Free Flaming Desire - Part 3 (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) by Helen Grey Page A

and coughed. I squinted against the smoke. Then, I heard a shout and looked up to see other members of the Hotshot crew that had been sent down slope approaching. Two of them carried chainsaws. Thank God!
    I stood off to one side to let the crew pass, and moments later, Matt joined me, his chest heaving with exertion. They began the task of trying to fell the burning trees before the entire stand of lodgepole pine caught fire. They raced against the elements. If the fire jumped further down slope, I wasn’t sure if the Hotshot crews that had been working that line for the past couple of days would have enough time to create a backfire. I knew that other Hotshot crews were more than likely on their way, facing this new potential danger. If the wind kicked up… I could just pray that it didn’t.
    Shouts. Arms gesturing. The first tree was about to come down. Matt, Steven and I got into position, prepared to tackle the burning tree as quickly as we could once it came down. As soon as the first tree was down, the chainsaw crew would quickly start on the second tree, and then the third. If we could work quickly enough, we might keep the hotspot relatively contained.
    Shovels at the ready, we waited. Steven and Matt stood on either side of me, all of us watching with bated breath. I knew that each of us was silently urging the crew to work faster, although they were already working as fast as they could. If the breeze kicked up…
    I heard the crack, the telltale sign that the tree was about to come down. My muscles tensed. I gauged the distance with my eyes, determining where the burning top of the tree would land. Matt and Steven had done the same, and we were all prepared to run that way, ready to shovel dirt, chop, and hack the flames to death before they could catch on the underbrush. The only problem was that the second tree was likely to fall close to the same spot. We would have to work quickly.
    The roar of the chainsaw halted briefly. An elongated, cracking sound shot through the air. I watched in fascination as the tree slightly tilted, and then its weight brought it down, crashing through the stand. The moment it touched ground, Matt, Steven and I ran toward it. The chainsaw crew immediately began attacking the next tree. We worked as quickly as we could. My shovel bit into the loose topsoil of the slope. Thank God. At least the ground wasn’t hard as a rock up here. Shovel after shovel, the three of us tried to douse the flames slowly eating away at the top twenty feet or so of the tree, each of us in a line.
    I had pretty much gotten out the flames within ten feet of either side of me. Steven looked to be doing just as well on his end, while Matt was having a little more trouble with the top of the tree. The top was rich with new growth that provided ample fuel for the flames that stubbornly refused to extinguish.
    With my shovel in my left hand, I pulled my fire ax from my belt and raced toward Matt. While he continued to shovel the dirt, I began to hack at some of the smaller branches. I worked as fast as I could.
    Beside me, Matt worked furiously as well. The muscles in his biceps and forearms bulged. I saw every tendon and muscle fiber in his arms. The veins popped up, threading from the back of his hand up beneath his T-shirt. It was a thrilling sight, and even though I was focused on my work, I was still able to appreciate and admire his strength and stamina.
    Suddenly, I heard another crack, and more shouting. The roaring of the chainsaw stopped. I glanced up and behind me in surprise. The second tree was going to come down sooner than we anticipated.
    “Jesse!”
    Matt was beside me in an instant, yanking on my arm, pulling me out of the way as the second tree began to topple. Steven had also seen what was happening and began to back away. He tripped over something and sprawled on the ground, his backpack beneath him. I pulled away from Matt, trying to reach Steven to drag him out of the way. Shouts of