Hook Me Up
Adele Dubois

I'd give my right nut for a hot cup of coffee and breakfast," Knox Bennett said to his partner Frank Johnston as they unfastened their helmets and facemasks and loaded them into the truck. Their fire–retardant hoods came off next. "Then I want a shower and about ten hours' sleep." It would be an hour—at least—before he could take those small comforts.

Soot streaked his face, making him look like a blue–eyed raccoon, and stuck to his turnout coat, pants, and boots like paint splatter. Knox groaned as he climbed into the cab of Engine Number 6 on weary legs and started the engine. They'd pulled another all–nighter in a neighboring community where an arsonist had torched a second row of houses. It had taken ladders from four adjacent towns to put the fires out. "At least we have beds to go home to. It's a shame about all those families."

Frank buckled his seatbelt, riding shotgun. "When the FBI catches the bastard, I want to kick his ass before they haul him away." He emphasized his point with a terse nod of his dark head.

"Get in line." Knox turned right at the next intersection and headed south. Their station sat smack in the middle of apple orchard country in southeastern Pennsylvania. The trees were just beginning to bud, and in another month apple blossoms would decorate every neighborhood in town. Just the sight of his hometown in the distance eased the tension in his neck and the kinks in his shoulders. Knox had never lived anywhere else and couldn't imagine ever wanting to leave Appleton. A wife, a few kids, and a promotion to captain would make life here just about perfect.

The flash of something out of sync with the earth–toned landscape slid past his peripheral vision, and he eased his foot off the accelerator by reflex. "Did you see that?" Knox checked his mirrors, tapped the brakes, and slowed.

"See what, bro?" Frank stretched to look outside his window.

"That slash of purple inside the old apple tree we passed back there. Like something was falling." Knox pulled over. "My gut tells me something isn't right."

"Turn around when I give the go." Frank hopped out of the truck and walked around to direct traffic.

Only two cars passed; the residential neighborhood was calm. Frank gave the all–clear and Knox reversed the fire truck with a three–point turn. The backup signals pierced the still morning air. Frank hopped on the rear and held the ladder as Knox moved forward.

Several houses down, Knox found what he was looking for—a tidy lawn with the oldest apple tree he'd ever seen growing from the center. A modest white house stood in its shade.

Knox got out of the truck and stood on the sidewalk, craning his neck to inspect the apple branches, while Frank came up behind him. Knox heard the sobs at the same time he spied the purple patch near the tree's highest limb.

Knox pointed. "There."

Adrenaline kicked in, erasing his earlier weariness. He ran to the truck to grab a hook and a coil of rope and bolted into the yard.

Lexi Wentworth sobbed and swore, scolding her kitten for getting them into this predicament. "Naughty Ginger for climbing up this tree," she said, trying again to right herself where she hung upside down.

She'd only cracked the front door open for a teensy second, to slip a birthday card for her mother into the mailbox, when Ginger had bolted through. Lexi had thought she could catch the tabby and bring her back inside without much fuss. How far could a kitten run up a tree?

Unfortunately, Lexi found the answer dressed in nothing but a hip–length, see–through purple nightie and matching thong above her bedroom slippers, which had since fallen off. Why she'd let her friend talk her into buying this getup, she'd never know. Becky said fantasy was good for the soul. Well, her soul was fine. Pretty much. Her sex life was the part that sucked.

Lexi's left leg had gotten stuck above the knee in forked twin limbs twisted with vines, and she'd toppled backward against the trunk. Bark dug into the small of her back and bare buttocks and dizziness swam as blood rushed to her head. Her nightgown hung upside down on her body, baring her breasts and abdomen to the birds and sky.

She tried to hoist herself up by pushing off two lower branches, but succeeded in merely arching her back. The lift offered muscle support and relief from the scratchy bark, but little else. She brushed the hem of her nightie from her face and tucked the garment under her chin. Her tabby mewled beside her, every hair on its slender body standing straight as a thistle. "Poor kitty," she murmured. "You're more frightened than me."

To take pressure off her trapped leg and offer some leverage, Lexi reached for an overhead branch. She sighed as the maneuver reduced the pull to her knee. The reprieve was short–lived; the branch snapped off in her hand and sent her reeling back against the tree trunk. "Ow!"

