Texas Wildfire (Texas Heroes Book 1) (17 page)

After that, all she could do was hang onto the sheet, because he made it his personal mission to make her scream—and he was very successful. Makenna came so hard she bit a hole in his pillowcase.

Titan couldn’t believe the sight before him. He’d hit the damn love jackpot. There was no sexier woman in the world. For him, she was it. Taking his engorged cock in hand, he fit himself into her cleft, sliding in her cream before pulling back and pushing the head into her opening ever so slowly.

Makenna almost said something about a condom, but she was weak. She was addicted to the feel of him. If something happened, it was on her. She wanted him, she couldn’t deny it. She wanted him forever. So, wanting his child was a natural extension. “More,” she whimpered and he worked his way in halfway. When he pulled back to thrust in, she countered his move, impaling herself on his big cock.

“Mercy!” he bellowed, as his body shook with the need to explode. “Hold on, I can’t stop now.” Grabbing her hips, he began to fuck her hard, covering her back, kissing her neck, grazing the soft flesh with his teeth. When she tightened down around him, milking his cock, Titan saw stars.

Taking her hips in his hands, he held her right where he needed her. Make no mistake about it, he might be on top, but she was calling the shots. At any time, if she gave any hint that she wanted him to let up, to stop, he’d cease and desist. Instead, she begged for him, “More, Ti, harder, more!”

Giving her what she needed, Titan hammered into her. Her little channel caressed him, milked him, burned him with her hunger. “Come for me, baby, I need you so much.” He slid his hands around to her front, one grasping a quivering globe, the other delving between her legs to find her clit.

Titan didn’t know if it was his words or his touch, but she bloomed for him, her body responding in the age-old way of a woman surrendering to a man. With a sexy cry, she came all over him, the pulsing spasms of her channel pushing him over the cliff—a stampede of sensation that kept his cock moving in and out of her long after the clasps of her pussy muscles had milked him of every drop.

Pulling out, he wrapped an arm around her and took her with him, him landing on his back and her spread on top of him like jam on toast. “Did I satisfy you, my Makenna?”

“Completely.” She sighed, relaxing fully against him. “Completely.”

Titan’s world had changed. He was no longer alone and he was no longer lonely. What he’d wished for, what he prayed for had been given to him. Now, he just had to make sure he kept it, kept her. He lay there, his cock growing harder by the second and realized…she was here, they were together and there was no use to deprive either of them of what they wanted or needed. Rising, he bent over and took her nipple in his mouth, sucking through the shirt. Beneath him, she bowed her back and whimpered.

“Titan.” Makenna said his name at the same time she clasped his head to her breast. “Good morning.” He grazed his teeth over her nipple and she felt herself grow wet.

Titan shut his eyes, luxuriating in the moment. “Take me inside you, Makenna,” he instructed with a low voice.

She skimmed his T-shirt over her head and rose up on her knees. Between the two of them, they managed to put Part A into Slot B. He held his cock up and helped her angle over him until she could sink down on his dick…slowly. Titan loved the look of wonder on her face as she sheathed him. Linking their hands, Makenna began to ride him while he gazed at the erotic sight. He wanted to watch—her breasts were jiggling, her eyes were glazed over with desire and her sweet mouth was open, ready for his kisses. But
fuucck
, it felt so good, he couldn’t keep his eyes open. The heat, the rub, the friction, the slide of his flesh against her. “Makenna!” Too soon he came, shooting up inside of her. Embarrassed by the breakneck speed his cock raised the white flag, he was grateful she was polite and came with him.

“Oh, that was so good.” She laid her head on his shoulder and he held her tight. Life didn’t get any better than this—Titan Sloan had it made.

After cumming so hard, they drifted back so sleep but an insistent buzzing on the nightstand claimed Titan’s attention. Since he’d squashed his old alarm clock, Titan had replaced it with a sturdier model. The next piece of technology that was in dire danger of being mauled was his phone, especially now that he had Makenna in his bed. With a groan he grabbed it. “Hello?”

“Titan, this is Kirk Armstrong. I wanted to let you know that we found liquid paraffin in Wade’s garage. We also found some other things that might connect him to these fires—trophies, I guess you could say. All of this has to be analyzed, but he looks to be the arsonist.”

Titan wasn’t surprised that the Fire Marshal found proof. What did surprise him was the disappointment in the man’s voice. Clearly, he hadn’t wanted Damien to be guilty. “What next?”

“He wasn’t there.” The bombshell Kirkland dropped reverberated in Titan’s head.

“The fucker was gone? The police can’t find him?” Even before he heard the verdict, Titan knew the answer.

“Someone tipped him off. He’s got friends.”

Titan sat up on the side of the bed. He knew Makenna was awake and aware.

