Page 54 of Love in the Time of Wildfires

“And if you don’t,” she said, “they’ll probably take that public servant award away from you. I know you’re really worried about that.”

He laughed at this, and she was becoming addicted to the expression on his face, those gray eyes so light and free as though her bed was a small island where he could leave other worries behind. Logan then grabbed her, shifting them until she was on top and she couldn’t help but gasp in delight.

“Okay now let’s see what we’re working with here,” she told him with a pump of her eyebrows as she slid her body until she was straddling him and could get a gander at his package. “Hmm,” she said, as if she were more a scientist than a woman looking to get laid.

He settled his arms behind his head, the clear body language of a confident man who wasn’t nervous about being judged. She could see why. “Well?” he said.

River bit her lip nervously before smiling. “I’m definitely not an expert here, but it certainly looks like we have what we in the scientific world would label as a good one.”

“That’s scientific?”

“Yes, bonum, um, dickius,” she replied, grinning.

“The fake Latin makes it legit then.”

She laughed before leaning to press a kiss on his lips. “Now how about a little fun?” River reached to grab the box of condoms from her nightstand. She’d never put one on a person, but it didn’t seem too difficult. She ripped the package open, inspected to see what side was considered the top, and then took him in hand, rolling it on. Lifting herself, she slid him inside her and then used a hand on his chest to stabilize herself as she slowly rode him. River closed her eyes, dropping her head back as she gave into all the sensations of him being inside her. “Oh, Logan. Yes.”

One of his hands brushed across her thigh, and another one traveled from her stomach to her breast before his mouth landed on the tip, which elevated her sensitivity. River released a hushed moan.

“I like how you sound,” he murmured against her skin before he dropped to his back again, his hands going to her hips. “You feel so good, River.” He was beginning to push into her with more insistence. One of his hands slipped to her center as he stroked her there, causing her to whimper, and she began to ride him harder.

If anyone mentioned the name Michael, she would only be able to reply, “Michael who?” which seemed weird considering how long they were together. But it was true. Her mind was full of Logan, and similar thoughts of affection were tunneling through her chest, which put it in close proximity to her heart. This was a problem for future River. For now, there was just this little island sanctuary for both of them.

River felt the familiar fervor building inside her. She was so close, and she needed it. Her pants grew heavier, her limbs started to shake. His hand gripping one of her thighs tightened. Logan’s focus on her was intense, as his hips moved faster under her. She was uttering his name when she exploded in cries. Logan was then pressing up into her, groaning his own release. She collapsed on his chest, trying to catch her breath, his arms wrapping around her as he was also breathing heavily.

Logan pressed the lightest kiss to her forehead, and maybe it was just a post-sex ridiculous thought, but the tenderness felt like love. River pushed the idea aside because she didn’t have enough experience with other relationships to judge anything. She lifted her head enough to prop it on one of her hands. “I’m hungry. Still thinking oatmeal sounds terrible?”

The feeling of love was stubbornly not going away, not when he looked at her, his eyes soft as he fingered one strand of her hair, pushing it back.

“Logan?”

“Hmm?” He seemed caught in his own world, and she wished she could live there too. It had to be a wonderful place of reprieve. No one deserved it more than him.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

He nodded. “But not for oatmeal.”

She pressed a quick kiss to his chest before pulling herself away. “Okay, let’s find you some real food.”

They both got up, pulled on clothes, and left the apartment hand-in-hand for the breakfast burrito truck a few blocks away. She had a desire to capture every moment of the day—to bottle it inside her head. That way she could retrieve moments here and there, like how he would touch the end of her hair or pull her into a hug. Every minute was the same as savoring an expensive piece of chocolate, like the most decadent treat, knowing it would be several weeks before she got to enjoy him again.

Because, in a couple of days, he was gone.

Chapter Seventeen

Being on a job was never easy, even if the fire camp outside of Sisters, Oregon, at the rodeo grounds, was one of the nicer ones he’d been to. This time, though, felt particularly hard. As much as he’d wished for a good fire at the start of the season, watching the fire rating kick up made his heart sink. A good fire, right now, meant he’d be away longer.

Logan suddenly cared about going home and doing so in one piece—for River if nothing else. It at least had him wanting to keep his head straight, because there was no way, on God’s fiery burnt-out husk of Earth, he was going to experience being inside of her only a few times.

They chatted through text whenever he got some down time after long shifts of cutting fire lines. Or he would lie on his cot gently fingering her lace underwear, smelling it like a depraved creep. Logan could admit it was sad, but being a depraved creep kept him motivated.

“Boss is daydreaming about River again,” Damon said.

“What?” he replied, not having heard any of the conversation around their shared dinner table for the past hour. The heat rose along his neck because Damon wasn’t far from the truth. Being preoccupied with thoughts of her had been happening too often.

“It’s pretty obvious what’s going on here, Sonny. We all saw it. You were mooning so hard over River during your award ceremony—you would have thought she was the prize, and not the plaque. Are you finally going to admit that you have a thing for her?”

Logan had a thing for her, but he wasn’t bringing it up to these clowns, who would no doubt give him a worse time than he already got from them.