Page 50 of Falling for the Playboy Pilot

JANNA

Two weeks after the fire, Hollow Gorge was rebuilding.

It would take months for some of the destroyed buildings to rise from the ashes, but it would happen. The whole town had turned out for Martha’s rebuild day. Her diner had survived for the most part but the fire damage to the side of the building had to be repaired.

And because her diner was what kept a lot of people fed, getting it fixed was a priority. A construction crew had organized various teams based on skills. I didn’t have construction skills. And after an incident with a hammer and my thumb, I was now making sure everyone stayed hydrated.

Martha had set up a massive white tent in the parking lot, complete with folding tables and mismatched chairs she’d borrowed from the church.

The smell of fresh pie and her famous buttermilk biscuits wafted through the air.

Unfortunately, the lingering scent of smoke still hung in the air.

I honestly wondered if it would ever go away.

“Janna, honey, grab me another tray of those apple turnovers,” Martha called out, wiping her hands on her apron.

Even in the middle of disaster recovery, she maintained her smile and kindness.

I knew she didn’t have the money to be serving all of this food at no charge, but she insisted on doing it.

I navigated through the crowd, dodging a group of teenagers carrying lumber and nearly colliding with a young mom who was balancing three plates of Martha’s famous coconut cream pie. The energy was infectious. Everyone was dirty, sweaty, and grinning like fools. Hope shone from everyone’s faces.

“Coming through!” I called out, hefting the tray of turnovers above my head.

Near the construction site, Dalton worked alongside a crew of local contractors, his shirt long since abandoned in the heat. Those tattoos of his were on full display, and I wasn’t the only woman appreciating the view. I saw several of them practically drooling into their iced tea.

And yeah, I was jealous. I knew I had nothing to worry about, but damn, I hated them looking at him like he was a snack. That man was a full meal and I didn’t think any of them could handle him.

“Earth to Chopper,” Laser said, appearing at my elbow with a knowing smirk. “You’re staring.”

“I’m appreciating,” I corrected, not bothering to look away as Dalton hefted a beam into place. “There’s a difference.”

“Uh-huh.” She grabbed a turnover from my tray. “Well, while you’re appreciating , you’re about to drop that tray.”

Familiar laughter cut through the air and Laser whipped around so fast she almost did knock my tray out of my hands.

“Um, you’re appreciating a little hard yourself,” I said.

“Damn right I am.” She turned back to look at me and licked her lips. “How did I not see him before?”

“You were too busy seeing the other asshole.”

“My man is hot,” she said with a dreamy sigh.

“You’re smitten,” I observed.

“Completely gone,” she admitted without a hint of embarrassment. “Who knew almost losing someone could make you realize you’d been an idiot for months?”

I watched as she made her way over to Pickle, who was painting a door. She hip-checked him, said something that made him laugh, and the next thing I knew, he had his arms around her.

It was disgustingly cute.

“Now that’s what I like to see,” Martha said, appearing beside me with a fresh pot of coffee. “Young love and community spirit. Nothing heals a place faster than both.”

“It’s a good turnout,” I said, watching as more cars pulled into the makeshift parking area.

“Best I’ve seen in twenty years,” Martha agreed. “Course, it helps that everyone’s favorite fire pilots are here. You all have become local celebrities, you know. And your man parading around shirtless helps.”

“We were just doing our jobs.”

“Honey, your job is fighting fires. What you did was save lives and give this community hope. There’s a difference.”

Before I could respond, Chief’s voice boomed across the tent. “Martha! I brought you a sample of my five-alarm chili. Just a little something to spice up your menu.”

Martha’s smile never wavered, but I caught the slight tightening around her eyes. “That’s so thoughtful of you, Chief. But you know how it is. I can’t serve that. My customers have delicate constitutions.”

“This will put hair on their chests,” Chief said proudly, holding up a mason jar filled with what looked like molten lava. “Secret ingredient is ghost peppers.”

I was having flashbacks to my own foray into eating his chili. I was certain I still had a dead spot on my tongue where the taste buds had been burned clean off.

“I’m sure it’s delicious,” Martha said diplomatically. “But I think I’ll stick to my regular menu. Can’t have my customers breathing fire. Or keeling over.”

A few people nearby chuckled, and Chief looked momentarily deflated before brightening again. “Well, if you change your mind…”

“I’ll be sure to let you know,” Martha said sweetly, then turned to me with a conspiratorial wink. “That man has been trying to get me to serve that chili for five years. I swear it could strip paint.”

“I heard that!” Chief called out, but he was grinning.

“You were meant to!” Martha shot back, and the whole tent erupted in laughter.

Arms wrapped around me from behind, and Dalton’s familiar scent enveloped me. “Having fun?” he murmured against my ear.

“The best,” I said, leaning back against his chest. “How’s the construction going?”

“Good. We should have the frame up by tonight if this weather holds.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. “How’s your thumb?”

“I will go on to live another day.”

