“Do you need me to carry you some more?”
She shakes her head. “No. What you did was impressive, but I can’t keep making you carry me. You’ll hurt yourself.”
I lift my brow, waiting for her to explain.
“Well, I’m not a small woman. The fact you ran like that is insane, especially with my fat ass over your shoulder.”
The ease with which she said she had a fat ass appalls me. And trust me, I checked out her ass, and there’s nothing fat about it. It’s juicy and grabbable with the right amount of bubba-licious-ness to it.
I clench my jaw and try to bite back what I want to say, and it doesn’t work. It hardly ever does. I’ve always voiced what needed to be said, and over something like this, I’m not about to let it go. “I never want to hear you say anything like that about yourself again. You’re fucking perfect. With all the right curves, a man dreams of falling into those kinds of curves every night. You hear me? Never again.”
Larissa’s jaw drops, and I have to turn away, as dirty thoughts of filling her mouth invade my mind.
Fuck. What is wrong with me? This woman is way too young for me, and we might die, and here I am thinking of sex and having her in every position possible.
She says nothing as she works to process my outburst. Which is fine by me. I don’t want to risk saying something inappropriate, because the fat ass comment stinks of a man putting her down, and it makes me want to go mental and do something murderous. Something that shouldn’t be my first reaction, not when you’re a first responder with people whose lives depend on you.
“Jace, I found a cliff, but you’re going to fly. The fire will corner you, so we only have one shot at this. But I can’t land anywhere.”
Shit.I’m okay with it, but a civilian?Better not to tell her what he means when Coop said we’re going to fly.
“Where am I heading?”
“Keep going in the direction you are.”
“Copy that.”
“And Jace?”
“Yeah?”
“Run.”
I look at Larissa, and she nods, dropping my hand, and runs. My hand is cold and empty now, and I want to continue touching her, but we’ll move faster if we don’t.
FOUR
LARISSA
We’re standing on a cliff,and I don’t dare look down. Heights terrify me, and the helicopter forcing wind to wrap around us doesn’t help. It makes me imagine we’re going to be flung off this mountain and plummet to sudden death. The imagery is potent, and I choke down my fear as much as I’m able.
The coughing fits are more frequent, especially with all the cardio we’ve been doing. Jace continues to watch over me, and I can tell he doesn’t like the sound of my cough. I don’t either, but it’s a problem for later. Hopefully, I can recover and no longer sound like I’ve smoked three packs a day for my entire life.
Jace secures me into a harness, and my body quakes as I piece everything together. A hundred percent of my attention is on the most capable man I’ve ever met, with this raw attraction to him I can’t set aside. Even in these moments of danger and petrifying fear, I’m captivated and can’t help wondering if he’s single. Which is ridiculous. This man is more than a decade older than me, and why in the world would a man like him besingle? He has to have a gorgeous wife and beautiful children, and a happy American dream life.
The hyper focus I’m experiencing and placing on Jace helps me block out everything around me, and I’m okay with it. Because with plummeting death to my left, raging inferno to my right, and the death-defying machine above us, Jace is a much better focus. Who cares if I picture myself as the wife and the mother of his children? This is something far better to think about.
He tugs on the harness around me, and I lose my balance, falling into him. “Sorry.”
He smiles. “You’re going to be fine. I’ll be with you for every second.” He straps himself into a harness and clips us together.
The fantasies of a life with Jace splinter away as we get closer to the reality of the situation. We’re going to be suspended in the air while flying over the mountain and wildfire. I’m no action flick chick. I love rom-coms and tear-jerking dramas with happily ever afters.
Jace wraps his arms around me and speaks directly into my ear, since it’s loud. “You’re going to be fine. I promise. Just hold on tight to me.”
I nod, even though my eyes have to be wide with panic, and I gaze at him with trepidation.
“I got you, Trouble. You’re safe with me.”
