Love in Flames by N. J. Walters Read Free Book Online Page B

he was around.
    “I’ll stick to this.” She willed a call to come in. Anything. But the lines were all silent.
    “I was wondering if you’d like to go out tomorrow night? Maybe have some dinner, take a walk on the beach?” His tone was easygoing, almost indifferent, but his eyes practically scorched her with barely banked desire.
    She’d been expecting it. He’d asked her out before, several times, but she’d always declined. He took her refusal with equanimity and a smile, but always asked again. Taking a deep breath, she did what she knew she had to do. “I told you that I don’t date firefighters. You’ll have to respect my wishes on that.”
    “Maybe I can change your mind. It’s only dinner and a walk. What can it hurt?”
    It sounded so reasonable that she almost changed her mind.
    Almost.
    Rightly or wrongly, she had a deep-seated phobia of losing someone she loved to fire. The fear probably began during her childhood when she’d first been told the stories of Esther and James, and was solidified with the death of her father.
    For a family steeped in the tragedy of fire, they all seemed to be drawn to it, tempted by its horrible beauty and power. Her father had been a firefighter and both her brothers were too. There was no way in hell she was getting romantically involved with one. She had more than enough nightmares now without adding to them.
    She shook her head. “I’m sorry.” The words were bitter on her tongue, but she didn’t take them back.
    He nodded and pushed away from her desk. “Maybe next time?”
    It was what he said every time she turned him down.
    He reached out as if to touch her, but dropped his hand back by his side. He turned and strode away. He didn’t look back. She knew because she couldn’t tear her gaze away from him.
    By the time she got home from work the next morning and crawled into bed, she was exhausted. Her thoughts still went immediately to Ryan.
    What would it have felt like to have his hands on her? What would she have done if he’d reached out and touched her? Esther groaned and rolled onto her back, cursing the man. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? That was what she wanted. Wasn’t it?
    Of course it was, she assured herself. She was just exhausted and desperately needed to sleep. That was the only reason she was thinking about Ryan touching her, stroking those large, broad hands over every square inch of her skin. He’d start at her ankles and slide his hands up her calves and thighs, over her belly and torso. Her breasts felt heavy and it was all too easy to imagine his palms covering them, stroking them.
    Her breathing quickened and she bit her lip as a throbbing began low in her belly. She was aroused, but she didn’t want to be. She was tired, but too wound up to sleep. She thought about dragging out her vibrator, but knew it wouldn’t satisfy her. The longing within her went too deep to be satisfied by a battery-operated machine. She wanted to feel the weight of a man over her and around her as he thrust deep into her body.
    Groaning, she flopped over onto her side and tried to stop thinking about Ryan and their two sweaty bodies sliding together. The weather had turned unseasonably warm in the last two days and the slight breeze blowing in through the window did little to dispel the heat within her. She forced herself to take one deep breath and then another and another. Finally the tension began to fade. Her breathing evened out and her limbs relaxed.
    The dream began as it always did…
     
    Strong arms wrapped around her from behind, one supporting her head, the other tucked around her waist. She could feel the hard plane of his chest against her back and sense the tension in his body. His erection was pressed against the curve of her behind, hot and hard and ready.
    She couldn’t resist pushing her ass against him, smiling to herself when he groaned. His rumble of pleasure vibrated against her skin.
    Warm lips pressed against her nape,