Taste the Heat

by Rachel Harris

  Jason shook his head. He needed to keep his focus on Emma. This was her day. That’s why Colby was there, not for him. With that thought firmly in mind, he squatted down and began putting up the familiar red tent.

  When he and Cane had been in Cub Scouts, they’d spent a week each summer at Camp LeBeaux, learning about knots, compasses, and canoeing. Young Jason had putting up this thing down to a science, able to assemble his tent before anyone else in the troop—an important achievement when you’re a growing boy and the reward was an extra hot dog. Later when he was a teenager, he and Cane’s trips morphed into ones with smuggled alcohol and an excess of bad choices. But the big red tent always remained.

  Except now that he had it put together, it wasn’t quite as big as Jason remembered. It wasn’t a pup tent or anything. It would’ve been fine had it just been him and Emma sleeping inside. But it wasn’t anymore. Now Colby would be sharing the small space, making it smell like that floral perfume of hers. Filling it at night with her soft sighs. And lying an arm’s reach away.

  Jason groaned. It was going to be a long night.

  Bending down, he took Emma’s body pillow and shoved it right in the middle. His daughter would make an excellent buffer.

  A mosquito buzzed near his ear and he slapped it. How did he get himself into this again? Oh, right, Emma. She was worth the midnight dip into the bayou he’d have to take to cool his raging libido. He was just glad he didn’t have to work tomorrow. An exhausted firefighter was no good to anyone, and he sure as hell wouldn’t be getting any sleep.

  “Cool, you got it set up!”

  Jason turned back to the water, where Emma broke into a sprint, having spotted the assembled tent. Colby strolled behind her, content to take her time. She offered him a smile and shoved her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, probably not realizing how the action made her shirt stretch across her breasts. He let his eyes linger for a moment, then looked away.

  After grabbing an armful of her stuff, Emma slipped inside and began decorating the tent with the insane amount of pillows, blankets, and magazines she’d brought with her. When he’d noticed this morning how much stuff she was bringing, he almost told her it was ridiculous. The trip was for twenty-four hours, not twenty-four days. But he’d held his tongue. Ashleigh had been into the frilly stuff, but he’d never taken her camping. Maybe this was normal. Girls were different, he was learning. He cast a glance at his small duffel and basic sleeping bag. Very different.

  “It’s ah, a little cozier than I’d thought it would be,” Colby said, sliding up beside him. He caught a whiff of her perfume and his teeth clenched. “Are you sure I’m not in the way here?”

  “Not at all,” he said, even as he watched Emma pull out more of her stuff and the limited available space inside shrink. Then he realized where she was putting it all. “Hey, Bug, don’t you want to sleep in the middle of the tent? You know, between Colby and me? That way you can be by both of us.”

  Emma stuck her head out of the entrance, looked at him strangely, and then shrugged. “Not really. I like the edge. Plus, I can shove more stuff in the corners,” she added, pulling out a flashlight, a stack of books, and a torn-out poster of Justin Bieber.

  Jason couldn’t help it. He called out, “Honey, you do realize we’re only here for one night, right?”

  She scrunched her nose. “Of course.”

  “I was just checking.”

  Colby chuckled under her breath. “It’s a woman’s prerogative to pack a ton of crap,” she said with a grin when Emma resumed her unpacking. “It’s important that you learn this now.”

  He smiled and held his palms up. “Hey, it’s her weekend. I was just making a casual observation.”

  “You’ll be happy to note that I, on the other hand, reined in my natural female tendencies and kept it to a change of clothes, two pairs of shoes, and a paperback.”

  Jason was tempted to ask what she could possibly need the other pair of shoes for, but he didn’t. Again, he was learning. “Well as camp leader for this excursion, I appreciate your restraint.”

  “You should. It wasn’t easy leaving behind my hair dryer, iPad, and NSYNC poster.” She heaved a dramatic sigh and kicked a fallen pinecone with the side of her sneaker. It skittered across the uneven ground.

  Without thinking he replied, “I’m sure I can think of something to make up for your sacrifice.”

  What the hell am I doing?

