Into the Fire Read online

  The moment he touched his tongue to the first tip, a dart of something deliciously dark shot to her core. She squirmed against him, seeking something—fulfillment, not release. It wasn’t time for that yet, but her body knew what was coming and was growing impatient.

  When he’d suckled and teased until she could hardly stand it, he slid off the bed and finished removing his trousers and shorts. She drank in the sight of him and held his gaze as she reached for the button of her jeans. A fire seemed to light behind his irises and he moved in to help. She lifted her hips while he slid the denim over her hips and down her legs.

  She was infinitely glad she’d decided on the delicate plum-colored bikini panties today, given the hungry look in Chris’s eyes. He cupped his hand against her heat and she moaned, throwing her head back. In one swift movement, the panties joined her jeans on the floor.

  Chris reached over and pulled out the top drawer of his nightstand, taking out a condom. He ripped it open and, kneeling on the bed, sheathed himself.

  “You were prepared,” she whispered. Impatient from waiting, she ran her fingers down the soft skin of her belly, arching up.

  “After that night on the couch…” He knelt above her. “I knew it was a matter of when, not if.” His fiery blue gaze caught hers. “And I would protect you, Ally. Always.”

  Something changed. Something caught and shifted inside her, something big and wonderful and terrifying. Swallowing against the sudden lump in her throat, she reached down and clasped him in her hand, guiding him home.

  He slid all the way in, and for the space of a heartbeat, he held, his gaze locked with hers. In that fleeting second, Ally knew with all certainty that she still loved him. Perhaps more than she’d loved him back then. She loved the man he’d become. She loved the way he made her feel. There was something between them that had survived how they’d ended, and now flared to life as their bodies joined.

  And as he began moving, Ally felt indestructible.

  Nothing had prepared Chris for the experience of having Ally shatter beneath him, of being sheathed inside her as her muscles contracted and she called out his name. He felt ten feet tall and humbled all at once. And very, very close to his own climax.

  Her fingers released their hold on his bottom and her face glowed with the smallest sheen of sweat. God, she was gorgeous. He set up his rhythm again, watching the way her breasts moved with each thrust, adoring the dazed look in her blue eyes as her lashes fluttered open.

  “Your turn,” she said, a sexy smile curving her lips. And she ran her foot up his calf, along the back of his thigh, and then hooked it around his waist, levering herself up as he impaled her again and again.

  He was losing his tenuous thread of control and he gloried in it. Fastening his mouth on her breast he heard her gasp as she twined her fingers into his hair.

  And then he ceased to think at all, giving himself over to her completely until he came with a mighty roar of satisfaction.

  Ally felt boneless. At some point they’d crawled beneath the duvet, completely naked, and fallen asleep. The late afternoon sun was weakening, casting shadows in the corner of the room. She stretched, enjoying the sensation of her skin sliding along Chris’s sheets. He was on his side facing her, eyes closed, breath even.

  Naked, like her.

  She studied him for a while, examining the length of his eyelashes, a particular curl of hair at his temple, the precise angle of his nose and curve of his lips. His words came back to her… I would protect you. Always. He already had. He’d saved her life that day at the shelter. And he’d saved it since—not in the physical sense, but he’d given her back some sense of pride and confidence.

  She just wasn’t sure where they went from here.

  There would be time to think about that later. Right now she wanted to enjoy the sensation of being thoroughly, competently loved. Besides, Chris had changed, hadn’t he? He’d admitted that he’d rushed her before, and he’d accepted partial blame for what had happened between them. There didn’t need to be any hurry to figure it out or make decisions now.

  A thump at the doorway made Ally turn her head. Moose stuck his head inside the gap and whined. Before Ally could say anything, he pushed inside and hopped up on the bed.

  Chris’s eyes flew open as the hundred-pound ball of muscle and fur flopped between them on the bed. Moose pawed and rolled on the duvet, throwing his legs in the hair and letting his tongue loll out of his mouth in doggy bliss. With a laugh, Ally rubbed Moose’s belly, earning more twists and writhes of pleasure.

