Hot as Hell

Hot as Hell

Jessa James

12.4k Words / Completed
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Introduction

To set a fire, you need a spark. Lily and Cade always had one, but her brother -- Cades best friend -- kept the tinder damp. Besides, Cades a man whore. When a man is that hot, someones always going to get burned. Lily should have learned her lesson the first time she touched fire, when he left town the morning after they finally hooked up.Yet all these years later, the embers still smoldering.She's working at the local bakery, in control of the heat... until he walks back into her life. Fresh from the wildfires of Montana, Cades lost everything he held dear, and the losses left scars. They soon find that more than ever, they are better together. Their love grows, quick and hot.Despite what her brother might say, Cade needs what Lily gives him. But theres no such thing as a controlled burn.And every secret carries the risk of a backdraft.
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About Author

Jessa James

Chapter 1

Prologue

C

ade -

2002

Cade took

pleasure in every leaf crunch beneath his beat-up Converse shoes, the faded Fall Out Boy lyrics etched across the toes in EJ’s slanted print. “Sorry, dude,” EJ said. “I can’t believe my dad’s making us babysit. For free, too.”

Lily shot him a look. “Don’t be mean,” she said. “Or I’ll tell Dad.” In her little eight-year-old hands, she clutched her Lizzie McGuire lunchbox that rattled with leftovers.

Aiden tagged along beside Cade to distance himself from Lily as much as possible. In his last year of elementary school, he was desperate to be seen as one of the middle school kids like Cade and EJ. “So,” Aiden said. “How are the girls at Walker? Hot?”

“What do you know about hot?” EJ asked his little brother. “But actually, Cade thinks there are some hotties,” EJ said as he elbowed Cade in the ribs. “Right?”

“Shut up,” Cade said. He kept his eyes on the ground, an explosion of gold and orange under his feet.

“What? I saw you staring at that redheaded girl in homeroom.” Cade could feel EJ’s eyes as they bored into him, but he refused to look up. “C’mon, we’ve been best friends since we were in diapers. You think I can’t tell?”

“Not in front of the kids,” Cade said in the most adult voice he could muster.

Thankfully, this time it didn’t crack

, he thought.

“I’m not a little kid!” Aiden piped up. “It’s my last year—”

“You’re still in elementary school,” EJ reminded him. “And need us to escort you home!”

“Whatever,” Aiden muttered under his breath.

“Well, if you’re not going to talk about your future wife, what about the field trip Mr. Stroh was talking about? You think you’re gonna go?”

Cade sighed. “I dunno. I’m not sure if my foster parents will sign off on it.”

“What? Why wouldn’t they?” EJ asked. “It’s gonna be awesome. Like, they let you feed bears! And since it’s a drive-through safari, rhinos could totally charge the bus—”

“You know how they are,” Cade said. He rolled his eyes. “They think they can turn every kid they take in into Jehovah’s Witnesses. I’ll probably be knocking door-to-door while you all are getting impaled by wild animals or something.”

“That sounds like child abuse, dude,” EJ said as he made a face. “You should call CPS on their ass.”

Cade shook his head. “The Parkers are alright, they’re just strict. After the Carters, I can’t complain.”

“Yeah, they were crazy,” EJ said. “I can’t believe they freaking locked you in the bedroom every night! Thinking you were going to steal their crappy china or whatever.”

“The getting locked in part wasn’t so bad. It was the totally forgetting to have any food in the morning for any of us part that sucked. Not that it happened all the time, but still …”

“I don’t know, dude, going door-to-door doesn’t sound much better. Hopefully you get a decent family soon.”

“I’d just be happy staying somewhere longer than a year, honestly. So, I gotta be on my best behavior. Make sure the Parkers think I’m a ‘good kid’ and all.”

EJ laughed. “Good luck with that.”

The group turned onto Fairgrounds Road and Lily squealed as the firehouse came into view. “Are we going to get to ride the truck?” she asked.

“Don’t be stupid,” EJ said. “You know what Dad says.”

“It’s not a toy,” Lily said with a sigh.

“Yeah. But guess what? Dad told me he has a surprise for all of us.” EJ shot Lily a smile Cade knew he thought nobody noticed. EJ always acted like his little sister annoyed him, but the love he had for her always snuck in.

