Page 4 of Sequoia Flames (Black Timber Peak Hotshots #6)

FOUR

LASSITER

I can’t smell her right now because of the smoke but when I first touched her I smelled peaches and cream and my mouth watered like Pavlov’s dog.

She smells delicious. Fruity and bright and for some damn reason I almost want to take a bite out of her right now. Which would be really stupid because we don’t have time for this shit.

My eyes are tearing but I narrow them and focus, searching for any escape hatch at all out of this hellhole.

But there’s nothing and that really scares the hell out of me because I’m out of options right now except to go up and call for a chopper. Hopefully.

Otherwise the two of us are screwed with a capital S and that’s the last thing I want to tell little miss sunshine right now.

Sure, she’s a little annoying but I really don’t like the thought of anything happening to her and it’s kinda driving me nuts. It makes my chest feel like it’s caving in on itself and I’m not sure I want to know why.

I don’t do women. I grimace and run my hand over her slim back, unable to help myself.

I don’t mean that I don’t like women, dammit. I mean that I don’t trust women. At all.

My whole world imploded on me a long time ago and that taught me a fucking hard lesson. Women can’t be trusted. No matter how well you know them. How good you think they are. There’s just no such thing as a good, loyal woman.

“Hey, Grumpy McStuffy! I want down. My head is starting to kill me.”

I don’t even bother replying. Just keep walking. It doesn’t really matter what she thinks or says. We need to move and she’s so damn short that her little legs probably couldn’t keep up with me.

This works better.

“You’re fine, Firefly. I’m not even breaking a sweat.” That’s not entirely true. But I think that’s more from the freaking fire coming at us than anything else.

“That’s all well and good but I want down,” she argues and huffs into my back. I can’t help but smile. She’s a little grouchy right now and even if it makes me sicker than hell, I happen to like it. She’s pretty but she’s hot when she’s crabby.

I think that actually does make me a little sick.

“Yeah. Not happening. Those short little sticks that you have for legs wouldn’t be able to keep up with me, Firefly. And we’ve got to keep moving.”

“Keep mentioning my height and I’m going to start getting a complex. Not to mention, how dare you talk about my legs like that.”

“You know,” I say in a conversational tone, like we’re discussing the weather or something, “you’re not exactly a Disney princess are you?

I thought that’s what you looked like when I saw you.

You know, all that blond hair and those big eyes behind the sunglasses.

But there aren’t any birds chirping around your head or anything.

No little forest animals dragging your dress or following you like you’re their best buddy.

You’re kind of grumpy. I like it,” I huff, my whole body going tight as I run into another damn wall of flames.

This is not working. Where the hell can I go now? We’re completely cut off from going down the mountain.

So I guess we’re going up. Which is the last thing I want to do. But it might be our only shot at rescue.

I need to explain it to her or she’s gonna fight me tooth and nail. I just know it.

So I bend my knees carefully and lower her gently to the ground. She steadies herself on my chest and I can finally look right into her eyes. It feels like the whole world goes still and silent. The earth shifts under my feet.

She’s more beautiful than I even thought. Her eyes are like pools of blue darkened to midnight. She bites her full, pink lower lip while she stares at me and all I want to do is bite it too.

In fact, I want to take a bite out of just about every bit of her. I mean, she’s so tiny and cute that I just can’t stop looking at her. That needs to stop.

But she plants her hands on her thick hips and glares at me and my whole body goes up in flames brighter than the ones we’re trying to escape.

“You are a massive Neanderthal and I don’t like it one bit, buddy. What the hell made you think it’s alright to kidnap unsuspecting women anyway?”

I snort out a laugh and fight the urge to touch her again. “Listen. We don’t have time to debate this. It was just faster because your legs are…”

Her palm smacks me in the chest and she looks spitting mad. “If you mention my height or my legs one more time I’m going to push you over the nearest cliff,” she mutters.

“Oookay. Well, to avoid my own death I won’t say it again but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”

Her deep blue eyes close and I struggle to keep from touching her to see if she’ll open them and glare at me some more. Because apparently I have some kind of weird fetish about being glared at that seems to push all the right buttons for me.

“Ugh! You’re annoying. I don’t have time for this. I need to get off this mountain and then hopefully back up here so I can finish my research project in the next two days.”

“You’re not staying?” My heart trips over itself and I wince when I hear the cringy, needy tone in my voice.

What the hell?

I don’t even know this woman.

Why the hell does the thought of her leaving make my chest hurt so damn much?

She backs away and licks her lips and my dick throbs with need for her.

That I understand. She’s gorgeous.

“Of course not. I’m here doing research for my thesis. I’m supposed to leave day after tomorrow.”

Jerking myself under control, I stand straighter and glare at her, crossing my big arms across my pounding chest. “We’ll see, Firefly.

For now, we’re going to be stuck together for longer than you think because we can’t get down this mountain.

The only thing we can do is head up and get a message to my guys to send a chopper. ”

I lift a brow and smirk. “So you better hope this Neanderthal can get you out of here safely or we’re in a mess of trouble, Firefly.”