Chapter 1
Chapter One
brIDGER
H er skin is velvet. Pure sin. Pure fucking everything. Her big blue eyes shine as she bites that lower lip and spreads her legs, welcoming me to rest my pelvis between them. I’m so fucking hard, I can barely breathe as I rub my length through her already wet pussy, and she arches her neck back on a moan.
“Bridger. Yes. Oh, God, yes.”
Her fingers fist in my hair, but I grab her wrists, kiss them, and pin them over her head before I lick and suck on her already hard nipples.
“You like this, Dani? You want me to lick your delectable little body?”
She purrs, her hips lift, and her mouth makes a perfect O as I rear my hips back and rest the crown of my cock against her entrance.
“Yes. Please, Bridger.”
I nip her jaw, lick my way over to her ear, and whisper, “I’m going to fuck you so good, sweetheart. ”
“Yes!”
I’ve wanted her for my entire adult life. She’s a siren that I can’t walk away from, and with her spread out, so hot and wet and needy for me, I can’t resist her. I nudge just the tip inside of her, and she moans, and I can’t hold back.
I slam into her. Her eyes go wide and glassy, and her legs lift, already begging for more. Her walls clench around me, as if she’s already right there, on the edge of falling apart.
“Jesus Christ,” I growl against her lips, licking along the seam of her lips, and she opens for me, giving me back as good as I give. “You’re a goddamn temptress, you know that?”
She’s so damn beautiful.
So perfect.
“Oh, Daddy!”
“Daddy!”
Oh, fuck.
I turn onto my side to hide my morning wood, courtesy of that sexy-as-fuck dream about a woman I’ve wanted for-fucking-ever, but a woman that I’ll never have .
“Good morning, peanut.”
Birdie, my five-year-old, giggles behind me. “You have to wake up, Daddy. We have to go shopping.”
I reach over to tap my phone and scowl. “It’s only eight, baby. The stores don’t open for a while yet.”
“You need breakfast.”
I grin. That’s code for I want breakfast .
“You’re right. We need to eat. How about if I take a quick shower and then get started on the French toast, okay?”
She leans over so she can look at my face and pats my cheek. Now that my nether regions have calmed down a bit, I roll to her and pull her in for a big hug.
“On second thought, never mind. We’re not going shopping. You’re not big enough to go to school. You’re just a baby.”
I bury my face in her neck and blow raspberries, making her giggle. She smells like her baby shampoo, and she’s so sweet and small in her cute Tangled nightgown.
“I’m five.” More giggles as I continue to kiss her cheeks. “I’m a big girl.”
“No way. You’re my baby.” I hug her tight, and she wraps her little arm around my neck and hugs me back. “My tiny peanut.”
She was so small when she was born. So little and sweet. But never fragile. Not my girl. Even with the medical challenges we’ve had over the past year, she’s never been weak.
“I love you, Daddy.”
I grin sleepily at her and kiss her cheek. “I love you, too, baby bird. Do you really have to grow up and go to school?”
“Yep. And I need clothes and shoes and notebooks. There’s a list.”
“Ah, yes, the list.” I bop her on the nose. “You go get dressed and watch something on your tablet for a little while, okay? I’ll get ready, too. We won’t forget your list. ”
“Okay.” She launches herself off my bed and runs for her bedroom, just down the hall from mine.
I sigh and drag my hands down my face. I came off a three-day stretch last night, and when I got home, Dani was outside, wearing fuck-me short shorts and looking like a walking wet dream. No wonder I dreamed about fucking her.
The woman is gorgeous, with all that dark hair and blue eyes, and don’t even get me started on her curves. Breasts and hips that would fit perfectly in my hands.
And there goes my dick again.
With a sigh, I get out of bed and pad into my attached bathroom, resigned to fucking my hand to get rid of this hard-on that only seems to happen when I see my sexy neighbor. Or even think about her.
I’ve known Dani Lexington since we were little kids. She’s a few years younger than I am, and she and her siblings were staples at our ranch growing up. Her brother, Holden, the eldest of the siblings, is one of my best friends. I know that they had a rough childhood that fucked with all five of them. What they went through…well, their father should have been in prison. He was fucked up.
I’m sure that if I talked with Holden and told him that I wanted to date his sister, he’d be pretty cool about it. After he punched me, just for good measure.
I’d expect nothing less.