“Really?”

“Yeah. But only if I tell him you both were good on the walk home.”

Cade watched the towering man appear from behind the glistening red truck. “Mr. Hammond,” he said with a nod. “Thanks for letting me come by, too.”

“Of course, Cade. You know you’re like another son to me.” Mr. Hammond pulled off a pair of gloves and shoved them into a cargo pocket. He ruffled Cade’s hair. Cade felt himself bristle unintentionally. It had taken him years to stop flinching every time Mr. Hammond did that.

“This your whole brood, Hammond?” one of the newer firefighters asked. “Been busy at home, huh?”

Mr. Hammond laughed. “Something like that.”

Cade nodded hello to the crew that had watched him grow up over the years. They were like a little family of their own, even though they weren’t related by blood.

Maybe that’s how it’s

supposed

to feel in foster care,

he thought. But so far that hadn’t been his experience.

“How’s third grade treating you, Flower?” Mr. Hammond asked as Lily hugged her dad’s leg tight.

“It’s

exhausting

,” she said. “We’re supposed to memorize a new times table every week. Like, what’s the point? When are we going to use that?”

“What do you think, Aiden? You agree?” Mr. Hammond asked as he squeezed Aiden’s thin shoulders.

Aiden sniffed. “It’s not exhausting, it’s too easy. I shoulda skipped a grade.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Mr. Hammond said. “Middle school’s no picnic. Right, EJ? No more recess, no playground—”

“Yeah, but the food’s a

lot

better. And there are vending machines.”

“Well, if there are vending machines …” Mr. Hammond laughed and gave EJ a hug.

Cade felt the familiar tug of jealousy as he watched his friend embrace his dad.

Things are so easy for him, and he doesn’t even realize it,

Cade thought.

EJ has it all, the whole all-American family and everything.

“So, what’s the surprise?” Aiden asked.

“Eager, huh? Come around front with me and I’ll show you.”

They raced behind him as Mr. Hammond turned the corner to the small patch of perfectly landscaped greenery outside.

“Kites!” Lily exclaimed. On the lawn were four colorful triangles of fabric. “This one’s mine,” she said, and stood triumphantly beside the My Little Pony pink one.

“You bet it is,” Aiden said. “This one’s mine.” He knelt down beside the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fabric.

“Spider-Man?” EJ asked Cade. Cade nodded immediately.

Be grateful for what you get,

he thought. But he felt another tug of envy as he watched EJ pick up the Batman kite and admired it.

Shouldn’t my best friend know Batman’s my favorite?

“You okay, Cade? That one’s for you,” Mr. Hammond said. Cade realized he hadn’t rushed to claim his kite like the others.

“Are you … are you sure?” he asked.

Obviously, idiot. Why else would there be four kites?

“Of course I’m serious! Go on,” Mr. Hammond said.

A grin spread across Cade’s face and he raced for the kite.

It is pretty cool,

he thought as he admired it.

“Damn, yours is actually shaped like a bat—” EJ started.

“EJ, language.”

“Sorry.

Dang.

“Thanks, Mr.—” Cade started, but his mouth clamped shut when he saw his biological dad across the street. His excitement over the kite was momentarily forgotten.

Maybe I can

finally

go home.

“Dad! Hey, Dad! Look what Mr. Hammond—”

His dad reached the group before Cade could finish, but Mr. Hammond stood between them.

“Bill, you need to go,” Mr. Hammond said, his voice low. “You know you’re not allowed to see Cade, and I don’t want any trouble. Especially here.”

“You can’t tell me what to do,” he slurred. Cade could smell the whiskey from five feet away. His heart sunk. “You can’t tell me I can’t see my own son! Cade, c’mere—”

“Stay there, Cade,” Mr. Hammond said. Cade couldn’t have moved if he wanted to. “Bill, you need to go home and sober up. Do you need me to call a ride for you?”

“I don’t need any goddamned charity from you. Cade’s, his—his whore of a mother up and left in the middle of the night again. Fucking bitch—”

“You need to go right now.”

“Hammond? You need some help?” one of the crew called from the sidewalk.

“Do I?” Mr. Hammond asked Cade’s dad.