  Colby’s gaze jerked to his. “Like an extra s’more?”

  Her cheeks colored a soft pink, hinting that another possibility had crossed her mind. One that he’d much rather explore, disapproving best friends be damned. Which of course had him imagining a few choice options. Such as putting the flat surface of the nearby picnic table to good use.

  “If that’s all the lady wants.”

  Her eyes fell to his mouth. What he wouldn’t give to know what was going on inside that gorgeous head of hers. After a charged moment, she gave a nervous laugh. “The lady does love her chocolate.” Then, blowing out a breath, she ran her hands along the sides of her jeans and bent forward to peek inside the tent. The hem of her dark blue top slid up the smooth skin of her lower back. “Looks like we’ll be getting to know each other a whole lot better.”

  “Huh?” he asked, mesmerized by that lickable strip of bare skin.

  Colby stood and nodded toward the tent. “The sleeping arrangements? We’re practically gonna be on top of each other.”

  Jason stared down at her and barely held back a groan. That was one tantalizing image his overactive mind really did not need.

  Colby, apparently realizing how her words sounded, or maybe just seeing the pained look on his face, widened her eyes. “I mean, not in a bad way.” The soft pink of her cheeks turned a bright crimson. “N-not to say that being on top of you would be bad, either. Because it wouldn’t. I’m sure it would be fine. More than fine.”

  She placed her hand on his arm then jerked it back as if burned. He glanced where her hand had been, still feeling the brush of her fingertips.

  “But that’s just not what I meant,” she continued, needlessly. “Obviously.” Closing her eyes, she sighed. Head lowered and shoulders drooping she blurted, “I promise I don’t snore.”

  Jason laughed at the attempt at misdirection. “Good to know. I do. Like a loud chainsaw right in your ear.”

  She lifted her head and after seeing his teasing smile, gave him a sweet one of her own. The tightness in his chest from earlier eased. Their gazes held.

  Knowing that he shouldn’t but doing it anyway, Jason bent his head and whispered, “Just so we’re clear, being on top of me? It would definitely be better than fine.”

  Colby’s breath caught audibly. Jason leaned back. It had been a stupid impulse. But as he watched the blush work its way up her slender throat, and saw hunger darken those smoky eyes as they lowered to his mouth again, he was very glad he’d acted on it.

  The early-May Louisiana heat shot up another notch. Colby’s tongue flicked across her lips, the same lips he’d wanted to taste since they were both here a week before. He swallowed. She inched closer.

  “Done!” Emma declared, crawling out from the opening of the tent.

  Shit. Colby’s eyes shot to his, just as shocked as he was. How could he have forgotten that they weren’t alone? This woman was like his kryptonite. Colby sprung back a few steps, and Jason buried his hands in his pockets, quickly adjusting himself within his jeans.

  Emma scrunched her nose at the apparent tension. She tilted her head and shifted her gaze between them. Then, she grinned. “Is it lunch time yet?”

  …

  Approximately nine and a half hours, ten hot dogs, eight s’mores, a six-pack of Coke, and a chocolate frosted birthday cake later, Emma was asleep. How she managed the feat with that much sugar in her system was anybody’s guess, but Jason’s daughter was out like a light.

  Leaving Colby all alone with the girl’s extremely attractive father.


  The attractive father who was currently stooped in front of her, stirring the charred pieces of wood in the heart of the blazing campfire. Moonlight filtered through the lattice of branches overhead, causing shadows to dance across the rippling muscles in his back.

  “I don’t know about you,” he said, pushing to his feet. The hem of his pajama bottoms brushed against pine needles as he walked past her on his way to the big blue cooler. “But I can use a beer. Do you want one, or maybe a daiquiri?”

  “Daiquiri please,” she answered, wetting her lips as if she could already taste the orange-flavored Dreamsicle they’d picked up on the way to the park. That was definitely one thing her hometown got right—drive-thru daiquiri and liquor stores.

