Texas Wildfire (Texas Heroes Book 1) (11 page)

When she added the personal well-wishes, Makenna recognized the woman as the one who’d processed her the night she’d filed charges on Damien. “Thank you so much.”

As Titan escorted her across the road, he questioned the clinical instructions. “Did she say you had to get
an application
for a domestic violence order?”

She tried to make light of the situation. “Yea, it sounds like I’m asking for additional abuse.”

Titan didn’t find her joke amusing. “No one is going to hurt you again, Makenna. You have a champion now.”

As she walked beside the big cowboy, Makenna found the courage to stand up for herself. In a few minutes, she’d filled out the forms and they were on their way out. She was feeling good about everything when she heard a voice from behind.

“Look at her, hooking up with another man so soon. What kind of a woman does that? Accusing a good man like Damien Wade of being a wife abuser. Why, I bet she faked her injuries like they do in the movies with make-up. I hear she’s crazy. She’s been in a psychiatric ward.”

Makenna froze. Her feet wouldn’t move. There was no way Titan had missed the mortifying exchange. The woman had made no attempt to lower her voice. She felt him move away from her. Who could blame him? Closing her eyes, she willed herself to disappear.

“Excuse me, ma’am.” Makenna heard Titan address the older lady. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. As a woman, you should support other women who are victims of physical violence. What if you couldn’t trust the person who was supposed to love you the most?”

Hearing him defend her was wonderful, but it didn’t keep her from being embarrassed to death.

“Come on.” He put his arm around her shoulder. “Let’s get out of here. You don’t have to listen to such nonsense.”

Makenna followed him out to his truck, but once they were inside, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Not all of it was nonsense.” At his confused expression, she tried to explain. “I was under psychiatric care for a time.”

Titan asked no questions. He sat calmly by her, knowing she needed to talk.

“It’s not what you would think,” Makenna began, clenching her hands into fists. “Although I guess anytime one requires therapy, it’s a sign that all isn’t right.” Taking a deep breath, she let it all out. “I was young, nearly six when it happened.”

Titan felt his stomach roll. He dreaded what he was about to hear. “Go on, honey, I’m listening.”

Makenna sighed. She didn’t know any other way but to just say it. Years after it had happened, it was still hard to talk about. “I was one of the few children in the daycare at the Murrah Federal building to survive the Oklahoma City bombing. My mother died in the terrorist attack and my father grieved himself to death a few years later.”

“Oh, my God.” Titan reached for her, unbuckling her seatbelt and pulling her into his lap. “I’m so sorry. What you must have gone through.”

She laid her head on his shoulder, flashes of that day bombarding her mind. The deafening explosion, the white-hot blast, the crashing of her world as it came tumbling around her. “Back then, I didn’t even know what a terrorist was. I had very little idea what death meant. The blast killed a hundred and sixty-eight people, including nineteen children. I was one of the lucky ones. Allie’s mother worked there too, but Allie was sick that day so she and her mother weren’t in the building. We met at a survivor’s conference when we were teenagers.” She looked up to meet his eyes. “Something like that scars your soul.”

“Yet you survived, just like you did the hell Damien put you through.” He stroked her hair. “Makes you a hero in my book.”

“He loved to tell people about the time I spent in psychiatric care. I guess it was his way of setting me up so nothing I could ever say would be believed. He just neglected to explain the circumstances.”

Titan bristled. “Wade’s an idiot, we’ve already established that.”

Makenna laughed, hugging him hard. “You make me feel so much better. How do you do that?”

“Just loving you, baby,” he whispered. “Easy as pie.”

On the way home, Titan’s radio went off. After listening, he announced. “We’ve got another grass fire.”

Knowing he was in a hurry, she quickly told him, “Head on to the fire station, I’ll get a ride home.”

“Nope, you’re coming with me. Remember? You can sit in the fire truck.” He smiled. “You’ll be our mascot.” He flipped a switch and turned on his truck’s siren and flashing light. “Hold on.”

