Chapter 21
Harper
The next day, I’m coming around the corner in the bar when I see a folder sitting on the polished wood and Laurina frowning at it.
“What’s that?” I ask her as I walk up.
“A courier brought it. Said it’s for Lincoln, but it’s for the fire department.” She makes a face. “When I explained to him that this isn’t the fire department, he said he didn’t have time to go all the way over there.”
I snort at that. “You know that five minutes was probably so out of his way.”
“Should we just hope Lincoln comes by later to pick it up?”
“No, it might be something important.” I check the time. “My shift’s over in a few minutes. I’ll just run it over there in case it’s something he needs now.”
Laurina nods. “Sounds good. I’ve got the bar covered if you want to just head over there now.”
I leave her to take over and grab my things and the folder, driving the short way to the firehouse.
I pass by it every day, but I’ve never pulled in or stopped. Compared to some of the larger cities, the Silver Falls Firehouse is practically tiny, but I know they do good work. I park and walk in, looking around to see if I can spot Lincoln.
A tall, beefy man in a tank top and jeans walks over to me with a smile. “Can I help you, ma’am?”
“Oh hi. I’m looking for Lincoln, is he here?”
He shakes his head. “He’s out on a call, but he should be back soon. Just something minor, so it won’t take long. You’re free to hang around if you want to wait.”
“Sure, thanks.”
He walks off, and I wander deeper into the bay, looking for a place to sit down and wait. The sound of laughing and banter draws me in, and when I walk around one of the trucks, there’s a group of firefighters circling what looks like a makeshift sparring ring.
There’s a pile of mats on the floor, and two of them go at each other, practicing hand-to-hand techniques and trying to throw the other one onto the ground.
The others cheer them on, calling out bets for who’s going to come out on top, and I can’t help but stop and watch. I’d have to be blind to not see how muscular and attractive these men are, and even though I have no interest in them, I can definitely appreciate the view.
One of the firefighters from the circle sees me and breaks away, coming over.
“Hi,” he says, smiling. He’s handsome like all the others, with curly dark hair that spills over his forehead and into his eyes a little.
His smile lights his whole face up, making him look younger than he probably is. “There’s not an emergency is there?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m just waiting for someone. And then I got distracted by this.”
He grins wider. “We can be pretty distracting. I promise we’re not usually goofing off.”
“I didn’t think you were. I mean, knowing how to defend yourself and keeping strong is probably important for firefighters, right? And it’s very impressive to see this kind of thing in action.”
“Can you stick around and explain that to the captain if we get busted?” he asks, laughing. Then he sticks his hand out for me to shake. “Murphy Coleman.”
“Harper,” I reply, shaking his hand. It’s warm and calloused, and his grip is solid.
“Nice to meet you, Harper. If you’re interested, I could teach you a few moves while you’re waiting.” He jerks his head toward the ring of mats. “Self-defense is for everybody.”
He has a point there, and given the shit I’ve been through and the shit I’m running from, it might be a good idea to know how to defend myself and Cora if it ever comes down to that.
The rest of the group is watching us now, and I give Murphy a smile. “Sure, why not?”
“Hell yeah. Come over here, then.”
I set my things down and follow him into the circle. The others back up to give us some room, and Murphy stands opposite me, walking in a slow circle like he’s checking me out.
I know he’s probably just sizing me up, getting a measure of what he thinks I can do so he can better show me the right moves.
“All right,” he says when he comes back to stand in front of me.
“I’m sure you already know the most effective places to aim for if you’re trying to take down a guy, but sometimes it’s not going to be that easy.
Sometimes he’s waiting for that, or he’s determined to hit you before you can hit him.
You have to know how to defend yourself while you’re waiting for an opening. So if I did this, what would you do?”
He moves with exaggerated slowness, clearly acting like he’s going to grab me by the hair.
I reach up and grab his arm, stopping him before he can touch me.
“Not bad,” he says. “But if he’s stronger than you, he can use your grip to pull you in.” Murphy demonstrates, yanking me off balance with the arm I’m holding on to.
He shows me a better way to block a grab, one that keeps me at a distance and keeps the attacker from getting a hold on me. He takes me through a series of moves, going slow so I can mimic them, and soon enough I find myself actually getting into the physical challenge of it.
Murphy’s a good teacher, patient and encouraging, and soon enough I’m learning that I’m stronger than I thought I was.
“I’m gonna come in for a hit,” Murphy says, telegraphing his move enough that I can see it coming, but not so much that it would be easy to evade if I didn’t try.
I successfully block it and keep my distance, and he grins, coming in again for a high five. “That’s what I’m talking about!” he laughs. “You’re a natural. Your body wants to move, and you can pick up more of this really easily.”
I laugh too because it really does feel good. There’s a feeling of accomplishment I don’t usually have, and it makes me grin widely.
At least it does until I notice Lincoln, standing there watching us from the doorway.
Honestly, considering how intensely he’s staring, his eyes dark and almost predatory, I’m surprised I didn’t notice him there before.
I don’t really have to ask how long he’s been there or how much he’s seen because the look on his face says it all.
It’s like he doesn’t want to see another man, even one of his fellow firefighters, with their hands all over me. Even in an innocent way like this.
The others are apparently blind to the storm cloud brewing above Lincoln’s head.
Murphy follows my gaze and then waves to Lincoln, and a few others do as well.
“How was the call?” someone asks. “Everything go okay?”
“Simple,” Lincoln replies in clipped tones as he pushes off from the doorframe and stalks closer.
“Just what we like to hear,” someone else laughs.
