On Fire Read online

  chapter four

  Despite the sweat that ran in rivulets down her overheated body, Darcy missed Jared’s weight and the feeling of him inside her the moment he rolled away.

  He collapsed on the seat beside her, his chest heaving with deep, gulping breaths. His eyes were closed, his head pressed into the sofa.

  “Holy shit,” he said finally. “I can’t feel my legs.”

  She closed her eyes, telling herself that rapid separation and focus on pleasure was the way to go. Keep it simple. They were just screwing. And since it was phenomenal, she couldn’t complain.

  His lips brushed over her shoulder. “I was rough and you allowed it. Thank you.”

  Soothed by the gesture and sentiment, she kept her eyes closed and smiled.

  He shifted. His mouth sealed over hers without warning, stealing her breath. Frozen for a moment, it took a few soft licks of his tongue to kick-start her brain. When she opened to him, he kissed her with a gentleness very much at odds with the impatience with which he’d taken her body. His hand cupped the back of her neck, his fingers pushing into the sweat-dampened roots and holding her just where he wanted her.

  The stroke of his tongue along hers was soft and slow, the press of his lips firm but not hard. It was a lush, hot, wet melding that curled her toes.

  When they parted, they were both breathing hard. Their gazes met. A long, somewhat awkward moment passed.

  She cleared her throat. “I need to take a shower.”

  “I bought a bag of Epsom salts, in case you’d like to soak.” Jared pushed to his feet. “Bathroom?”

  Startled by his thoughtfulness, she managed to point down the hall. “Left side.”

  He set off, presenting her with a view of a really gorgeous ass. Her gaze was riveted to its rhythmic clenching as he walked away, her heartbeat elevated by the realization that she’d pushed such a gloriously masculine creature to his limits.

  Taking a moment to collect herself, Darcy stood and moved into the kitchen, realizing as she went that Jared had known the state of her body before she did—she was slightly sore. Breaking a year-long abstinence with a hard, pounding fuck with a well-hung man would do that to a woman, she supposed.

  She was just digging through the shopping bag for the salts when she heard the rush of bathtub water surging through the house’s old pipes. He had purchased men’s combo hair/body wash and razors, too, which gave her an odd flutter of delight—he’d planned on staying from the get-go. She wasn’t going to read anything into it, but it was nice to know he hadn’t planned on yanking his pants back up as quickly as he’d dropped them.

  When she joined him, Darcy found the bathroom door open and her new lover leaning over the triangular-shaped tub, testing the temperature of the water. He glanced at her as she filled the doorway.

  “Now, this room,” he said, “fits you.”

  “I had the bathroom redesigned after my parents moved out.”

  She’d hired a contractor to gut the closet in the adjacent den to expand the home’s one bathroom into something she could live with. The room was still small, but it now accommodated a separate bath and shower, instead of the combo tub with showerhead that had been there before. The café au lait walls and tile, paired with accents of eggplant, gave the room a warm modern elegance she found soothing.

  Jared held his hand out for the Epsom salts.

  An odd tenseness spread through her tummy. “You came prepared. I take it riding a woman hard is par for the course with you?”

  He stilled, his extended fingers curling into a fist. “Not really, no.”

  She stepped closer and handed him the bag. She hoped his answer meant she got to him in a unique way, especially considering how he so easily devastated her.

  Looking almost…chagrined, Jared dumped a heaping handful of salt under the running water. “I have a sister with no concept of TMI,” he said gruffly. “You might know what that’s like.”

  She nodded.

  “She said salt baths worked wonders after overenthusiastic nights. It seemed like a good idea to grab some, considering where things were heading.” He gestured her over. “Is this too hot?”

  It wasn’t. With a grateful, slightly bemused smile, Darcy stepped into the small corner tub and sighed her delight. “Thank you.”

  Turning off the water, he stood. He grabbed his toiletries and moved over to the floating glass shower stall. She relaxed into the neck pillow she kept on the ledge and watched as he stepped beneath the oversized showerhead. He was tall, but the flexible arm adjusted for that, and soon enough he was putting on a show she would have paid top-dollar for.

