Page 33 of Fight

“Good girl. Every inch, Scottie. Harder.”

My hand snakes around, finding her clit and rubbing small circles as I close my eyes and memorize her trembles.

I kiss her below her ear as her orgasm builds. I keep waiting for it to hit, but the wave continues to grow as she shakes, and I can’t imagine the ache. She’s probably in agony. Her jaw tics,and she squeezes her eyes shut. Seeing her struggle melts something inside me, so I soften my voice. “Just let go. I’ve got you.”

“Callahan,” she grits out between clenched teeth. I love my name on her lips. I get the acute sense this woman will ruin me. The way she grips me—she’s so close. I love how tight she becomes as she nears her limit. She jerks, trying to keep up the movements but falters when her body is racked with pleasure as she finally crosses the finish line. It’s nothing short of magnificent.

I grab her sides and take over, thrusting at the same speed. She sobs, turning her head to the side with a slack jaw and holding her breath while she clamps down. Her hands slap over mine as I pound into her, and her shaking fingers dig into my flesh.

The thrilling tension erupts, and I snap. Taking her harder than ever, as if it’s a punishment for making me feel more than just physical attraction. She sucks in a breath, and I clap a hand over her mouth, muffling her cries as she moans. I growl through my teeth while spilling into the condom.

My hips slow as I release every drop, then I collapse onto the small bed next to her, both our chests heaving.

“Holy fuck,” I mutter, tying off the condom and tossing it across the room, into a trashcan.

“Yeah.” She bobs adamantly, catching her breath. “Yeah.”

With a smile on my face, I turn my head to the side. There’s that glow. Damn, this woman is breathtaking. I wrap my arms around her and pull her into me, facing her away to salvage what control I have left around her.

“You’re really fun.” My breath brushes her shoulder, and she nuzzles her ass into me.

“You’re fun too,” she says.

As much as I want to make this a regular thing, I know it’s better I establish boundaries.

“Before this goes any further, I need you to understand thatfun is all I’m interested in right now.” She stiffens in my embrace, but I continue. “The fun we have is great, so if you’re up for keeping things casual, I’d be fine with continuing this until you guys get decommissioned. Maybe even after we get back to Sky Ridge? I’ll leave it up to you.”

Scottie swallows and clears her throat. “Can I think about it?”

“Of course.”

Shit, I probably fucked that up, but anytime I sleep with women more than a handful of times, they tend to get clingy or expect more than I’m able to give them. But damn, the sex with Scottie is so insane I don’t really give a fuck. Her body responds to mine so well. It’s like she’s having sex for the first time, every time. Hard not to take that as an ego stroke. I may be an asshole when it comes to relationships, but at least I own it.

Matt hums along with the radio while the scenery whizzes by. The trees and mountains are magnificent. I’m not sure I could ever leave the Pacific Northwest even if I wanted to. We were decommissioned early, and the hotshots are heading back tomorrow morning. So far, the trip home seems to pass by faster than the initial drive out. Perhaps that’s because my mind keeps replaying the week with Callahan. My stomach flips recalling his words, voice, and the way he manipulated my body. First in the ambulance, then he snuck into my room for three nights after that.

I don’t know where this leaves us. It was something we wanted and let ourselves have, but now what? He said it’s only fun, but I’m not sure I understand the protocol forfun. Still, I find myself entertaining visions of us as something more. Logically, I know these feelings are unhealthy, born from limerence and loneliness—not to mention a lack of experience. It’s not smart to fall head over heels. That’s putting all your eggs in one basket, which is never a good idea, but he’s the first real crush I’ve allowed myself to have in at least a decade.Shit, I’m broken.

Matt is friends with him, which has to count forsomething. The people Callahan surrounds himself with on the crew seem of good character. If anything, it’smycharacter that’s questionable. Risking my job with ambulance sex and one-night stands? What the hell.

I yawn. I’ve got a sleep debt to pay off.

“Don’t start,” Matt states, attempting to speak around his own yawn. “Besides, what are you tired for? You slept through breakfast almost every day this week. You sleep like the dead. I still can’t get over that you never woke up during that thunderstorm, that was wild.”

I hope my forced laugh is convincing enough. “Yeah, bummed I missed all the excitement.” The story I gave Matt was that I read my book for a bit, got bored, cleaned the rig, and went to bed early… conveniently forgetting to return the keys to him.Liar.I had a front row seat to the excitement.

I uncross my legs and recross them again. When was the last time I acted so reckless? I can’t let my judgment get cloudy after a little freedom. On the other hand, when was the last time I said fuck the consequences for no other reason thanI wanted to? Never. Despite it not being the most intelligent move I’ve ever made, I don’t regret one night with him. As long as I don’t make a habit of behaving irresponsibly, I’ll be fine.

“Normally, these tagalongs are boring and you end up sitting in the rig staring at a smoldering hill. At least we got some time to hang with the crew for a bit and change things up.”

I nod and try to steer us off the topic of my sleep habits before he catches on. “It’s been forever since I played poker.” Again,liar. I’d never played poker before this week. Gambling was forbidden. I waved Matt off to the game without me so I could look up the rules. Took a few rounds of watching the others to make sure I understood them. I was too scared to make a play—until Callahan encouraged me to jump in.

It’s easier to fake confidence around him. Though, sometimes, I feel like an alien trying to blend in with humans… Thank goodness I was allowed my EMT job back home, or I’d be much worse off. Without this job, I don’t think I’d ever have left. How could I? What skills would I have? Where would I have found the money? The car? Having a profession was my “reward.” I should have done it sooner. It doesn’t matter now. I shake it off and smile at him. “I feel bad for stealing your snacks.” I chuckle.

A vibration in my pocket has me digging out my phone.

Callahan

Text me when you get home.

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