  As Jason dug in the cooler for their drinks, Colby sprawled out on the black and gold lawn chairs he’d set up, letting the warm breeze kiss the exposed skin of her legs. With the sun down and her favorite cotton T-shirt and shorts pajama set on, the temperature was almost bearable. Her eyelids lowered as she listened to the creak of the branches, the crackle and pop of the fire, and the rustle of leaves under Jason’s feet.

  Today had been fun. She’d expected there to be awkwardness, considering she was the odd person out, but it never felt like that. If anything, she fit into their family unit almost too easily—something she was trying hard not to freak about. Jason and Emma had included her in everything, explaining their inside jokes and sayings, asking her questions, and showing infinite patience with her decidedly poor horseshoe skills. The sexual tension of earlier wasn’t forgotten—more like kept on a warm simmer with the looks Jason sent her and his frequent excuses to touch her. But Emma never seemed to notice it and they never acted on it.

  But now they were alone.

  Colby had never considered the scent of Citronella and bug spray to be an aphrodisiac before, but the way her pulse was racing and her skin was tingling, she may have a new product on her hands. She felt itchy, jumpy. Both eager to see if Jason would make a move and scared that he would. What would it mean if he did? Could he really be interested in a no-strings-attached fling? And if he was, could they keep Emma from getting hurt?

  None of these questions needed to be answered tonight—it wasn’t as if she would sneak off and have her wicked way with him in the woods, while his daughter lay sleeping a few feet away. Just the thought had Colby swiping at imagined burrs buried in her flesh. And she didn’t even want to think of the interesting places she’d find mosquito bites come morning. But it was obvious that the attraction between them was mutual. Grownup Jason was finally noticing her the way she’d always wanted. And they were both consenting adults. Maybe before Colby had to return to her life in Vegas, she could live out a romantic fantasy with her childhood crush.

  “Here you go, one large Dreamsicle.” Jason handed her a large plastic cup filled to the top with the sugary treat. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think the man was trying to get her drunk. With a grateful smile, Colby wrapped her lips around the straw and pulled a large gulp of the icy liquid down her throat.

  Cold.

  With a shiver, she pried her mouth open and formed an O with her lips, dragging in warm air in an attempt to thaw out her frozen throat. “Wow that’s cold,” she managed to say, still sucking down air.

  “Yeah, see, that’s the thing about daiquiris…”

  Colby threw her arm out and slapped his hard stomach. After another deep inhale, she was able to swallow a little more comfortably and she lifted her drink again. This time, taking a more controlled sip. Much better.

  “I appreciate you coming today,” Jason told her, eyes trained on the flickering flames. “Emma hasn’t had the easiest childhood. I think we’ve made a good life for ourselves, but it didn’t come without its share of bumps. I needed to make this day special for her. She looks up to you, and it meant a lot that you were here.” He glanced over. “To the both of us.”

  Vulnerability and a touch of something else she couldn’t decipher in the firelight sparked in his eyes. Colby swallowed. She’d never been a role model before; she doubted she was cut out for the job. And as for being motherly, she didn’t know the first thing about that mess. But Emma was a great kid. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

  They fell into silence, listening to the bustling noise of not so distant traffic on the main highway. But here, in the dark, they felt isolated. Safe. And with the daiquiri beginning to work its magic in Colby’s veins, she found the courage to say, “Jason, I’ve been wondering about Emma’s mom.” What she did not feel brave enough to do was say Ashleigh’s name aloud.

  His bouncing knee stilled. “What about her?”

  “Mostly about how she died,” she admitted. “But if that’s too painful to talk about, I totally understand.”

  Jason shifted in his seat. Colby waited, scared she’d pushed him too far or too soon, as he took a pull off his beer. But then he said, “No, I can talk about it. It’ll always be painful, but you deserve to know.” He paused to take another sip and Colby leaned closer, her own drink in her hand, anxious and a little frightened to put the final pieces into place.

  “As you know, I met Ashleigh in high school,” he finally said, his deep voice low and hollow. “People say you’re supposed to date around, sow your oats when you’re young. But I never wanted or needed to. Ashleigh made me happy. And I like to think I made her happy.”

