Burn Zone, page 16
part #1 of Hotshots Series
And right when Jacob thought he might be about to melt into the sheets, Linc scooted lower, hands kneading Jacob’s ass as his mouth teased all along the waistband of his briefs.
“Are we doing that thing where I have to beg you to fuck me again?” His voice managed to sound both sleepy and impatient.
“Maybe.” Linc lightly bit his ass before peeling down Jacob’s briefs, mouth following the path of his fingers.
“You don’t have to—oh, fuck.” Whatever gallant protest he’d been about to make died on a rush of pure pleasure as Linc spread his ass, wasting no time in attacking Jacob’s rim.
“You were saying?” Chuckling darkly, Linc pulled back long enough to ask.
“Didn’t mean that kind of work. Damn.”
Linc didn’t even let him finish his thought before he was back, teasing and torturing him with his lips and tongue. Jacob had played around with rimming before, but never with someone who seemed so determined to make it a fucking meal. For all his humbleness, Linc clearly knew what he was doing with this, flicking and licking and sucking.
“Linc. Fuck. Linc.” Jacob wasn’t even aware that his hips were rocking until the friction on his dick went from pleasant to oh-fuck good seemingly in the space of seconds. But the hoarseness in his throat said Linc had probably been at it awhile, him moaning and shamelessly humping the bed the whole time.
“Stop,” he managed to grit out. “Stop. Gonna come.”
“Fine. Take all my fun.” Sitting back on his heels, Linc dug around in Jacob’s drawer, coming up with the lube and condoms. “Damn. You’re fucking sexy that way. Tempted to get you off with nothing other than my mouth.”
“But you won’t.” Jacob wasn’t above whining. Or begging. “Fuck me. Please.”
He bumped his hips up, trying to make his point, but Linc pinned him to the mattress. “I do the work, remember?”
“Yeah.” Fuck but Linc pushy like this, all dominating, was the sexiest thing ever. And it was way more intense this way, flat on his front, letting Linc move him around, no choice but to take whatever it was Linc wanted to give him. It was tighter too, even after all that rimming, Linc’s lubed fingers feeling broader than usual.
Breathing deep, he tried to relax into the stretch. Even after having done this together a few times now, this was the part he still wasn’t crazy about, the needing to let his body adjust. The actual fucking was glorious. But the getting there made him impatient, made him want to rush.
He tried again to push back. “You can—”
“Nope.” Linc held him firmly in place. “We do this my way.”
“You’re getting off on this power trip,” he complained, even as he kind of did love Linc like this.
“Hey, you’re the one who needs to rest up,” Linc said right as his fingers connected with Jacob’s gland and oh-fucking-kay, all the waiting and adjusting was worth it.
“Just fuck me,” he begged, all chill lost in a rush of blinding need and want.
“Mmm. That’s more like it.” Linc’s voice was like the purr of a classic car, the seductive sound of a lot of horsepower about to get unleashed.
Jacob had something to say about arrogant, bossy men, but whatever flip response he’d been planning fled as Linc shifted, condom-covered cock dragging along Jacob’s ass, teasing. Then the blunt pressure at his rim made him gasp.
“Easy.” Linc ran a hand down Jacob’s back, easing forward slowly, giving Jacob almost too much time to adjust.
“Just go,” he urged. Somehow the more Linc took his time, the more he took care of Jacob, the harder it was to focus on the fuck, the harder it was to convince himself that the fuck was all there was. Soft touches and murmured praise felt perilously close to affection, and affection was too close of a cousin to everything he’d ever wanted from Linc.
“We’ll get there.” Not surprisingly, Linc didn’t listen to his pleas, continuing to work in with shallow thrusts that stole Jacob’s breath. Finally, Linc’s balls brushed his ass, and they both moaned. The position itself was as intense as all the emotions it inspired, every nerve ending sensitive, body tight even as the angle let Linc go deep, every stroke nailing his gland.
