Page 26 of Four Firemen For Christmas

For reasons I couldn’t explain, his words caused tears to well. I tried to sniff them back, but they obscured my vision and coated my lashes. I kept messing up. I wanted Henry to like me. Not because I wanted to have sex with him—though I did—but because I really, really needed this job.

His thumbs brushed over the backs of my hands. “Let go of the towel.”

“Okay.” I released my fingers one by one and flexed them. Tension knotted in my stomach, and I tried to keep my gaze averted so I didn’t have to see the anger in his eyes. I’d messed up since I walked in this morning. Nothing could save me now. “I’m not normally a screwup,” I admitted softly.

His warm chuckle said he thought otherwise. I wanted to hate him for laughing at me, but the sound was too warm and welcoming. “What would you call this morning?”

“A total fuckery of my skills.” I forced myself to smile even as I focused on his shoulder and the tight cord of muscle running up the side of his neck. He wasn’t ripped like Derek or Samuel, but his strength was there. I felt it in the way he held my hands, a controlled strength that few ever saw unleashed. What would it be like to see that for myself?

“I would agree.” He laughed again, that quiet, honeyed chuckle that turned my insides soft and gooey. “Your skills were not displayed well today.”

“I’ve thought a lot about what you said yesterday.” I finally dragged my gaze up to his face and met his eyes.

They were not cold and distant like I expected, but neither were they welcoming. He almost had an indifferent look.

I wanted to flat-out ask him if he was mad at me, but my tongue refused to cooperate. It stuck to the roof of my mouth like dry sandpaper.

Henry watched me struggle, his hands still holding my wrists. Heat flared between us, and I leaned in just a bit.

His eyes drifted over my face, flicked down to my mouth and then back up again. “What about yesterday?”

I pursed my lips and tipped my head to the side. “I understand why you’d be mad at me.” I swallowed to clear the rasp from my throat. “Tell me what to do to fix it.”

He leaned over the desk, coming close enough that he blocked out everything else. At that moment, nothing else in the world existed. The look he gave me could melt stone with its heat. “I’m not mad at you.”

“No?” I wiggled my fingers in the towel that was growing cool beneath my palms. “Seems like you’re a little bit mad.”

My heartbeat stuttered and my stomach flipped when he smiled. His eyes crinkled at the corners, highlighting the depth of his mirth. His lips parted. “Did you have a good time with Derek this morning?”

12

HENRY

Ishouldn’t torture myself like this. The look on Emma’s face was enough to make it worthwhile. She gaped at me, her mouth working but no words coming out. I’d known as soon as she walked in this morning that she’d had sex with someone. I wasn’t surprised when Derek called to tell me what happened before work. He’d wanted to make sure I knew it wasn’t Emma’s fault if she came in late. She’d made it by the skin of her teeth, and watching her fumble through the morning was almost as much fun as it was annoying.

It would take me a full day to recover the data she’d ruined with that cup of coffee.

“What?” She glanced over her shoulder, back toward the door, and blinked. “What are you talking about?” She blushed from the sides of her neck all the way across her face. It was adorable and sexy at the same time.

The look she’d given me this morning had shot straight to my dick, which made me irritable and ready to fuck all at the same time. She’d been flushed with the aftereffects of good sex. Even the way she moved was different after a morning with Derek.

Damn it. I tried to push the picture of the two of them out of my mind but nothing short of amnesia could break her out of my thoughts. I was glad she’d had sex with Derek. At least this way I knew it was with someone who’d respect her and give her what she needed. Derek might be the most green guy on the team, but I’d heard him talk about women and sex. He was respectful and kind. Emma deserved that.

I released her hands and sat down. “Derek told me what happened. He asked me to look out for you. Make sure what he said this morning didn’t hurt you.” My chest tightened at the way her eyes glazed over with desire. Derek hadn’t gone into too many details, but he made it clear that he’d invited Emma to share herself with all of them if she wanted.

Too bad I’d never be part of that group. I wasn’t jealous of Derek, not exactly. I simply wished that Emma could handle me and my darker desires. Sharing among three guys was one thing. Getting tied up and spanked, among other things, was a different kind of sexual game altogether.

I kept this part of myself hidden from the others. Samuel knew a little, but I’d never trusted anyone with the full depth of my dark desires. It wasn’t the kind of thing that we discussed, or that I’d ever talked about at any length. I worried I’d lose their respect if they knew.

Emma lowered her arms to her sides and shifted her weight from foot to foot like she couldn’t decide which way to go. “What do you mean he told you?” Her voice rose. “That’s not.” She crossed her arms again. “That’s not okay. He can’t just go around telling everyone we slept together.”

“He didn’t.” The sudden urge to comfort her surprised me. I was used to being the tough one, but that was part of being a dom. Aftercare mattered as much as the sexual frustration and pain. “He was worried that he’d pushed you too far.”

She snorted and shook her head, tossing her long curls over her shoulders. “I don’t scare that easy. He surprised me, but I didn’t run away because he’d done anything wrong. None of them did anything wrong.”

Shit. Hearing her talk about all of them like that caused my erection to press hard against the seam of my pants. Wait. What did she mean about all of them? The phrase could mean anything, but my mind conjured all sorts of intriguing options.

Having Emma in my office every day was going to try my patience. I’d never been cooped up with someone I desired like this.

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