Light My Fire

I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with Brooke Wilder.

I really liked her the first time I ever met her.

Her sweetness over the past day we’ve been together has only made me like her more.

But watching her with the dog and puppies?

Stole. My. Fucking. Heart.

She was caring, but commanding when needed. Her confidence and intelligence shone, and kindness just emanated from her.

How is this gorgeous creature a virgin?

No, that is not the most important thing about her. Of course not. But it’s very fucking hard to stop thinking about.

Yeah, she’s a little quiet and shy, I suppose. But God, the way she responds to our flirting, and the way she snuggled into me when I put her on my lap during the movie last night, and the fact that she even has a vibrator and that she openly used it just down the hall from our poker game, makes me think that she has some needs that could use a guy’s touch… no, could use my touch.

Not just any guy. Not any other guy.

Me.

Brooke Wilder should be mine, and I’m going to make sure she knows that.

She can tell me no. She can choose Jackson. Or someone else entirely.

But I’m not giving up easily.

I want her. And not just for this weekend.

Now I just have to figure out how to let her know that.

Satisfied with the state of the fire I’ve been tending all day, I straighten and turn just as Luke and Wyatt both come into the living area. Luke hands Brooke a bottle of water before settling into the armchair perpendicular to where she’s curled up in the corner of the sofa.

She has showered and dressed in another pair of comfortable lounge pants and an oversized sweatshirt. These pants are more like leggings, so they fit against her more tightly than the sweatpants from last night, but the shirt hits her mid-thigh and covers her curves.

Her hair is pulled up on top of her head. She’s not wearing any make-up. And she looks completely content. A little tired, but also satisfied.

She should. She was magnificent with the dogs.

During dinner—spaghetti with marinara meat sauce, salad, and garlic bread, one of Luke’s specialties—we took turns checking on the dogs, but now they’re quiet and settled, secured safely in the makeshift box, which we moved to the laundry room so that Henley would feel secure. Though I know that’s where Jackson just came from. He’s enamored with the dogs. It’s pretty cute.

I take a step toward the sofa, planning to settle next to her, but Jackson beats me to it.

“The patients are all sleeping, Doc,” he tells Brooke as he effortlessly scoops her up, moves her over slightly and slides in between the arm of the couch and her curled-up body.

She laughs lightly and settles back in against his side, his arm draped around her shoulders.

I scowl at him. He just grins up at me over her head.

Okay, fine. We both agreed we were going to turn up the flirting.

I take the cushion right next to her, my hip pressing into her opposite side. I reach for her stockinged feet and pull them into my lap. Now she is partially draped over both of us.

She doesn’t protest, so I press my thumb into the arch of one of her feet, stroking through her sock.

She gives a happy sigh.

Jackson starts rubbing one of her shoulders. “You’re pretty hot when you get bossy,” he tells her.

She giggles, and the sound shoots straight to my cock.

“Well, that’s too bad,” she says. “I’m almost never bossy.”

“I’m jealous of every veterinarian and tech and volunteer who will ever work around you,” Jackson says. “Obviously, you’ll get bossy when an animal needs you.”

She looks over her shoulder at him, giving him a little smile. “Yeah, I guess so.”

The look of pride on her face grips my heart.

“I’m really pissed at your neighbors,” Jackson says. “I can’t believe they weren’t watching her more closely. I don’t want them to have Henley back.” His voice is tinged with anger.

Brooke looks at him again, her expression soft.

Oh hell no, Jackson’s not going to win her over just because he has an obvious soft spot for this dog. I love dogs too.

“We always had dogs when I was growing up,” I say. “Can’t imagine not knowing where our family pet was at all times. Especially if she was pregnant.” I look at Jackson and weigh my next question for a moment. But me and my best friend compete in everything. And this time the prize is this wonderful woman. “How many pets did you have growing up, Jackson?” I ask.

Over the top of Brooke’s head, he gives me a look that says clearly he knows what I’m doing. And he will find a way to get me back for it.

“Never really had pets. A hamster once.”

Brooke’s eyes widen. “You didn’t have pets? Your family doesn’t like animals?”