“Fuck.” He wanted to fuck back, get more of that delicious pressure, but Linc held him fast. This level of letting go was something new, nothing to do but lie there, taking everything Linc wanted to give him, completely at his mercy. And hell if that wasn’t a metaphor for his whole damn life. But at a certain point, he stopped holding back, gave in to the urge to meld into the sensations, feather in the wind, along for the ride, no longer trying to control it.
Above him, Linc was groaning and muttering praise, sounds almost as arousing as his thrusts. He’d never come from fucking without a hand on his cock, but the more the tension in his muscles built, the more likely it seemed that the friction against the sheet was going to be enough.
“Oh, fuck. I think I can...” He more than half expected Linc to tell him no, make him wait, but Linc made a satisfied growl, speeding up.
“Yeah, you can.” Linc’s voice was strained and his arm shook against Jacob’s back. Maybe he wasn’t quite so iron-control after all. And knowing this was getting to him too pushed Jacob further, let him chase the climax that kept teasing the edges of his awareness. Then Linc shifted, going deeper and harder, giving Jacob just enough room to writhe against the bed, cock dragging against the sheet, and the prospect of coming went from nice possibility to absolute certainty.
“Coming. Coming. God.” He probably didn’t have to announce it as his whole body went stiff, everything clenching before he collapsed in giant shudders, a sticky, sweaty mess. And Linc didn’t have to say a thing for Jacob to tell he was there too, hips hammering hard, as he made a low, pained noise.
“Fuck.” Linc dropped kisses all across Jacob’s shoulders, more of that caretaking as he eased out. “You’re something else.”
“Something good?” Sleepy, he snuggled into Linc’s side, mess be damned.
“More like trouble.” Linc groaned and held him close.
“At least I’m good at it.” He kissed Linc’s arm as he snaked his hand down Jacob’s chest.
“The best.” Linc buried his face in Jacob’s hair. “Promise I’m not sleeping over, but—”
“Sleep. I’ll kick you out later.” Simply having Linc here, in his space, his bed was enough of a novelty that he didn’t join Linc in drifting off, instead luxuriating in the rare quiet moments of closeness. Not sex. Not guilt. Not obligation or misguided duty. Only...intimacy. The sort of familiarity he’d never had before and already craved more of. He liked to think that few others had ever seen this side of Linc and that this was something only for them. Special.
Fuck. He had it bad. He’d waited years to be special enough for Linc to make an exception for, and now that he had this, it wasn’t enough. He wanted more. Wanted everything. And that sort of want could only lead to pain, but that didn’t stop his chest from tightening and his hands from pulling Linc in even closer. He wanted, and he wasn’t letting go.
Chapter Fourteen
“Burn boss wants to see you, Reid.” McKenna’s voice crackled across the radio.
“On my way.” Linc was ready to get this show on the road. Nodding at Garrick and Jacob, who had been waiting next to him, he headed toward the makeshift command where the person in charge of that day’s prescribed burn waited. It was easier these days to walk on by Jacob, not have to deal with a racing pulse or galloping thoughts. He’d see Jacob alone later, and that made it easier to be professional on the job, get done what needed doing and trust Jacob to handle his duties.
Something had shifted the past few weeks, especially once Jacob had passed training along with the other rookies. Yeah, he didn’t want Jacob in danger, was no more comfortable with that than he’d been years ago, but he respected Jacob’s goals.
In short, he cared. Far more than he’d ever thought possible. Of course, in the background everything else still swirled—all the reasons this was a bad idea like the whole business of sleeping with a guy he worked with, something he tried not to dwell on too much. When he was a rookie himself, bumping around from crew to crew, he’d fucked around some, and it had almost always gone badly, no getting around the awkward no matter how much on the down low the hookup had been. Here, the awkward would be off the charts if their repeated hookups came out, but even so he couldn’t seem to quit Jacob, even when ending badly seemed more and more inevitable.
