With a wary eye on the wildfire raging a few hundred yards away, Ben opened the throttle. The rotors sped up into a blur. Murmuring a quick prayer—the Robinson was pretty damn close to its weight capacity—he slowly pulled up on the collective and depressed the left foot pedal, which controlled the tail rotor. The helicopter lightened on its skids and slowly lifted into the air.
Always an incredible feeling. Of course, he’d never flown the copter in conditions like this before.
The Robinson struggled hard against the force of the headwinds created by the fire and the weight of its load. Ben fought the cyclic pitch, which kept wanting to steer the helicopter in the wrong direction. The firefighters stayed quiet and let him battle it out.
“Come on, come on,” he muttered under his breath to the overburdened Robinson. “You can do this, baby. Make me proud.”
Slowly, painfully, the craft put distance between itself and the ground, and Ben was sure they were going to make it. A hundred feet, two hundred, the highway now a gray, curving line between forests, flames on one side, virgin green on the other.
And then a terrifying jolt made the chopper drop about twenty feet.
Shit. Turbulence? An in-draft created by the fire? He twisted the grip of the collective to get the rotors spinning even faster. He felt the quiver of the engine in the palms of his hands.
Not now, he thought in a sudden, profound panic. I still have to…Julie.
Julie. He had to see Julie again. And not in the friend way. In the love way. The way in which two people show their true hearts to each other. He had to show her, tell her how important she was to him. Had always been.
He fought the cross current that had seized them, Julie’s smile shimmering in his mind’s eye. Right hand gripping the collective, feet on the pedals, he powered through the gusty fire-generated winds. Go, go, he chanted. Not silently, as he’d thought. But out loud, and joined by the hotshots. “Go, go, go,” they all repeated, until the chopper had enough altitude to level out. Then they changed their chant to “Yeah, Ben!” and pats rained down on his shoulders and back.
He drew in a deep breath and let it out. He tilted his head back and forth to release the tension. “Sorry, guys,” he called over the engine noise. “Didn’t expect it to be so white-knuckle.”
“Dude, you are never paying for a drink at Barstow’s again,” shouted Josh. “That was fricking amazing!”
Ben grinned, more out of sheer relief than anything else. He’d had some dicey moments in the Air Force, but somehow that was different. These were firefighters, friends, guys whose wives and girlfriends he knew. If something had happened to any of them, the heartbreak of Evie, or Suzanne, or Lisa… God, he didn’t want to think about it.
Julie. He wanted to see her, now. He wanted to sweep her into his arms and nuzzle her hair and tell her that he’d never stopped loving her. And never would.
As soon as they approached the Knight and Day landing strip, he started looking for her. She came racing out of the office as the helicopter descended toward the tarmac. Tobias followed at a slower jog, but Ben barely noticed him. Julie. He wanted Julie in his arms as soon as humanly possible.
The skids touched down, and he powered down the craft. The firefighters stepped off first, whooping as they landed on solid ground. Tobias veered toward them, but Julie kept going. She darted around the nose of the Robinson, reaching him just as he set foot on the tarmac.
Before he could even say a word, she flung herself into his arms.
“You’re okay. You’re okay,” she kept whispering. “I was so scared.”
“Hey, hey.” He soothed her by tracing slow circles on her back. Her heart was racing, rapid heartbeats drumming against his chest. How many missions had he flown without anyone fretting over him? All of them. Until now. “I wasn’t the one in danger. All I had to do was swoop in with the chopper. Nice work if you can get it.” He kept his tone light and teasing, or at least he thought he did.
She drew back a step, looking at him sternly. “I know you. It wasn’t that simple, was it?”
“Not quite,” he admitted. He’d liked it more a second ago, when she was pressed up against him. “Hey, if I tell you I cheated death by a whisker, will you hug me again?”
That brought a real smile to her face. She swatted him lightly on the upper arm, then dove into his arms again. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t do this. I know we’re starting fresh and we’re friends and all of that. Can we just…have this moment and then go back to your friend questionnaire?”
