Page 39 of Firefighter Midlife Wolf

He paused as he looked in the bedroom door, never having been there before and making sure he was heading in the right direction. “I did say I was here to take care of a fire. It only makes sense that I carry the damsel in distress to safety.”

He was so tall that it felt like a carnival ride, or maybe that was all the hope and excitement that’d been building up and making her dizzy. “Oh really? Do you do that on every fire call?”

“Only the ones that really matter.” With one easy motion, Hayden flipped her upright, holding her tightly as she slid down his body. “Just the ones where I don’t intend to put the fire out at all.”

He kissed her again as he held her hands in his own. “I love you.” His breath was warm against her damp lips, and he followed his words with yet another kiss.

A shiver of anticipation raced down her spine despite the heat that lived inside her. She was a fire elemental, yet Hayden had managed to ignite a fire of his very own. “I love you, too.” She could say it a thousand times, but it would never be enough to tell him how she truly felt.

His kisses trailed down the side of her neck, pausing, pressing against her racing pulse. He kept her left hand in his, but wrapped his other arm around her waist as he made his way to the curve between her neck and shoulder. His lips lingered there, and he shivered as his fangs descended.

Jessica bent her head to the side, giving herself to him, and his inhale tickled her skin. She already belonged to him, and he to her. Pain burst through her shoulder as his fangs pierced her.

Hayden held onto her tightly as he sank them to their ultimate depth. They remained for a long moment, ensuring the bond was complete.

As the dim light pulsed, the room went in and out of focus. Jessica let Hayden carry her weight, surprised by how much the marking affected her.

He kissed the wound and slowly straightened, his face full of worry as he looked into her eyes. “Are you okay?”

Dizzy and weak, yes, but also filled with a desire unlike anything she’d felt before. “I will be once you kiss me.”

He obliged, and she could taste the salt of her own blood on his lips. She shook her head when he pulled away. “I was wrong. I want more.” She pulled the hem of his polo from the waistband of his jeans, now suddenly desperate to get to her mate. He was hers, and she wouldn’t be satisfied until she showed him. Jessica tossed his shirt to the side. She spread her hands against his chest, exploring the smattering of dark hair across his muscles. Her fingers roved downward until they reached the thin line of hair that descended past his navel. A fresh wave of anticipation moved through her as she unbuttoned his jeans and slid them down his muscular thighs. His boxer briefs held him in well, but the thin fabric couldn’t hide his longing for her. Jessica skimmed her palm down his pulsing length.

Hayden groaned. His eyelids fluttered, nearly stopping him as he worked the belt of her robe open. His strong fingers slipped under the material and pushed it gently back, making it fall to the floor. “Selene’s blood,” he cursed under his breath. “I didn’t realize you were naked under there.”

She knew she didn’t look the same way she did when she was twenty. She’d had a child, and she’d worked many long hours. But the appreciation she saw in his eyes made her feel like the sexiest woman in the world. “Doesn’t exactly leave much to the imagination, does it?”

“Trust me,” he breathed as he cupped his hands around her breasts. “Nothing I could imagine would compare to this.” His thumbs grazed her nipples, and they sprang to life at his touch. Hayden worked his hands down the sides of her ribs and traced the curves of her hips before they moved forward. He found the slickness between her legs and stroked it slowly.

Jessica let out a gasp of pleasure. Already, she could feel the muscles in her core beginning to twist and tighten. Hayden had gotten her partway there with his words and the marking. She’d felt his intention behind it all, and she knew she was wanted.

He bent his head and kissed her, plunging his tongue into her mouth as he continued to plumb her sultry depths below. Jessica took his cock in her hand and felt yet another twist inside her. He was already making her too weak to keep up. She clung to him as the release came, rippling through her. Her legs shook and her lungs refused to pull in air as the spasms overtook her. A strangled cry escaped her lips and reverberated in his mouth as she lost all control of her body.

He broke their lip lock and pressed a final kiss to her throat. “Damn.”

“Damn is right,” she laughed as she rode the high of chemicals that now thrummed through her. “I’m not sure I can stay conscious after that.”

Scooping his arms under her backside, Hayden laid her gently back on the bed. “And I’m not even done with you yet. Although, I don’t ever plan to be.”

She felt his throbbing length, and her body started ratcheting up again. Every stroke of his hands as he appreciated her body sent her up another notch. She spread her legs, welcoming him as he lowered himself into her. The satisfaction she felt as he filled her was a whole other type, but it was one she welcomed just the same. His weight on top of her, his breath on her neck, the strain of his body as he tried to hold himself back. The push and pull of their bodies as they found their rhythm together. Most of all, the way her wolf and his were now so tightly bonded, two halves of a soul brought back together across time and distance. It all built inside her, bringing her back to the edge, one she was more than willing to go tumbling over once again.

Hayden was right there with her. He expanded inside her, his breath hitching as she pulsed and rippled around him. The flame billowed hot and high, making lava of Jessica’s blood as she and her mate crossed that threshold together.

EPILOGUE

“You ready for this?” Jessica asked as they pulled up in front of Hayden’s house.

Paige gave her mother a level look. “It’s a little late for me to back out now, considering all our stuff has been boxed up.”

“No, not really.” Jessica turned off the engine and faced her daughter. “Moving in with Hayden and his kids is a big deal. I want to make sure you’re one hundred percent on board with it. I don’t want it to feel like it’s happening too fast.”

“It is fast,” Paige agreed, “but it’s okay. You and Hayden really like each other, and I want you to be happy. Jack is cool, and all my friends will be so jealous when he gets to take me to school in the fall. I really like Ellie, and I’ve never had a sister before. I think it’s going to be fun.”

“Okay.” Jessica smiled, once again surprised at just how mature Paige was at only thirteen. She could still throw a fit sometimes over the silliest things, but for the most part, she had some great perspective. “If there’s anything you need to talk about while we go through all of this, just let me know.”

“Don’t make it into an after-school special, Mom.” Paige got out of the car.

Ellie charged out of the house and into the driveway. “Paige! Guess what? Dad said you can have the bedroom right next to mine! It was a guest room, but it’s not like we really have guests anyway. Let’s go look at it, and you can decide where all your stuff is going to go.”

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