Chapter 39
39
CONNOR
Ember is sleeping next to me in my bed - that’s the first thing I notice when I wake up.
The second thing that comes to mind are the memories of what we did together in this bed only mere hours ago.
Last night is... hard to even think about.
One minute we were looking at the stars, and then we were kissing.
And I loved it.
And I kissed her back eagerly.
God, if I’d told myself a week ago what I had just done...
I don’t know how past me would’ve reacted to that development. Not well, to put it lightly. It makes me want to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all – how the grumpy firefighter fell for the pretty journalist’s tricks.
I slowly get out of bed, careful not to stir the journalist lying next to me on the single mattress. I head straight for the little kitchen where I make us both a coffee.
The smell of roasted beans wakes Ember up pretty damn quickly. She rolls over in the bed, groaning. One eye opens to stare at me from the warmth and comfort of the sheets.
I can’t help but smile at the damn girl. She’s so gorgeous like that – all sleepy and with all her city girl walls dropped down and exposed. She’s so fucking pretty. I can’t stand it.
Oh, I remember last night... her skin... the taste of her lips and the taste of her tits...
She made me hungry for her. I was so fucking lustful. It was like the logical part of my brain had been switched firmly off and a more animalistic side of me was instead fully engaged.
It made me feel alive .
I haven’t felt alive like that for a hell of a long time.
“Good morning,” I say softly across the room to the girl who stirs such vibrant feelings in the depths of my body.
Ember only grumbles something sleepily incoherent in response. She’s damn cute.
I reach for her mug on the counter.
“Coffee?” I ask her, lifting it up.
She nods enthusiastically at my suggestion. The caffeine is sorely welcomed; I think.
I hand her the mug, and she summons up the necessary energy to slowly sit up in bed to take a long sip.
“Morning, Connor,” she finally grunts.
“Not a morning person, then?” I ask her with a smirk dancing on the corners of my lips.
“Not if I can help it.”
“How about we get out?” I ask her. “Get our bodies moving.”
“What do you have in mind, big guy?”
“Let’s go for a hike.”
I want to ask Ember what last night meant – and what it might mean for our future – but I’m too much of a damn coward to even raise the subject. I’ve never really spoken about feelings like this before to, like anyone . Ever. So, instead of confronting my fears, we walk in silence through the forest and try to wake our tired bodies up. I can’t tell what she’s thinking as we hike... are they the same thoughts as me? It’s clear Ember is far more roused now than she was in the cabin. I’m sure the strong coffee helped, and the fact we stepped right into nature and not the urban jungle of the city. I’m sure it’s a refreshing change of pace for her out here in the wilderness.
And I still can’t talk about last night...
“It’s nice out here,” she finally utters as we climb over a fallen log, breaking the quiet between us.
“It is,” I reply, unable to find any other words.
We continue on for a while longer in another awkward silence. I think I need to say something.
Anything.
I don’t know where we stand...
“Do you usually sleep with all your interview subjects?” I ask her. I more blurt it out than have a measured question.
Ember laughs at the teasing.
God, I’m glad she laughs. It’s better than receiving a slap.
“Just the warlords,” she replies with a cheeky wink.
I laugh at that. And I am awkward as hell.
Still don’t know where we stand...
The river is close. We both hear it.
And soon we reach it. It feels like I’m saved from saying anything else about last night.
“Is this where you like to go and swim?” Ember asks me when we finally see the running water in the middle of a clearing.
“Yeah,” I reply, looking down at the river. “I usually do it naked, though.”
“Naked?”
Ember is shocked.
I shrug.
“There’s no one else out here, I can assure you. Naked is the best way to experience the river. It makes you feel part of nature.”
Ember screws up her face at that.
“Get naked, then,” she commands. “Go on.”
“No,” I reply, shaking my head and keeping my eyes on the water and not on the gorgeous woman standing beside me.
“Oh, so you’re okay with taking off your shirt in front of an arena full of thirsty women...”
“Yeah, that’s to help me cut wood,” I stammer.
Ember chortles.
“Take off your damn pants, Connor. That’s an order.”
I shrug again.
“Okay, your majesty. You’ve got it. Pants are coming off.”
It sounds crazy, but maybe this’ll break the tension...
And I do what she orders. I undo my belt and let my pants drop to my ankles.
I’m now totally naked below the waist.
“Now it’s your turn, Ember,” I tell her sternly.
The journalist shakes her head vigorously.
“No way, Jose.”
“You need to get naked or I’m carrying you in,” I say. “What’d it be?”
Ember sighs.
“Alright. I’ll do it. Anything to make you happy, firefighter.”
And she starts to strip.
I let out a smirk.
“That’s it, Ember.”
Soon, she’s totally naked.
And I can’t help but take her all in. Her curves. Her supple breasts. Her milky skin. I remember what it was like to kiss her all over. How satisfying that felt.
Fuck...
“You’re getting hard,” she remarks with a devious glance down at my cock.
Fuck.
“Oh...”
“I like it,” she says. “It’s a good sight. I’ve clearly made you happy.”
I feel my cheeks blushing.
“Sure.”
“I’m going to go in,” she announces with a wink. “You can follow with your hard-on if you’d like. But I’m going in regardless, big boy.”
And, without waiting for my reply, she dives into the river.