Read Online All Fired Up (Stardust) by Mimi Riser - Free Book Online Page A

He might be crazier than she was.
    Roxanne shrugged and the look vanished under a veil of lashes. Guarded reserve. Her shields were up.
    “It all worked out for the best, I suppose, because that’s when Black Elk showed up, and Aunt Lydia gave him the cocoa and sandwiches she’d fixed for you.”
    “I’m glad they didn’t go to waste,” Slo deadpanned. “So it was Black Elk who told you to run away?”
    “I didn’t run away. I said I was on a Vision Quest .”
    That’s right, she had.
    “Sorry, Gracie. I forgot.”
    “ Gracie ?”
    Now she was eyeing him as if he were the one missing his marbles. And she was probably right. He must have flipped. Slo couldn’t think why else he was beating this dead horse of a discussion, why he was so drawn to Roxanne in the first place. It wasn’t just a sexual attraction. Everything about her, every part, attracted him. Even the crazy parts. She fascinated him, mesmerized him, stirred dangerous sensations in dangerous places. Like his heart?
    He had a sudden unsettling image of himself as a moth being lured into a flame. Which made him wonder if Roxanne had also been right in telling him to keep away from her. He didn’t believe a word of that pyro-shit, but he still saw a real risk of being burned. This woman might be too hot to handle.
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
    The storm had been bad, but Ina Lorene had seen worse. She’d seen a lot in her long life, and expected to see a lot more before it was through. She wouldn’t be dying anytime soon, not her, not with a wedding on the way!
    The bride and groom might not know it yet, but Ina Lorene did. She always knew. Just like she’d known those Bullfinch boys would cause trouble for Roxanne if they got the chance. That’s why she’d been taking her rifle to bed recently, just to be ready in case she was needed next door. Randy and Andy were lucky Slo had caught them first. Slo only punched and stomped. Ina Lorene would’ve peppered their pants with buckshot, and smiled while she did it.
    She was smiling now as she sat in her recliner, sorting through her collection of yarns, looking for pretty pastel colors. It was never too early to begin knitting baby booties and caps. She anticipated a big bunch of great-grandkids. Ina Lorene was a happy camper.
     
    * * * *
     
    What had woken her? More importantly, where had she woken?
    Roxanne lay curled on her side, disoriented, blinking groggy eyes. She was in a small, shady enclosure surrounded by the smell of damp earth, a rhythmic throbbing…and Slo Larkin’s arms. The throbbing was his heartbeat.
    Ack. The tent. The tempest. The cave. She remembered it all in a rush. Everything except how and when she had fallen asleep with her head on Slo’s chest. Maybe she’d developed narcolepsy along with her other problems. Wouldn’t that be great? Not. Mortified, she scooted away.
    Feeling her move, Slo opened his eyes. He hadn’t been sleeping himself, just slouched back, sitting still, so he wouldn’t wake Roxanne. She must have been exhausted to have conked out so suddenly. One minute, they’d been playing George Burns and Gracie Allen – the next, she’d collapsed against him as if she’d fallen into a coma. Odd, but then everything about her was.
    That had been some time ago. A long “some.” Slo was now numb from the neck down and doubted he’d ever be able to move again. Grunting with the effort, he tried anyway, and miraculously made it to his feet, then endured several minutes of pins-and-needles torture while his circulation returned. Roxanne sat a few feet away, squinting up at the sky through the cave’s opening.
    “The storm is over.” She made it sound like an accusation. “Why are we still here?”
    This was the thanks he got for letting her sleep.
    “Good mornin’ to you, too,” Slo drawled. Obviously she hadn’t taken a really thorough look outside yet.
    “How long have we been here?” she persisted.
    Ten years , Slo almost answered. That’s