Fire in the Smokies

lupine frame.

If he thought he’d run fast before, that was nothing compared to the speed he excelled at this time. If that bastard laid even one finger on his mate…

The wind picked up as he ran. He could hear his brothers yelling his name, but he didn’t stop. He needed to get to her. Make sure she was safe.

Nothing else was acceptable.

And then he saw her. He came to a ridge, the same one he’d been using earlier to watch her, and spotted her frame below. She was still in the same position in the line of men, fighting against nature.

As if he planned it, the sky suddenly let loose. Huge drops of rain landed on Jaxon’s fur, soaking him through in no time.

He gasped for breath and watched as the firefighters looked up toward the sky and then resumed their actions. It was going to take a hell of a lot of rain to put out this fire. He prayed a torrential downpour was about to descend. How many more hours could he sit back and watch while his mate battled these flames?

Clear and present in his mind: a very angry vampire was now loose and roaming this forest. Without a doubt, first chance he got, he would nail Jaxon, his brothers, and any other human who just happened to have ever met them, to the wall—most likely literally, since that was the fate Jaxon assumed he’d just bestowed on McKinney.

Chapter Eleven

Brianna shivered, her clothing soaked through. She’d never been so tired and so relieved all at once in her life. Thank God for the rain. She’d been working fourteen hours when her crew was finally relieved of their duties. By morning the next crew would have the fire contained.

She scrambled through the mud with the rest of her unit until they reached the base. By the time she arrived, her feet hurt and her arms were sore from cutting back brush. The job was brutal. It was tough for a woman to be in good enough shape to do it. Suddenly she was rethinking her great need to fight fires. For about two seconds.

A long soak in her tub was the only thing on her mind.

As soon as they arrived at the base, everyone scrambled to load up the truck that would haul all their supplies. The drenching continued. The sky had turned completely dark hours ago in the storm. It was nearly eight o’clock.

Exhausted, Brianna turned around to find Jaxon standing not far from the crew. He was with the sheriff. Hardin wore a rain slicker. Jaxon stood next to him in nothing more than jeans and a T-shirt. It wasn’t the same T-shirt he’d been wearing this morning. He didn’t even wrap his arms around himself to ward off the chill.

Even soaked, the man was a sight. Or perhaps in his wet condition he’s even more sexy.

As soon as the thought filtered through her head, he glanced her way and grinned.

Greeaat. She’d forgotten the man could infiltrate her brain like an undercover agent imbeds himself into a group of drug dealers.

Everyone scattered, dashing for their respective vehicles in the downpour. Brianna didn’t even have a car. A coworker had picked her up from her apartment two days ago to carpool to the site. She hadn’t been home since.

With heavy legs, she wandered toward the police cruiser. “Everything okay?” she asked when she got closer. The look on Jaxon’s face told her all was not perfect.

He smiled. “Better than. I’ll tell you about it at home. Come on, let’s go. We’re both soaked.” Jaxon took her arm and led her toward his truck, nodding back at the sheriff as they left.

As soon as they climbed into the cab, Jaxon flipped on the heat and rubbed his hands together. He tugged Brianna to his side and wrapped his wet arms around her body. “Thank goodness the temperature didn’t dip as low as expected today. We’d be popsicles.”

Brianna leaned against Jaxon. He was warm, even soaked. His temperature ran higher than normal humans, no doubt. “Jax, I just want to go home, climb into my tub, soak for a while and then sleep in my own bed for two days.”

“I thought we’d go to my place. You want to go to your apartment?”

“Please. I need some time. Alone. I’m tired, Jax. And overwhelmed.” She tipped her head up at him.

He raised his eyebrows. “Wait? Alone?” He shook his head. “No way, baby. There’s a vampire out there somewhere, and believe me, he’s pissed.”

“I don’t care. I need to regroup with myself. When I’m with you, you distract me from the world. I can’t think.” Like now.

He smelled so fantastic, even wet. The soap from his morning shower lingered under the layers of dirt and wilted clothing. And the scent of outdoors that always surrounded him made her squeeze her legs together.

Lord. Not now.

The last thing she wanted right this second was to be aroused. She was too tired. And frazzled.

Her body betrayed her every time Jaxon was near.

“Bri. I can’t leave you anywhere. Not even your apartment. Hell, especially not your apartment. Do you have any idea what I’ve been through today? I nailed that bastard to a stake. And do you know how much good that did? None. He disappeared. I have no idea if he’s actually dead and somehow just poofed from existence or if he escaped. I don’t know the capabilities McKinney possesses. He could be watching us even now.” He squeezed her and kissed her nose. “Besides, I wouldn’t leave you even if the vampire didn’t exist. You’re mine, baby. We’re mated now. Separation isn’t really an option.”

Brianna wiggled free of his clutches and sat back. He still had his arm around her, but not as tight.

“Wait. What? You fought with the vampire?”

“Yeah. He set a trap and strung me up into a tree. It was fun. Except for the part where he took me hostage and dragged my wolf ass into a cave with the intent of killing me.”

“And you’re just telling me this now? You could have been killed.” She swatted his hand away from her entirely, her gaze narrowed on him. “You’re trying to convince me I’m all uber-important to you, and you don’t even think to tell me a vampire tried to kill you today?”

“What?” He threw his hands in the air. “I’m still alive. It’s not like I wasn’t going to tell you all the details. I just thought we’d—”

“Fuck first?” She could feel her skin flushing. Fury made her scoot away from him.

Jaxon glanced at the ceiling and sighed. “Bri, of course not. It’s not like that. You’ve had a bitch of a day, worse than mine. You’re tired. I didn’t think you needed me to heap my day onto your problems right now. After we get home, take a long bath, eat—”

“No.” She shook her head. “Jaxon, I need to think about all this. This—this—this thing between us…” she zipped her arm through the air in a Z pattern, “…it’s weird. It hit me like a freight train. Still is. I need space. Time. To think about what I want. I’m clear what you want, but I do have my own will here, you know?”

Jaxon shook his head again. The man was infuriating. “It’s not possible.”

“It is,” she shouted. “I insist. I’m not asking you. I’m telling you. You have to let me go home. Let me sleep for like a day and a half. And then let me think. I’ll call you. Don’t…suffocate me. It won’t end well.”

“Bri—”

“Jax, no. I’m all good with you dominating me in the bedroom, but the buck stops there. You can’t order me around when we aren’t between the sheets. If you do, you’ll find yourself awfully lonely.”

He took a deep breath and leaned his head on the steering wheel for a moment. When he lifted it, he looked her in the eye. “Brianna. Listen to me. I’m so sorry about how this happened so fast that I didn’t have time to fully explain how it works. You can’t actually choose to ignore it. It’ll pull you in. You won’t be able to rest without me by your side. And I won’t either. Your body will crave mine twenty-four seven. We’re…connected now.”