Read Burns So Bad (Smoke Jumpers) for Free Online Page B

she smiled up at him. “Suck it up, golden boy. You’ve got a pair
    of steel-toes.”
    Her hair brushed his
    cheek—because he might, just might, have angled his face towards
    hers—and he sucked in a deep breath of coconut-scented Suave.
    Seven, eight.
    He
    could have kept dancing all night.
    ###
    Gia collapsed in the booth, resting
    her feet. The damned cowboy boots were nowhere near as comfortable as they looked, even if the red leather had screamed Buy me when she spotted the pair on
    Macy’s sale rack. She considered slipping them off underneath the table but
    decided against it. Riling Mimi up with a health and safety code violation
    probably wasn’t prudent if she wanted the bar’s owner to give her a ride home.
    Plus, Mimi’s tequila packed a
    punch.
    If she took the boots off, her body
    might assume that was a memo to relax completely and go to sleep. Not her best
    plan. She’d heard that was how Evan had met his soon-to-be wife. Faye Duncan
    had given in to the tireds in Ma’s and Evan had scooped her up. Gia didn’t want
    a diamond ring or a trip down the aisle herself, but Evan seemed happy enough.
    He’d pulled Faye out of the line and he was slow-dancing her to a tune only the
    two of them could hear, his big arms wrapped tightly around her.
    There were worse fates.
    Maybe she should try dating again.
    There were other pretty fish in the
    sea besides Rio Donovan, and surely her hormones could pick an alternate man.
    He couldn’t possibly be the only one to get her all worked up. Evan bent his
    head and kissed Faye, Gia looked away. Was being a great kisser a family thing?
    Not going there, she reminded
    herself.
    The bar was a happy blur and she
    could feel herself relaxing for the first time in weeks. Of course, maybe that
    was because she wasn’t pussyfooting around her jump partner. She had to do
    something about the way he looked at her. Other people were starting to notice.
    The problem was, she liked the way it made her feel. It probably didn’t mean
    much of anything—Rio loved women, loved touching—but she warmed
    right up inside when his dark eyes slid over her and then paused like he’d
    found something he liked.
    Had he fantasized about kissing her?
    Once again, so not tonight’s
    problem. She munched a few peanuts and curled up in the booth, her head tipping
    back against the booth. Five minutes. She’d close her eyes for just five
    minutes and then—
    “You’re not driving.”
    Gia’s head snapped forward with a
    jerk. She blinked sleepily up at the big body blocking her view of the bar.
    Yep. That was Rio leaning in and cutting off her exit route. “Of course not.
    I’m not stupid or suicidal.”
    He didn’t touch the opening she’d
    handed him. Instead, he tucked a hand beneath her elbow and gently tugged her
    forward. “I’ll take you home.”
    Newsflash. He still looked at her
    like he wanted to eat her up.
    Her girly bits were fine with that.
    Her head? Not so much.
    “No need.” She pulled back, waving a
    hand toward the bar. “I’m bumming a ride from Mimi.”
    “I’ll take you,” he repeated. “The
    bar doesn’t close for another hour and you’re asleep sitting up.”
    True.
    “You’re on my way,” he continued.
    “Hell, we could drive to my place and you could walk home. Your cabin is six
    down from mine. But, if you ask nicely, I’ll stop the truck in front of your
    door.”
    He held out his hand and grinned at
    her. His other hand swiped her purse from the table.
    She thought about the offer for a
    minute, more to prolong the moment than out of any true hesitation. It probably
    counted as sad and pathetic that her dance with Rio was the closest she’d
    gotten to any action lately. Or that she liked the way he held her hand now.
    “An offer I can’t pass up? I’m in.”
    She slid out of the booth, brushing against him as she stood up.
    Most of the jump team had left
    while she’d been holding her snooze fest in the booth, and only a small