“While I’m sewing the goat’s pajamas, I guess I should make me a spotted Dalmatian suit.” Makenna teased him, holding on to the dash, excited to be going with him.

“You’ll look good, you’re sexy in anything you wear,” he said conversationally as he sped up.

“Where’s the fire?” she asked, helping him watch the road. It always scared her when the men had to drive fast, knowing people could disregard the warning and pull out in front of them.

“Out near Canyon Lake, that’s all I know at this point.”

When they arrived at the station, she stayed out of the way and marveled at how the guys each did their part, gathering their gear and preparing the truck. Everyone had a job, working together like a well-oiled machine. Soon they’d donned their bunker gear and were ready to load up. “Come on, baby,” Titan called, holding out his hand. She blushed, seeing the surprised yet happy faces of her friends as it dawned on them that she and Titan were together.

Soon they were on their way, the red trucks speeding toward the fire, sirens wailing. Makenna felt exhilarated. She hoped no one was in danger, but knowing these men were on their way gave her assurance all would be well.

Soon they could see the black smoke billowing up from the treetops. “I wonder what caused it.” Makenna asked no one in particular. She was sitting in the back seat of the fire engine. Titan was driving, with Dallas in the front while she was in the back with Blaze. Hotshot was bringing up the rear, pulling a trailer with a dozer onboard. The rest of the men were on the tanker truck, which led the way.

Blaze watched out the window, mesmerized by the sight of all the smoke and the flames that could be seen shooting up from the tops of the trees. The fire appeared to be spreading fast. “Could be several things, someone burning brush, lightning—although there hasn’t been a storm—could be carelessness, even arson.”

There was no more time for conversation. The trucks turned down a small dirt road and stopped where there was a gate in the fence. Dallas hopped out and opened the gate, holding it while all three trucks made their way close enough to the fire to do their job.

Makenna could see the charred undergrowth. How could they fight such a big fire? On the way, she’d heard Titan put out the call for area help and as soon as they were parked, she could hear more sirens in the distance. The sound made her feel better, she wanted every precaution taken. Putting out the fire was important, but the safety of the firefighters was paramount also.

“You stay here, well out of the way,” Titan warned her, unrolling the hose. She gave him a smile, fully intending to follow his edict. There was a difference between orders given out of love and those given out of a need for control.

Climbing on the truck so she could see, Makenna watched their progress. The men used a combination of water and foam to fight the fire. Maverick climbed aboard the dozer and used the plow attachment to dig a ditch around the perimeter so the flames couldn’t advance. Even from the distance she stood, Makenna could feel the heat and her heart clenched knowing those men were right on top of it. She always worried about them, but being here and watching made her realize she’d never really understood what they went through to battle fires. When the mutual aid trucks arrived from neighboring communities, Makenna breathed a sigh of relief.

To help, she kept water ready, running to carry it to any man who neared. Keeping them hydrated was necessary and the least she could do. Whenever possible her eye was on Titan. The fire was fueled by rising winds and drought dried grass. Part of her wondered why they just didn’t plow the barrier and let it burn itself out, but she’d heard them discuss things like this at the meetings. People’s homes and properties were endangered, wildlife and nature were at risk. Controlled burns were one thing, but this was not that—this grass fire was dangerous and out of control.

At one point, things were looking up…until a call was received. There was another fire, a similar one about five miles south. Now, their resources had to be split.

Feeling helpless, Makenna watched the brave men fight, then go on to fight some more. She watched Titan like a hawk, nervous that fatigue would jeopardize his safety. After hours of heat, smoke and back-breaking labor, he was going to be dead on his feet. And all she could do was watch and worry.

When it was all over, the sun was down and the moon had risen. Fire had eaten up the day and several dozen acres. The Fire Marshal was on the scene with Titan, trying to determine the cause of the fires. They located the origin of the blaze but any evidence of how it was ignited had been destroyed. One thing was certain, however. The fires weren’t natural—someone or something had started them.

Arson.