Lincoln barely gives any of them a passing glance. His eyes are locked on me, and I can feel the tension radiating from his large frame, even from a distance.
And that distance shrinks second by second as he moves closer, practically vibrating with barely controlled restraint.
“Look—” I start, but he cuts me off, wrapping one hand around my wrist.
“I need to talk to Harper about something,” he says, and there’s something in his tone that finally clues Murphy in that he’s fucked up somehow.
He immediately steps back, putting distance between us and nods cheerfully. “Sure,” he says. “See you later.” It’s not clear which one of us he’s talking to, and he doesn’t make eye contact with me at all.
Probably for the best.
Lincoln doesn’t wait for me to say anything. He just pulls me out of the bay down a hallway to a private office. Once we’re inside, he closes the door behind us, shutting out the noise of the firehouse, and then it’s just the two of us.
Almost immediately, the air ignites between us. All the heat and tension and things unsaid seem to be simmering, coming to a boil, and my mouth suddenly goes dry. I lick my lips, an unconscious habit, but Lincoln follows the motion with his sharp eyes and then moves.
In an instant, he has me crowded up against the wall. His large body cages mine in, his hands on either side of my head as he gives me nowhere to run.
My senses are flooded with the awareness of him. The heat from his body, the strength corded in his arms. The scent of him is overpowering this close—whiskey, dark chocolate, woodsmoke—intense and intoxicating.
“I didn’t like that,” he says, his voice pitched low.
It takes longer than it should for my brain to catch up and my mouth to unstick itself. “What?” I manage to say.
“Seeing another man with his hands all over you.”
“It wasn’t—”
“I know. But I’ve been going fucking crazy ever since I found out about you and Cash.”
I swallow hard. “What does that mean?” I ask, even though I know. Even though I’ve felt it.
“You know what it means. I can’t stop thinking about it. About you.”
“I… I’ve felt it too,” I admit. “The tension. And I’ve seen the way the three of you have been looking at me. You’re always looking.”
“Can you blame us?”
I don’t even know what to say to that. “It would be a bad idea. A really bad idea.”
Lincoln nods, but he doesn’t look away from my face. “It would be. But you know, so is running into burning buildings, and I do that all the time.”
“That’s—that’s different.” My heart hammers in my chest as he steps closer, closing the tiny breath of distance left between us.
“It really isn’t.”
After that, the kiss feels inevitable. Like our bodies are magnetized to each other, and this was never going to end any other way.
It feels hungry and desperate as his hands fist into my hair and he claims my mouth.
His lips are insistent on mine, working them with little nips and firm presses until I’m melting into him with a little whimper.
He growls in response, the sound vibrating through our bodies from how close we are, and it sparks something in me. Something that’s starving for this kind of attention, this kind of sensation.
Lincoln lifts me up, using his strength to pin me against the wall with his body. I can feel every firm line of him, the swell of his muscles and the hard ridge that is his cock. He bucks forward, pressing it against me in a slow grind through our clothes.
Even with the layers between us, I can feel how hot and throbbing it is.
The fact that he’s like this because of me isn’t lost on me. I can feel the physical proof of how much he wants me, how much he wants to do this, and it’s an incredible feeling, even while being overwhelming.
If I was in my right mind, I would pull away, put some distance between us, figure out how to come back from this.
But as it is, I don’t want to. Not when it feels this good. Not when I’m caught up in the rush of need and pleasure and want that is thick and undeniable in the air.
I wrap my legs around his waist, rolling my hips against him with a desperate sound. My body craves friction, needs more than this. There’s an insistent beating under my skin, and I can’t deny it what it wants right now.
“Fuck,” I gasp against his mouth, momentarily forgetting where we are and the fact that there are a bunch of firefighters somewhere outside this door.
All I can focus on is Lincoln and the heat and smell of him—and what it’s doing to me.
Lincoln breaks the kiss to trail his mouth down my neck, hot little kisses that send shivers down my spine and make my core tighten. His teeth scrape against my pulse point, and I arch into him, not subtle about practically begging for more with my body.
His hands are everywhere, gripping my thighs, sliding under my shirt to palm my breasts, squeezing my ass as he rocks against me. It’s like he wants to map every curve I have. Like he wants to touch every inch of me with the same desperate need that I have to be touched.
All I can do is cling to him, panting for breath. I hold on to his shoulders as it all crashes over me, building and building with the heat between my legs.
I can feel how hard Lincoln is, how much he wants me right now, and that’s so fucking heady. It goes right to my core with everything else, adding to the feeling that I’m not going to be able to hold back for much longer if—
“Which neighborhood?”
“South, I think? Campbell said it was massive, but somehow everyone got out.”
“Thank fuck for that.”
Like a bucket of cold water, the sound of voices in the hallway reminds us both where we are.
They’re right outside the door, and we have no way of knowing if they’re going to knock or keep walking by.
Either way, it’s a bad look for us to be rutting against the door like this, in the place where Lincoln works.
I can see the realization of that flash through Lincoln’s eyes, and he swallows hard and takes a steadying breath. Reluctantly, he steps back, letting me down from where he had me pinned.
We’re both breathing hard, and I don’t even want to think about what I look like right now. I feel flushed and overheated, and my skin has always been good at giving that away.
I clear my throat and reach for my bag. “I, uh, came because someone dropped this off at the bar for you, but it’s for the fire house. I thought it might be important.”
I pass the file folder over and he flips through it before raking a hand through his hair. “Approvals for extra trainings,” he murmurs. “Definitely important. Thank you.”
I nod. “I’m—I should go.”
Before he can say anything, I get myself together as much as I can and then turn to leave, my knees wobbling as I show myself out.