Page 53 of Love in the Time of Wildfires

“Mayyyybe.” River grinned but then added, “We don’t have to do anything right now if you’d rather . . . I don’t know, catch up on sleep.”

He gave her an odd look. “Is this some wildlife behaviorist thing you’re pulling? Reverse psychology or something?”

River laughed lightly. “I’m not sure if you noticed last night, but I was just wildlife—there wasn’t any behaviorist studying going on.”

He pulled her closer. “You could have pulled out a calculator last night, and I wouldn’t have noticed. That’s how much wildlifing I was doing.”

“Oh yeah?” she said, kissing and giggling. “So we were just wildlifing together?”

“Mm-hmm.” He kissed her back. “River, I don’t know how long I’m going to be here. We’re probably going to be shipped out again soon.”

“Where are you going this time?”

“Central Oregon is getting hit pretty hard right now.”

“Ah. Well, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be here either.”

He pulled back with his brow creased.

“Because I have to go to work today. Probably need to head out in a couple of hours,” she told him.

“Okay,” he replied, undoing her buttons. “Looks like we better not waste anymore time. Get out of my shirt.”

She wasn’t going to argue with him, loving the feel of his breath on her skin as he undid the garment, brushing his hands across her breasts. She moaned into the feeling, closing her eyes.

“What the hell, River? You also put on underwear. When did all of this happen?”

“I told you. I got up during the night. Sleeping naked isn’t exactly a normal thing for me. What if there’s an emergency or something?”

He pressed his mouth along her neck, his hands working at pulling the shirt from her body. “Luckily for you, you have a firefighter in your bed. I heard we’re really good in emergencies.”

“Mmm, and, luckily, I have the very best one, who’s been honored by the mayor.” Her fingers trailed along the ridges of his muscles. His body was so different from what she was used to, but she liked it.

When he pulled her simple cotton panties off, River said, “I couldn’t find my underwear from last night. I looked everywhere but then just grabbed these.” As though to offer an excuse for wearing something less sexy. Hopefully, he was the type of guy who wouldn’t mind, because less sexy was her vibe most days.

Logan paused, his ears turning red as his gaze darted away. “I . . . took them.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re in one of my pockets. I thought . . . well, maybe I could take them with me.”

She was perplexed at first, not sure why he would want them or where exactly he planned to take her panties. It didn’t seem fair they’d go on a trip without her. Then it hit her. “Do you mean to fire camp?”

“Yes?” Logan seemed unsure and embarrassed. She found it cute.

While his request caught her off guard because this was a first for her, it was sort of flattering and a little dirty and, gosh, she’d never been a sultry naughty girl before—but maybe she could with him. River couldn’t deny the thrill shooting through her veins.

She ran a finger across his chest, lowering her lids demurely. “So there is something you want from home while you’re away? Do you think about me when you’re away at fire camp, osito?” River lightly kissed the end of his nose.

“Yeah.” His Adam’s apple bobbed in a swallow.

She grew confident at seeing how much power she truly wielded, knowing she could push this further, her lips going to the shell of his ear. “Do you touch yourself thinking about me, Logan? Is that why you want my panties?”

Even through his tan skin, she could see the flush creeping along his neck. He nodded. As a reward for his honesty, she slid her hand down, taking him, stroking him. “Like this?”

He nodded again, his chest lifting in increased breaths. “Logan,” she said in a hushed whisper as she continued to run her grip along his dick. “You can have them—but only if you promise to come back to me. Okay? This isn’t just a one-time thing. I need you to be safe.”

“Okay,” he replied, gazing through hooded eyes. He was putty in her hands. River could ask for the world if she wanted, and he would give it to her. For now, she used her power for good. All she wanted was him to return home, and maybe he would look out for himself if she made it worth his while.