Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
June
The hotel was a good idea.
I wake up refreshed and stretching out in this big warm bed.
My mind immediately jumps back to that moment in the back of the fire truck with Ethan’s strong hands gripping mine, his beautiful possessive eyes watching me like I was already his, my heart racing, my body submitting, my mind knowing there was no recovering from this.
I feel a tingling between my legs and I can’t help but touch myself until I relieve it. I cum harder than I’ve came before, turning on the bed and screaming into the pillow so no other guests can hear how desperate I am for that gorgeous fireman.
I head right into the shower, groaning when I see myself.
I was horrified at how I looked last night.
When I got into the room, my mood was soaring even though half my studio and home had burnt down.
But all of those positive feelings came crashing down when I stepped into the bathroom and saw my horrendous reflection.
I was a mess. My hair was chaotic and full of white powder. There was soot, clay, and paint smeared all over my clothes. And my skin was a grimy, sweaty, blackened disaster.
I can’t believe I was gazing at that perfect, flawless face the whole time, and he was looking back at that. God. No wonder he didn’t kiss me. I looked like a swamp monster.
I get myself ready, have a nice breakfast downstairs, and then try to prepare myself as I return home to see the damage in the daylight. I know it’s going to be hard. I’ve been so focused on Mr. April that I haven’t really been thinking of the mess waiting for me.
That stupid kiln. I want to drive it to a volcano and drop it inside.
“Here we go,” I whisper as I drive by the fire station.
I slow to a crawl as I pass by it, my head craned all the way as I try to catch a glimpse of Mr. April.
I see two guys inside, but neither of them are Ethan.
I’m not sure how the scheduling works. Would he still be working if he was on duty last night?
The car behind me honks in frustration. One of the firemen turns and looks my way, so I whip my head back and speed off, feeling like a moron.
I call the insurance on the way and talk to the nice girl working there.
She opens a claim and tells me that a claims adjuster will be coming by later this week to assess the damage.
She also says that they’re going to pay for the inn that I’m staying at and that I can start cleaning up debris and patching up any holes.
So, that’s what I’m going to do today. I’m going to clean up and make a plan.
I get so nervous as I’m driving up, afraid that it’s going to be worse than it looked last night.
I hold my breath as I turn the bend and my studio comes into view.
“What the hell?” I whisper when I see a big black pickup truck parked in my driveway.
My stomach drops, thinking that it may be a thief. I’ve heard that burglars sometimes target homes that were recently burned, but that can’t be it. I live in the middle of nowhere and the fire was only a few hours ago. Nobody knows about it except for me, the insurance company, and…
“Holy crappers.”
My mouth drops as I see Ethan walk around my barn with a few scorched planks of wood on his shoulder. He’s wearing jeans, work boots, a tight gray T-shirt, and has a leather tool belt hanging from his waist. I get a shiver of arousal when I see the hammer hanging down.
He sees me and that sexy mouth curls up into a smile. I just stare back with my jaw touching my chest.
I watch in awe as he easily tosses the wood into the back of his pickup truck like it was a pile of toothpicks. He smacks his gloved hands together and walks over as I park and turn off my car.
“Good morning,” he says with a devastating smile as I step out.
I don’t even know what to say. I just kind of stare at him as my brain short circuits.
“I thought I’d get a headstart on the day,” he says like it’s nothing. “I couldn’t let you do it all by yourself.”
My eyes move on their own, roaming over his broad shoulders and big arms. My gaze slides down his chest and over his flat stomach. When it starts moving toward his belt, I catch myself and yank my head up.
“You didn’t have to…” I say, feeling emotional when I see my happy place all burnt up. It was so nice of him to come. I don’t have anyone else here, so it means a lot. I feel a lump in my throat and my eyes fill with heated tears.
“It’s okay,” he says, stepping forward. He opens those big comforting arms, and I practically lunge into them as a few tears leak out. He wraps those sexy arms around me and holds me tight as I melt into his embrace, feeling like everything will be okay as long as this man is by my side.
I see my scorched home over his round bicep and grin. This is my new happy place. Being swallowed by this man’s protective arms is where I always want to be.
“I’ll help you fix it up,” he says in a soft, encouraging tone. “It will be back to new before you know it.”