Makenna was glad she was with Titan. He was big and he was strong, but even he had limits. To think he might have had to go home alone, if she hadn’t been there with him was almost unthinkable. Once they were back at Skyview, Makenna pampered him. She fed him and after he showered, she tended minor burns and scrapes. And then she took him to bed. He was exhausted, but at least he was safe. So, she held him tight until morning broke.

Titan was restless. Tossing and turning, he seemed to fight the flames even in his sleep. Makenna watched over him. For most of the night, she kept her hand on him, wanting the connection as much for herself as for him. She felt no need to abandon the bed for the floor, rather she served as his guardian angel while he slept. Before dawn she dropped off, only to awaken with her head resting on his outstretched arm.

Studying his face, Makenna felt an overwhelming tenderness. He was such a good man. He groaned, bending one leg and shifting his body. When he did, she saw that he was erect. Awareness tingled through her pussy. He was big…bigger than…

Makenna refused to finish the thought.

Titan would never hurt her.

Yes, she was nervous. Sex for her had always been something to dread, just an act not a celebration. She never expected pleasure and usually received pain, for there had been no arousal and no affection. But this…this was something else entirely. Just lying next to Titan had her breasts throbbing. Her nipples were pebbled so tight they ached. Makenna wanted him to the depth and breadth of her soul. She’d survived life with Damien by escaping in her mind to be with this man.

And here she was in bed with him, wasting time by being afraid.

How silly was that?

Edging over next to him, she lightly placed her hand on his chest and waited. He didn’t move, he was still sound asleep. “Cowgirl up, Makenna, you can do this. You’ve rehearsed it a million times in your dreams,” she whispered to herself. Strategizing her moves, she eased over and touched her lips to his broad chest, sprinkling butterfly kisses all over his skin. Her hand slid gently south, tracing his abs. Encountering the sheet, she slipped her fingers beneath it and tentatively continued her downward approach. Radiant waves of arousal surged through her body, making her clit swell and her body flush with heat.

Would he welcome her? Every indication he’d given her told her he would.

Soft touch. Tender lips. His cock straining to greet the caresses that were coming so close to where he craved them to be. At first Titan thought this was another of his dreams about her. But when he opened his eyes, it was to find her kissing him, touching him—Makenna was making love to him.

Maybe if she hadn’t been so into what she was doing, his swift intake of breath and the tensing of his muscles might have clued Makenna into the fact that Titan was wide-awake and fully engaged. But she was busy with open-mouthed kisses on one flat male nipple and her fingertips brushing the very tip of his hungry cock.

“Morning, beautiful.”

Whoa! Her head jerked up, her hand jerked back and a surprised look came over her face like a little girl caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“Oh, hi.”

Titan was thrilled. He wanted her so much, he’d been afraid he would let his desire override his restraint. Erring on the side of caution was preferable over making her uncomfortable. But now…now she was about to…take matters into her own hands. “Please don’t stop.”

The almost desperate expression on his face obliterated any hesitancy she might have had. Sharing a bed with someone she didn’t fear was fun. “You have morning wood.”

Her slightly naughty comment took him by surprise. “I’m in bed with the sexiest woman in the world. Of course I’m hard.” He ran his fingers through her hair, loving the freedom to touch her. “What should we do about it?”

“I was taught waste not, want not.” With a mischievous grin, she answered matter-of-factly, her questing fingers inching a few millimeters lower.

Jerking back the sheet and shucking his shorts, Titan invited her to do what she willed. “Far be it from me to contribute to an erection shortage.”

Makenna gasped. “Oh, there’s nothing short about your erection.” Quickly, her eyes darted back to his, needing to remember who she was with.

Seeing her apprehension, Titan came over her, sheltering her body with his own. “You know I’d never hurt you. Never.” Cupping her face, he caressed her cheek with his thumb. “You don’t ever have to fear me. What you can expect from me is not pain, but pleasure.”

“I know.” She could feel the length of him pressing against her hip.

“You’re made for me. Never doubt it. You’ll fit me like a glove.” Makenna was holding him tightly, her palm flat on his pec, her fingers flexing and kneading like a little cat. Titan dropped his mouth to hers and claimed the kiss he’d been dying for.