“Ah, forget it,” Cade’s dad said. “You all go on playing Captain America or whatever the hell you do.”

He began to stagger off, but Cade was stunned.

Mom is gone?

“Cade, come on,” his dad said, as he turned again.

“Kids, you all go inside,” Mr. Hammond said. EJ, Aiden, and Lily raced for the firehouse, but Cade was torn.

I need to help find Mom …

His dad lurched toward him, but Mr. Hammond held him firm. “I’m going to have to call the police if you don’t—”

Suddenly, Cade’s dad lunged forward and broke free of the grip. He snatched Cade up, and the kite ripped apart between them. The stench of alcohol overpowered him. “It’s okay, son. I’m here,” his dad mumbled. “We’re gonna go to Santa Monica. The… the beach. Sounds nice, right?”

California?

A shot of panic raced through him. There was no way he could leave the Hammonds. Never see EJ again—

“No!” Cade screamed. His cry came from the deepest part of him.

He felt his father’s fist against his jaw, but the shock dulled any pain. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear and see Mr. Hammond and the other firefighters as they pulled his father away.

Cade turned toward the firehouse. His head rang with yells and his father’s drunken threats.

“You’re bleeding!” Lily said as he tore into the firehouse.

Cade couldn’t speak. The tears that ran down his face blinded him, and the sobs inside filled his throat.

“Don’t cry,” Lily said. He felt her warm hand wrap around his.

Shame filled him, though he couldn’t have said why. He held her hand and cried.

Cade

2013

“Hey, what’d you get on question twenty-two?” EJ asked.

“You still trying to copy off me?” Cade asked with a laugh.

“Just trying to make sure, dude,” EJ said. “They didn’t tell us training to be a recruit involved so much

homework.

I should have gone into professional baseball or football or something.”

“Yeah, completely realistic,” Cade said. He finished up the last of the quiz. EJ reached his beer across the old scratched-up firehouse table and they clinked. “Cheers to another day of training done.”

“What? I could have done it. I mean, if I got accepted to be a firefighter—”

“Yeah, I think nepotism had a little something to do with that,” Cade said with a wink.

“Because my dad’s the fire chief? Nah, dude. Totally got in on sheer merit. And because they could really use a boost in the annual hot firefighter calendar.”

“I don’t think that’s a real thing in Salem,” Cade said.

“Not yet, maybe,” EJ said pointedly.

“You guys done?” Chief Hammond called from the doorway. “You’re on kitchen cleaning duty.”

EJ groaned, but they both headed to the commercial-sized kitchen and started scrubbing the chili pots from lunch.

“So, how was the date last night?” EJ asked.

Cade cracked a smile. “A gentleman never tells.”

“I know, but I was asking about

your

date.”

Cade laughed.

“I saw her sneaking out of our place at the crack of dawn. I’m assuming this wasn’t an innocent sleepover with popcorn and separate sleeping bags.”

“You can do a lot with popcorn,” Cade said with a smirk. “Especially the buttery kind.”

“Okay, Mr. Morningside Manwhore.”

“Don’t throw those high school names at me,” Cade said. “This is 2013, not the North Salem High days.”

“Well, the girl I saw walking out barefoot was brunette. What happened to the blonde from earlier this week? And that poor girl’s shoes?”

Cade shrugged. “She has three roommates. And probably other shoes.”

“So?”

“Well, the brunette from last night is one of the roommates. So … I assume I won’t be seeing the blonde again?”

EJ groaned.

“Hey, I could be wrong. Depends on whether or not she’s the jealous type.”

“Which one?”

“Either, I guess.”

“I’m honestly not sure if I should be proud or disgusted by having a manwhore as a best friend. And roommate.”

“Proud, probably,” Cade said. He paused and pretended to reflect into the distance. “How’s uh … Kelsey?”

“It’s

Courtney.

And everything’s just like it has been for the last month. Not all of us have a rotating selection of women. Some of us have just one. And she’s doing great. She’s still doing that dressage stuff—”

“You’re still jealous of that hot horse trainer, huh?”

“Not jealous. Just … you know. Concerned for Courtney’s safety.”

“Afraid she might slip and fall on his cock? It happens. Happens to a lot of girls I meet, in fact.”