“The sheriff said if he found out who was leaking information, they’d be off the force. “I hope people don’t start turning on Conner for trying to see that justice is done.”

Rubbing his face, Titan was pissed. “To hell with those people.” Their blind faith in someone who didn’t deserve it was putting everyone at risk, especially Makenna.

“Keep me informed,” Kirkland said.

“Oh yeah, I will.” Titan laid the phone down.

“He’s still on the loose, isn’t he?” Makenna knelt right behind him. “What if he comes here? He has to know what I’ve done. What are we going to do?”

Titan cursed under his breath, he hadn’t intended to scare her. Her trembling voice made him feel helpless. “I’m going to keep you safe, first of all. The sheriff put an APB out on him. He’s probably a state or two away by now.” Which was true. Damien might be a psycho, but he wasn’t stupid. He was probably long gone. “Second, we’re going to talk and I want to know everything about that idiot you can tell me. It’s time we took him out of commission.”

Makenna felt better when she had a sense of purpose in mind. They readied themselves for the day, then sat down at the kitchen table to eat breakfast. Today their meal consisted of omelets she’d whipped up while he made coffee. “What can you tell me about Damien’s past?” Titan asked as he buttered his toast.

“I’ve probably heard the version that everyone else relates. He’s a hometown boy. His parents owned a Mom and Pop mercantile store.” Makenna thought a minute. “What he really likes to talk about is his time in the VFD and how he came to be involved. If I heard the story how he saved the congregation at the Baptist Church once, I heard it fifty times. He loved to relate how he was driving by, saw the fire and ran in to lead everyone out to safety.”

“It seems he did this more than once, right?” Titan watched her face, seeing how this affected her.

“Yes, he loved to be a hero. I don’t know the names of the families whose homes he managed to save, but there was more than one. I believe Kirkland was Fire Chief then, and they encouraged Damien to join as soon as he was old enough. He had quite the reputation. When he moved north, it was Kirk’s recommendation that got him the paid job in the big city fire department.”

Titan kept eating, but his mind was racing. “Why did you leave the city and move back here?”

Makenna swallowed before answering, wiping her mouth with a paper towel. “My life at that point was miserable. The honeymoon stage was over, I guess you could say. He didn’t talk to me, not really. Every day he seemed to take greater pleasure in browbeating and humiliating me.” At his questioning expression, she elaborated. “Well, you heard how I had to say that I was worthless out loud.” She saw Titan’s jaw harden, his mouth compress in a thin straight line. “If the meal I cooked wasn’t up to his specifications, I had to eat mine off the floor.” Titan groaned, so Makenna moved on. Those days were behind her, no use to dwell on them. “When he decided to move, I wasn’t included in the decision. Damien came home one day and announced we were leaving. There were no goodbye parties or visits from his friends. We were just there one day and here the next. I don’t know what happened.”

Titan stood and collected their plates. “That is strange. I wonder…” he began, but he didn’t finish his sentence.

Makenna helped him, placing their dishes in the washer. “What are you thinking?”

“I think I see a pattern.” He kissed her on the forehead. “I do my best thinking at the anvil, so I’m going to head out to my blacksmith shop for a bit.” Glancing at the clock, he saw it was still pretty early, only seven-thirty. “As soon as Kirk is in his office, I’m heading down and go over some records and make a few phone calls. Why don’t you get dressed and you can ride with me? Maybe you and Allie can get together while I take care of this.” He smiled when he saw her face brighten. “Remember, this afternoon I’m taking you to the vineyard.”

“You make me so happy.” She hugged him on tiptoe. “My life is nothing like it used to be.”

“This is the way life is supposed to be, sweetheart.” He hugged her back.

After that, the day passed swiftly. Titan worked his frustrations out on hot steel, forging a beautiful knife for Makenna. It would be delicate, like her, but functional. He hoped she liked it. For him, it wasn’t just a weapon for protection, it was art. As he beat the metal into submission, he let the theories he had on Damien formulate in his mind. If he was right, Damien had been a firebug all the time.

Once he had the blade formed and cooling, Titan returned to the house to see if Makenna was ready to go. When he grasped the door handle, he was glad to see she’d locked it. They couldn’t be sure Wade had left town, so taking precautions was smart. “Makenna, are you ready?” he called from the bottom of the stairs.

“Almost,” she answered back.

Titan laughed. ‘Almost’ could mean anything to a woman. “Okay, I’m going to get some lemonade and cool off. I’ll be waiting.” He sauntered to the kitchen, poured the cool drink over ice and sat down at the bar to enjoy it. To pass the time, he went through the mail. Nothing unusual, bills mostly. At the bottom of the stack, he saw his sister’s magazine she’d left, the one Makenna had referred to. “Let’s see the kind of boots she likes.” Opening it up, he began to leaf through the pages. They would see Tara this weekend. Their family was one of the driving forces behind Rodeo Austin and the scholarship ceremony was around the corner. He was expected to be there. The timing was good, because he wanted to introduce his parents and Tara to Makenna. As he flipped through the magazine, he saw it—and his face broke into a huge smile.

