detract from his good looks.

“Jon—I mean Vic?” She studied him. He seemed taller, but perhaps it was because he
was always seated when she walked by. He had to be close to six feet.

He stepped over to her. “The one and only.” He gave her a light hug then held his
hand out to Max.

Max shook it briefly, and then placed a possessive hand around her waist. “What are
you doing back in Rock Hard?”

Jamie detected a slight abruptness to his voice. She couldn’t blame him for not warming
up to Vic after what happened, even though Max had seemed to understand why Vic had
pawned off the drive to Jamie.

“I’ve left the FBI.”

“Why?” She never expected him to tell her that.

“Many reasons. In part, it’s hard to fit in with the way I look.”

He was being silly. Did he think because he had a scar on his jaw that he looked bad?
“You look fine. Scars on men are sexy. Women will be flocking to you, wanting to know
your story.”

“I wish, but thank you for the confidence boost. It was time to move on. I did what
I wanted to do—uncover those terrorists. The best part is that Charlotte and I have
reconnected. It’s all good.”

Joy filled her. “I’m so happy for you.”

Max’s fingers relaxed from around her waist. “You planning on getting a job at RHPD?”

Vic shook his head. “No. I’m opening my own Investigation firm in Rock Hard, called
Hart’s Investigations.”

She smiled. “That’s fantastic. How long have you been back in town?”

“I returned yesterday. Have you seen Larry since the fire?”