“She’s not like that,” EJ said and shot him a look.

“I don’t know, man. When we all went out to that bar last week, she was

really

touchy. With, like, every guy there.”

“She’s just Southern. They’re all like that.”

Cade nodded and scrubbed the pot. He didn’t want to say anything, but he couldn’t forget how many times Courtney had touched his dick through his jeans beneath that bartop table. When her hands hadn’t been all over him, she’d stared at him and the message had been clear.

I’m yours if you want me.

Cade knew better than to say anything overt to EJ. They’d been down this road before. All that would happen was he’d end up getting blamed for something he never did.

Just keep your trap shut,

he told himself.

“This is what I like to see. Men in the kitchen.” Cade turned at Lily’s voice and gave her a smile.

“Hey, Lily,” Cade said.

“Hi. EJ, do you have a minute? I wanted to ask you about those scholarships at Oregon State you said I should apply to…”

As Lily grilled EJ about applications, Cade stole glances at her.

Damn, she’s really blossomed in the past year,

he thought.

Verified bombshell.

Her short skirt and white Keds were the perfect combination to show off those long legs.

Cade felt a sudden sting on his arm. “Hey, man,” he said. “That hurt.”

“That’s my sister, dude,” EJ said. His voice was playful, but there was a current underneath it that told Cade to back off.

Lily blushed and looked at her feet.

“Ah, I shouldn’t even bother,” EJ said. “Lily’s too smart to fall for you, anyway, you bastard. She’s saving herself for her future husband. Right, Lil?”

“Uh, no,” Lily said. “You guys are weird. Anyway. Have you seen Dad?”

“Probably in his office,” EJ said.

Cade did his best not to stare as she left, especially with EJ’s eyes on him. EJ hit him again, harder this time. “Why don’t you try thinking about that brunette? You know, the one you actually have a chance with—and won’t get killed for hooking up with?”

“First of all, I’ll have you know that I’m irresistible to all women.”

EJ chuckled as they wrung out the cloths and tossed them into the laundry bin.

Lily

2015

Lily stood in the parking lot of her favorite coffee shop and let the rain wash away her tears.

Former favorite coffee shop,

she reminded herself. It was where Tim had taken her on their first date.

And now it’s all over. Who dates someone for three years and then dumps them like that?

She searched for her keys that jingled at the bottom of her bag.

“Asshole,” she said aloud.

Lily couldn’t stop going over their last conversation. When they’d started dating as freshmen, Tim told her he was totally okay with her being a virgin.

“I think it’s cool!” he’d told her.

However, in the past three years, she had started to get the idea that he was more excited about being the one to “pop her cherry” as he put it, rather than being impressed with her morals and values.

“I want to. Eventually,” she’d told him numerous times.

She just didn’t know when, and she wanted to be absolutely sure about it. Lily knew it wasn’t cool or sexy to be a virgin, especially by her senior year in college.

But she hadn’t cared about that, and didn’t think Tim did either. Not until he dumped her at the exact same place they’d had their first date.

Now, she was

heartbroken

.

“Lily?” She jumped at the voice and looked up. Cade stood over her, dripping wet. “Are you okay?”

She sniffed.

“Fine,” she said. Lily hoped with everything in her it just looked like she was soaked and not crying.

You look freaking pathetic,

she thought to herself.

“You don’t look okay,” he said.

“My, uh. My boyfriend just dumped me,” she admitted, her eyes downcast.

Of course I’d run into Cade, also known as the longest crush

ever.

“What an idiot,” Cade said. “Come on, get in the truck. You’re getting drenched out here.”

He took her elbow and ushered her toward his baby blue vintage Chevy.

“Can’t find your keys?” he asked as he turned on the heat and slid onto the bench seat beside her.

She shook her head. “I don’t… I don’t know…”

“Let’s go to my place,” he said. “EJ has a spare key to yours, right? He’s not home, but I’m sure we can find it.”

“Oh, um. Okay,” she agreed.

The ride to the apartment was fast, and thankfully quiet.

“Here you go,” Cade said as they walked into the small two-bedroom. He pulled a t-shirt and shorts, both with emblems of the Salem Fire Department emblazoned on them, out of the basket of freshly laundered clothes on the couch.