They were supposed to be working this...whatever it was out of their systems. But it had been weeks now, and Linc’s lust showed no signs of burning itself out, and miracle of miracles Jacob kept coming around, hadn’t gotten tired of Linc and the secrecy. If anything he’d damn embedded himself in Linc’s life, eating his food, playing with his dogs, watching his TV. Hell, he’d even brought groceries last visit when he’d helped Linc transplant several trays of seedlings to the garden. They spent as much time out of bed as in it, talking and hanging out, each encounter another cozy layer Linc would eventually have to peel away. But not yet.
“We ready?” he asked Morrison, the burn boss who had spent weeks planning for that day’s fire. One thing outsiders seldom understood about smoke jumping was how much hurry up and wait there was, and how much time was spent on other forest management projects designed to ensure that their emergency services were needed less. Today they’d been loaned out to help with a prescribed burn project east of Prineville. May had given way to early June, and the risk for fires increased with each sunny week, especially as fireworks season crept up on them. But so far they’d had limited emergency callouts, mainly working on planned projects.
This was a larger controlled burn, so several hotshot and engine crews were assisting along with the crews from the smoke-jumping base. Their job would be to keep the fire within the designated boundaries. Back at base, another crew stood ready to parachute in if things got out of hand and their services were needed. But the objective was to not get to that point.
“I’m not liking this wind.” Morrison frowned. “I want your crew to move into position ahead of ignition, get us some additional data on how the fire is moving. We’re going ahead with the burn, but we need to be smart.”
“Absolutely. We’re on it.” This sort of complex management was exactly why they were involved—their years of experience and training would help the other crews do their jobs more effectively. After sorting out more of what the burn boss needed from them, he took Garrick, Ray and Jacob with him to talk with the firing boss—the person in charge of all the planned ignitions.
Their plan was worked out, so they geared up, checked their communications set, and trudged out. While they waited for the ten a.m. ignition start, Linc checked all the readings on their equipment while Jacob and Garrick were deep in conversation about something. And if Linc was jealous about how close they stood or how animated their voices were, he quickly dismissed that as being pointless. He’d get Jacob all to himself soon enough.
“Are we keeping you guys from book club or what?” Ray teased.
“Nah.” Garrick laughed and pointed at Jacob. “I was just convincing the birthday boy here that it would be rude to not let us take him out after we’re done here.”
“It’s your birthday?” Damn. Linc had totally forgotten that Jacob’s birthday was this part of June, and now he felt stupid. Even so, he modulated his tone, trying to not sound entitled or hurt. But it would have been nice for Jacob to drop a damn hint on one of his many secret visits.
“I know.” Garrick slapped Jacob on the shoulder. “He kept mighty quiet. I wouldn’t know if Kelley hadn’t said something. She and McKenna and a bunch of others want to go out, but he keeps putting us off. Hedging his bets for a better time or something.”
“It’s not that.” Jacob shot Linc a helpless look, shoulders slumping. Heck. He must have been hoping for some Friday night alone time, same as Linc. But Linc couldn’t keep him from his friends, especially not on his birthday.
“Then it’s settled,” Garrick said firmly. “You’re going. Ray, you in? Surely the wife can spare you an hour?”
“One beer,” Ray allowed, keeping his gaze on the horizon, same as Linc should be doing, no doubt scanning for the start of smoke. “You in, Reid?”
“Yeah,” Garrick answered for him. “You’re even worse than the birthday boy here about going out lately. A single beer isn’t going to kill you. Or hell, make it a soda, but you’re coming too.”
The absolute last thing Linc wanted was to be social with the work crew while having to act like Jacob was simply another coworker. It was hard enough at work, when he had all the distractions of the job. And now that Wyatt was gone and that circle was scattered, he couldn’t seem to find his bearings socially. Hell, there were plenty of days where Jacob was the only real friend he cared to see, the only thing truly grounding him.
And that was why when Jacob said, “Yeah, you should come,” he nodded automatically.
He wouldn’t go for himself, but for Jacob there wasn’t much he wouldn’t try. “I’ve got to get home, see to the dogs, but I’ll come out after that.”
