Chasing the Fire (Backdraft, Fully Involved, Flashover) Read Free Page B

considered himself lucky, too, to have a smart,
funny, and feisty girl like her in his life.
    “Where are you, sweetie?” he asked when they
reached the bedroom.
    “Thinking about the first time we made
love.”
    “Oh, God, don’t remind me. I was a bumbling
idiot.”
    “Ah, but now you’re a real stud.”
    He laughed, that husky before- (or after-)
sex laugh, and reached for the hem of her nightshirt. “Hmm. Let’s
see about that.”
    What she got this time wasn’t the hot, monkey
sex he’d mentioned earlier. Slowly—too slowly—he slid the shirt
over her head. She was naked beneath it. She reached for his
T-shirt, but he stopped her.
    “Ah, not yet. Let me touch you.”
    His hands were like a whisper of silk on her
skin. He ran them all over her, and when he knelt down before her,
he nuzzled his face in her mound. Kissed her. Licked her. Then
began in earnest to arouse her. With tender passion, he took her to
the first peak and she tumbled over with gentle but intense
feeling.
    Then she led him to the bed. He laid down
first and held out his hand. She took it, knelt on the mattress and
moved between his legs. She ran her mouth over his pecs, down his
sides, lower, kissing his thighs, his knees, whatever her lips met.
He moved restlessly because she hadn’t hit her target yet.
    “Janie, you’re killin’ me.”
    “Good.” She kept up the sweet abrasion of his
body for a long time.
    Finally, she took his penis between her palms
and massaged him as he’d taught her to do.
    He moaned. “Jesus, baby…”
    She kept up the motions, shifting subtly,
until he grasped on to her hips. “Now,” he growled.
    Smiling, she went up on her knees and
straddled him. Slowly, easily, he lifted her farther and settled
her on him. Her pulse skyrocketed at how full and feminine she
felt.
    “I love this part,” he whispered raggedly.
“When I’m first inside you.”
    “Me, too.” Like most everything else, they
were on the same wavelength about sex.
    She began to move. She increased the speed in
tiny increments. His grip on her hips tightened and he helped
escalate her movements. Groans of pleasure rumbled out of him as
all his muscles tightened.
    Her body was in sync with his. She felt the
spiral build and build and build until he gave one last thrust. He
started first and she joined him with bursts of light, color and
sensation floating around her. The same gentle completion consumed
them.
    After they’d climaxed, he pushed a few more
times, causing aftershocks to rock through her. Sounds of pleasure
echoed from him, too.
    He eased her off him and down onto the bed.
Tugged her into the crook of his shoulder. Entangled their
legs.
    Jane liked this valley as much as the peaks.
She felt him kiss her hair and murmur sleepily, “There. That’s just
what I needed.”
    Me too, she thought. She was where she
belonged and was going to stay here, regardless of their
differences.
    “Rye?”
    “Hmm?”
    “I’ll try to let you have your own feelings
about your dad.”
    “So will I. I’ll be better at letting you
have yours.”
    Turning her nose into his chest, she vowed
they’d get through this drama of his father’s return.
    oOo
    THE SOUND OF the doorbell woke them.
Riley stirred first. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was ten a.m.
Not too early for company, but inconvenient as hell.
    “Who’s that?” Janie’s voice was fuzzy.
    “Who knows? I’ll get up.”
    He grabbed for his sweats and T-shirt again,
dressed and headed barefoot to the foyer. Checking the front
window, he saw his mother’s car in the driveway. She was always
circumspect and never invaded their privacy, so he’d tease her a
bit.
    Pulling open the door, he said sassily, “Do
you even want to know what you interrupted, Mave darlin’?”
    His mother’s face blanked and she stared at
him.
    Uh-oh.
    “Mom, I was kidding.” He kissed her on the
cheek. This was another woman he loved deeply.
    “Rye, we have to talk. And I have to say, I’m
not