  Jason took another sip, and Colby kept herself from interrupting. She had no doubt Ashleigh had been the happiest woman on earth. Even in high school, there was no mistaking that look of love in her eyes. You couldn’t fake a look like that. And a love that inspires it doesn’t fade.

  “Anyway, Ash came to Ruston with me and your brother for college. Cane of course loved that—no competition for women, and I was his constant wingman.” She heard the small smile in his voice as he stood, his chair creaking in the quiet. He tossed his empty bottle in the provided trashcan and grabbed another longneck from the cooler. “A few months into our junior year, Ash found out she was pregnant. We were in love, and I knew that she was it for me, so I asked her to marry me.”

  “I must have just left,” Colby said, wondering if she would have gone to the ceremony had she stayed.

  Could she have watched the crush of her life marry the love of his?

  Jason nodded. “By that time I’d already gotten my Paramedics degree and I’d always planned to join the department like Dad. So we came back here.”

  As he took another long gulp of liquid courage, Colby studied his profile. The strong jawline and rigid set of his mouth, the tension in his shoulders. It was obvious this was difficult for him to talk about, so she gently asked, “And Ashleigh?”

  With an exhale, Jason picked up the cooler, brought it with him, and then lowered himself onto the lawn chair again. “She became a paramedic, too. A good one. She couldn’t deal with bugs and dirt, but blood and guts she could handle. She had the biggest heart of anyone I knew,” he said, pride evident in his voice. “It’s what I loved most about her.”

  It was strange. For years Ashleigh was around—she even came to Colby’s house a few times with Jason—but Colby never knew her. Not beyond her being Jason’s girlfriend. But hearing him talk about her like this made Ashleigh become real. Human. Someone other than the girl who won Jason’s heart. The irrational jealousy Colby had battled all her life started to fade.

  When Jason continued, his voice was almost robotic. “One night, around midnight, Ashleigh responded to a call. Chest pains. A routine situation, calls like that came in all the time. But from what the other EMTs told me, they knew something was off the second they arrived.”

  Colby knew how the story ended and a sense of dread curdled in her stomach. Ashleigh had been a hero. She put her life on the line for other people. The bravest act Colby had committed lately was agreeing to let Sherry give her a makeover. Nails embedding in the soft Styrofoam of her daiquiri cup, she took another sip.

  “The guy was high as a k
ite,” Jason said. “The house reeked of an intense chemical smell. And drug paraphernalia littered the floor. Rick told me they tried getting Ashleigh to head back to the truck—he had a bad feeling, and she was the only woman on the call. But she refused. She was as tough as they were, she told them, and she was there to do a job. She stooped beside the man to treat him, and that’s when everything went to hell. He became violent. He cursed and spat on them, and then ran from the room. The guy’s girlfriend was there—she was the one who’d made the call. And when he ran, it snapped her out of her drugged haze long enough to mention he kept weapons in the house. Ash and the guys got their shit together as fast as they could, but it wasn’t fast enough. Halfway to the truck, two shots rang out. When Rick glanced back, Ashleigh was on the ground.”

  Jason paused to draw a breath. Voice shaking with emotion he said, “The bastard shot her in the back.”

  Horror swept over her. “But she was there to help him!”

  Jason huffed in reply. Then he took another long gulp.

  Chapter Seven

  It wasn’t the first time Jason had told the story. Over the years, he’d had to share it with more people than he could count. Family and friends and insurance adjusters. Emma’s principal and the mailman. And about once every few months, the students in his tactical ninjitsu classes. He’d thrown himself into the sport after Ashleigh died, quickly rising to the level of instructor. During his class’s sessions, Jason made sure to teach his students to be aware of their surroundings and to be prepared to defend themselves—and their loved ones—by any means necessary.

  Weakness and vulnerability in battle, he would tell his students, whether it’s in the field or in a bar room, can and often does lead to devastating consequences. It’s not that his wife had been a weak person; Ashleigh probably could’ve kicked the shit out of several guys he knew. But she let her kind heart put her in danger. She let her guard down. And the consequence of that choice was something he and their daughter lived with every day.