“Thanks,” she said, and took them gingerly.

Lily changed in the shared bathroom and rolled up the shorts numerous times to get them to stay on.

“Hey, you look good in my clothes,” Cade said with a wink when she emerged. Something about the way he said it made her burst into tears. “Lily, I’m sorry!” he said. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Cade jumped up and embraced her. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He pulled her onto the couch next to him and pushed the laundry basket aside. Lily picked at her peeling pink nail polish.

“He …” she started with a sigh. “I don’t know. We’ve been together three years, you know? Since the start of freshman year. And I thought—God, I don’t know what I thought. That we’d get married, and all that. Not that we talked about it or anything.”

She could hear herself rambling but couldn’t stop.

“And then there was, I don’t know. There were little things. Issues, I guess. Red flags, I don’t know.”

A part of her wanted to tell Cade about the whole V-card thing, but her guard was up too high. Lily craved a drink, just a touch of liquid courage to get everything off her chest.

But what would he think if I asked for a glass of wine all of a sudden? Dressed in his clothes?

“You’re better off,” Cade said. His deep voice broke into her internal struggle.

“You think?” she asked. Lily looked up at him.

His hazel eyes bored into hers.

Does he know?

Could he guess about the whole virgin thing?

“Sure,” he said. “The guy sounds like a total loser. Besides, you’re hot enough to bag any guy you want.”

Lily bit her lip and looked back down.

He thinks I’m hot?

“You think?” she asked again.

“Absolutely.”

She willed herself to look up at him again. Before she could think or second-guess herself, she tilted her head up and closed her eyes. Lily couldn’t tell if she closed the distance or he did, but when his lips were on hers she eagerly opened her mouth.

She felt Cade’s hands move to her waist, the heat of his palms against the sliver of flesh between her skirt and t-shirt. Lily let out a moan into his mouth as he easily hoisted her onto his lap.

As she straddled him, she felt his growing hardness as it pressed against the thin material of her underwear. Cade didn’t need to do much to inch the short skirt up. She felt the air against the bare skin of her backside and his hands squeeze into her flesh.

Her hands made their way onto his chest, the muscles from hours of firefighter training evident.

“I’ve wanted this a long time,” he whispered into her ear as he bit gently at her lobe.

Should I tell him?

she wondered, but already he’d ripped open her panties with a single tug.

Cade lifted up her tight shirt to expose her bra and pulled down the lace material. As his mouth moved down her neck and he took a firm nipple into his mouth, she let out a yelp. She felt her wetness begin to soak into the roughness of his denim.

What if I’m not good at it?

she wondered, but pushed that thought aside.

Lily couldn’t stop herself from riding him. By the time she heard the sound of Cade unzipping himself, she had an ache deep inside her that begged to be filled.

“You’re so wet,” he said as he tested her opening with his tip.

Lily braced herself against him and felt just a small pinch as he lowered her onto him.

Soon, she bore onto him, unable to get enough. As Cade kissed and sucked her neck, she felt the wave build up inside her that she’d only ever managed on her own before.

“Come for me,” he murmured against her ear, and she had no choice but to obey.

As she climaxed, she felt a rush into her. Cade’s hot release filled her with a satisfaction she’d never felt before.

As he gently lifted her off him, a drunken sleepiness washed over her, and in the dark Oregon afternoon it already felt like nearly evening.

“EJ?” she wondered aloud even as sleep overtook her.

“Don’t worry,” Cade said as he pulled her against him to spoon on the couch—the same couch she’d sat on countless times over the years. “He’s gone until tomorrow night.”

Lily drifted into sleep with Cade’s sturdy arm wrapped around her.


Lily fluttered her eyes open to the sound of a steady morning rush of rain. The surroundings were only somewhat familiar.

“Cade?” she asked groggily as the previous day’s events began to creep back into her head. Lily groaned and pushed herself up from the couch.

“Cade?” she called again.

She could tell by the stillness in the air he was gone. Her phone, nearly dead, told her it was almost eight in the morning. The heartache she’d felt earlier returned with a vengeance.

I guess that’s why EJ and Aiden call him Morningside Manwhore,

she thought, her mouth twisting.