“Titan, I want…” She gave herself over to him, allowing him to slip his tongue inside and taste her sweetness.

He was wound so tight, he had to fight to keep from revving the kiss up, but he knew she needed and deserved his patience. So for now, Makenna was in charge. Whatever she wanted, she'd get. They’d only go as far or as fast as she wanted to go. “What do you want, baby? Soon I’m going to take you in every way imaginable and you’re going to love every one of them. But for now, I just long to make you happy.”

“I want to touch you.”

Her breathy request almost made his heart stop. “Please do—however, wherever…”

When she pushed on his chest to get him to lay back, he followed her every direction. “Lie down and let me make you feel good.”

“I’m a ladies’ first kind of guy,” Titan protested.

“This is easier for me,” she whispered. “Let me do this for you.” Lying beside him with her head on his shoulder, her left leg hooked over his. The delicate weight of her body felt like heaven. She took him in hand, all nine inches and began to stroke up and down, and all he could do was close his eyes and enjoy.

At first, she kissed his neck and his chest while she fisted his manhood. Titan wasn’t still. Every muscle was reacting to the hand-job she so willingly gave him. His breathing quickened, his heart hammered, and within the grasp of her palm, his cock swelled. Soon she had to watch, needing to see how he looked as she jacked him off.

It was an incredible sight. He was so thick, she couldn’t reach all the way around. And he was hard as steel, yet the skin stretched over all of that rock-hard flesh was as soft as velvet. Makenna was amazed at the life she held in her grasp. He was so powerful, so commanding—yet here she held all of that primal maleness in the palm of her hand. Titan was totally at her mercy, open, unguarded and she wanted to be worthy of that trust. Between her legs, her sex throbbed and she could no more keep from pushing her hot core against his leg than she could stop breathing.

“Makenna, baby,” Titan moaned, feeling his hips buck helplessly.

He sought her lips and she kissed him, then decided it was time she kissed him somewhere else. With one last sweet layering of her mouth over his, she rose, and with the seductive look of Eve on her face, she went down on him.

Taking it slow, she licked her way down to his groin. Titan held his breath as she brushed her lips just above the base of his dick. Every cell in his body was begging for her, Titan was insane with need and anticipation. The moment Makenna’s lips circled the tip of his cock, his whole body tightened with ecstasy. Her eyes darted to his, seeming to seek approval. Titan gave it to her. “So good, your mouth is so sweet.” If he lived to be a hundred, he’d never take this for granted. Mesmerized, he ran his fingers through her hair as she took him deeper in a warm wet slide. The suction of her sexy lips was so much better than he’d dreamed. Reality was always better, he guessed. Dreams were only necessary when you couldn’t have the real thing.

And the real thing in this case was fuckin’ unbelievable.

Each time she bobbed her head, his hips lifted unwilling to give up paradise. She was kneeling between his legs, her fingers clutching his thighs as she drew him in, the tip nudging the back of her throat. Even at that, she couldn’t take him all. But that didn’t keep her from trying.

“So sweet, suck me, baby.” Makenna’s eyes closed as she breathed through her nose, swallowing. Titan hissed when he felt her throat muscles kissing his shaft. This was the most exquisite pleasure he’d ever known. She let her lips glide back up again, licking every inch. “Makenna, my Makenna.” He had to touch her, his hands sought to connect, rubbing her neck and shoulders.

With every bit of strength he had, Titan held still, letting her give to him. This was her gift. There was little doubt how difficult it must’ve been for Makenna to initiate this. And that fact made it all the sweeter for him. He savored the knowledge, letting his body bask in the pleasure. As she sucked and licked, he ached to have her. Titan touched every bit of her he could reach, from the side of her neck to the delicate line of her collarbone. Beneath the soft material of the T-shirt, he could see her breasts sway and he lusted for them, wanting to mold and suck his fill. “Makenna, I need you.”