  Completely oblivious to her avid perusal, he soaped his hair and chest, his hands roaming over his gorgeously ripped body with brisk efficiency. The scent of his soap filled the air and she swallowed hard, her mouth watering. A flush swept over her skin that had more to do with her new lover than it did with the heat of the bathwater. Jared Cameron was her darkest sexual fantasies in the flesh, his thick biceps flexing as he moved, his abdomen and pectorals clenching as his arms lifted to scrub at his hair. Soapy water sluiced down his tanned skin, making her pussy clench in renewed hunger.

  When he turned his attention to washing his genitals, stroking his long thick penis in one hand and rolling his scrotum with the other, Darcy couldn’t ignore the pulsing between her legs any longer.

  Laying one leg on the lip of the tub, she cupped her slick pussy and massaged the tender knot of her clitoris. The fingers of her other hand caught a nipple in their grip, rolling and tugging the aching point, sending shards of delight straight to her womb. She made a soft noise of need and his head lifted abruptly, catching her in the act of pleasuring herself.

  She bit her lower lip in a deliberately provocative come-on, feeling sexy and naughty as his desire rose in response to hers. His cock thickened in his hand and she arched her back, remembering how the hard length felt moving inside her.

  His resultant scowl wasn’t what she’d expected. Neither was the haste with which he finished rinsing off and vacated the shower. As he strode out of the bathroom with her towel wrapped around his lean hips, she wondered if she’d crossed a line.

  Deflated and embarrassed, her hands fell away from her body. She sank her head beneath the water, submerging herself as long as her lungs would allow.

  When she came up for air, Jared was there. Standing by the tub with his arms crossed and a new condom rolled over his raging erection. She quickly swiped the water off her face with her hands, blinking up at him.

  He uncoiled, stepping into the tub before she knew he intended to. Catching her beneath the arms, he hauled her up and set her ass atop her neck pillow on the wide ceramic edge.

  “I wanted to wait,” he muttered, kneeling in the water and spreading her legs. “At least until after dinner.”

  He dove for her pussy, his mouth latching on to her tender core and tonguing her cleft. He pushed inside her and she gasped, her hips arching. His tongue slid in and out, licking quick and shallow, luring her slickness until she heard how wet she was. He groaned and tilted his head, thrusting deeper into her, drinking her in as if he couldn’t get enough.

  When she started to tremble, hovering on the edge of orgasm, he wiped his mouth on her inner thigh and stood. Darcy shivered at the look he shot her, the edgy hunger that seemed little appeased by their animal screwing on the couch.

  He caught himself in hand and gently nudged her. A rough sound escaped him. “Fuck, I wanted to wait,” he said again, with more vehemence. “You’re swollen.”

  “I can’t help it if you hit all my hot buttons.” She gripped his hips to stabilize her perch. “You looked so damn hot in the shower. Turned me on watching you stroke yourself.”

  “You were looking at my dick like you’d die if I didn’t give it to you. I almost blew my load in the shower.” He began a slow slide into her, exerting minimal pressure to ease past tender tissues. “After what you did to me on the couch, I shouldn’t hav
e anything left to blow.”

  “I would have loved to watch,” she said, breathless with lust. Every inch he pushed into her stole another piece of her sanity; every coarse word he spoke ratcheted up her need.

  Cupping her cheek in one hand and her hip in the other, he shook his head, nudging deeper. His thumb pushed into her mouth. “I want this mouth first.”

  She drew on the callused pad, rubbing her tongue over it, watching his eyes darken.

  “You’ll suck my dick just like that,” he said hoarsely. “I’ll have you on your knees, deep-throating my cock. After this, it’ll take me longer to come. I’ll be fucking your mouth for a good, long while. I’ll make it last because it’s going to feel so damn good. Everything about you makes me feel good.”

  He pulled his thumb free and lowered his head to kiss her, his tongue thrusting into the warm recess in imitation of the act he spoke of. With his lips whispering over hers and his hand at her throat, he said, “You’ll swallow every drop of my cum, sucking it from the tip of my dick until I’ve got nothing left to give you.”