The pair of snow white cowboy boots were worn by a bride. She sat on the steps of a country church with a bouquet of wildflowers in her hand. All of his hopes and dreams rose like a flood in Titan’s heart. “Makenna needs these boots,” he muttered.

With a plan in mind, he drained his glass, sat it in the sink and made his way upstairs. “Hey, baby, how’s it coming?” She was standing in front of the vanity applying mascara to her already long beautiful eyelashes.

“Almost,” she said again and he nodded, trying to look entirely innocent as he made his way to the closet to check her shoe size.

“Good deal,” he said, as he meandered back into the hallway and down the stairs to place the order.

“Okay, I’m ready,” she announced as she came bounding down the stairs, looking for all the world like a ray of sunshine in a simple yellow dress.

“Me too,” he agreed. He was ready for a lot of things, ready to start a new life with her as his wife for one.

*  *  *

“You are one lucky woman,” Allie announced as they watched Titan cross the street on his way to the Fire Marshal’s office.

“Yes, I am.” Makenna couldn’t argue with the truth. “He’s taking me on a date to a vineyard tonight.”

“What are you going to wear?” Allie asked with excitement as she pulled her small Audi out into the street.

“Probably my black dress.” Makenna didn’t want to make a big deal about it. “It’s nice and always appropriate.”

“No, you’ll wear something of mine. You know my closet is always overflowing.” Allie was a buyer for several department stores. “I’m thinking about opening my own boutique here in town. How would you like to work for me? I’d give you deep discounts.”

Makenna’s eyes grew big as saucers. “Seriously?”

“Heck yea, I’m serious.” Allie assured her as they pulled up in front of a Walgreens. “I like it here. I’m not letting your psychotic ex-husband run me off. I needed to make some upgrades in the house anyway. His antics just assured that the insurance company would pay for them instead of me.” She winked at Makenna. “Besides, Hotshot asked me out for this weekend.”

“He did?” Makenna squealed and hugged her. “That’s wonderful!” When Allie opened the door to get out, Makenna asked, “What are we doing here?”

“Buying you a pregnancy test. Did you forget?”

Yes, she had. With all the hullabaloo with fires and Damien-trouble, she had pushed the possibility of a baby to the back of her mind once again. “I had a lot on my mind,” she said weakly. “If I’m not pregnant, I need birth control, that’s for sure.”

“Well, first things first,” Allie pronounced as she held the door for Makenna. “After we buy this, we’ll pick up some lunch, then head over to my house so you can pick out something to wear tonight.” Heading down the right aisle, Allie picked up a box and handed it to her. “While we’re there, you can pee on this stick.”

A few streets over, Titan sat in front of Kirkland Armstrong. “I want you to help me research something.” He leaned forward and placed a sheet of paper on the desk. “According to our VFD records, these are the dates of those fires Damien Wade built his reputation on, the ones that he just happened to be at the right place at the right time.”

Kirk picked the paper up. “What are you saying, Sloan?”

“Look, I know you two were friends. But what if he’s been doing this the whole time?”

Kirkland let out a long breath. “Actually, I’m ahead of you.” He pulled a file folder from his desk. “It’s a sad fact, but a higher than comfortable percentage of arsonists are firefighters. The occupation tends to draw those who are fascinated and drawn to fire.” Opening the folder, he spread out a sheaf of papers. “It seems he’s been using the same manner of setting the blazes from the beginning. I’ve turned all of this information over to the DA. Property damages are huge, but there were also some injuries involved. This is one dangerous man.”

Titan thought he would feel better when the truth came out, but he didn’t. Damien could have been a model citizen. He had so much to offer. Instead, he was a criminal and the one who had suffered the most was Makenna.

Meanwhile, Makenna and Allie visited over Paninis at a street-side café. The outing wasn’t without drama. Their waitress turned out to be someone who’d gone to school with Damien and she pulled no punches, telling Makenna just what she thought about the accusations made against him. Seeing the attention the conversation was drawing, Makenna didn’t even attempt to defend herself. Instead, they finished their meal, then hurried to the trailer where they rifled through Allie’s closet, tossing outfits to the right and to the left until Makenna settled on a short white dress overlaid with lace. “I like this one,” she murmured, running her hand reverently down the soft material.

“You’ll look marvelous in it,” Allie assured her.

The knock on the door came earlier than expected. “It’s Titan,” Makenna said, peeking out the window.