Burned Read online

  Burned

  By

  Piper Stone

  Copyright © 2019 by Stormy Night Publications and Piper Stone

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.

  www.StormyNightPublications.com

  Stone, Piper

  Burned

  Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson

  Images by Shutterstock/Mikhail Roop and iStock/Dony

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  More Stormy Night Books by Piper Stone

  Piper Stone Links

  Chapter One

  Hawk

  “Go! Go! Go!”

  The scream from the captain rang out over the rush of flames, the heat and acrid smoke blinding.

  “Come on!” I called to no one in particular, jumping over the massive line of debris, racing toward the clearing. The fire had nearly gotten out of control, sweeping up the side of the mountain. Thank God it had been contained, at least enough we’d veered the blue-hued flames away from the city.

  Weather wasn’t our friend, the wind whipping in the wrong direction.

  Crack!

  The single sound escalated quickly, several of the burning trees twisting from the severe damage as well as the harsh wind. Blinking several times, I could just make out one of the crew up ahead, directly in the path of what I knew could be a catastrophe. Lumbering forward, I swung the ax, powering through the charred debris. “Get out of the way!”

  My call was swiftly pulled into the roar, the fire all consuming.

  And he hadn’t paid a damn bit of attention.

  Adrenaline rushed into every cell and muscle in my body, catapulting me forward. I swung the metal blade down hard and fast, moving in a straight line in my effort to get to him. The firefighter was a sitting duck.

  I heard another hard crack followed by booming sounds from off to the right. My advance was hindered by the amount of debris, every move labored, the swirling smoke creating tears in my eyes.

  Go. Go. Go.

  The mantra kept repeating in my mind, pushing me harder. Faster. I would save him. Just a few more steps. Just a few...

  Boom!

  Lunging forward, I caught the firefighter’s arm, yanking him to the left only mere seconds before the tree broke in half, crashing down on the terrain. Rolling, the momentum kept us going, everything happening in a blur. As we tumbled down a slope, somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind, I knew we were headed for the edge of a cliff with nothing to grab onto.

  As if by the hand of God almighty, my legs became tangled in rubble, stopping our progression in a quick jerk.

  “Fuck!”

  My call reverberated in the dense air and for the first time, I was able to see the blue sky.

  “Jesus.” The deep baritone was followed by a series of brutal coughs as he disengaged, rolling over on his back. “What the hell was that?”

  Cole Lincoln had been a buddy of mine since I’d joined the Wildland Firefighting team almost eighteen months before. He was also strong as an ox and never made these kinds of mistakes. Hell, he had a smokejumper brother that would kick his ass if he did. Sadly, we were all disoriented from the horrific series of fires that seemed to go on without any end in sight. At least we’d diverted a true catastrophe.

  “You all right?” I managed, yanking off the visor and rubbing my watering eyes.

  “I’ll live. You?”

  I struggled to get to my feet, taking a look at what was left of the fire. The final clean-up stage was in effect. Throwing out my hand, I helped him up and we both stood looking over the ridge. The folks in the lovely town of Missoula had no idea how close they’d come to having their lives destroyed. “I’ll live.”

  “Holy crap, fellas. You had us scared to death.” As Grinder approached, he grinned, his blue eyes managing to twinkle through the haze. “You both look like shit.”

  The former biker’s statement was always the same after every fire or brush-clearing event.

  “Funny, dude,” Cole said under his breath. He tipped his head, giving me a nod of respect. This wasn’t the first time I’d saved his life.

  Thank God I had a few solid days off and they were going to be spent fishing, drinking, and lounging with my dog.

  And not necessarily in that order.

  * * *

  “What’s wrong, buddy?” The instant I pulled the truck in front of the cabin, Buck clawed at the windshield, his low-slung growl ripped with anxiety. When he broke into a full bark as he stuck his head out of the partially open window, the hair stood up on the back of my neck.

  What the hell?

  “Okay, settle down.” I’d lived with only his companionship for long enough to know when something was wrong. I glowered as I stared at the front of the cabin. The last thing I needed at this point was some shit to deal with. My legs felt like two tons of iron from the recent grueling events.

  I threw the gear into park and cut the engine, immediately reaching behind the seat for my rifle. I’d certainly seen my share of drifters over the last two years, and had even experienced a break-in. I snorted as I remembered the incident. The kid hadn’t taken kindly to being on the barrel end of my gun, running away like a scared rabbit.

  Something told me this was entirely different.

  My senses were working overtime.

  “Just stay here, boy. Let me see what we’re dealing with.” Easing out of the truck, I stood for a moment surveying the property. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary but looks could be deceiving. I moved toward the left side of the house, peering around the corner, taking cautious and quiet steps, repeating on the right. There were no obvious signs of a break-in. But as I moved onto the porch, I knew all bets were off.

  The front door was unlocked.

  I might live several miles away from civilization, but I never went on a single forestry call without locking down everything I owned.

  Trust was a huge problem of mine. I had my reasons.