  “Yes…” she breathed, wanting him in her mouth now. Wanting to see the pleasure sweep across his face as she took him to orgasm.

  With a roll of his hips, he sank into her to the root. His groan hardened her nipples. “You’re even tighter than before and your cunt was perfect then.”

  Tilting her head back, Darcy’s lips and teeth followed the sharp line of his jaw. “You’re thicker than before and your cock was big then.”

  “Because now I know how good it’s going to feel when I go off.” He leaned his head back to invite her attention to his throat. “How good it feels when you lose it and squeeze me like a fist.”

  “You make me come so hard,” she whispered by his ear, licking delicately into it and smiling when he shuddered. She deliberately tightened her pussy around him.

  Jared cursed and withdrew, then slid balls deep in a measured glide. “Play all you want, sweetheart, but you’re not rushing me.”

  Gripping his taut ass in her hands, she squeezed and held him close so she could grind into him. She nearly came from the fleeting pressure of his pelvis against her clitoris, her sex spasming greedily around his erection.

  “Shit.” He groaned, reaching behind him to grab her hands and pull them away. He crowded her, forcing her to lean back. Then he pinned her hands to the tile with his own and gave her a breathlessly perfect stroke with a practiced swing of his hips. “You’re not going to quit until I’m an idiot over you. A pussy-whipped, salivating piece of shit who can’t think about anything but nailing you everywhere and every way he can, no matter how often he has you.”

  Darcy’s head fell back with a mewl as he began to shaft her aching pussy with smooth measured thrusts. She couldn’t speak for the pleasure, the fit of his thick, long cock so perfect it filled every centimeter of her. Eyes closed, she absorbed the rhythmic impact of his hips into hers and the arousing smack of his heavy balls against the wet curve of her buttocks. The push and pull of his erection was an erotic massage over her hypersensitive flesh, the wide crest rubbing over a spot that made her shake uncontrollably.

  “I could do this all day,” he growled. “All night.”

  “Don’t stop, Jared. Don’t. Stop.”

  His tongue flickered over her nipple and she nearly climaxed.

  “Oh, yeah.” His breath blew hot over her damp skin. “We’re doing that later. I’m going to slide my dick into you, then suck on your nipples until your hungry little cunt milks me dry.”

  His lips surrounded the tip of her breast. He suckled her with drawing pulls that were perfectly timed with his plunges between her legs. His tongue lashed at the hardened nipple, flickering over it in a way that sent pulses of heated delight racing across her nerve endings. She heard herself whimpering, her body moving separately from her mind, her hips rocking to meet his and hold the incredible fullness of him deep inside her.

  Jared released her wrists, his hands moving to cradle her spine and mold her body to his. It was the singularly most carnal experience of her life. And the most intimate.

  “Yes,” she breathed, suspended in his arms. “I’m coming…”

  The orgasm swept through her like a gentle wave, lapping at her senses, gaining strength until she quivered uncontrollably. All the while he continued the leisurely thrusting of his rigid penis, swelling with his own imminent release, spurring her to climax again.

  Wrung out and on an emotional precipice she hadn’t expected, Darcy gave herself over to him. Let him pleasure her until she was certain she couldn’t take any more, until her legs hung limply in the cold water and her nipples throbbed.

  Only then did he let go, holding her torso against his scorching-hot skin, his chest heaving as he jerked violently and came endlessly.

  chapter five

  “They’ve actually made some good headway with the student list from the dance studio.” Trish’s voice came clearly through Jared’s cell phone speaker, accompanied by the rustle of papers in the background. “They’ve already confirmed alibis for most of the repeat students going back one year. Miller is territorial, but he’s got good instincts.”

  Jared slid the phone aside to make room for a cutting board on the kitchen counter. “My concern is whether or not the town’s residents are a blind spot in his investigation.”

  “I’m working him around to thinking more along those lines. At least considering them.”

