Fire in the Smokies (Durham Wolves) (3 page)

“Why wouldn’t I be? It won’t change anything. I’m either dead and you are one freaky-ass ghost, or I’m unconscious and you are the best wet dream a girl could conjure up in even her wildest imagination.” Brianna bit her lip. Why’d she have to go and admit all that?

Jaxon laughed hard, so hard he started coughing again. When he finally caught his breath, he pulled her head against his chest. His bare chest. Warm…smooth…hard…bare chest. She inhaled his masculine scent and the soap he’d used long before racing through the flames to get to her.

She couldn’t believe she’d been so brazen.

Jaxon pulled her into the V between his legs and wrapped his arms around her. She was burning. The cave was getting hotter by the minute and she had on way too many clothes.

Brianna wiggled free of his embrace, leaned forward and tugged her fire coat off. She dropped the jacket on the ground beside them and leaned back into Jaxon’s embrace. Why not? “It’s getting hot in here.”

“I’m not complaining.” He chuckled again and leaned his chin against her shoulder. His breath came in short pants against her neck, so close she thought he would kiss her.

Jaxon ran his hands up and down her arms. His fingertips sent sparks up her arms and then down her torso. She only had her thermal shirt on now. It hadn’t occurred to her until then how exposed she’d be to his touch when she removed the jacket.

Shit, she wasn’t even wearing a bra. Women couldn’t wear any underwires in a fire for fear of burns, and she hadn’t bothered with a sports bra this time. She’d been in a hurry. And lately she’d been so damn fit, her body weight so low, she was more muscle than fat. She didn’t exactly have flabby breasts hanging down that needed to be lifted.

Suddenly she felt rather naked. As though her thoughts alone had caused the next event, Jaxon’s fingers grazed the edge of her breasts. He froze, sucked in a breath and stayed right in that position with the tips of his fingers ever so lightly resting against her chest.

Brianna’s breathing, in contrast, came in heavy pants. Her nipples jumped to attention. She wanted him to reach around and grasp them with both palms so badly she willed it. It was her dream, after all. If she wanted the man in question to fondle her tits, he would.

But he didn’t. Goose bumps rose all over her skin.

“God, you’re sexy.” Jaxon’s words came out on his exhale. His breath blew across her neck and sent a new shiver down her body. This time she physically shook.

She reached with her own hands to grasp his on her biceps. Did she mean to keep him there? Push him away? Tug him around to continue this dream?

She had no idea.

Jaxon kissed her neck, sweet little nibbles that made a path to her ear. “I’m one lucky wolf. Thank God for female firefighters.”

“What if I had been a man?” she joked. “Would you have left me for dead?”

“No…but I was worried.”

“About what?” What difference did it make?

“When I scented you as soon as I entered the cave, I knew—”

“Knew what?” she interrupted. He wasn’t making any sense.

“Knew you were my…mate.” He leaned his chin on her shoulder again. “It’s complicated. But I’ll try to explain.”

“Please do.” She spoke in jest, uneasy with this line of discussion, but somehow not afraid. No matter what weird stuff he said, she still felt some sort of draw to him. And why not humor the man? She had nothing but time. Might as well enjoy her dream, her death or her concussion to its fullest. The man’s voice was deep and warm and sexy. She could listen to him all day.

“Wolves mate for life. When we find the one, we instinctively know it. We don’t normally spill all our cards quite like this—shifting and blurting out all the details so quickly. After all, most women would run screaming.” He kissed her neck again.

“I don’t presently have any place to be.”
Nor could I if I wanted to
.

“Love your sense of humor.” He grinned against her neck. “Anyway, I guess the smoke and your suit masked your scent enough that I knew you were my mate, but I still assumed you were a man.” He squeezed her arms, his fingers so close to her chest. “No offense. I have nothing against female firefighters, I just…”

“None taken.” She wanted to hear the rest of this. Was her mind spinning this tale?

