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She knew she had no choice. The flames were almost on her. She hefted herself over
the wood railing and stood on the ledge.
Mr. Dillon held up his arms. “Now!”
She jumped.
Mr. Dillon caught her in his arms and staggered back, then fell. Her breath whooshed
from her, and without another word, he grabbed her arm and pulled her up. “Come on!”
As they raced outside, a fire engine roared to a stop at the curb. She grabbed at Mr.
Dillon’s arm, but he ran back into the house. Terror galloped over her skin in great
waves. He’s gone back in. Oh, God. Oh, God.
As firefighters raced toward the conflagration, a paramedic wrapped her in a blanket.
Stunned, she didn’t answer his questions about her condition. Mute with fear, she barely
noticed when Jack ran up with his mother hot on his heels.
“Where’s Dad?” Jack asked, his eyes wide and glassy with fear.
Autumn opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Bitsie gasped and then cried out. “He’s in there. Oh, my Lord, he went in there for
her.”
A huge sucking sound, rumbling deep and ominous, issued through the air a second
before the front of her house burst into a rolling, angry red and yellow wall.
“Dad!” Jack’s terrified cry pierced the night.
Bitsie knelt down and swept her son into her arms, pressing his face against her. Pale
as paper and her eyes wide, Bitsie let out a small, helpless whimper.
A fine trembling rolled through Autumn’s entire body as the paramedic urged her
toward the ambulance. As her entire world went up in flames, she realized Jack and
Bitsie wouldn’t see Mr. Dillon again.
Her parents must be dead.
Things had changed forever.
* * * *
Autumn launched from her horrible dream with a gasp. She sat upright, quivering
and cold.
“Autumn?” Jack shifted in bed and reached for the bedside lamp. “What’s wrong?
Are you all right?”
As his strong arms went around her, she felt his comforting presence deep into her
heart. She buried her head against his naked chest. “I was … I dreamed about the night
they died.”
“Oh, babe.” He touched her gently, holding her tight as he caressed her shoulders
and back. The agony in his voice showed her how well he understood. “Oh, man.”
Tears refused to be contained, pouring from her eyes as she took a gasp of air. “Why
now? I haven’t dreamed about that night in years.”
He pressed a kiss against her forehead, then her nose. “It’s everything that’s been
happening lately. The arson fires. The accident at the old building this week. It would
destroy anyone’s nerves.”
“I remembered how the smoke alarms didn’t work. We’d forgotten to change the
batteries. Dad was a firefighter and he forgot to change the batteries.” She sobbed. “It
was horrible, Jack. I—it was all the same. Not like a dream at all, but a memory.” She
sniffed and clutched at his shoulders as she looked up at him. “I couldn’t bear to lose you
like that.”
“You won’t.” His voice roughened, choked with emotion. “Now you know how I
feel whenever I think of you facing a wildfire again.”
Tears glistened in his eyes and then fell, and her heart was stolen forever.
“Jack,” she whispered. “Jack.”
As his hands traced over her body in a feverish inventory, his eyes blazed with raw
passion. He lay back and pulled her on top of him. As if he’d never touched her before,
his hands clasped, stroked, and found tender places he’d explored hours ago.
In the dim glow from the lamplight she took in the hard planes of his face. She saw
his craving, tight and unrelenting, reflected in his eyes.
“Take me again, Autumn.”
Sex might be momentary. It might be one moment in a million minutes. But she
knew in this small space in time that she wanted every second she could get in Jack’s
embrace.
Kissing and caressing, she showed with her touch how much she cared. Every
movement of their bodies felt silken and right, as if they’d always been together and
always would be. As his mouth found hers, she reveled in their frantic race toward a
sexual link. She wanted him in every way she could get him.
Now and into eternity.
Staggering pleasure broke over her. Forever.
She decided to make an inventory of him she’d never forget. She slipped off the bed.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Stockings.”
“What?”
“Just wait and see.”
She returned to the bed a few moments later with her stockings. “Grab the bedposts.”
A masculine grin parted his lips. “Yes, ma’am.”
She could tell he knew what she had in mind and liked the idea. As she worked to tie
his wrists to the bedposts, his cock rose high and hard. She licked her lips, already
anticipating taking him within her mouth.
Once his hands were secure, she straddled his hips. She pressed her folds against the
long, thick length of his cock. “Now, what should I do with you?”
“Anything you want.” His voice was husky and deep.
“Mmmm. Tell me what you want, Jack.”
*
Jack drew in a deep breath, excited that she’d showed assertiveness in their [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]