  “He lets you get a word in edgewise? You’re a miracle worker.” He deseeded a bell pepper, then chopped it quickly into small squares.

  “He’s not that bad,” Trish said. “His only experience with federal law enforcement wasn’t a good one.”

  “About that.” He worked on an onion next. “I’d like the name and contact information of whoever was the primary on that case.”

  “You going to thank him or her for making our job so much easier?”

  “Don’t give me ideas.” Using the knife, he scraped half the vegetables into a heated skillet. “It might be worth it to see if anyone in Lion’s Bay rubbed the Feds the wrong way. Aside from Sheriff Congeniality.”

  “What time are you coming into the station tomorrow?”

  “Not sure. I want to check out the other two locations in the morning. Why?”

  “Wouldn’t want Miller to be out and miss you.”

  Gripping the handle of the skillet, he jerked the pan to flip the sizzling vegetables. “I’ve requested courier manifests going back six months. While it’d be stupidly obvious to ship hazardous materials in and leave that trail—”

  “We don’t want to be the ones who overlook the obvious.”

  “Right. I’m hanging up now. Call if you need me.”

  “What is that noise?”

  “Dinner. I’m hungry. Good night.” Jared tapped the disconnect button on his phone and turned his attention to cracking eggs to finish up the omelets.

  As he moved, he mentally cataloged the state of his body. His damned legs were jellied and there was an odd knotting in his gut that he told himself was hunger. He was having trouble staying focused, his thoughts drifting to the woman presently soaking in a fresh Epsom bath.

  The sexpot fire inspector had fried his brain. A wild lay was not supposed to make a man feel strange. It was supposed to relieve stress, provide a workout, and clear a man’s head. Instead, he didn’t even hear Darcy enter the room until she spoke.

  “Whatever you’re cooking,” she said, “smells delicious.”

  He glanced at her, cursing inwardly for being caught unawares. “Omelets.”

  “Awesome.” She maneuvered around him and opened a cupboard to pull out plates. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, her composure irritated him. He’d tugged his pants back on because they were about to eat, but he’d left the fly partially open, exposing the waistband of his boxer briefs. He was shirtless and barefoot, comfortable and relaxed, while she looked like she was ready to leave the house.

  “Where ar
e you going?” he asked, scrambling the yolk with enough vehemence to make it frothy.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You got dressed.” And her hair was damp and slicked back into a ponytail.

  “I didn’t know I was supposed to eat naked. You’re not.”

  He unclenched his jaw. “You could have put on a robe.”

  Setting the plates on the dining table, Darcy returned to the kitchen. “I didn’t want—” She exhaled harshly. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m assuming anything or taking anything for granted. You made it very clear that things need to be simple.”

  “No assumptions, but you assume I’ll get antsy if you follow the evidence that says I prepared to spend the night.” He poured the eggs into the pan with the veggies, then added the ham he’d chopped before he called Trish. “Unless what you’re not saying is that you’re ready for me to go.”

  She straightened and approached him. “Sex doesn’t improve your humor, I see.”

  “Maybe because I’m not done.”

  “Okay, then.” She pulled silverware out of a drawer. “That’s settled.”

  A moment later, Jared heard her moving the plastic shopping bag off the table. From the sounds of it, she was looking inside, perhaps noticing the toothbrush, antiperspirant, and razor sitting next to the two boxes of condoms. As far as he was concerned that wasn’t optimistic, that was practical. He flipped the omelet with a deft flick of his wrist.

  “I wish I had a camera,” she said. “You look sexy as hell doing that.”

  She looked sexy as hell when he was doing her, all soft and warm and flushed. The memory of her in the bathtub was going to haunt him for a while.

  He jerked his chin toward the table. “Sit down.”

  Darcy exhaled in a rush. “I wanted to put a robe on. Just so you know, I originally thought about ordering something in, answering any questions you might have about the case, and maybe watching TV if it wasn’t too late.”

  “You should’ve gone with your instincts.” He tossed some shredded cheese into the omelet, then slid it onto her plate in a practiced fold. “Dig in. Don’t wait for me.”