The nightie slipped into a pool around her neck and chin, exposing her bare torso to the morning breezes. She might as well give up smoothing it over her breasts; it would only fall down again. Who the hell would see her, anyway?

The realization that no one might find her prickled her spine like a blast of cold needles. The half–acre lots in her neighborhood offered a great deal of privacy. Her nearest neighbors had already gone to work. Unless she started screaming at the top of her lungs, no one would know where to find her.

Terror struck and Lexi's tears welled. Her knee throbbed. Had she broken her leg? She counted off the weeks until the school year ended. If she had, she'd have to finish the marking period limping around her third grade classroom on crutches.

Assuming she got rescued. What if no one came?

She found her voice then and shouted for all she was worth. "Help! Somebody help me!" Perspiration dotted her temples as panic set in. "I need help!"

To her amazement, a husky, reassuring voice answered. "Try not to move. I'll be right up."

She must have grown delusional. The blood rushing from her feet to her brain had turned her mind to oatmeal. The most gorgeous man she'd ever laid eyes on moved into her line of sight and stood at the base of her apple tree. He had corn–colored hair and looked up at her with the eyes of an angel. The soot on his cheeks and chin couldn't camouflage the stunning face beneath.

A firefighter dressed in full regalia.

She watched, slack–jawed and filled with hope, as he pulled off his yellow–striped coat to reveal the dark T–shirt beneath. Even upside down she could see his trim waist and the way his tanned biceps flexed when he moved. She watched him pick tools off the ground—a circle of rope and a long–handled hook with an axe on the opposite side. In one smooth motion, he lifted the rope to his shoulder and clutched the hook as he began to climb.

That's when she remembered her naked breasts and the purple lace thong she barely wore.

Knox stared up at the woman caught in the apple tree in total disbelief. It wasn't just the jam she'd gotten herself into that surprised him, but the rescue fantasy she presented that pumped duel shots of liquid energy into his system. She was every fireman's wet dream. How was he supposed to remain professional and clearheaded while wearing a raging hard–on?

The higher he climbed, the more beautiful the woman became. Her skin looked smooth and soft to the touch. Long, honey–colored hair trailed beneath her like ripples in a pond. She stared at him over one shoulder with frightened but shining golden eyes. The look tore a hole through his gut.

He tried to be a gentleman and avert his eyes from her magnificent breasts and belly. Too late. He'd already noted every incredible curve and hollow, including the sexy gold ring at her navel. For the rest of his life he'd remember the way this extraordinary woman looked in this moment. Her image would be tattooed on his brain the way her rescue would become the firehouse tale that marked him as a man and defined his career.

None of that mattered now. All that counted was the help he could provide. His mind clicked through procedures until he processed the necessary steps to take her down safely. Since nothing in the manual covered this situation, he'd have to improvise. He hung the coil of rope on a stub and set the hook on a limb.

Knox noted no obvious serious injuries; the woman appeared calm, though he hadn't ruled out shock. "I've got you," he said. "Let me guide your hands to a supporting branch until I can get you down, okay?"

The woman blinked her understanding and offered a small nod. Her eyes shone with tears.

Knox held her wrists while she followed his lead.

As he maneuvered the woman's hands to a secure spot, something spit and hissed in his direction. Knox spotted a kitten and stifled a smile: no one from his firehouse had ever rescued a cat from a tree. "Let's get kitty safely out of the way so that I can focus on you."

"Her name's Ginger," the woman replied.

He reached for the frightened cat with one hand while he whispered words of encouragement.

The kitten mewed and licked his fingers after he scooped her up.

"Good girl."

Knox called down to his partner. "Frank! Take care of this cat, will you?" He leaned down and handed over the pet as Frank climbed up. Knox blocked the woman's nakedness from his partner's view as best he could. Her vulnerability stirred his protective instinct more than usual. "She could use a blanket when I bring her down." He asked for a couple of other things and turned back to the woman.

"Let's get that pressure off your leg." He drove the axe into the tree, then uncoiled the rope and looped it around a limb and the hook to create a makeshift pulley.

Knox climbed up to straddle a limb directly above the woman's trapped leg and tied the free end in a slipknot around his waist. Then he leaned down to cradle the woman in his arms.

