Page 10 of The Pilot’s Good Girl (Praise Me Like Fire #3)

Jake

For the first time in years, I don’t feel one hundred percent in control of this bird.

My hands are steady, yeah, because they have to be. But inside, I’m rattling like the goddamn tail rotor. My chest is tight, my gut’s in knots, and every second feels like torture.

All I can think about is Ruby.

She’s out there. Somewhere. In trouble. And I wasn’t there.

I should’ve been there.

The moment the call came through about a stranded group from Rosewood Retreat, I knew. Before the dispatcher could finish the sentence, I was already halfway to the hangar. Didn’t wait for clearance. Didn’t bother pretending to follow protocol. I just got in the damn chopper and went.

Danny didn’t hesitate either. He caught my face, saw the look in my eyes, and grabbed his gear without a single question. Neither of us said anything on the way over. We didn’t need to.

Now, as the canyon gives way to the churning waters below, I spot the stranded raft. My heart stops.

There she is.

Perched on a rock in the middle of the river with four campers and one other staffer clinging to her like she’s the last safe place on earth.

Jesus.

She’s soaked, shivering, but alive. And that’s all I need to see.

“I got visual,” I bark into the headset. “Six on a center boulder, current’s aggressive but stable. We’re going in.”

“Copy that,” Danny says behind me, already unlocking the side panel and prepping the ropes and harnesses. “You sure about this?”

I don’t answer him. Because sure isn’t even the word. I’d go to hell and back for her. I’m already halfway there.

I steady the bird, lowering us down just close enough so the rotors don’t stir up chaos but the cable can still reach. I hover, adjusting for wind, for water spray, for any obstacle trying to screw this up.

Danny lowers the line.

“Hang tight!” he shouts, cupping his hands around his mouth as the first harness descends. “One at a time!”

Ruby’s eyes lock on mine through the windshield. Her mouth drops open, her whole body jolting like she’s just realized it’s me.

Then she breaks into the biggest smile and throws her arms in the air like she just saw a miracle.

My throat clenches, my pulse quickening at the sight.

Damn.

I want her in this chopper.

I want her next to me where it’s warm and safe and I can breathe again.

Danny gets the first kid clipped in and pulls them up. It’s fast. Efficient. He’s a damn pro. But I’m chewing on every second like it’s an hour. Every trip back and forth, I’m tracking Ruby. Watching her hold the kids, whisper to them, keep them steady even though she’s trembling herself.

She’s a goddamn angel. My angel.

Second. Third. Fourth.

The guy that looks like a douche comes next—he slips trying to get into the harness and Danny has to bark orders to stop him from panicking. I’d be lying if I said I care half as much about that guy’s safety as I do about what’s coming next.

Ruby’s turn.

She hesitates for a second, like she’s making sure everyone else is really okay before she grips the rope. I adjust the bird again, locking her into position.

The second she’s off the rock and in the air, I don’t blink. Don’t breathe. I follow her with my eyes all the way to the platform, watching as Danny pulls her up, unclips her, and helps her inside.

And then, she’s right here. In my cockpit. Dripping wet, cheeks flushed, breathing hard from adrenaline or relief. But she’s damn well the most gorgeous thing in the universe.

She drops into the seat beside me and I watch her fumble with the buckle. She raises her eyes to mine with a sheepish smile, a soft blush spreading her cheeks.

I grin, barely resisting the urge to lean over and kiss her senseless. “Welcome aboard, sweetheart.”

A sound escapes her lips, half sob, half giggle. Then she covers her face with both hands for a second like she’s overwhelmed, and when she looks back up, her eyes are glassy but shining.

“I knew it was you,” she whispers. “I just knew you’d come.”

“I’ll always come,” I say, voice rougher than I mean it to be. “You’re mine, Ruby. And I don’t leave what’s mine behind.”

She stares at me like she can’t believe I said that. But I mean every goddamn word. And when we take off, flying back toward base, I reach over and take her cold hand in mine.

Just to remind her, and myself, that I’ve got her. And I’m not letting go.

The second we touch down, I’m unbuckling before the rotors even fully stop. Danny’s already climbing out, hollering for medics and retreat staff to meet the others, but I’ve got one priority and she’s sitting right beside me with wide eyes and shaking hands.