“I’m not sure it works that way.” He brushed a silky lock of hair away from her face so he could see her. “I’ll try, but now that I’ve had you in my arms…” He gazed into her wide eyes, still dark from the adrenaline that had rushed through her system. “I’m not sure I can forget how good this feels.”
And God, did it feel good. She molded her body against him, warm and soft and tempting. He filled his hands with her, drank her in. His cock went hard as steel, but he shifted so she didn’t feel it. Maybe she wasn’t ready for that yet. Maybe she was still on Project Friendship. He didn’t want to screw things up, but God, he wanted her with a throbbing, aching need.
She tilted her head and rested her chin against his chest. “I never forgot how this feels,” she whispered. “Never.”
Did she mean… God, he hoped so.
“Julie.” His voice was rough from smoke and desire. “Would you like to come over tonight? Maybe someone could stay with Felix.”
“Come over…” Color rushed into her face. “Like we used to? In the old days? Come over and do homework and make out?”
He grinned widely. “We can skip the homework.”
The sound of a throat clearing made them both jump. Ben kept his arms around Julie—no way was he letting her go now—and turned to see the three rescued hotshots, along with Rollo, grinning at them. Rollo must have come to pick them up.
“Just want to say thanks again for the extraction,” said Sean.
“You bet,” Ben answered. He liked all these guys, he really did, but right now he just wanted them gone so he could settle things with Julie.
“It was a little hairy there for a moment, huh?” Josh said. “My life actually flashed before my eyes. I liked the last part best, everything with Suzanne and Faith in it.”
Ben felt Julie stiffen in his arms at Josh’s mention of his life flashing.
“Right?” Finn laughed a little. His facial scar was a little redder than usual—irritated by the smoke, maybe? “That was a hell of a ride. You have nerves of steel, Ben Knight. Couldn’t ask for a better rescue pilot.”
“Jupiter Point’s damn lucky you guys are here and geared up the way you are,” added Rollo.
“Spread the word. Knight and Day Flight Tours, the experience of a lifetime.” He grinned as he shook Rollo’s hand.
The hotshots saluted him again, smiled at Julie, then took off across the tarmac toward Rollo’s rig, an impressive crew of good-looking, rugged individuals. Solid, good guys. And he’d just saved them.
As soon as they were out of sight, Julie swung around and pushed at his chest. “You made it sound like it was easy! Like you were never in danger!”
“There’s always some danger. There was a wildfire. They’re dangerous.”
“But—” The stormy look on her face dissolved into something else, something deeper, more emotional. “Tonight. What time?”
“Anytime. Just show up. I’ll be waiting.”
She nodded, and the air between them quivered with electric anticipation. The adrenaline from the rescue still hammered through his veins. He remembered this feeling from the Air Force, when every sense was heightened, and the world appeared sharp and clear and present.
Except now Julie was here, and all his senses were completely attuned to her.
17
Julie left soon afterward to check in on Felix. She shot Ben a text message that read, “Mission still a go for tonight. (Air Force lingo, right?)�
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With the rest of the day’s tours cancelled, he and Tobias closed up early. Tobias went home to his new family, while Ben decided to surprise Julie with the most romantic meal he could think of. Would flowers be overboard? What about a chocolate hazelnut torte from Pie in the Sky?
What if she couldn’t make it after all?
When she finally tapped on his door, he felt a rush of relief so strong, it rivaled a safe landing in an A-10. She hasn’t changed her mind. He took a breath and opened the door for her.
At the sight of her, his jaw dropped. She wore a silky little clingy dress that hit her mid-thigh, along with some kind of sky-high heels that made her legs look endless. She held a bottle of red wine, about the same shade as her dress. He could drink her up in one gulp.
As he stood gaping at her, she sniffed the air. “Lasagna? Seriously, you made lasagna?”
