Page 3 of Sequoia Flames (Black Timber Peak Hotshots #6)

THREE

VERITY

“Shit, shit, shit! What the hell am I supposed to do now? I can’t stop this!”

The campfire I was expecting to warn someone about is actually already picking up steam in the heat of the day and I don’t have any help up here at all.

I tried to find my way around this obstacle but it’s spreading fast and I don’t know exactly where I’m going thanks to all the damn smoke around me.

Jumping, I scream when a hand grasps my arm. “Shit!” I yell and pull hard.

My eyes drift up and up and up. The biggest guy I’ve ever seen in my life is staring at me with the coldest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. Like chips of arctic ice.

“What the hell are you doing up here?” He eyes the flames around us and growls, “”What have you done?”

“Me!” I snarl. “I didn’t do a damn thing! I just showed up here a few minutes ago to see if I could help whoever did this! I thought it was just somebody’s campfire.” Waving my hands around, I groan. “I had no idea that it was already this bad.”

“And it is. You need to get out of here.”

“What about these campers? Where are they?”

“If they have any sense at all, they’re already gone.

” He points around us at the kicked-up area we’re standing in and the lack of tents and everything else.

“If you look around, actually open your eyes, you’ll see that there’s no stuff here.

It’s obvious that they’ve cleared out and they left their damn fire burning. ”

Huffing, I glare at him. But now that I look around, I can see there is nothing around us.

“Fine. But we can’t leave this thing burning.”

“I need to get you out of here and report this to my boss. We don’t have any time to talk about this. Come on…”. He grabs my arms and his full lips tighten when I rip myself away from him and move around the campsite.

“There has to be water around here somewhere. We can’t leave like this. This is how wildfires start!”

He moves in front of me, so fast and effortlessly that my mouth hangs open. “Listen! We don’t have time for this! This is already a wildfire. We need to go!”

Growling, I stomp around him and squeal when he paces up behind me and my head whooshes when he grabs me and throws me over his big, muscular shoulder.

“Ooof! Let me go!” His shoulder is hard as a rock when he shifts and I wish I didn’t wonder where else he might be hard.

“We do not have time for this bullshit!”

He stomps off and I huff, pushing off of his ass with my hand to keep from smacking my face into him. My skin heats up and my fingers tingle.

His ass is a work of art. Tight, muscular and perfectly-defined. I’ve never seen any man that looks this good in real life.

Of course his attitude sucks rocks!

So that kinda decreases how good he looks.

My eyes lock on his round ass again and the way his butt muscles twitch side to side and I groan under my breath.

Dammit!

He still looks too damn good even from this angle.

“What are you doing?”

“We need to get out of here before the path down the mountain is completely blocked.”

The flames jump and crackle in an orange and red line behind us and I can feel the heat from them burning my skin.

It’s too hot! So hot!

Coughing, I growl under my breath. “It’s too close! Don’t you have anything to fight it!”

His deep chuckle makes me cringe. “This? Have you actually looked around us? A portable fire extinguisher is just gonna make this shit madder.”

My brows lift. “I don’t think that’s how this works. I also find it a little weird to be hauled off by some strange guy that I don’t even know,” I snap.

“Pardon me for saving your life,” he snarls. “And my name is Lassiter Wainwright. Does that satisfy your delicate sensibilities? Can I save your life now?” He doesn’t stop or even break stride.

“I think you’re blowing this out of proportion.”

I’m being stubborn and I know it. This is a bad situation and judging by the acrid smoke burning my nose and throat it’s just getting worse. The smoke and fire seems to be really picking up steam.

But this guy is rubbing me the wrong way. Big time!

“I think that you need your eyes checked.”

“Oh shoot! We need to go back! I lost my sunglasses.”

“I think that’s about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Buy a new pair.”

I like that pair, dammit!

But he’s probably right. It would be dumb to go back and get them when there’s fire all around us. I glance back and wince. Yeah, we’re not getting back through that.

I huff and cross my arms and immediately my head bounces off his ass and back. “Oof!”

“Comfy?” He chuckles.

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to smack a guy more than this one. “Did you get my bag? All my research for my paper is in it and I can’t afford to lose that.”

“Research? Paper? Aren’t you a little old to be a college student?”

“Grrrr.” That’s all I can say right now. At least until I can get my tongue unstuck from the roof of my mouth.

Doesn’t take very long though.

“I didn’t start until my divorce if you must know,” I huff.

“Ah. That explains it.”

“Are you always this rude or is this just something you saved for me? Are you planning on carrying me forever? I can walk, you know,” I snap. My whole body is still buzzing with electricity and I’d really love to get away from this guy. “You must be getting tired. I’m not a little woman.”

He sighs. Loudly. “You’re light as a feather, Firefly. I’m just fine. Enjoy the ride because when I do let you down, it’s gonna be a long haul. Especially if I can’t find a break in the trail down.”

I should be terrified and mad as hell. I am mad. Kinda. But I’m more turned on than anything else and that scares me more than the damn fire.

I don’t need or want another man. I’ve had enough of guys and their fickle natures to last me for the rest of my life. I’m not interested in finding another cheater.

So until I get away from this guy, my lady parts are just gonna have to get a grip! I can’t afford to let another man make a mess out of my life.

Even if he does look like a freaking Greek god!