Page 27 of Four Firemen For Christmas

Even watching her walk across the office turned me on. She had a quiet demeanor that I’d taken for a pushover when we first met. Now I wasn’t so sure. She’d stood up to me on more than one occasion. It made me want her that much more.

“Good.” I finally managed to force the word out. I adjusted myself behind the desk and propped my ankle on the opposite knee. “Can we get back to work then? Since you had a good time, and you’re fine. There’s nothing for me to worry about.”

“Fine.” She picked up the damp towel from my desk and tossed it into the trash can beside the door.

Her gaze darted to the door again when Derek’s voice rose high enough to carry through the closed door. I should’ve left it open after she came in but being shoved in here together was a delicious torture. Anyone could walk in at any second. I stayed on my best behavior, even as I imagined Emma and Derek together this morning.

I yanked open the bottom left drawer in my desk and pulled out a red binder that had all our training sessions listed for the last year. We had another one coming up soon, and I had a few guys hoping to pass their qualifying tests to join our station.

Emma paced back to her desk and started sorting papers again. Her hair fell over her shoulder and she shoved it back with an annoyed huff. “I’m still missing a few pages. Do you have them?”

“They’re under your desk.” I looked up in time to see her roll her eyes and scoot the chair back. Her desk wasn’t closed in on the sides like mine, so I had a front row seat to her creamy thighs as she bent over and retrieved the last flyaway pages.

Straightening, she tossed her hair again and eyed me from the side while organizing the book and placing it back on the shelf. The office wasn’t anything special, and I’d never enjoyed spending day after day in the cramped space until Emma walked in.

Shouting sounded from outside. I shoved to my feet and crossed to the door. Samuel and Derek roughhoused in the exercise room just off from the bay where we kept our truck. Derek laughed and ducked under Samuel’s outstretched arm. He grabbed Samuel around the waist and threw him backward onto the wrestling mat. Despite being almost as old as me, Samuel acted more like one of the rookies. It was part of why I’d put him in charge of training all the new recruits. He was able to connect with them. And he knew how to train them to their absolute best. We were one of the best stations in the city thanks to Samuel.

Alex stood slightly apart from the duo. For the first time in weeks, he wore a slight smile instead of his perpetual frown. Thank goodness. I’d been about to start worrying about the kid. Samuel said it was because of the kid’s recent breakup. It didn’t surprise me he took it so hard. He was the quietest one of the group. What he felt, he felt deeply. Derek caught me watching and waved.

Samuel dusted off his hands and rammed Derek from behind. The move spun both men around. I closed the door and returned to my desk. Emma watched me with that same quiet curiosity I’d discovered earlier.

Another look crossed her face. She stood there in front of me without moving. “Derek said something this morning that he thought had hurt me?” She said it with a lilting tone that turned it into a question. “Did he say what, exactly, he thought offended me?”

I threaded my fingers together and rested my elbows on the desk. “He said he offered to share you with Samuel and Alex.” Good God. Saying it out loud made it even sexier.

“Right. That. I noticed he didn’t include you in there. Is there a reason for that?” She sounded so innocent. It was going to destroy me. She was my employee and completely off limits.

Which made the temptation that much worse. I wanted her with such a deep, visceral ache that I almost couldn’t breathe past the agonizing thoughts of having her right here in my office.

The air crackled with tension that made the hairs on my arms stand straight up. “I’m not your type. We’ll keep it at that.”

She snorted and leaned over the desk. “I had a great time with Derek this morning. If you don’t believe me, ask Samuel. Or Alex.” Delight danced in her eyes when she glanced down and spotted my cock standing at attention. “Maybe I’m your type after all. Seems someone is enjoying this conversation.”

“I’m your boss. We shouldn’t be having this conversation.” I left my hands on the desk. I didn’t see the point in trying to hide my arousal from her when she’d already seen it.

She tipped her head and looked me over, her gaze lingering on my crotch.

“Wait.” Her words registered and I met her earnest gaze. “What do you mean I can ask Samuel or Alex?”

Derek had said they talked about sharing, not that it had happened already.

Her grin widened into a full smirk. “Seems I’m not the little girl you think I am. I can handle myself.” Her gaze roamed over my body again before she continued. “And you.”

I stood and walked around the desk. She watched my every step, her breaths coming faster. I took her neck in my hands and brought her face up to meet mine. Our lips slammed together. I didn’t wait to slip my tongue into her mouth and haul her body against mine. My hands found her ass and I squeezed it, hard.

She groaned and gripped my shoulders. Her breasts pressed into my chest, and I watched her eyes shutter closed when I slid my hand beneath her shirt and grazed the smooth skin along her back. I kissed her with all the pent-up hunger I’d felt since meeting her.

We were both breathless when I broke away. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes,” she whispered before pulling my head down for another searing kiss. Her delicious lips moved against mine in a lingering kiss that pushed me over the edge.

I’d start off slow with her. She had no idea what I was capable of. One wrong move, or pushing her too fast early on, would end this before it ever started. I’d have to control myself. I was good at that, but Emma threatened my control with every swipe of her tongue against mine. I was going to have to test her reactions and see what she’d tolerate.

I pulled back and threaded my fingers through her hair. “If things get too intense, you tell me to stop. Okay? No matter what.”

“I trust you, Henry.” Four softly spoken words had never meant so much to me.

I needed her to understand. “That’s good, but I need to hear the words, Emma. Promise that you’ll tell me to stop if you need to.”

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