The weight of what she’d done, of what she’d let Cade do—wanted him to do—started to dawn on her.

I’ve had a crush on him for so long, and now what?

she wondered.

I’m just another notch on his bedpost.

“Well,” she said aloud. “What did you expect would happen?” In her fantasies, this would always be just the beginning. She’d never imagined what would happen afterward.

Slowly, she picked up her clothes, now dry, and got dressed. A small soreness lingered between her legs.

She used the last of her phone battery to call an Uber, a little glazed over. What really stuck in her mind, though, was how pathetic the situation seemed.


Cade

Montana, Six Months Ago

“Here we go,” Barron said as he slid into his seat on one of the fire choppers beside Cade. “My guess is cigarette. Got five on it. You?”

Cade shook his head and grinned. “I’m not betting with you after that last time. How the hell’d you know it was a kerosene lamp anyway?”

Barron shrugged. “Saw it on Facebook before we got there.”

“Bastard,” Cade said with a chuckle.

Dominguez and Fields each stuck to their sides of the fire rescue chopper, looking down at the terrain below.

“Ain’t seen the fire yet, maybe we’ve been called out for a false alarm,” Barron said.

He was the youngest on the repeller crew, just nineteen years old, and came from an all-boys military prep school where he swore up and down he hadn’t seen a girl for four straight years.

“Doubtful. I’ve worked as a hotshot for fifteen years, and this would be my first,” Fields muttered.

The helicopter pilot made his way north, and soon enough they could see the smoke and little bits of orange flame here and there in the trees.

They kept going north, almost ten minutes, and Cade’s concern level grew. Each minute north they went, the flames were more and more prominent.

“What the hell?” Cade said under his breath. He called to the helicopter pilot. “Hey, Sean, I thought the Captain said this was just a two alarm. This—hell, this is a full-blown wildfire.”

“I’ll call in to report that,” Sean said and clicked on the his radio. “Sean here, you hear me, Captain?”

It crackled, but there was nothing.

“Captain, you copy? This isn’t a two alarm, you copy?” Sean clicked it off. “Fuck, man, this piece of shit isn’t working.”

“It’s alright,” Cade said as he got ready to rappel out of the chopper. “We gotta go anyway. Just get back as soon as you can manage, and let everybody know. Where’s the other crew?”

Sean shrugged. Cade sighed and heaved the door open. The tiny chopper seemed to struggle to stay upright. Dominguez and Fields jumped out, their lines attached to the helicopter still.

“Well, let’s get it started. Guys, you know what to do. Barron, you’re with me.”

“How’d I get so lucky?”

Cade jumped, the feeling of freefall hitting him hard for a few seconds. Then his line caught, and he quickly began rappelling downward. In less than two minutes, he and Barron were on the ground.

The fire was

everywhere

.

Cade led the way into the thick of it, gear heavy on his back. He practiced his breathing without thought. It was built into him. The heat slapped at his face, and from his peripheral vision he could see Barron one step behind him. Twenty feet away, Dominguez and Fields forked off into the brush.

They needed to find someplace to start a firebreak, a big dirt trench that would essentially interrupt the fire, keep it from spreading. He surveyed the land.

This isn’t right,

Cade thought.

The fire’s too hot, it’s burning too fast.

He glanced back toward the chopper, but the air where it had been was vacant. His heart leapt into his chest as the ground began to writhe beneath him.

“Snakes! Snakes!” he thought he heard Barron yell. The com was acting weird, cutting in and out. It made it that much harder to communicate, stuck in the middle of nowhere.

But it wasn’t snakes at all, it was a nest of chestnut-colored rabbit kits with no doe in sight.

“Shit,” Cade said under his breath. The little balls of fur wriggled in fear, stuck in a nest they’d likely never been out of.

“Fucking hell,” Cade said. Everything in him told him to keep going, get that firebreak going before all hell broke loose.

What difference does two seconds make?

He leaned down and grasped the three kits in his gloves and tossed them behind him. On shaky, unfamiliar legs, they raced off away from the fire, freed from the fallen brambles that had pinned them down.

Cade didn’t want to see whatever look Barron might shoot him, so he immediately buckled down and started on the firebreak from his side.