But Dani and I have been good friends through a lot of shit in her childhood. Then, when she became a teenager, I noticed that I didn’t actually have brotherly feelings toward her, but I was eighteen, and she was a minor.
No way I was going to dick around with that. Literally.
So, I kept a healthy distance. She graduated and went to college in Bozeman, and I stayed here to be a firefighter.
And I met my ex-wife. And the rest, as they say, is history.
But now she’s back, and although she’s still put me squarely in the friend zone, I’m going to do my damnedest to make her see that we could be so much more than friends. I know I want her. I’ve wanted her for a long time.
But she’s also been gone for a while, and I need to get to know her again. I’m not stupid. I can’t just flash a smile, tell her she’s fucking gorgeous—even though she is —and expect her to spread those pretty legs and tell me she can’t live another minute without me.
It’s going to take some time. And given her traumatic past, I don’t want to scare her. I don’t even know if I would scare her if I told her how much I want her.
Again, I need to get to know her better.
With the water running, I strip out of my T-shirt and boxers and get into the spray, my hand immediately wrapping around the base of my cock and moving up, with thoughts from my dream in the forefront of my imagination as I slide my fist up and down my length, until I come hard against the tile, then grab the hand-held and wash it all away .
Jesus, this is ridiculous.
“Daddy, I’m hungry.”
“Coming, peanut.”
Between Birdie and a very full-time job of being fire chief of Bitterroot Valley, I have enough on my plate already, but ever since Dani returned to town, it’s highlighted that something was missing from my life. I’m not lonely, per se—my life doesn’t allow that if I’m honest—but on the quiet nights when Birdie is asleep in bed, there’s been a noticeable absence of someone to spend that time with. I want to cuddle up with someone, feel them against me, talk about my day, and listen about hers. And I know that the only woman who appeals to me is Dani.
In some respects, it’s always been her.
“If we’re going to the pool party later, we need to go now . ” I’m holding the door open for Birdie, waiting for her to shimmy into her sneakers. The shoes I bought her at the beginning of summer are way too small now.
It’s a good thing we’re going shopping.
“Okay,” she says after grabbing her sunglasses, which always makes me grin. She decided that because I wear them, she should, too, and hers are pink with green polka dots. “I’m ready.”
I hear the lawn mower going as we walk out to my truck, and suddenly, Birdie is waving like mad. The lawn mower cuts off, and I follow my daughter’s gaze.
There’s Dani, standing behind the now-quiet mower, in cutoff denim shorts that barely hide her ass, a white tank that leaves absolutely fucking nothing to the imagination, her hair up on her head, and a sheen of sweat covering her dewy skin.
Fuck me.
“Hi, Dani,” Birdie yells, still waving.
“Hi, Birdie,” Dani replies with a sweet smile for my daughter. Then her gorgeous blue eyes shift to mine. “Hi, Bridger.”
“Dani.” I nod at her the way I always do and nudge Birdie toward the truck. “Let’s go, peanut.”
“We’re going shopping for school,” Birdie informs Dani. “’Cause it starts next week.”
“I know,” Dani says with a chuckle. “I’m going to be your teacher.”
My heart stops. What? I knew that Dani would be teaching at the elementary school this year, but I didn’t know that meant that she would be my daughter’s teacher, which means I’ll see her often, and that is a very good thing.
“You are?” Birdie asks, almost screeching with excitement. “Yay!”
Dani laughs now and nods. “I am. Your dad should have received that information in an email.” Her gaze turns to mine again, with more humor in it now. “Along with the supplies list.”
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing my galloping heart to slow the fuck down. “I must have missed that part.”
“Have fun shopping,” she says and turns to start the mower again. It only takes her two pulls on the string before it fires up, waves, and then walks behind it, her hips and ass moving with every step, and I have to pry my eyes away.
Get a grip, Blackwell.
“Come on, peanut. We have a full day today.”
“If you spent all day school shopping, you need a beer.” Blake, one of my brothers, passes me a cold bottle, and I flip off the cap and take a pull. Yeah, I could use a drink, and not because of the shopping spree that I took my daughter on today. No, I need it because I just discovered that Dani is also at this pool party.
Which makes sense because it’s being held at a friend’s ranch, Ryan Wild, who Dani is now related to by marriage.