The intimate contact of her warm, soft body against his forged a connection that struck his soul like a physical ache. Though he'd always been empathetic to fire victims, he rarely met the property owners whose flames he'd extinguished. This rescue became personal the moment the woman leaned into his shoulder.

He raised her into a sitting position. As he did, he lowered her nightgown over her breasts and belly to restore her privacy. The sheer fabric offered little of that, but she smiled at him in appreciation. The warm gold flecks in her eyes drew him in and he fought back an almost irresistible urge to kiss her. "I'm Knox. What's your name?"

"Alexis Wentworth. I'm called Lexi."

"Okay, Lexi. I'm going to slip the rope around us both and then hoist you up so that I can free your leg. Is that all right?"

Lexi nodded.

Knox continued to support her with one arm while he extended the loop around her torso with the other and pressed her tightly to his chest.

The moment her body touched his, the sweet scent of strawberries on freshly washed skin replaced the smell of smoke and soot that clung to him. Her soft breasts and the tips of her nipples caused his muscles to tense at the friction. He inhaled her fragrance—and then reprimanded himself to stay on task. Lexi might be beautiful and sexy as hell, but the job and her safety came first.

The piercing sound of Engine Number 6 backing into the front yard with Frank at the wheel came right on cue.

Knox spoke so that Lexi could hear. "On the count of three, I'm going to pull you up." He studied her eyes for reassurance that she was ready. Satisfied, he began the count and heaved.

Their combined weight tested the hook's tensile strength until the pulley quivered. Knox tightened his hold and felt Lexi's heartbeat rise as the axe vibrated against the tree trunk.

He moved with more urgency then, throwing every ounce of his strength into the motion. Though his body ached from hours at the overnight crime scene and his muscles strained to the breaking point, Knox refused to falter.

When Lexi reached the fork that trapped her, Knox helped her hook her free leg over one limb. She sat upright and leaned a shoulder against the trunk while she held on, though her hampered knee made the pose awkward.

Knox pulled the axe free after adjusting his position and then retied their makeshift harness. "I'm going to have to chop it off. Do you mind?"

Lexi's eyes widened, and she shrieked for the first time since he'd climbed up to meet her. "You want to cut off my leg?" Her pallor turned white as paper.

Knox resisted a smirk. "No, the limb trapping your leg. It's got to go. Its twin will hold you. I'll work from the area above. You'll be fine."

She visibly relaxed, fear and trust mingling with relief in her expression. "Do I have to remind you to be careful with that thing?"

This time, he did smile. "I wouldn't think of damaging your leg." Her long, slender, magnificent leg. He wondered if she took ballet or yoga lessons. Suddenly those classes didn't seem so dumb.

Knox chopped the limb away a safe distance above her knee, cleared the vines, and tossed the debris to the ground. With care, he lifted her leg over the stump to free her.

She winced but didn't cry out during the extraction. Though her leg had bruised and become swollen, it didn't appear to be broken. He would take her to the hospital as a precaution.

The engine rumbled below them and the sounds of a hydraulic lift preceded the appearance of a white cherry picker.

Knox loosened their tether, stepped into the cab of the cherry picker, and as it lowered, lifted Lexi into his arms. She wrapped her hands around his neck and smiled up at him with admiration in her gorgeous golden eyes.

"Your chariot awaits, miss." The guys would call him a dick for the rest of his life if they knew he'd said that. Knox let the rope fall past his waist to the cab floor and kicked it away as they descended into the front yard. The way Lexi looked up at him made his words seem just right. Screw the guys and what they might think. He was the one holding the beautiful lady in his arms.

Knox grinned down at her. "I've always wanted to say that to a woman."

Three weeks later...

The captain stuck his head into the firehouse kitchen, where the crew had thrown an impromptu celebration for the arsonist's capture. "Bennett! Someone here to see you." His thick eyebrows rose and fell with the announcement, and a smirk lifted a corner of his mouth. The look gave tacit permission for everyone to check out Knox's visitor.

Chairs pushed back from the table and a handful of guys, including Frank, stood to watch from the doorway as Knox made his way into the main room.