“My sister was allergic,” Jackson admits. “I think that’s why I love them even more,” he adds. “I can’t wait to have some of my own.”

Brooke shifts on the couch so she can see him better. Her calf drags over my lap, and I am certain she can feel my erection. The one that’s seemingly constant now that I’m sharing a space with her.

She doesn’t react, though.

Well, hell, maybe the girl just thinks that’s what size I always am. I don’t know much about virgins, but I assume it means they haven’t had a lot of experience touching or looking at cocks.

And now I’m thinking about Brooke and my cock and that isn’t helping the hard-on in my sweatpants at all.

“Why don’t you have pets now?” Brooke asks Jackson.

“Can’t have them in my apartment,” he says.

“But you’re a millionaire, right? You could easily buy a house.”

She’s looking at him, so I’m able to send him a smirk. Score: Wyatt-1, Jackson-0.

“You know what?” Jackson asks. “That is a really good point. How long till those puppies can leave their mom?”

Brooke arches both eyebrows, and I feel my gut clench. Oh no, he wouldn’t…

“At least six weeks.”

Jackson nods. “Six weeks is more than enough time to buy a house.”

My friend would buy a house so that he can adopt dogs to impress Brooke?

But it makes me want to laugh because that is very Jackson, actually.

And fuck, I can’t blame him. This woman is absolutely worth it.

“You’re going to buy a house for those puppies?” Brooke asks, her voice definitely full of awe.

Jackson smiles at her. “It’s a pretty damned good reason, don’t you think?”

Brooke gives a happy little sigh and sits back on the couch cushion.

I exchange a glance with Luke. Luke rolls his eyes at me and shakes his head.

His expression reflects exactly how I’m feeling, a combination of Jesus Jackson and fuck, he’s going to get puppies and Brooke’s virginity.

I’m gonna have to step up my game.

“So can I ask you guys a question?” she says after a moment.

I run my hand from her foot up her calf and give it a little squeeze. “Anything,” I tell her.

“Well, I’m really glad that you guys showed up here, you’ve made this thing a lot easier.”

“This has turned out really well,” I agree.

“I kind of told you something big about myself last night,” she says, her gaze dropping to her lap instead of staying on mine.

Luke shifts in his chair and Jackson softly clears his throat. I wonder if our sweet little virgin has any idea how she’s affecting the three men in the room with her.

I reach over and tip her chin up with a finger, making her look at me. “You can tell us or ask us anything. No judgment.”

She’s chewing on her bottom lip and it takes everything in me to keep from running my thumb over that lip.

I can imagine how soft and silky it would feel. But I also know the minute I touch it with any part of my body, the rest of my body is going to want to be involved.

“You guys make me feel really safe,” she says.

I know my friends well enough to know that it affects them as strongly as it does me. Luke and I are natural protectors as firefighters. Making people feel safe is important to us. But I know Jackson feels that way too. He’s a great guy. Maybe a little lost at the moment as far as what to do with his life, but at his core, he is someone who wants the world to be a better place and the people around him, especially the ones he cares about, to be happy.

“That means a lot to us,” I tell her, my voice a little gruff.

“So, since we’re still stuck here for a little time together, and you know that I don’t have a lot of experience with men, I was hoping I could ask you something.”

My heart starts thundering in my chest. Oh, sweet Jesus. Is she going to ask one of us to take her virginity? Is she going to ask for some sexual experiences? Sex tutoring?

I will be giving to charity, lighting candles, and going to church twice a week for the rest of my life if the universe dumps this in my lap, I swear to God.

“Of course,” my voice even rougher now.

“Whatever you need,” Jackson assures her, reaching up and pulling her hair back and over her shoulder.

She takes a deep breath and then says, “So the last time I told a guy I was a virgin, he had a bad reaction too. And I am just wondering, how I should go about talking about this subject with future guys? I mean, is this something I should bring up way ahead of time? Like before we even kiss the first time? Or is this something I shouldn’t tell him at all? Just go through with it and he never has to know he’s my first?” She looks from me over to Luke and then to Jackson. “I would love to have a male perspective on this.”

Several things hit me all at once.

First, Brooke is talking about being a virgin in the future with other guys. That is definitely not a request for us to change that status this weekend.