  Very slowly I opened the door, hissing when the hinges creaked. Another reminder of chores I’d been putting off taking care of. The brutal fire season had certainly taken a toll. I was exhausted, ready for a tall glass of whiskey and a good night’s sleep, not evicting some jerk who decided to break into my house. Buck continued to bark, the deep rumble from his chest an indicator that there was someone inside.

  Whoever had decided to take up residence would have a rude awakening.

  The moment I walked inside, my annoyance shifted into full blown rage. Not only had someone broken in, but they’d taken the liberty of eating my food and drinking my prized bottle of whiskey. Grabbing the mostly empty bottle, I fingered the rim, resisting taking a swig. I slammed the thick glass onto the table, sending a jarring echo all throughout the small room.

  I stared down at the mess covering the kitchen table and counters, doing my best not to unleash my fury. The last thing I needed was cleaning up
broken dishes on top of everything else.

  “What the hell,” I muttered, deciding to drain the rest of the bottle. At least I had one in reserve.

  I moved through the rest of the house, peering into empty rooms then heading into my bedroom last. The door was open, the blinds pulled, but I didn’t need any light to see I’d been right. The covered lump in the middle of the bed added fuel to my already raging fire. How the fuck dare the creep have the audacity to fall asleep on my bed, under my covers in my house? I pointed the long barrel toward the interloper, planting my feet apart then poking the solid mass not once but twice.

  The bastard had to be awake.

  “Now, as you might be able to tell, I have a gun and it’s locked and loaded. I suggest you pull down the covers slowly and get the fuck out of my bed so we can talk about this little issue like two adults.”

  There were no cries of horror or any movement, but I could tell the person was at least alive by the rapid rise and fall of the covers. “I’m going to give you one more warning and a count to three. Then things are going to get mighty ugly.”

  Still no response.

  The fucker.

  “One. Two.” I hesitated. I honestly wasn’t in the damn mood for a fight, but the asshole had no idea the kind of man I was.

  Or what I was capable of.

  “Three.”

  When the covers were thrown back, I was surprised as hell, enough so she managed to jump out of the bed, nearly tossing me to the floor. Her flaming red hair captured my attention first, her voluptuous body with curves meant for a man to hold and squeeze second, and her penetrating, nasty glare last. Her eyes were luminescent in the stream of sunlight and I could swear to God they were glowing with fury.

  “What the—” My words were cut off given she reacted quickly and within a split second, a hard kick was placed in my gut just seconds before the asshole managed to skirt around me, racing out of the room.

  I could swear she gave a warrior’s battle cry as she fled.

  This was no ordinary interloper.

  Shock rushed into my system, the mere hint of pain laughable. I knew one thing for certain. She wasn’t going to go very far in a tee shirt and bare feet.

  By the time I regained my wits and raced toward the front door, I simply stood on the porch, grinning like a little kid. Buck had everything completely under control. He’d managed to climb out of the window, his need to protect his master exactly what he’d been taught.

  “No! Get off. Get off of me!” she screamed as Buck wrestled her to the ground, his massive one-hundred-twenty-pound frame easily keeping her pinned underneath him.

  A prisoner.

  My prisoner to be exact.

  I had to admit, now that the shock had worn off, that my cock was twitching. Everything about this woman was intriguing. I wasn’t ashamed to admit my balls were tight as drums. Even with a hunk of a fur ball straddling her, I managed to catch one hell of a glimpse of her stunning physique. She thrashed on the ground, moaning and throwing up her hands in an effort to try to keep his muzzle from her face.

  Too bad.

  I enjoyed the show, listening to the stream of curse words as she pitched and rolled. Finally, she seemed to notice my presence as Buck continued to enjoy alternating between barking and licking. “Get this beast off of me!” she demanded, as if she owned the joint.

  “Beast. Well, Buck, I think we might just have to change your name.” I sauntered forward, the rifle still in my hand. Buck’s tail wagged back and forth, satisfied that he’d taken command of the intruder.

  “Are you going to get him off?” she snapped as she tossed her head back and forth in an effort to avoid his rough tongue.

  “Maybe, but only after you tell me what the fuck you were doing in my house. Breaking and entering is a felony in this state.”

  “What?” Her eyes opened wide. “I just... I just found the door open and no one was here. I didn’t think anyone lived here and...” She kicked her foot on the ground and closed her eyes, groaning.

  “Nice story.” There was a part of me that was enjoying this way too much. I had to admit a sexy intruder certainly got my blood boiling. I bit back a laugh before motioning to Buck. “Go on, buddy. I think we have her trapped. She’s not getting out of my clutches any time soon.”

  “Trapped? What? Don’t you even dare think about it. You’re an asshole.”

  “Hell, woman, I’ve been called a lot of things in my life. Give it your best shot.”

  “Jerkoff. Creep. Prick.”

  Buck whined then dragged his tongue all the way from her chin to her forehead.

  “Such a foul mouth. Did your mama and daddy ever teach you manners? By the way, I think he likes you. Must mean you’re not all bad,” I said as casually as possible.