But when he got to the point where he thought they’d meet, there was nothing there.

“Barron?” he called and looked up. He was alone, and the fire moved faster than it should have. “Barron!”

In the distance, forty feet away, he thought he saw three yellow figures through the smoke.

What the hell?

Cade grabbed the walkie talkie.

“Barron? You there? Dominguez, Fields?” Like Sean’s radio, his walkie talkie cackled, but nothing more. “Shit.”

Just like Barron to go running off like that. What, does he think he’s some kind of hero?

“Duke, you copy? Cade you copy? The fire’s moving fast—” Fields’ voice broke through the walkie talkie.

Cade looked around, but the smoke was so thick that he could barely see three feet in front of his face.

“1o-4,” Cade said, thankful. “Is Barron with you?”

“Cade? The fire’s moving your way fast. Cade?”

“10-4!” Cade yelled into the walkie talkie.

“Shit, man, I don’t think he can hear—” Fields said, then cut off abruptly.

Cade walked away from the trench, looking around desperately. The smoke shifted and Cade spotted three distinct figures in the gulch below.

What the hell are they all doing down there?

“Hey!” he started, but the fire boxed him in on two sides.

Forwards or backwards,

he calculated.

Either way, it was a fifty-fifty shot.

Cade leapt forward to make it out of the flames, but his heavy boot caught on the edge of the same pit that had entrapped the rabbits. As soon as he went down, he knew it was fractured.

He looked behind him, eyes wide. Somehow, the fire had missed him. It eagerly tore through the grass, brush, and debris behind him.

Cade tried to struggle to his feet, but he couldn’t stand on his ankle.

“Cade?” Barron’s voice crackled over the walkie talkie. The fear in it was evident. “If you can hear me, retreat. The fire is close, and the firebreak won’t stop it.”

Cade dragged himself out of the small pit towards the ledge. The high rocky ground was his only chance for cover. He figured it was also his only chance to see the gulch clearly.

“Cade!” Dominguez’s voice roared through the radio, all protocol lost. He could hear choking, desperate prayers sent skyward.

Fuck!

he thought.

They need me, right now.

“I’m coming,” Cade said into his radio.

He pulled himself forward, but even at the highest part of the ledge he couldn’t bring himself to tumble into the flames. The heat kept him at bay. Far below, he watched his crew huddle together.

They no longer tried to escape. Dominguez kept his finger on the walkie talkie, and sounds erupted from it like wild animals.

Cade tried to call for them, but the smoke filled his throat and burned his lungs.

“Dominguez, can you hear me? Dominguez, do you copy? Barron? Fields?” Cade barely had enough in him to get the words out.

I’m going to die.

It wasn’t an entirely unwelcome thought.

Dominguez’s voice roared over the walkie talkie, intermittent and subdued. “…

perdónanos nuestras deudas, asì como nosotros perdonamos á nuestros deudores

…”

“No!” Cade cried, even as the smoke almost blinded him.

He watched as the flames circled the three men below like a playful lover. It licked at their feet, and none of them flinched.

It should have been me.

“No,” Cade said again, even as the darkness hugged him close.

“Amen,” Dominguez’s voice rang through the walkie talkie.

Cade watched him drop the walkie talkie into the flames. As the fire trailed along Barron’s leg, the three men looked up at once, right into Cade’s eyes. Into the darkest, inkiest part of him.

Barron let out a keen like nothing Cade had ever heard before. It crashed into his soul and buried itself deep.

I’m sorry.

Comments

  • amesr09

    I’m confused about the format of this book. Seems like everything’s missing. wish we had a warning before I started.

    09/05/2023 07:51
  • Sam

    dumb

    09/05/2023 02:02
  • Tonya Keith

    for a teaser sample, you've ruined the book for some because you gave away the ending now we all it's a HEA book which is fine but there won't be any bit suspense to the book seeing as how we now know that the main characters are together

    09/05/2023 01:28
  • deb

    is the an ending to this book before I start it

    09/05/2023 01:10
  • Tonya Keith

    exactly what is the point of this "book" because it's not one... it's simply 2 scatter brained chapters that are quite significantly anticlimactic in all aspects of the word

    09/05/2023 00:44

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