“I checked my notes. Still your favorite.” He shook himself out of his stupor and opened the door farther. She walked in, her dress swirling around her hips, so sexy he couldn’t breathe. He nearly groaned out loud at the throbbing in his cock.
How the hell was he going to make it through an entire dinner? And dessert? Maybe he could toss that torte out the window before she even saw it. And why had he bothered with appetizers—crackers and gorgonzola and olives? What a frickin’ waste of time! This was going to take forever. What if they didn’t have forever? What if Felix needed her? She could get a call and leave at any moment, leaving him with a terminal case of blue balls. Were there any medical consequences to blue balls?
Crazy thoughts like these ran through his head as she stepped into his condo. The space had a simple layout, with the living and dining room separated only by a bookcase, and a pass-through window from kitchen to dining room. He’d only been living here for a few weeks, since Carolyn and Sarah had moved into the farmhouse. But at heart, he was a homebody, and he’d taken care to make the space the way he wanted it. A rug he’d bought in Greece covered the living room floor, and embroidered throw pillows from Turkey added a touch of color to the couch.
Julie walked through the living room to the dining room table, where she set down the bottle of wine. Tall tapers burned in wooden candleholders he’d found at an outdoor market in Afghanistan. They were carved into the shape of horse heads, and had so much personality that he’d paid outrageously for them. She touched one on its flared wooden nostrils and smiled.
Then her gaze traveled to the bouquet of early tulips that he’d acquired from Brianna’s greenhouse. They sat in a vase that his mother had found at a vintage store.
“I remember that vase,” she said softly. “Milk glass, your mom called it.”
He couldn’t answer. Right now, he felt so exposed, so laid bare. It was crystal clear how much effort he’d made for this dinner. How much he wanted to impress her. How much she mattered to him. Even down to the music playing on his iPod speaker—Whitney Houston, who had always been Julie’s favorite singer as a teenager.
Would his need for her, his desire, scare her away? Should he have played it cool, the way he usually did? Six-pack and an order of takeout, with the highlight being a strip of condoms?
Slowly, she turned to face him. The candlelight made her eyes glisten like dark liquid jewels. “You did all this for me,” she whispered.
“Well, the UPS guy couldn’t make it, so I guess it’s all about you,” he quipped. But his joke was off, and they both knew it. There was too much strong emotion coursing between them. “Hey, if it’s too much, don’t worry about it. We can take those tulips to Knight and Day. And you know how Tobias is with lasagna.”
She sniffed. “Don’t say that. I love it.” With one finger, she blotted the tear about to roll down her face. “I remember when the only thing you knew how to make was beef jerky on crackers. It’s just—this is amazing, because no one has cooked a meal specifically for me since Mom died.” Her mouth quirked into a smile. “And that was probably vegan and gluten-free.”
His heart just about melted away. In two steps, he was at her side, his arms around her. “Aw, man. And I loaded this up with cheese. What was I thinking?”
She laughed, her face lighting up. “I like how you were thinking. I wish I’d brought more than just wine.”
“Well, you did bring that killer dress.” He slid his finger under the edge of her neckline to the silk of her skin. In the candlelight, she was luminous as a star. “That’s worth about a month of lasagnas.”
“I made a quick shopping trip. I had nothing that would catch the eye of a dashing pilot.”
“Everything you wear catches my eye.”
She leaned toward him, lips parting, pupils darkening.
He bent down and did what he’d been wanting to do since the first moment she’d walked back into his life. He touched his lips to hers.
And there it was. The sizzle. The fire. The electric connection he’d never felt with anyone else.
They used to kiss for hours at a time. During the two years they’d been together, they’d probably racked up a couple of months’ worth of kissing. And it all came back, like riding a bike. Eyes closed, he moved his mouth against hers, savoring every sensation, every warm puff of breath, every sweet meeting of soft flesh. He loved her lips, and he knew them so well. That plump swell of the lower lip, the little upward curve on the right corner. And then there was the little chip in one of her teeth, a tiny roughness that sometimes caught him short.