Of course, she’s here. I should have realized that she would be. But I didn’t think of it, and now here I am, sitting with a few of my brothers, Dani’s brother, Holden, and a couple of the Wilds, watching as kids run around, swim, and play while a whole bunch of people drift around.
It’s three families, and yet, it’s chaos.
Because apparently in Bitterroot Valley, no one knows the meaning of having just a couple of kids and getting on with it. No, we’re overachievers here in this town. Someday, I’d like to have more kids. Maybe not five, though. That’s a lot.
“It actually wasn’t that bad,” I say to Blake. “I ended up getting her more shit than she needs, and we found everything on the supply list the school sent. She’ll be set for a few months at least. Until she has another growth spurt, and I have to replace it all again.”
“It’s good that she’s growing so well,” Blake, the doctor in the family, says. “It means she’s healthy, Bridge.”
“I know. I’m not complaining at all. Hell, I’ll buy her a new wardrobe every week if it means we keep her healthy.”
I glance over to where Birdie is playing with a few other kids just a couple of years older than she is. She’s laughing and running, and it wasn’t that long ago that we didn’t know if she’d be doing something so simple again.
No, I’m absolutely not complaining.
“How are things at the hospital?” I ask him. Blake is a doctor, splitting his time between the family practice clinic and the hospital. I always figured he’d move to a city and start a practice, but he came back to Bitterroot Valley, and I’m glad. He’s a damn valuable asset to this town. I’m close to all of my brothers, but since Blake is only two years older than me, we’ve always been tight, not to mention that, given our career choices, we’re like-minded, too.
“Busy. Always busy.” He sighs and sips his own beer, which tells me that he’s not on call today. And neither am I.
That never happens.
“Any good stories to share?” Brooks, our eldest brother, asks. “Anything particularly fucked up you’ve seen lately?”
Blake laughs and sits back, thinking. “Aside from a guy who almost tore off his face with a garbage can? Not really.”
“That’s disgusting,” I say with a scowl. But I know exactly who that was. I was on that ambulance call.
“Dinner’s ready,” someone calls from the outdoor kitchen area. I get Birdie’s plate made first and situate her with her friends at a little picnic table just for the kids at the side of the patio. She’s thrilled with a hotdog, chips, and some watermelon, and then I go back to fill my own plate and sit back where I was before. I can see Birdie from where I’m sitting and can keep an eye on her.
Not that there aren’t dozens of eyes on all the kids at all times, but I like being able to see her.
I also happen to notice that Dani’s sitting with Charlie, her youngest sister, in one of the lounge chairs by the pool. They’re eating, and Charlie’s obviously talking Dani’s ear off because Dani’s just smiling that beautiful smile as she listens. She’s in a different outfit this evening, some flowy white pants and a matching white button-down top that’s open over a cropped pink tank. One side of the white top falls over a shoulder, showing off golden skin. Her hair is still up, with loose pieces hanging down around her face, and she isn’t wearing any makeup .
She doesn’t fucking need makeup. It’s one of the things I like most about her. She’s naturally beautiful.
It makes sense that she’s not in a bathing suit. Who would want to be near the water after what she was put through? Fuck, it still affects me, remembering that summer when we were kids.
I-I-I forgot to get the eggs this morning, and when he said he was going to hurt me, I said n-n-no.”
I’ve never felt so fucking enraged. What sort of monster could do that to his little girl?
Mentally shaking my head, I take a pull of my beer and turn my attention back to the conversation going on around me.
“Are you guys going to the hootenanny tomorrow?” Beckett asks. “I’ll have a booth set up with milk and stuff for sale. Ice cream, too.”
“Fuck no,” Holden replies, shaking his head. “There are people there. I’ll just come get your ice cream from your house.”
“You’re so social,” Blake says with a chuckle. “It’s for a good cause, you know. Several, actually.”
“I’ll donate money. I don’t have to go there,” Holden replies, his eyes scouting the area for his wife. When he finds her, his shoulders relax.
He married one of my best friends, Millie, months ago. They’re stupidly in love, and it’s mildly nauseating.
“I have to go,” I reply. “I have to man a booth, too.”
“In your firefighter gear?” Blake asks.
“Yeah, why?” My brother just grins at me, and I glare back at him. “Fuck off.”
“You know you get more donations when you’re in uniform,” Blake says with a laugh. “Are you going to wear a shirt this year, or go without?”