Though he tried to control it, a spring lifted his step and hurried him forward when he spotted Lexi. She looked sexy as ever, in tight jeans and a pullover top that showed off her curves. He hadn't seen her since the day of her rescue, but had thought about her a million times.

He wanted to tell her she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, and he wished he could have called her after taking her home from the emergency room that day. But the captain was the only person authorized to contact victims after the fact.

So instead of telling her how much he'd hoped she'd find him, and how happy he was to see her, he merely smiled and said "Hey."

The smile she returned eased any doubts that her feelings weren't reciprocal. She held out a large plate of cupcakes that he'd barely noticed. "I made these for you—to thank you, and the others, of course." She glanced over at the kitchen doorway where his buddies lingered, making no bones about staring. "I guess they heard about my purple nightie," she whispered.

"Not from me."

"Maybe these cupcakes will give us some privacy."

"Good thinking. Be right back." He delivered the baked goods amid wolf whistles and pats on the shoulder. "Eat, guys. Behave."

He led Lexi outside to a patch of lawn in the side yard where they could be alone. He stood close, noting that she didn't step back. "No crutches. I'm glad you're okay."

"I only needed them for a week because of the pulled muscles. I was lucky."

"Yeah. The captain gave me the update."

Her brow creased, and the sparkle in her eyes turned to accusation. "I thought I might hear from you directly. All the care you showed me at the hospital before you drove me home—I thought some of that might have been personal." The hitch in her voice offered the proof he needed that their connection hadn't been one–sided. The last thing the department needed was a...misunderstanding. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer.

She stared up into his eyes while she eased against him.

"Regulations. Believe me, I wanted to show up at your door a thousand times." He ran his thumbs over the curves of her hips. "Since I couldn't, I did the next best thing."

"What was that?" Her stunning golden eyes narrowed with doubt.

"I asked the captain to mention how much I love cupcakes."

She draped her arms over his shoulders and leaned into the kiss he brought to her mouth. Her lips tasted supple and warm and sweet, better than any fantasy he'd imagined. He pictured her bare breasts with their mouthwatering nipples and the gold belly–button ring he wanted to poke with his tongue.

The next thing he knew, he'd pressed her back against the side of the firehouse and picked her up by the seat of her pants. She wrapped her legs around his waist while he rubbed and squeezed her ass, remembering how perfect it had looked in a thong. His erection sought the sweet spot between her legs and pressed while she dug her fingers into his hair.

He kissed her until her pretty lips became flushed and swollen. Then, reluctantly, he put her down and took a step back before he broke every decency law in the book.

Knox brushed stray hairs off her forehead with his fingers. "I want to know all about you. Let's go out for dinner after my shift. Anyplace you want."

"I'd like that."

Her eyes sparkled when she looked at him this time and his spirit soared. He knew with absolute certainty that something good had started between them.

"Do you like to dance? We can do that, too. Tomorrow night we'll go somewhere else. Bowling. The movies. I want to spend time with you. Often."

Exclusively. But he'd save that discussion for later.

Lexi ran her hands down the front of his tee shirt before letting him go. She looked up with a half–smile. "Let's do all those things. But Saturday night, we'll stay in. My house."

Lexi lit another candle and wondered what the hell had gotten into her. She'd invited Knox over for sex without hesitation. Deprivation had made her crazy.

Deep down, she knew that was a lie. She'd wanted him from the moment she saw him. When Knox initiated her rescue, she'd sensed his goodness. His decency. So few of the men she'd met lived up to that standard. Her intense sexual attraction merely accelerated the inevitable.

With Knox, she knew she was safe and free to let go. No other man had made her feel that way.

The doorbell rang. Lexi adjusted the bodice of her new white camisole and ran her fingers over the band of its matching thong. She smoothed her hair and took a last look around the living room. Candles on the coffee table issued a soft glow. Light snacks waited in the fridge. Background music played low.

Ready.

Knox grinned from his side of the threshold, taking in every inch of her like a long cool drink in hot sand.

She stared back at him, dressed in full uniform and holding a bottle of wine, and wondered if he was naked under his turnout pants and coat. Dear God, she hoped so.

"Someone call about a fire, Miss?"

She led him inside, set the wine on the coffee table, and kissed him, standing on tiptoes.

He kissed her back with passionate yet natural ease, as if they'd been together for months.