I smile as I rest my cheek on his hard chest. I’ve always been so independent and self-reliant. I left my family and moved out on my own to Japan. I bought this place by myself and renovated the whole thing on my own. I’ve only ever relied on me.
And I’ve been proud of it.
But having this man hold me like this. Knowing he wants to help me. Knowing I can let someone in and rely on them too. I don’t know, but it feels good. It feels… right.
“Alright,” I say, nodding as I step back. I spot a wet mark on his chest from my tears and smile as I wipe my eyes. “Thank you.”
He nods as he looks at me closely. Like he’s seeing the girl under all that grime and soot and sweat for the first time.
I’m wearing my jeans that make my ass look good, thank goodness, and an old KISS T-shirt for the dirty work, but it looks cute on me with my bare shoulder popping out of the neck hole.
He seems to like it. My hair is pulled back into a ponytail and I actually did my makeup this morning in case I ran into him, or in case I couldn’t stop myself from stalking him at the fire station was more like it.
We stand there for a long moment and all that sexual tension from last night comes roaring back, smoldering hot.
My eyes drop to his tool belt and I wonder what he’s packing underneath that leather. My hands tingle remembering how that hard clay felt as I squeezed it. I wonder what kind of noises he’d make if I did the same thing to him.
“Do you want to see it?” he asks in a deep voice.
My pussy tingles hot as my eyes dart up to his. “What?”
“Are you ready to see the damage?” he clarifies.
“Oh,” I say, feeling my neck getting hot. “Yeah. Sure.”
We walk over and I glance up at my home. The damage doesn’t look too bad. It’s bad, but it could have been way worse. Thank goodness I had that massive fire extinguisher. I guess I knew deep down that my kiln would be trouble, so I bought the largest one they had. It paid off.
“This interior and exterior wall is going to have to be changed,” he says as we walk around the building.
The wood is still up, but it’s black and charred.
It’s all going to have to be scrapped. “The supporting beams look okay though,” he says as he shows me.
“So, you got lucky in your bad luck. It’s going to be mostly cosmetic.
A few days work. Maybe a week, but we can get the interior done today. That’s a good thing, June.”
I look over the damage and am relieved that it’s not too bad. The barn was in worse shape when I bought it and started the renovations. I can do this myself, but I’ll probably hire a construction crew to get it done quickly, especially since the insurance company is going to be paying the tab.
I’ll have to remake all of the broken pottery pieces that I had stocked up, but at least it’s just broken clay and lost time. I can recover from that.
When I’ve looked it over, I cock an eyebrow and turn to Ethan. “I didn’t realize firemen come back to the scene to rebuild,” I say with a grin. “Quite the service in the Greene Mountains.”
This time, it’s his turn to blush. I stare up at him, marveling that I’m able to get this hot, muscular, firefighting, mountain man blushing.
“I felt… compelled to help you.”
“Compelled?”
He grins as I smile at him. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you all night. I had to see you again.”
Our eyes lock for a long, heated moment.
It’s too much and I have to turn away. If I keep gazing into those sexy blue eyes, I’ll melt.
“So…” I say, changing the subject before my body takes over and shamelessly leaps on this man without my consent. “What should we start on first?”
He heads over to the broken wood and rips off a piece. Just like that. His big hands breaking planks of wood like they’re made of styrofoam.
“I think we should clear the debris,” he says. “Throw it in the back of my truck and we can bring it to the disposal center.”
My lustful eyes are locked on him as he carries the wood to his truck and tosses it in. I love how every muscle in his torso tightens and flexes with every movement. It’s hypnotizing. I’ll never be able to focus with him around.
“We can stop by the lumber yard on the way home,” he says as he walks back. “I know the owner and can get you a deal. We can patch that hole in the ceiling and fix the wall until the construction crew starts. I don’t want any raccoons or rain getting in.”
“And what am I going to owe you for all this?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“Dinner,” he says, stopping and standing still. “Let me take you out to dinner, June. My treat.”
I should negotiate. I should ask for more favourable terms. Some that I can think of… He must work shirtless. I get to massage those big broad shoulders at the end of the day. He has to let me touch his beard whenever I want. No questions asked.
But I don’t. I can’t stop myself from agreeing immediately.
“You got yourself a deal, Mr. April.”
He grins and my heart soars.
“Tonight,” he clarifies.
“You got it,” I say with a laugh. “But just so you know, all of my clothes reek of smoke.”