“I wasn’t exactly doing jumping jacks when I found I’d met my mate and it was a man.” He took a deep cleansing breath. “I’m over-the-top relieved to find you are actually as female as they come.”

A pause filled the smoky air. Was the smoke penetrating their new spot too?

“So let me get this straight. You are actually a wolf. And you believe I’m somehow your destiny?”

“Exactly. Well, except for the part about me believing it to be true. There’s no doubt. You’re mine, Brianna.”

He said her name like she was the sexiest creature on earth, and for a moment she let the word ring through her head.

So possessive. And why did that make her even hornier?

His story was farfetched at best, and the entire time he’d spoken she’d grown hotter for him. Her pussy clenched inside her thermals and the fire pants she still wore. Was she actually wet, or was she sweating profusely in the heat?

This was certainly the most convoluted dream she’d ever had. Aside from romance books, had she ever even daydreamed about the paranormal?

She decided to change the subject. “Did you stumble upon me in this cave or specifically come searching for me?”

“I was looking for you. We knew a firefighter was missing and hoped he—or in this case she—had found refuge in one of the caves along this ridge.”

“We? Are there others out searching?”

“Not anymore. My brothers were looking also. We’d split up and each took a section of caves. Now that I’ve found you, they can retreat.”

“Except they don’t know you found me.”

“They do.” He inhaled. “We can communicate…telepathically.”

Oh, great. So now she was sitting in the dark in the embrace of a man who was a wolf, claimed she belonged to him and could communicate telepathically.

And her damn pussy
still
leaked. She squirmed.

“I know it’s a lot to take in all at once.”

“Ya think?” She stiffened, wishing for all the world her body would stop responding to him—his touch, his smell, the deep timbre of his voice.

Both of them coughed at once. Jaxon choked a bit before regaining his ability to breathe. Unease crept up Brianna’s spine. Why would they both be continually interrupted by fits of coughing in a dream or in line at the pearly gates?

“We need to move again. Too much smoke.” Brianna reached for her belt, searching for her flashlight. She carried an arsenal of necessities around her waist. Regardless of her current mental state, instinct told her to move.

Jaxon gripped her shoulders. “We can’t. We’re sort of trapped.”

“How do you know? It’s pitch black in here. There could be ten tunnels reaching in deeper.” Grasping the object of her search, Brianna flipped the switch and the cavern lit up. Well, lit up was a bit of an overstatement considering the glare she now stared at amongst the smoke.

Nevertheless, she aimed the light all around them and finally spotted a section of the cave large enough to accommodate them. “This way.” She nodded in the direction of the beam of light and then glanced back at Jaxon.

His tan skin had grown pale and he shook his head. “Too small.” He glanced around. “Maybe if we stay low in that corner.” He pointed to the left.

“Are you crazy? That opening is plenty big and we aren’t safe here. We have no choice but to try it.” Who was saving whom?

Time was running out. Brianna took Jaxon by the arm and tugged him toward the opening. She grabbed her jacket, slipped her arms inside, put her helmet back on her head and flipped on the headlamp.

Perfect. Now her hands were free and she could dig into the recesses of her brain for all the training she’d gotten with regard to spelunking.

Crouching low, Brianna tucked her flashlight back in her belt and turned toward Jaxon. He hadn’t moved. “Don’t tell me my wolf in shining armor who can read minds and apparently see in the dark is afraid of tight spaces.”

She laughed, but then her face fell. It was true. He was white as a sheet. Her helmet light made him squint.
Great
.

“Let’s go. Grab your pack and follow me. I won’t let anything happen to you.” She crawled forward. He didn’t follow.

“Yeah…no. I’m sorry, but I don’t do caves. It’s absurd really, but true. I’m going to have to shift.”

“Shift?”
Into wolf form?
She’d hoped that was all in her imagination. Even though she’d seen it and he’d confirmed it verbally, she still wasn’t a believer.

“I’ll lead. I won’t be able to communicate with you since we aren’t mated yet, but you can follow me. I have a great sense of space, even better in wolf form.”