“Good.” There was a message in Jacob’s tentative smile, but Linc didn’t have a chance to decipher it before the radio crackled with the countdown to ignition. And then it was on, them studying the fire’s progression, gathering data for the burn boss and other crews as everyone worked together to keep the fire to the planned low-intensity burn. The ignition crew changed their approach based on their reports, minute adjustments that kept all the ground personnel safe.
A few spot fires crept up on the perimeter of the controlled burn, but the holding crew quickly dealt with those. The day was tense but familiar, an energy he always enjoyed, everyone working in concert and on high alert to avert disaster. And not surprising, everyone was in a celebratory mood after the burn boss declared the fire completed and dismissed the various crews. Seemingly half the personnel headed out to drink, successful fire and Jacob’s birthday as good a reason as any.
Linc took care of the dogs and showered and changed as he tried to come up with a plan for Jacob. Not a present exactly and sure as fuck nothing public, but it was the guy’s birthday, and Linc couldn’t help but feel a little sentimental himself. Luckily, a decent idea came to him, one he thought Jacob might like, and he found himself almost eager on the drive back into town.
The bar and grill was popular with the firefighting crowd, an older building near downtown with a worn sign, large covered patio and music spilling out into the parking lot. Kelley, Garrick and a bunch of others had pushed several tables together on the patio. Jacob was penned into the far corner, surrounded by friends, no chance of Linc getting a word with him, so he didn’t try.
Instead, he sent a fast text. Don’t leave without your present. It was direct without being too flirtatious, but he was nevertheless gratified when Jacob checked his phone, smiled and nodded. That smile was worth all the risk, as was getting to watch him from a distance. He’d always known that Jacob was popular and well-liked, but watching him with his friends like this was different somehow. He had a natural way of putting people at ease, making those around him laugh and have a good time. Pride coursed through Linc, like when Jacob had passed training, chest light, mouth unable to keep back a smile, body almost gloating that he alone would get Jacob by himself later.
“See? This isn’t too hard.” Ray stuck a soda in Linc’s hand.
It took Linc a second to figure out that he didn’t mean the watching-Jacob thing, but rather this, being out, being social. The Wyatt-not-here thing.
“Yeah,” he agreed, even though now that Ray had said it, Wyatt’s shadow loomed over the patio. There by the door to the main building was his favorite summer table. That beer Jacob was drinking was his favorite brand. The song filtering in was one he’d sung along to off-key.
“I know it’s difficult, losing your best friend,” Ray was continuing. “But he wouldn’t want you holed up at your house months on end. Alone. Too serious, even at work. He’d want the old you back. We’ve been worried about you.”
Ray undoubtedly had a point, but all Linc’s brain latched onto was Wyatt wouldn’t want... Hell. What Wyatt wouldn’t want was Linc standing here watching his baby brother with hungry eyes, knowing full well his plans for later. Every kiss was a betrayal of what Wyatt would want. And hell if Linc could stop now. He was in too deep, wanted too much. He might have made his peace with breaking his promise, but still he couldn’t deny the hurt, the way it sliced deep, knowing Wyatt would never forgive him.
Further, the guilt wasn’t only for Wyatt. Here Ray was worried for him when the truth was that Linc wasn’t alone, hadn’t been truly alone for weeks now. Words rose up in his throat only to die as another work friend came over to say hello to Ray. Oh, well. It wasn’t like he would have told him anyway. Would he? For the first time he’d been tempted, his long list of reasons momentarily retreating before it slammed back into him full force.
This is only temporary, he reminded himself as he watched Jacob continue to hold court over at his table. But it was getting harder to believe that, especially when Jacob’s hold on him only seemed to increase. All those reasons, all the guilt over Wyatt weren’t enough to keep him away, keep him from counting down until they’d be alone, and he could show Jacob his birthday surprise.
* * *
“So? Where’s my present?” Finally, heart hammering way more than it should have, Jacob freed himself from his various work friends and made his way to Linc, who was picking at a basket of sweet potato fries. Alone, because Ray and some others had left a while ago, and he hadn’t left this spot. Still Jacob had felt his presence, felt his eyes on him, a mountain lion stalking his prey without moving an inch.