  After giving me the middle finger, she folded her arms, giving me a hateful look.

  I threw out my hand, beckoning with my fingers. “All right, sweetheart. Enough with the games. Come on and get up. We need to talk about this... intrusion.” I certainly hadn’t seen another vehicle of any kind and she certainly didn’t look like the camping type. My radar was on high alert.

  “I don’t have to talk to you!”

  Sighing, I shook my head once again. “For a woman in a tee shirt and no shoes, you really don’t understand who’s in charge. Do you?” It seemed like the light finally settled in, her smug look shifting to one of conciliation, but I wasn’t about to buy it.

  Yet.

  “He’ll eat me. What the hell is he? A ferocious beast.”

  Another demand. The girl was a little hellion. “Buck is a black lab husky mix. Every bit of him muscle and verve.” I watched her face pale, her entire body tremble. “Oh, and he’s very dangerous.” The lie seemed plausible enough. Little did she know that Buck might lick her to death, but nothing more.

  “Dangerous,” she moaned. Furrowing her brow, she hesitated before carefully moving to a sitting position, realizing all of a sudden that I had a bird’s-eye view of her long, shapely legs and perfectly smooth pussy. The tee shirt had shifted, bunching up by her upper thighs and I bit back my own series of moans. My mouth watered, my throbbing cock now shoved hard against the rough zipper of my jeans. I should do the gentlemanly thing and look away, but damn, the woman turned me on.

  She jerked the tee shirt, or I should say my shirt down, her glare turning nasty. She’d even raided my closet.

  “Asshole,” she muttered, snapping her legs together, her face shining a bright crimson.

  “You’re calling me an asshole when you’re the one sleeping in my bed in my tee shirt?”

  “I...” she stuttered, her luscious lips pursing.

  The moment our hands touched, a burst of electricity shot through me, yanking my mind in dirty, vile places. For a few seconds, everything slipped into slow motion, allowing me to absorb the beautiful essence of the woman who’d been sleeping in my bed.

  Perfect porcelain skin.

  Dashing green eyes.

  Voluptuous breasts.

  I wanted to ravage every inch of her body like some damn Neanderthal. Jesus Christ. What was wrong with me? Oh, yeah. Celibacy.

  She tipped her head, staring into my eyes, hers all dreamy and riddled with fear. She had no idea what to make of the hulking man no doubt still covered in soot and grime. I hadn’t bothered to take a shower after making it back to the base. I’d simply grabbed Buck and took off, needing my space.

  “Who are you?” I heard her whisper, dragging me back to reality.

  I knew if I wasn’t careful, I could be drawn into her web. Giving her a yank, I pulled her onto her feet. I towered over her and in truth, she seemed tiny and helpless as she stood mere inches away, her lower lip quivering. “I think I need to be the one asking questions. What’s your name? This could still get very ugly if you lie to me.”

  “Fuck you! I’ll get out of your hair. You’ll never see me again.” She slapped a hand on her hip, further outlining all the glory God had giv
en her. Her eyes held fire and the fading sun highlighted her face, giving her complexion a soft rosy glow. I could see the outline of her hard nipples poking through the thin shirt and every caveman-like desire roared through my system.

  I wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

  Lick her.

  Fuck her.

  Her answer was laughable. “That’s not going to happen, sweetheart.”

  “I ain’t your sweetheart, buster,” she said, snorting.

  I hadn’t expected the hard punch, her fist connecting with my chest. When she swiveled and kicked out, almost catching me in the balls, all the time for fantasizing was over. In one easy move, I threw her over my shoulder, immediately storming toward the house. I wasn’t the kind of man to take shit from anyone, including a feisty woman who thought she was all that.

  No matter the condition of my cock.

  Buck remained on his haunches near the truck, whining as he usually did when he couldn’t get his way. I gave him a single lift of my eyebrow as I stepped onto the porch and he came running.

  “Put me down, you brute! You horrible man.” As she pummeled her fists against my back, my cock only ached more, my mind shifting into every delicious thing I wanted to do to her.

  To a stranger.

  To an intruder.

  But first things first.

  Getting to the bottom of who the hell she was and how in God’s name did she get here? I hadn’t noticed any clothes, a suitcase or anything personal. The terrain was harsh, the fires surrounding a significant portion of the mountain, closing off several of the roads. And it appeared she’d been here for a few days. My curiosity might kill me, but a damsel in distress was difficult to resist.

  I kicked the door shut then moved into the center of the living room, finally easing her down onto her feet. I held both her arms, even as she struggled, giving her a stern look. “We’re going to try this again but if you make a move to harm Buck or myself, I’ll tie you up in a dead-ass second.”

  “Fuck you! I’ll... I’ll hurt you!”

  Right. The spunk certainly hadn’t left, even though I could smell her fear. “And gag you,” I added, taking a single step back and sliding on the safety before placing the gun out of harm’s way. I certainly couldn’t trust the little hellion.