“Fine.” Why she was agreeing she had no idea. Whatever it took to get out of the smoke was fine with her. Her eyes burned. Her throat felt raw. She couldn’t see more than a few inches now.

And additionally, she was doubting her sanity.

She watched, blinking, as Jaxon stuffed his pants back into his pack. As though watching a horror film, her eyes remained pinned to him as he dropped to all fours and shifted. Small pops made her flinch as his bones changed structure. Fur pushed out of his skin. It lasted only a few seconds. A large gorgeous wolf stood before her.

He glanced at her, cocked his head and nodded toward the narrow opening in the cave. Grabbing his pouch with his teeth, he led her to the slit in the stone wall.

Brianna was stunned. Her heart beat rapidly, but she didn’t pause. There wasn’t time. The air was thick with smoke. She’d pass out soon if she didn’t move.

With her headlamp pinned to Jaxon’s tail, she stayed right behind him, crawling through narrow gaps, some of which were barely wide enough to accommodate either of them. Finally, they emerged into a large space.

Brianna breathed a sigh of relief. Oxygen filled her lungs.

How long would it last? Would they have to venture even deeper?

She plopped down on her butt and reached for the canteen attached to her center with all her other supplies.

A deep gulp of water cleared her throat.

She closed her eyes for a moment. They burned.

A popping noise made her flinch and when she opened her eyelids, she found a naked Jaxon standing inches from her once again.

“That’s amazing.” She didn’t take her gaze off his cock. Even under the stress of this crazy situation, he was aroused, hard and ready. And she found herself wanting to touch him. Feel all that maleness wrapped in her palm.

What if this is real?

“Thank you.” Jaxon chuckled and Brianna flushed to her toes.

“Not
that
, you dolt. The wolf-shifting thing.” She waved a hand through the air.

“I know. I was kidding.” He reached for his bag and then stopped. “You want me to dress or stay naked so you can enjoy the view?” He chuckled again. “I only ask because you haven’t lifted your gaze away from my dick since I shifted.”

A new flush covered the old. She’d turn the color of the flames outside if he didn’t stop teasing her. She pulled her helmet off and set it on the floor. If she could stop aiming the light directly at him, it would help.

Jaxon didn’t wait for her response. He simply shrugged on his jeans once more and even grabbed a T-shirt. She actually felt sad when he pulled the cotton material over his pecs.

“Now what do we do?”

“Now, we wait. Perfect time to get to know each other.” He sat next to her and tugged the sleeves of her jacket until he’d removed it. She let him, limp in his arms, unable to stop him from anything he wanted to do with her.

Chapter Three

Jaxon pulled his mate back into his embrace. He liked her between his legs, leaning against his chest. He could get used to it. He reached for the switch on her helmet and turned off the light.

Darkness consumed them once again. He had the advantage in the dark. She could see nothing. He could see fine. “We need to conserve the battery. Never know what might happen next.” His explanation sounded good, didn’t it? It was certainly plausible they’d need the battery later.

Brianna sighed. “So you’re a wolf. And I’m not dead.”

“Correct.” He paused. “You okay?”

“Me?” She laughed. “I’m not the one afraid of the dark.”

“Now you’re confused.” Jaxon wrapped his arms around her middle below her breasts and held her tight. “I’m not remotely afraid of the dark, baby. I don’t even actually know darkness. I can see fine. It’s tight places I could do without.”

“So, you’re claustrophobic.” She set her palms on his thighs and he had to work hard not to jump. Did she have any idea what she did to him?

“Hmm, I guess so. If you tell anyone, I’ll deny it though.” He kissed her neck again while he smiled. Was this okay with her? Was she feeling the connection too?

“That’s a laugh.” She tipped her head to one side, giving him better access to her neck. Her fingers bit into his thighs where she gripped him. “If I made a list of all the things about you worth mentioning, claustrophobia wouldn’t even make the short list.”