  “He’s not supposed to be up on the bed,” Chris grumbled. “He knows that.”

  “But look at him. He’s so happy.”

  “And what if he’d come in here a few hours ago?”

  Her body heated beneath his gaze. “That might have been inconvenient timing.”

  “Might?”

  She grinned, turning on to her side. “Okay, definitely bad timing.”

  Moose stopped rolling and flopped down contentedly.

  “I’m not sure how great I’d perform with an audience,” Chris remarked, absently patting Moose’s back.

  “I guess you’d better learn to latch the door then,” Ally replied. She let the duvet slip down just enough to reveal the hollow of her cleavage.

  “Why, Miss Gallant,” he said, his low voice riding along her nerve endings, making them quiver with anticipation.

  He pushed back the covers and got to his feet, naked as a jaybird and caring even less. “Come on, Moose, let’s get you a treat,” he said, and he tapped his leg. Moose hopped down off the bed, lured by the word treat. Ally heard the sound of a cupboard door opening and closing and then steps coming back down the hall. This time he made sure to latch the door.

  He slid in beside her. Her skin was super sensitive and she loved the feel of their naked bodies touching and twining together. She wrapped her hand around him and he cupped her breast, teasing the tip with his thumb.

  “So we’re doing this again?” he asked, and she knew he meant more than sex. It was them. Again would mean this wasn’t a one-time thing.

  “I’m not sure we ever really stopped,” she breathed, closing her eyes as his fingers teased the delicate skin of her inner thigh. “We just took a three-year break.”

  “I’ve got some time to make up for then,” he said, doing magical things with his fingertips.

  They made up for lost time twice more, until night fell and Moose needed letting out. This time, Ally dressed in her own clothes and stuck a frozen pizza in the oven while Chris took Moose on a short walk. They were eating the last pieces of crust when Chris got the call.

  “Shit,” he murmured. He put down the radio and turned to face her. “You want me to drop you at your mom’s? There’s a house fire in Port Williams. I gotta go.”

  Nerves jumped around in her stomach. In the bliss of the day she’d nearly forgotten about the very real part of Chris’s other job. It was more than looking good in a uniform, wasn’t it? She knew he didn’t take unnecessary risks, but that didn’t mean he was completely safe, did it?

  The last place she wanted to be tonight was waiting for news at her parents’ house. This is what it would be like then. Before tonight, she’d never known when he was out on a call so she’d never worried. But tonight she would know and she’d be waiting.

  The very thought of doing that under the watching eyes of her mother and father was impossible. “You’d waste time,” she said, fumbling with dishes and putting them on the counter. “Can’t I just wait here?”

  He hesitated. “I could be gone a while.”

  “Then someone should be here for Moose,” she answered. “Go. You’re wasting time.”

  He came forward to give her a kiss. “See you in a bit.”

  She clung to him for just a moment. “Be careful,” she whispered, her knuckles tightening on the heavy fabric of his jacket.

  Seconds later, his truck engine roared and the tail lights disappeared around the
corner.

  Ally stared at the remnants of their dinner, the sight of his tie still lying in the middle of the living room floor.

  What had she done?

  A swath of lights swept across the living room, waking Ally from a light doze. It was still dark outside. Moose was sleeping at her feet, where he’d stayed the whole night.

  She hadn’t been able to make herself go to bed. Instead, she’d curled up on the couch with a blanket, waiting. When Chris got home she’d run him a bath and look after him.

  Except, as she wakened fully, she realized that the headlights coming up the driveway were not from Chris’s truck. And as the vehicle parked in front of the house, Ally could see the lights on the roof. The RCMP. The police had come instead of Chris.

  Everything inside her froze.

  The car door slammed and Moose jerked awake, started barking and rushed to the window. Ally still wasn’t able to move. Didn’t want to answer the door or hear the words that would come out of the officer’s mouth. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t. Not again.

