Free Crashed by Dawn Robertson

became soft with sympathy as she eyed Emily, walking toward her. “Oh my gosh! Are you okay? That was a nasty wreck!” Kelsey looked her over with concern. The closer she came, the more Emily noticed about her. A delicate little stud sat in her right nostril, and the bright blue color complimented her toffee toned skin with perfection, right alongside her dark mahogany eyes. She was an extremely pretty woman, the polar opposite of Emily in every way.
    “Yeah, I ended up with a nasty bump on my head and a little memory loss. But nothing too big, thankfully. I scored a new car out of the deal, though.” She let out an awkward laugh. Maybe they wouldn’t understand her twisted sense of humor, she thought.
    As Becca flirted with handfuls of firemen, Avery stared at Emily every chance he got. They all exchanged pleasantries and she got to know the men he spent his days with.
    When they all attacked her baked goods, Avery took the opportunity to pull her away from everyone for a private moment. “Come with me.” His voice dripped with his southern twang as he tenderly took her soft hand in his, leading her out of the grand room and onto the apparatus floor. Fire trucks of all shapes and sizes were lined up behind the closed bay doors. She was as mesmerized as a little girl would be, looking around and taking in all the elements. Before she could take in too much, Avery pulled her through a small door leading into a locker room.
    As soon as her body made it through the doorway, still connected by their interlaced fingers, Avery crushed his mouth against hers. The passion flowing between their straining bodies was undeniable. He couldn’t get close enough to her to satisfy his desperate need.
    Neither of them wanted to let the other one go, but Avery slowly pulled back, short of breath and dazed by the intensity of their longing. He tangled his hands through her neatly styled hair. Keeping her perfectly coiffed was not his primary objective, but satisfying his craving for her was.  Stepping back, he stared into her eyes, memorizing her beautiful face. He opened his mouth to speak the words he’d been dying to say since she first appeared in his firehouse. “God, I missed you,” he admitted, running his hand along her blushing cheek, stopping to cup her chin while he bent in to taste her well-loved lips once again.
    Every part of her welcomed his passion, from her lips to her toes and all parts in between, especially those between her legs. Wrapping her arms around his neck, driving her hands into his tousled hair as his arm slipped around her waist, he nestled her closer to his muscular body. As her hands massaged his head, he let out a deep throaty moan, snapping Emily back to reality. They might be alone at this moment, but they were in public, at his job none the less. She wrestled with her consciousness before pulling away from his lips, showering them with light kisses while parting.
    “Wow. You were saying?” she choked out while her hands rose to tuck a strand of messy hair behind her ears. Did he say he missed me? Her heart lurched at the thought of their connection. Their relationship had not been long or full of meaning to this point, but there was something about the way she felt about him when they were together that she just couldn’t shake. It was just too perfect to be true, at least for someone with her shitty luck in life.
    “I was saying, Emily, that I’ve been missing you. I’m starting to hate my job keeping me away from you for days.” A radiant smile spread across his lips while tugging Emily back into his arms for a simple embrace.
    His tall frame dwarfed her petite stature, but she loved how safe she felt in his hug. It was slowly becoming her favorite place in the whole world. Her heart pounded as she could feel her blood rush in her ears. Could he be the one?
    “I missed you too. I missed this.” She motioned between the two of them. “I like this. A lot, Avery.” Her smile became