Raging Fires by Candace Camp
Chapter Twenty-One
“Maybe for you,” Jake muttered as Kelli walked away.
On the list of things he didn’t want to do, this wasn’t the top one, but it ranked right up there in the top ten. There were so many things wrong with it:
One. Washing a dog was never ‘fun.’ He hated doing it, and the dog hated having it done to him.
Two. This wasn’t a domesticated dog, who was accustomed to enduring the indignity of a bath. It was a stray, used to running around and doing what it wanted, which did not include having water poured all over him.
Three. This wasn’t some little puppy. It was a big animal, which meant that Toby was strong enough that someone would have to wrap his arms around him and hold him still, and that someone would be Jake.
Which led to Four. Kelli’s new pet was filthy dirt and stank of garbage and other things that it was probably better not to think about, not to mention being covered in fleas and ticks, and the poor sucker holding him, namely himself, would get the full impact of the dirt, odor, and insects.
He would wind up soaked to the skin. And worst—he was going to spend another half-hour in close proximity to Kelli. He’d just spent a torturous hour with her hovering over him, breathing down his neck, touching his arm to get his attention, her perfume teasing him. It was damn embarrassing the way just hearing her laugh or her touching his hand as she gave him a nut and bolt made him hard. A guy ought to have some control of himself. Some pride.
It wasn’t just that she turned him on; the problem was he was beginning to lose his grudge against Kelli. Like yesterday, when he’d realized all of sudden that he was talking to her as if they were still together. As if he cared about Kelli’s problems with her drunk-ass mother, who in his opinion should stay as far away as possible from Kelli because she never did anything but hurt Kelli over and over and over again. The woman was selfish and—
Jake sighed. What did it matter what Kelli’s mother was like? Not. His. Problem.
“Okay, let’s go.” Kelli came sailing out of the house, carrying a plastic bottle. She’d changed into an old T-shirt and shorts, obviously expecting the process to go about as well as he did. She, however, seemed cheerful about it.
Jake stripped off his shirt and tossed it onto the porch. His exercise shorts didn’t matter, but that was one of his favorite T-shirts and he wasn’t going to get all the crud from the dog on his shirt.
“Whoa. Somebody’s been working out,” Kelli commented.
“Oh, my God, is that a compliment?” It was stupid that her words warmed him.
“Yeah. You’re looking really good. I mean, you always did, but I—um…” Kelli fumbled to a halt, her cheeks flushing.
And that made him feel even better. Jake hid a grin.
The dog jumped up and threw himself against Kelli as soon as she stepped outside. “No, boy, down.” Kelli patted him and crooned, “Yes, that’s a good boy.” To Jake, she said, “Come around back to the hose.” She went around the side of the house, the dog trotting at her heels, and Jake followed.
“There’s a hose here?” He glanced around at the empty dirt surrounding them. “Why?”
“Because houses have hoses,” Kelli said inarguably.
Jake squatted down beside the dog, who looked at him somewhat suspiciously. “Okay, Toby, it’s you and me.”
Kelli made a little growling noise low in her throat. “Would you stop with the Toby stuff?”
“You’re going to hurt Toby’s feelings,” Jake told her. “How can you not like Toby? Tobes… the Tobe… Tobester.”
“Seriously. What is wrong with you?”
“I wonder about that myself, given that I’m here about to hold down a dirty, flea-ridden dog so you can wash him.”
“I can hold him, and you can wash him,” Kelli offered.
Jake snorted. “Yeah, right.” He looped an arm around the dog’s back and looked into his face. “Toby, I want you to know that I am not the person who wants to inflict this on you. Holy crap, this dog stinks.” He looked over at Kelli. “Okay, turn it on.”
Kelli turned on the faucet and approached them, water running from the hose in her hand. She looked dubious. “You’re going to get all wet.”
“No duh. That’s why I took off my shirt.”
“I just thought you were showing off your manly chest.” Kelli grinned. “We should switch. I’m the one—”
“You’re going to take off your shirt?”
“No, you idiot.”
“Kell, just start already.”
She brought the hose closer, and the dog tried to lap a drink from it, but when she started streaming the water over him, Toby began to buck and twist. Jake clamped both arms around him tightly and hung on. Kelli followed the water with a squeeze of shampoo down his back. She knelt on the other side of the animal and began to lather him up.
“Jesus. What is that?” Jake asked, nodding toward the pinkish foam.
“An old shampoo I didn’t like.”
“I can see why.” Jake wrinkled his nose.
“I thought it might cover up some of his smell,” Kelli explained.
“It’s definitely... strong.” He grunted as the dog twisted and turned. It was harder to keep a grip on him now that he was slick with shampoo.
“He’ll smell like a garden,” Kelli told him.
“Yeah, flowers and manure,” Jake retorted.
Kelli laughed. “Wow, this spot is really matted. We’ll have to cut it out.”
“Would you stop inspecting his hair and get on with it?” Jake grumbled. “Toby is like an eel. A sixty-pound eel.”
“Okay, okay. Calm down.” Kelli grabbed the hose again and began to rinse him off.
This was too much for the animal, and he began to squirm and jump even harder. Jake shifted to get a better hold on him, and Toby threw himself at Jake’s chest. He caught him off-balance, and Jake went backward onto his butt, his hands sliding across the slick dog. Kelli began to chuckle when Jake toppled over, but then the dog leaped forward, Jake lost his grip, and Toby slammed into Kelli, knocking her over. She let out a shriek, and the dog took off.