A commotion near the construction site caught our attention. Someone had started playing music from a truck’s stereo system. The song sent heat pooling between my legs. And I felt Dalton’s cock jerk against my backside.

Riley Green’s “Worst Way” vibrated through the speakers.

And good heavens all I could think about was sex. I remembered exactly what I had been doing the last time I heard the song.

“I love you,” I said quietly, just for him.

“I love you too,” he replied, leaning down to kiss me softly. “All of you.”

“I think—” I looked around in search of privacy. I needed the man.

“Come with me,” he growled.

He grabbed my hand and led me away from the crowd, toward the back of Martha’s property where a small storage shed sat. My pulse quickened as he pulled me around the corner, pressing me against the weathered wooden wall.

“You’re going to get us in trouble,” I whispered, but I was already reaching for him.

“Don’t care,” he said roughly, his mouth finding mine in a kiss that was all heat and desperation. His hands roamed over my body, reacquainting themselves with every curve despite the fact that we’d made love just hours ago.

“Someone could see us,” I protested weakly, even as my fingers traced the hard planes of his chest.

“Then you better be quiet,” he murmured against my neck, his teeth grazing my skin in a way that made me gasp.

The distant sounds of laughter and power tools faded into background noise as he lifted me. My legs wrapped around his waist. The rough wood of the shed pressed against my back, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was the way he looked at me, like I was everything he’d ever wanted.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he said, his voice raw with need.

“Then don’t,” I whispered back.

Before things could go any further, Pickle’s voice cut through our haze. “Hey, has anyone seen—oh, shit. Sorry!”

We broke apart, both breathing hard. Dalton set me down and rested his forehead against mine.

“This is your fault,” I hissed. “You and that stupid playlist. I heard ‘Come a Little Closer’ in the grocery store and nearly had an orgasm.”

He grinned, clearly not bothered by my confession.

“It’s not funny.”

“But it kind of is.”

“Come on,” I said with a sigh. “We better get back. I don’t want everyone to think I’m some hussy who can’t keep her hands off you.”

“But you can’t.”

“You need to put on a damn shirt,” I snapped. “You woke up the ovaries of Mrs. Martin. She’s in her sixties!”

He took my hand, kissed the back of it, and we started back to the party.

“I cannot wait until the season is over,” he said. “I’m going to chain you to my bed and that’s where you’ll be all winter.”

“Promise?” I asked, grinning up at him.

“Cross my heart,” he said, making an X over his chest with his finger.

We rejoined the crowd, and I tried to focus on serving pie and refilling drinks, but my mind kept wandering to winter. To long, lazy mornings in bed with Dalton. To quiet evenings by the fire. To a life that didn’t revolve around the constant threat of being called away to fight another blaze.

I looked around the area and felt more at home than I ever had. They were my family and friends. My life felt complete. I’d finally found my place. I was supposed to be here. When I first came here, I wasn’t sure I would stay all year.

There was no way I was going to leave. These were my people.

“You’re glowing,” Laser observed, sidling up to me with a knowing look.

“I’m sweating. It’s hot.”

“That’s not sweat, that’s post-make-out glow. You two are worse than teenagers. Pickle told me he busted you guys.”

“Of course, he did.”

“We totally went in the bathroom at the hardware store,” she said with a cheesy grin. “We were sent to get screws and?—”

“That is not fair!”

“Gotta be smarter,” she said with a wink.

Chief’s radio crackled to life. The sound cut through the festive atmosphere like a knife, and everyone within earshot went quiet.

“Base to Chief, we have a situation developing.”

Chief stepped away from the crowd. Dalton stopped what he was doing and pulled on his shirt. “Go ahead, base.”

Wild Bill, Pickle, and a couple of the other guys were all kissing their loved ones goodbye.

“We’ve got reports of a new start about fifteen miles north of town. On the ridge.”

That meant it would be up to us.

“Showtime,” Laser said.

***

If you loved this book, don’t miss out…

Check out book 1 in A Wedding Bells Alpha Novel called Say You Do .

My brother is an idiot—he’s getting married.

And I’m in charge of getting things together since our folks are gone.

Lucky me. The guy who thinks love is for the birds and worn-out 80s songs.

I honestly don’t have time for this drama. I run a billion-dollar company, have women to entertain, and am working on my plans to rule the world.

No, seriously.

And yet, when you least expect it, life kicks you in the balls.

The beautiful, snarky woman that runs the flower shop is perfect to help me pull off this wedding.

Just seeing her sends my head spinning with possibilities.

She’s perfect. To play my fake wife for an event I have coming up as a side deal.

My ex-wife will be at the event, and I sure could use someone to show her how well I’ve done since she ripped out my soul.

So my curvy new friend gets my ring and a chunk of my wallet before agreeing to the deal.

Funny thing is, I’m not so interested in taking it back by the end of the adventure.

I’m willing to go all in on what might be the best decision of my life.

And I’m demanding the same of her. No maybes. No I-don’t-knows.

No fear of what might be or might not be.

Open your pretty pink lips and utter the words.

Say you do.

I gotta have THIS