“Get the fuck off me,” Ford growls once again as he brings his hands up, palms flat against my abdomen, and pushes me away. Or rather,unsuccessfullyattempts to because I’m ready for him. The feel of his fingertips against my skin sets me on fire. I chuckle when he huffs out a frustrated grunt, realizing I didn’t budge.
Clicking my tongue, I say, “Ah, ah, ah, not so fast,” tracing the left side of his stubbled jawline with my lower lip. A burst of heat blooms in my chest as I feel his body tremble against mine, and the way his breath hitches has my dick throbbingbeneath my sweats. “What an interestin’ turn of events this has become, wouldn’t you say, Captain? Imagine my surprise when I figured out the sexy, anddirty-mouthedman I’ve been messagin’ back and forth with has been you. But you must’a been just as surprised as me… Right?”
His jaw flexes against my cheek before he once again says, “Get the fuck off me.” Except this time, the crack in his voice gives him away.
“Oh, but that’s not the case, is it?” I ask before nipping his earlobe. “Because you knew from the start who I was, didn’t you? You knewexactlywho you were sayin’ all those filthy things to.”
His silence has me fucking beaming.
A groan vibrates in my throat as I press my body against his. “What a dirty fuckin’ man you are, baby,” I taunt softly, voice barely above a whisper, spoken directly into his ear.
“Don’t fuckin’ call me that,” he snarls, his chest rumbling, his hands still pressed against my bare stomach. I’m not even sure if he’s aware that he’s still touching me.
Huffing out a breath, I move my arm off his chest, flattening my hand to the tree trunk beside Ford’s head. Bringing my other hand to his hip, my thumb slips under the hem of his sweatshirt and brushes against his warm, smooth skin. I don’t miss the shudder that rolls through him at the barely-there touch. He’s affected, even if he doesn’t want to be. I nip at his ear again, smiling against his cheek when his body stiffens and he inhales sharply.
“If I remember correctly, you didn’t have an issue with it before,” I murmur softly before dragging my tongue along his stubbled jaw. As I reach his chin, I nip at the skin again, then pull back enough to look him in the eyes. It’s too dark out here to make out much. His breath is hot and sweet, coming out inquick, shallow pants, fanning my face. Removing my hand from the tree and cupping the side of Ford’s neck, my fingertips brush the thick hair on his nape as I breathe out a quiet chuckle. “You know, I should’ve put it together sooner… Your username, the fact that you’re newly single. I’m not sure how I didn’t, but I can’t deny how fuckin’ hot all of this makes me.”
He scoffs. “How’d you figure it out?”
“Your tattoo,” I drawl. “That sexy little compass piece on your ribs. Saw it earlier around the fire and remembered it from your pictures onHive.”
Ford’s silent for a moment, the crickets in the distance the only sound to be heard around us. What I wouldn’t give to be able to read his mind, to know what he’s thinking but not saying. Finally, after clearing his throat, he says, “Well, as fun as talkin’ to you has been, it obviously can’t go any further than it has.”
My face screws up. “Why the fuck not?”
“How about because I’m your friend’s boss, and it’s completely inappropriate?”
“Inappropriate for who?” I ask, unable to keep the amusement out of my tone. “You said it yourself… Remi is my friend, not my boyfriend. So, what would you bein’hisboss have anythin’ to do with you and I?”
Okay, clearly, I know what the issue is, but like hell am I going to admit that.
Ford sighs heavily, jaw flexing against my palm before he grits out, “There is no ‘you and I,’ Hollis.”
“Wrong again,” I murmur. “The proof of that is on both our phones, Captain. And it’s not like you can lie and say you had no idea who you were talkin’ to. You knew, and if memory serves me right, you messaged me first.”
His jaw flexes. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Okay, then answer me this.” I take a step closer and bring my body flush with his again. We’re so close, there’s barely an inch of space between our lips. “Now that I’m standin’ right in front of you, does thinkin’ about all the things I said I wanted to do to you do nothin’ for you?”
My thumb caresses over the skin on his hip, a gentle motion Iknowis driving him wild, even if he won’t admit it. It’s in his labored breathing, the way the vein in his neck pounds against my palm, and especially, it’s in the way he says nothing at all. His silence—the inability to deny it—gives him away. It tells me all I need to know, and it has me fuckingelated.
“Yeah, that’s what I fuckin’ thought,” I murmur darkly before flicking my tongue across his bottom lip.
Ford doesn’t move.
He doesn’t speak.
Hell, I don’t even think he breathes for a moment.
My lip curls into a grin, knowing I have him right where I want him. Knowing before long, Ford Wesley, the big, gruff fire captain at Station 14 and the mystery man I’ve been flirting with for over a month, will be putty in my hands. I’m about to rock his fucking world, and he doesn’t even know it. Sure, Ford may pretend he doesn’t want this anymore, given who I am, but I don’t believe it for a second, and I’m willing to bet he doesn’t actually believe it either.
Why else would he message me for so long?
The hesitancy and silence prove it. All I have to do is get him to break—or at the very least, crack a little—and given how Ford hasn’t made any more attempts to shove me away, nor has he decked me in the face, I’d say that shouldn’t be too hard.
Wanting to up the ante a bit, I decide to tease him a littlemore. Make him sweat. Using the hand on his hip, I bring it around his back, letting my fingers slip beneath the waistband. Clamping his mouth shut, Ford exhales harshly through his nose. His body is tense as I caress his skin. My hand sinks lower with each featherlight and sensual pass until my fingers are hidden underneath his sweats. Simultaneously, I bring my other hand down to his throat, barely applying any pressure, but letting my thumb trace the sharp edge of his tightened jaw.
“Tell me, baby… If I dropped to my knees right here and gave you my mouth to use, would you?”