“Did you do that on purpose?” Kelli looked down at her t-shirt, now wet and covered with shampoo.
Jake just cursed and jumped up to run after the dog.
“Watch out! Don’t chase him into the street!” Kelli yelled.
Jake could hear Kelli coming after him, her flip-flops slapping the ground. He pointed to the side. “Go left! I’ll head him that way.”
Toby was damn fast, so it was good thing he was zig-zagging all around and running in circles or he’d have been long gone. Jake intercepted him at the parking lot, and the dog did an impressive twisting jump and headed back onto the dirt yard. Jake ran after him. Toby darted back and forth between them as they herded him toward the fence at the rear of the property.
Their quarry saw the fence and whirled, heading back. Jake threw himself in front of Toby, and the two of them went down. He grappled with the dog and finally clamped him tightly to his chest and stood up, carrying the thing back to where they’d started, yelling at Kelli to get the hose.
She rushed over and began to spray them both liberally. The dog finally surrendered to the torture and stood sullenly until Kelli deemed him clean and turned the hose away. Jake released him, and Toby shook himself, showering Jake and Kelli. Then he stalked off back to the porch and lay down, turning his back and ostentatiously ignoring them.
Jake groaned and leaned back, bracing his hands on the ground, legs stretched out in front of him. Looking down, he surveyed his body. His shorts were sopping wet, as was most of the rest of him, and dirt and a few stray twigs and weeds clung to his face and back.
Kelli was laughing. “You’re still all dirty. Here.” She turned the hose nozzle down over his head.
Jake let out a roar and jumped up. “Yeah? Well, so are you.” He jerked the hose from her hand and turned it on her, partially covering it with his thumb to make it spray. Kelli let out a shriek and ran. Laughing and yelling, they dodged around the yard, until finally he hooked an arm around her waist and lifted her off the ground, dropping the hose and wrapping the other arm around her.
Kelli squirmed and laughed. “Stop! I give! I give.”
He set her back on her feet, and she turned to face him. They were both panting from their exertion. Kelli’s clothes were plastered to her body, outlining every curve. Her old white t-shirt was thin and wet, and it was practically translucent. He could see the dark rose circle of her nipples, points pressing against the cloth. Her breasts rose and fell, and he couldn’t look away. His flesh was on fire where he had held her against him. He saw her eyes go down his body and knew that she could see the growing bulge inside his wet shorts as easily as he could see her breasts.
Jake swallowed, heat flooding up his throat, flaming down through him. They stared at each other for a long moment. He couldn’t turn away though he refused to reach for her. He thought he might just burn up and turn into ash on this spot.
Then suddenly she was jumping across the narrow space between them, arms wrapping around his neck, her mouth seeking his. He clamped his arms around her, lifting her up into him, pressing her pelvis against his, grinding into her. Their mouths were fused together, his tongue dancing with hers. He curved his hands over her ass, fingers digging into the soft flesh.
He lifted his lips from hers to kiss down the side of her neck, his tongue licking up the drops of water that clung to her skin. She made a helpless little whimper, and that sound of her hunger, her willingness to surrender to him, pounded through him. He wanted her here. Now. He wanted to lift her and have her legs encircle him; he wanted to feel her hot center flush against him. He wanted to push her up against the wall of the house and drive into her heat, feel her close around him.
Jake slid his hand beneath the waistband of her shorts, and down over her tight, round ass—God, she was wearing a thong so flimsy he could rip it in half with barely a tug. The thought was practically enough to make him come right there. He squeezed her cheek, then edged into the crevice between her legs. He stroked her through the thin fabric of her underwear, sliding up and down. He nudged aside the edge of her panties, teasing inward to feel that flood of desire on his skin.
His mouth came back to hers, taking her as his fingers did below. Kelli was making sweet little moans now, her hands moving over his shoulders and back. She shoved her hands into his hair, her fingers clenching and the tiny dart of pain drove his desire higher. Kelli tore her mouth from his and went to his earlobe, taking it between her teeth and nipping gently. She breathed his name, sending shivers down his spine. He ached to be inside her, but he wanted even more to make her come first.
A volley of barks erupted from the porch as the sound of heavy motorcycles rumbled into the parking lot. Jake and Kelli froze. It registered on Jake that they were standing in the open yard, the still-flowing hose soaking the ground at their feet. The house was between them and the parking lot, but if anyone decided to walk around the house, they would be in full view, her biting his ear, his hand down her pants.
Kelli pulled back, and Jake muttered a curse. He relaxed his hold, letting her slide to the ground, intensely aware of her moving over his body. He couldn’t seem to keep it from responding to her forcefully, even now. Kelli practically jumped back from him, her eyes huge, her lips so red and damp and swollen that it was all he could do not to pull her back to him and kiss her again.
“We can’t. Jake, we... oh, God.” She clapped her hand to her mouth. “No. We can’t.”
On the other side of the house, the engines had cut off, and the barking quieted to a few warning woofs. He could hear the sound of men’s voices talking and laughing, moving away toward the bar. Kelli ran to the corner of the house and peeked around the edge, then tore around it, leaped onto the porch and was inside the house in an instant.
Jake stood for a moment, hands on his hips. What the hell had he gotten himself into? He turned and went over to cut off the faucet. Walking around the house, he sank down on the porch beside the dog and simply sat, staring dazedly across the parking lot. He was never going to survive this year.