I reach for her.

“Come here.”

She doesn’t hesitate. Just falls into my arms like she’s been waiting all damn day to do it.

I hold her tight. So tight I think I might never let her go. I bury one hand in her hair, rubbing her back with the other. Her soaked clothes cling to me, but I don’t care. I bury my face in her neck and just breathe her in.

“I thought I was gonna lose you,” I rasp, voice low and raw against her ear. “Ruby…Jesus. I can’t… I know this is fast, but you’re the most important thing in my life. I mean it. You mean the goddamn world to me.”

Her arms tighten around me even as her body vibrates against mine.

“I feel the same,” she whispers. “Jake…I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again, and I hated it. I hated being that far from you.”

I pull back just far enough to look at her face. Her hair’s a mess, her eyes red-rimmed, cheeks pale. But she’s beautiful. She’s here. Before I can say another word, an obnoxious voice cuts through the emotional fog.

“Well, that explains why you wouldn’t go out with me.”

I glance up. It’s the douche-looking guy. “Who the fuck are you?”

“The guy she should be screwing instead,” he replies with a mocking sneer.

Motherfucker.

He’s standing by the tail end of the chopper, wrapped in a thermal blanket, a smug grin plastered across his face like he thinks he’s clever.

Rage spikes in my blood like a fuse being lit.

Without a second thought, I let go of Ruby, close the distance, and punch him hard. Right in the jaw.

He stumbles back with a yelp, clutching his face. “What the hell, man?”

“Say something like that again,” I growl, “and I’ll do a lot worse.”

Ruby’s behind me, breath hitching in shock, but I see the fire in her eyes when she glares at Doug like he’s a piece of trash stuck to her boot.

I turn back to her, breathing hard. “Let’s get you out of here.”

She nods, and before she can say anything else, I scoop her into my arms.

“You really don’t have to—”

“Shh,” I murmur against her temple. “I want to.”

I carry her across the lot, past curious glances and a few raised brows, but no one says a damn thing.

Nobody dares.

She clutches my shoulders, burying her face in my neck as I stride straight into my quarters in the lodge without stopping.

The moment the door slams shut behind us, I press her back against it and slam my mouth to hers.

She gasps, but kisses me back with just as much heat, like we’ve both been sitting on a powder keg since yesterday.

I lift her again, this time out of pure need, and her legs wrap around my waist as I carry her over to the desk and set her down on it.

Her hands are everywhere, my chest, my shoulders, fisting my shirt.

“Jake,” she breathes. “Daddy, I need you—”

“I know,” I growl. “I’ve got you, baby girl. Just hold on.”

It’s quick, frantic, the kind of desperate we don’t have time to analyze. My hands are on her soaked shorts, tugging them down her legs. She’s already pulling at my belt, and I help her get it undone, our mouths crashing together again.

We barely get undressed, just enough to make it work. I slide into her and we both moan, relief and heat tangled together. She clutches my shoulder, her nails digging painfully into my skin but I don’t mind.

“Hang on tight, love,” I murmur, then I thrust into her. Hard and fast. She lets out a strangled cry, her hands flying off my shoulders to grab the edge of the desk. I pull out slowly and slam into her again. And again. She groans, her grip tightening as I continue to drive into her.

God, she’s everything.

This sweet, wild, strong woman that I almost lost today.

She moans my name again, trembling all over. And then she clenches tightly around me, her body drawing taut as she surrenders to a powerful wave of orgasm.

“I love you,” she whispers—underneath her breath, but I hear it.

And it damn near unravels me.

I come with a deep growl, burying my face in her shoulder, heart pounding like it’s about to break through my ribs.

We stay like that for a moment, still joined, panting, her fingers threading through my hair as I breathe her in.

I finally pull back and look at her. “You love me?”

She blinks, cheeks flushing. “I just—yeah. I do.”

I smile. “Good. Because I love you too.”

Her breath catches, her eyes shimmering with tears even as a big smile spreads across her gorgeous face. And I swear, no rescue, no fire, no adrenaline rush can compare to this moment.

“God, I love you so much, Ruby.”