That was gone, he realized. She’d seen a dentist in LA. Of course she had. One tiny change among thousands.
Like the curve of muscle along her spine. She had more sumptuous, mouthwatering flesh there now. And the way it flared into her hips, with that bodacious swell, oh my God. She was all woman now. And when she drew away from him, gasping for breath, the woman looking at him had all the heat and passion of an adult, not a tentative girl.
“Would you take it as an insult if I suggest we hold off on dinner?” she said breathlessly. “I want it. Every bit of it. But I want you more.”
He growled deep in his chest, filling his hands with the firm globes of her ass. “I was going to say the same thing. I was afraid of coming off like a horny kid.”
She cupped the front of his pants, where a hard bulge met her fingers under his black jeans. It was a bold move, one she wouldn’t have made as a teenager. “Reminds me of my favorite horny kid,” she whispered. “The one named Ben Knight.”
“Name sounds familiar. But I can’t think right now.” His voice sounded raspy, like sandpaper. He pulled away, then took her hand in his, ready to lead her to the bedroom.
“Wait one second.” He released her hand so she could bend down and unfasten the ankle straps of her stilettos. “I can’t handle one more minute in these torture shoes. The sales clerk made me buy them, said they were guaranteed to get your attention. She didn’t warn me that I might be crippled by the end of the night.”
“Honey, if you’re crippled by the end of the night, it’s going to be for an entirely different reason.” He winced. “Uh, that didn’t really come out right. I meant it in a good way. Like we’re going to be at it all night long. Until we’re so exhausted, neither of us can walk. That kind of crippled.”
She laughed up at him as she slipped off her second shoe. “Ben. Don’t worry. This is me. Julie. You can say anything.”
“Anything?”
“Absolutely. You know what?” She rose back to her feet, substantially shorter than she had been a minute ago. “I’ll start. Where’s your bedroom?”
He put his hands on her shoulders and spun her toward his room. “That-away.”
18
Julie’s stomach felt as if a swarm of nervous bees had invaded it. As Ben shut his bedroom door, enclosing them in his private space, her lustful side warred with her anxious side.
“You realize that this is,” she counted on her fingers, “thirteen years in the making. We never actually had sex back then.”
“Believe me, I remember.�
�� He hadn’t stopped touching her since they’d left the living room, and now he tucked one crooked finger under her chin. “We came close, the last time we were together. I always thought we’d be each other’s firsts. That was the plan.”
“Me too.” She managed a smile, even though her heart gave a sad little dip. “I guess we missed the boat on that. But you can still be my third.”
His eyes darkened to an intense stormy shade. “Third? You’ve only been with two men until now?” His hand traveled to the back of her head, where he began massaging lightly. He could probably tell that she was nervous. Maybe he was slowing things down to make her more comfortable.
“I’ve had my hands full. I’ve dated my fair share, but mostly I got some funny stories out of it. Savannah and I used to try to top each other’s dating nightmares.”
Also—though she didn’t want to say it-- no one had appealed to her, compared to Ben.
“And then?”
“Well, first Felix’s occupational therapist asked me out. I figured it was about time I had sex, and he was a nice guy.”
Oh, that hand of his, relaxing the tendons in her neck, spreading sweet honey through her system. She dropped her head back and surrendered to his touch. “So where is he now?”
“I think he might be married now. It ended on a good note, but we didn’t really stay in touch. Number two didn’t last long either, no details necessary.”
Ben pressed a kiss against her neck. “Good to know. I don’t want to have to compete with some occupational therapist good guy. Or kick his ass.”
She giggled at the thought of Ben having to compete with Simon. No contest there. “What about you? Obviously I’m not your first.” She winced as soon as she brought it up. Honestly, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know Ben’s side of this story. A hot fighter-jet pilot, flying for his country, a guy as sweet and sexy as Ben? She probably had a mile-long list of women to compete with.
Hot and Bothered Page 13