“Are you jealous?” I tip up an eyebrow, and Blake only laughs harder.
“Fuck no. I think it’s hilarious that you’re a sex symbol. Women have no taste.”
“He’s so pretty,” Holden adds, enjoying flinging me shit.
“Who is?” Millie asks as she joins us and sits in her husband’s lap.
“Bridger,” Holden replies.
“Beautiful,” Millie agrees, and I flip her off.
“Now, don’t make me kick your ass for disrespecting my wife.” Holden’s voice has no heat in it, and Millie’s giggling.
“You’re all a bunch of assholes. I’ll be keeping my shirt on, thank you very much.”
Suddenly, there’s a splash, a scream, and my heart thuds as I kick into action. There’s a second splash, and I run to the pool and take in what’s happening.
Birdie—God, Birdie —is in the deep end, flapping around, and Dani has her, pulling her to the side of the pool. I meet her there and pull Birdie out and into my arms. She clings to me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“Hey, are you okay? What happened?”
“I wanted to swim where it’s deep.” Her voice is small, and I can tell that it scared her, but she’s not hurt.
I turn back to the water and see that Dani’s having a hard time, her clothes now soaked and heavy, and her eyes are wide in terror. Before I can pass Birdie off, several of the guys—Blake, Ryan, and Holden—have jumped into the water and are helping Dani stay above water, leading her to the shallow end of the pool and then out of the water entirely.
She sheds the sopping white shirt and lets it fall, but then her teeth are chattering, her eyes dilated.
Fuck. She’s going into shock.
Or having a panic attack.
Maybe both.
Why did she jump in? She’s terrified of water.
“Hey,” Blake says as he takes a towel from Ryan and wraps it around Dani’s shoulders, rubbing her arms briskly. We all know. We all saw what he did to her. It strikes me, again, that the way that bastard died was too good for him. “You’re okay, sweetheart. I know you don’t like the water.”
Jesus, she’s terrified of the water, and she jumped in to help my daughter.
“Can I swim some more?” Birdie asks me, and I kiss her cheek and then set her down, not taking my eyes off Dani.
“No, baby bird. Go wrap up in a towel and play with the other kids.”
“But—”
“I said no . ”
She doesn’t argue, and I’m thankful she’s mostly so compliant. Yes, she loves to push my buttons—often—but she doesn’t fight me when she knows I won’ t budge. Considering her mom’s selfishness, Birdie’s sweetness frequently amazes me.
My daughter runs off, and I cross to where Blake is consoling Dani.
Oh, kitten. I hate this for you.
“In through your nose,” he says perfectly calmly, doctor mode obviously kicking in. “Out through your mouth.”
“Sorry,” she mutters and closes her eyes, her teeth chattering. “I d-don’t like water.”
“I know,” Blake says grimly, and then his eyes find mine. He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything as he passes her to me.
I immediately wrap my arms around her and hug her close.
“Thank you, kitten,” I murmur into her wet hair. God, I haven’t hugged Dani in years, always careful to keep a safe distance, and I’m not sure that it’s a good idea right now, but she’s so scared, and she helped my girl. “Thank you for jumping in for her.”
“It was too deep,” she manages as she clings to me. “She scared the heck out of me.”
I grin. Dani’s always refused to swear. It’s probably a good quality to have in a kindergarten teacher.
“Me, too.” I rub my hands up and down her back. “You okay?”
She nods, and I look over her head to the crowd gathered around. “She’s okay.”
Holden’s eyes catch mine. Hands on his hips, his face is grim. He shakes his head, and I can read his thoughts .
This will be bad for her.
So, despite the fact that I want nothing more than to keep her with me, I let him hold her. Holden raised his sisters, kept them safe from a fucking tyrant, and she’s his baby girl.
She’s not mine.
Everyone resumes what they were doing before the fall into the pool. Birdie’s completely fine, laughing with some of the Wild kids as she warms up in a big pool towel and they eat ice cream from Beckett’s ranch.
About an hour later, when I’m about to get Birdie ready to go home, I spot Dani watching me from that same lounge chair as earlier. Someone gave her different clothes to change into, and her hair is mostly dry now. She doesn’t look away when I meet her gaze like she usually would.
I have to know that she’s okay.
So, I cross through the yard to where she’s sitting by the pool and tap her lightly on the shoulder.
“Can we talk somewhere private?”