She heard him, for she acknowledged his words with a locking of their eyes. But she didn’t know he meant that he needed to hold her, fill her, please her. Instead, she tried to give more—sucking, licking, moving her hands to grasp his shaft and rub his balls. Titan could feel his orgasm building as she slid her mouth up and down his cock, her tongue teasing the underside. “Fuck, baby, fuck,” he groaned as his climax boiled up, exploding in her mouth. He should’ve warned her, should’ve pulled out—but God, it felt so good.

He arched his back, pushing his head into the pillow and still she didn’t stop, swallowing, sucking, worshiping every inch. Nothing and no one had ever come close to this and to Titan, that was no surprise at all. “I knew,” he whispered. “I knew it would be like this.”

Gently, she let him go and sat up, staring at him with a look of wonder on her face. “Did I please you?”

She already knew the answer, but he gave it anyway, knowing that her life had been a series of tests, most rigged so she would fail. “More than you’ll ever know.” He held his arms out for her and she came to him, giving him a contented smile. “Can I have you?” he asked, wanting to bestow upon her the same ecstasy she’d given him.

Makenna sank into his arms, commanding her body to calm down. Yes, she wanted him, she ached for him. But she was still afraid of doing something that would mess things up. So, she’d better stop while she was ahead. “Can this be enough for now?”

Titan held her, cradling her to him. “Yes, for now.” He kissed her face, her eyelids, before tenderly taking her mouth. “Know this, though.” He framed her face, making sure she heard every word. “I want you and I intend to show you how good it will be. You’re mine, Makenna.” With that announcement, he rose from the bed and walked across the room naked and her hungry eyes followed his every move.

*  *  *

A few hours later, Makenna sat atop a horse that Titan swore to her was as gentle as a lamb. “Are you sure I won’t be in the way?”

“Nope. I meant it when I said I want you with me.” He put a small cowboy hat on her head, then grinned at how cute she looked in it. “We’ve got to find where the fence is down. Two of my bulls were found wandering on the highway right-a-way. A neighbor got them back in, but I can’t afford not to find the gap and repair it.”

“Okay, head me in the right direction and I’ll help you scout for downed fence.” Makenna squeezed her knees together the way Titan had shown her and was rewarded when the horse began to move in the right direction. “Yay!” she said. “If I make it today, I want some boots to go with this hat.”

Titan smiled indulgently, enjoying the sight of her ass as she sat in the saddle. Her jeans were just tight enough to distract him. “What color boots would you like to have?”

As if the idea required pondering, she considered it. “White, I think.”

“White?” Titan asked, giving Valiant the lead so he could guide Makenna’s mount toward the right path. “Doesn’t sound very practical.”

“Maybe not.” Not wanting to scare him, Makenna didn’t tell him about the wedding fantasy. “I saw an ad in a magazine at your house this morning. This girl was wearing white cowboy boots. She looked happy.”

Hearing the wistfulness in her voice, Titan vowed to check out the ad. “Which magazine?”

Makenna cast him a sideways glance. “One with a very politically incorrect title.”

“Ah, I know what you’re talking about. That’s my sister’s magazine, Cowboys and Indians.”

Forgetting all about the boots, Makenna honed in on the sister part. They had left the barn, ridden through the paddock and were now heading up a small incline behind the house. “You have a sister?” The idea brightened her day. “Will I get to meet her?” Damien had limited her contact with other people so severely, she had no friends until Allie moved close and he limited Makenna’s contact with her. He’d always insisted on being present and that made a girl’s night out fairly awkward.

“Sure.” Titan watched her face. “I’m sure you two would get along great. The woman loves to shop.” When she didn’t respond to his comment, he broached an uncomfortable topic. “Wade didn’t give you money for clothes, did he?”

His statement made Makenna jerk in the saddle and her horse reacted, dancing sideways. She panicked, gasping as her horse took off down the hill at a fast clip. Her riding skills weren’t up for this. The angle was steep, her foot slipped from the stirrup and Makenna found herself tumbling headfirst off the horse Titan called Luna.

“Makenna!” Titan was off his horse and running toward her in a heartbeat. “Are you all right?”