  The knock came anyway. Twice.

  She had to answer the door. Maybe she didn’t want to hear the words, but it wouldn’t stop them from coming eventually. When the knock sounded again, she mechanically pushed aside the blanket and got to her feet. Made the move, one step after the other, to the door. Put her hand on the knob. Swallowed.

  Not now. Not when she’d just realized she loved him again.

  The idea was so overwhelming that she opened the door just to chase it away. Constable Kendra Givens was on the step. “Ally,” she said gently.

  “Just say it and get it over with,” Ally said, finding it hard to breathe. It was like someone was squeezing her lungs, making her breaths short and painful.

  “Oh, Jesus, Ally.” Kendra reached out and steadied her with both hands on her arms. “He’s not dead. Is that what you thought?”

  Relief swept through her so quickly she thought her knees might buckle and the air came out of her lungs in a rush. “A police officer comes to the door in the middle of the night? What was I supposed to think?”

  “Can I come in?” Kendra asked. “You look like you’re going to drop.”

  “Yes, of course.” She stood aside, feeling wobbly and off-balance.

  Moose had retreated to his bed, being shy of strangers. As Ally and Kendra stepped into the kitchen, Ally flipped on a light. He’s not dead. He’s not dead. The thought kept repeating in her brain as she pulled out a chair at the table and sat down heavily.

  Kendra took off her cap and put it on the table. “He’s okay. He asked if I’d come by and talk to you instead of you getting a phone call, that’s all.”

  Kendra hadn’t been in town long. A few years, tops. She wouldn’t know about Ally’s sister, Becca. Wouldn’t understand that Ally had been through this once before.

  “What happened?”

  “I didn’t get all the details, but he was hurt. As far as I know, he’s got a broken arm that’s going to require surgery, and a few stitches. He’ll go in this morning, as soon as the surgeon shows up.”

  “A broken arm?” Ally linked her fingers together and squeezed. Relief that he was okay warred with worry about the weeks ahead. “But…how is he going to work with only one arm?” It was October. She knew that soon Chris would be up to his eyeballs in work, putting snow tires on vehicles, doing winter checks, as well as regular repairs. “He’s got his business to run.”

  And there was the fence to build for Moose. And the floors to put down in the house. And the dark, foreboding knowledge that just because he was going to be okay this time, didn’t mean he would be okay the next.

  That stopped her up cold.

  “Do you want me to take you to your mom and dad’s?”

  The answer that came back immediately was a definite, “No”.

  “Well, why don’t you come with me to the hospital? You can check in on him there. I know he wants to see you.”

  “How do you know that?” She looked up and saw Kendra’s gaze soften.

  “Because the first thing he said to me was to tell you he was all right. To tell me you would freak out but to reassure you that it was all okay. He’s in love with you, Ally.”

  Love. Just yesterday afternoon she’d realized she was in love with him. It was nearly too much to take in and make sense of. The way he’d stood up for her, the way she’d felt when they’d made love, the fear and dread running through her body right now. “I can’t go. I don’t know…I’m a mess, Kendra.”

  Kendra smiled. “I know how you feel. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Jake and me either. But it’s worth it, Ally. Chris is a good man. He’s the kind of man a woman can count on, and he’s head over heels for you. Again, from what I understand.”

  Ally nodded. The whole town had been shocked when Kendra and Jake Symonds had come out as a couple. But seeing them together, they made perfect sense. It was clear they adored each other. Whatever issues they’d had, they’d apparently worked through. But Jake had been in the military and he understood risk, didn’t he? Maybe having a girlfriend who was a cop didn’t scare him the way Chris’s chosen vocation bothered her. Volunteer or not, the risks were the same. It was a broken arm today, but how close had it been to being something else?

  “You should at least go see him. It’d put his mind at ease before he goes into surgery.”

  Kendra was right. She couldn’t really not go. Maybe they hadn’t come right out and said the words, but like it or not, they were involved. It would be selfish and cold to stay away now. They could sort through everything else later.

