Page 33 of Flame it Up

Mazie grimaced, then gazed back at her team. “I don’t think my supervisor can just have someone standing around, watching us shovel shit,” she said, smirking sweetly.

Pyrus titled his head. Fuck, she wanted to kiss him.

“What makes you think I can’t shove shit?” he quipped.

Mazie swore her heart skipped multiple beats. “You want to shovel shit around with me all day?” she said, swaying her body side to side.

Pyrus shrugged. “I’m willing to do anything as long as you’re around.”

Mazie wanted to leap into his arms and have him carry her away, find somewhere where they could be alone, and just take over each other’s bodies. But instead, she moved a hand up and down her chest, feeling her skin growing more and more sensitive by the minute.

“You should talk to my supervisor,” Mazie said, motioning to the breakfast table.

Pyrus nodded, then gave her another little wave as he walked away. “I’ll see you later, gorgeous.”

Mazie had to stifle her girlish giggle, watching him in his fitted jeans walk away to speak to her manager. She sighed, watching his hips sway side to side like a pendulum.

A few seconds later, she looked at Emilia, who gave her a dramatic wink.

Mazie couldn’t help it. She gave her friend a thumbs up while biting her lip, trying to contain the exciting and erotic sensations moving through her body.

Her supervisor was ecstatic about having another person that would help them close up shop for the season. Especially a big shifter who could carry heavier loads and would be less likely to complain about the heat and the amount of work they needed to do.

So Pyrus rode with everyone to the sanctuary, pressed into the jeep against Mazie and five other corps workers. He looked comical, with his knees nearly hitting his chin, but he didn’t cringe for a single moment.

They tackled cleaning up the pens with Pyrus tagging along with intrigue. He listened to her instructions closely, leaning into her and bending over so she could speak directly into his ear. A part of Mazie wondered if his hearing was just fine, and he simply was trying to find a reason to stand close.

Either way, Mazie didn’t mind.

They cleared out the pens quickly and easily, with Mazie telling him about the history of the animals, which included rhinos, hyenas, and a few elephants. Pyrus seemed genuinely interested in what she was saying, asking follow-up questions and nodding.

If he was faking it, he was the best faker Mazie had ever seen. Despite her busy schedule of moving around from place to place, Mazie had been on a handful of dates and felt she was a pretty good judge of character.

If Pyrus just wanted to get into her pants, he didn’t have to come with her to watch her look raggedy and sweaty. He could have just waited for her to be done, get all dolled up, and spent time together in a cool setting.

But he didn’t. He was there, sporting his volunteer T-shirt and jeans, sweating and shimmering in the sun in a disheveled state just like her.

That was what made her want him the most.

“So what happens after days like today?” Pyrus asked as they finished up in the rhino pen.

Mazie flipped her hair up after crouching, squinting in the relentless daylight. “After the corps disbands, you mean?” she replied.

Pyrus nodded, moving around hay for the rhino to feast on.

“Well, what usually happens is that most people go home for a bit, then decide what their next move is.”

Pyrus was then the one crouching, and Mazie adored the way his T-shirt strained against his muscles. She had seen him with his shirt off multiple times, but there was something about the tease of the fabric that made her thighs clench together.

“What are you going to do?” Pyrus asked.

Mazie sighed, then leaned on the shovel as she spoke, watching him do exactly what she had instructed him to.

“I like rolling straight into the next assignment,” Mazie said. “I will usually stay in a hotel for a bit and figure out what I want to do.”

“Are those your plans for tonight, then?”

Mazie realized what he was doing. He wanted to spend more time with her, believe it or not. She bit her lip, feeling that sweet sensation of bashfulness glitter up her spine.

---