In one fluid motion he lifted her into his arms. "Bedroom?"

She pointed the way.

She'd lit candles there, too, so when he set her down on her queen–sized bed, their bodies shimmered with a lustrous glow. He stood over her at the edge of the mattress.

Lexi's heart pounded while she waited to see what he'd do next. She licked her lips in anticipation.

His nostrils flared at the sight of her tongue. He unclipped his helmet and laid it at the bottom of the quilt. Light flickered in his startling blue eyes, adding intensity to his already–handsome face.

She got up on her knees at the side of the bed and found the closures on his coat, starting at the bottom. Pop. The first one opened. She unhooked the next. Lexi stuck her hand inside the flap, hoping for skin instead of another layer of clothing.

Ahh. Her hand brushed the tight flesh of his stomach. His muscles contracted at her touch. Pop. Lexi opened another closure, then another, alternately running her hands over his bare chest and pinching his nipples while continuing her climb. When the coat hung open, she pushed it off his broad shoulders and watched as he eased it down and let it fall to the floor.

The sight of his naked torso looked better than she'd hoped.

Knox had toned his body with obvious care, but without the excessive vanity she'd seen at the gym. A sprinkling of pale hair grew over his gorgeous pecs and taut stomach. Her gaze followed the darker line disappearing into his pants. Her fingers itched to discover what waited inside.

Before she could unhook his turnouts, he lifted her to her feet on the bed and pressed his face to the swell of her breasts. He kissed the skin above her camisole with a heady mix of reverence and lust. In an instant, he pulled the fabric over her head and tossed it away.

He ravished her then; that was the only way to explain what happened next. Lexi gave herself over to Knox without hesitation as he explored every inch of her body with fingers and tongue, bringing her to the brink and back a dozen times over. His sole attention to her pleasure proved once again how selfless he could be.

Lexi could be generous, too. She pulled at the waistband of his pants. "I want to see you."

Her lover stripped naked then, letting the coarse fabric of his turnouts run over his hips and down his long, sturdy legs.

Lexi sucked in an appreciative breath at the sight of his ready cock. "Nice." Not too big or too small, just the right size to bring her bliss. She stroked his length and licked his shaft, tasting the silken texture of his skin and inhaling his unique scent. She brought her lips over the crown and pulled him into her mouth until he rested a hand against her jaw in gentle warning and pulled back with a hiss between his teeth. He moved to the bed and rolled down the quilt.

Lexi scooted onto the bottom sheet and watched while Knox tucked his helmet beneath the outer layers of covers to create a mound near the edge of the mattress. He inclined his head. "That's for you."

He guided her onto her back, horizontally across the bed, with her hips lifted high on his padded helmet.

She spread her legs and watched him savor the sight of her damp, open pussy.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered.

Knox knelt between her legs and ran his fingers over her tender folds, exposing her fully erect clit. His thumb circled and pressed the delicate bud, taking her closer to orgasm with each revolution.

When he pressed his mouth to her center and slid his tongue inside her, Lexi cried out. She plunged her hands into his hair while he licked and sucked her clitoris until she begged him to take her over the edge.

The crackle of paper followed her plea as Knox rolled on a condom.

Lexi dug her heels into the bed and angled her hips in anticipation.

Knox thrust into her, pulled, and thrust again deeply, holding her by the waist as they moved in syncopated time.

How could she have known they'd fit perfectly, as if they belonged together? His cock slid over just the right places, and she climaxed while she writhed with her release.

Knox fucked her harder and faster while she came, and cried out soon after. When his muscles relaxed, he kissed her belly and licked the gold loop at her navel. His tongue dragged over her solar plexus until he reached her breasts and nipples. Finally, his lips met hers for a tender kiss.

Ginger hopped up on the bed while they lay in the afterglow, wrapped in each other's arms.

Knox reached out to pet the kitten. "I have you to thank for this, little puss. Get used to me hanging around." He kissed Lexi and stroked her skin.

She marveled at how lucky she'd been to get stuck in her apple tree. As Knox moved to make love to her again, Lexi nibbled his

earlobe and murmured, "You made clever use of your helmet. Next time you come over, let's see what you can do with your coil of rope."

Knox laughed. "Anything for you, gorgeous."