Second, all of the options that she’s laid out suck. She definitely shouldn’t keep her mouth shut about it. That’s terrible. But she shouldn’t be discussing it on the first date.

Then I realize the reason I think those all suck is because I don’t want her to have a conversation about sex with any other guy at any other time. Or really sex at all. Ever.

And third, and maybe most disturbing of all, the fact that she’s asking us this means something horrible: she considers us friends.

We are people she can talk to about very vulnerable topics. People she can ask advice about things regarding other men.

The woman I want to strip down, lay out on the coffee table right now and fuck until she’s hoarse from screaming my name, has just friend-zoned me.

Fortunately, Jackson is never speechless.

“No, no, no,” Jackson says, leaning in and taking Brooke’s chin, turning her to face him. “You don’t keep quiet about who you are and what you need. Not for anyone. Ever.”

Yeah, that’s a good answer.

She presses her lips together and stares at him.

“You understand?” he asks. “The lucky bastard needs to make it special. He needs to understand what a gift you’re giving him. But you also don’t tell him on the first date. He has to earn even the potential to be with you like that. If you tell him you’re a virgin upfront, he’s gonna think it’s a sure thing that he gets to be with you.” He strokes his finger along her jaw. “You keep these high standards and hold out for the right guy.”

See? Jackson is a good guy.

And fuck. I want to be the right guy he’s telling Brooke to wait for.

Hell, Jackson could easily be the right guy. He’s kind, definitely knows how to treat a woman right, likes Brooke, sees underneath her sweet shyness. He can make her smile, laugh, blush.

And he’s not a stranger to me.

There’s something about the idea of her being with some nameless, faceless fuck that I can’t be sure deserves her that makes me feel irrational rage. I need to fully vet the guy. I need to be sure he understands how amazing she is.

At least, if it’s Jackson, I know she’s with someone great. Someone who will treat her right.

“Brooke…” I start. But I’m not sure exactly how to make this offer without sounding like a creep. You can have me or my best friend. That just sounds a little weird even if we weren’t talking about her first time ever.

“There’s an easy solution,” Luke finally says, his deep voice calming me for some reason.

Probably because I’m used to Luke taking charge and making decisions for the better of a whole group of people I care about.

We all look over at him.

His eyes are on Brooke. “The easiest way to deal with bringing your virginity up with future guys is to not need to do it.”

Her eyes get wide as I frown.

“So just not tell them? I feel like my inexperience will be obvious.”

But Luke shakes his head. “No. I mean, make it a non-issue. Don’t be a virgin the next time you go out with someone you want a relationship with.”

The meaning behind his words slams into my gut.

Yes.

She needs to take care of this before she goes out with anyone else.

Right now. Here. With us.

If I wasn’t so close to her, I probably would’ve missed the way her breath catches.

She swallows hard and then Jackson leans in. I tense because I don’t know what he’s about to say or do. And I don’t know how I’ll react if he tells her he wants to be her first. But he looks at me over her shoulder quickly, then meets her gaze.

“Luke’s right. You need to lose your virginity to someone that you know and trust. A great guy who really likes you, who knows what he’s doing and can make it good for you, and who wants you more than his next breath.”

“Ideally, yes, that’s what I want,” she says, practically whispering.

Jackson gives her a slow smile as he reaches up and traces a finger down her cheek. “And then after you’re not a sweet little innocent virgin anymore, and you want to branch out and have a little more fun, maybe try some extras, or some unique locations…” He winks at her as that sinks in. “You know where to find me.”

His meaning slams into me.

Jackson and Luke are both very good friends. I owe them both enormous Christmas gifts this year.

It takes Brooke another second to figure out what he’s telling her, but then, she pivots, her gaze colliding with mine.

I just look at her for a long moment, taking in her beautiful face, the flush in her cheeks, the way her breathing comes out in quick little puffs.

Then I lift my hand and cup her cheek. “Brooke?” I ask huskily.

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to go to my room and talk about this some more?”

She wet her lips, then stops my heart by nodding. “Yeah, I really would.”

I don’t hesitate for even a moment. I stand, bend over, scoop her up, and head for my bedroom.