  “I’ll get my coat,” she said. “And I have to let out Moose and feed him.”

  She let out the dog and made sure he had his breakfast and a full water bowl before shutting the door to the mud room. Chris wouldn’t be out of the hospital today, so she’d have to come back later and look after the dog. He was so shy she knew she couldn’t kennel him away somewhere. While Chris was in hospital, Moose was her responsibility.

  Then she got in the police car with Kendra and made the drive into Kentville to the hospital.

  Chris was still in emergency waiting for surgery when they arrived. A nurse showed them through and Ally took regular, measured breaths to stay calm. She hated the smell of hospitals—sickness and antiseptic. Kendra stayed by her side; whether it was being a friend or making sure she kept her word, Ally wasn’t certain. But she was glad to have someone with her. The nurse took them to a curtained area and let them in.

  Ally stifled a gasp. Chris looked terrible. His arm was beneath the sheet and she was glad. She didn’t want to see it if it was mangled. His left cheekbone sported a bruise that was already turning purple, and the stubble on his chin looked even darker than normal against the pale pallor of his skin.

  He opened his eyes and turned his head slowly as they stepped inside the curtain.

  “Hey, you.” He smiled faintly. “I’d hold out my hand, but I don’t seem to have any use of that right now.”

  “Hey, yourself. You scared the crap out of me, sending Kendra to the house.”

  “Sorry about that. I thought it would be better than the phone. Besides, you didn’t have wheels and I wanted to see you.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Loopy. They gave me something for the pain. It’ll be better after surgery, they said.”

  She perched on the edge of a chair next to the bed. “Kendra says you’re going in this morning.”

  “Yeah. Broke my ulna and radius. They’re going to put some titanium in there and fix me right up.”

  “I’m gonna go,” Kendra said from behind them. “Unless you need anything?”

  “I’ve got all I need,” Chris replied, making something uncomfortable swirl through Ally. He sounded so sure, so confident. And she felt anything but.

  “I’m fine,” Ally said. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

  “Any time. Take care, Chris.”

  She slipped out
of the curtained area, and suddenly Ally was awash with emotion now that they were alone. All the fear she’d felt going to the door when Kendra knocked came rushing back. She had really thought she’d lost him. And it had felt like someone had ripped her heart right out of her chest.

  “You scared the hell out of me,” she whispered.

  “I’m sorry. But I’m fine, really. I’ll be good as new in no time.”

  “You might have been killed.”

  Chris’s jaw tightened. “But I wasn’t. Please don’t freak out on me right now, Ally. Not when I’m too doped up to say what I really mean. How’s Moose?”

  “I let him out and fed him before I left. I’ll go back later and take him for a good romp. Don’t worry about Moose.”

  “Thanks.”

  There was silence.

  “Chris, I…”

  “Ally…” They spoke at once and Ally sat back, thrown off balance once again. Less than twenty-four hours ago things had been so easy between them. But Ally had had time to think while he had been gone. Think and worry, huddled beneath a blanket, waiting for him to come home, wondering what was happening at the fire scene. She had been going to say she wasn’t sure she could do this. But the rough way he said her name brought her up short. Now wasn’t the time. They both had to step back, didn’t they? Think it through rather than just reacting to a high-emotion event.

  But Chris apparently didn’t get that memo because his eyes were wide and sincere as he looked at her. “Ally,” he repeated, stronger now. “I need to tell you something.”

  Her throat tightened but she nodded.

  “This past summer I responded to an accident call. Do you remember it? The one with the girl who’d hydroplaned and was killed?”

  She did remember it. It had been so sad. A young girl, a student at the university, out during a flash thunderstorm. It had been big news in the area.

  “She was so young,” Chris said. “Her whole life ahead of her and then cut short, just like that. We always say that you shouldn’t put things off because you just never know, but that day it really hit home. I should have said something to you yesterday. It was in my heart and in my head and I didn’t say it.”