Read Online Playing With Fire: inspirational romantic suspense (Montana Fire Book 2) by Susan May Warren - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Susan May Warren
Tags: General Fiction
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courage to meet her eyes. As rich as he remembered, espresso, that warm, delicious jolt that went right through him to his bones.
Fortifying. Then she smiled, nothing of reproach or accusation in her expression.
As if she were genuinely, positively, thrilled to see him.
His raw, fraying heart gave a thump of joy in his chest. Wow, he might need to sit down with the way his legs were giving out.
“I can’t believe it. How did you find me?” She walked over to him, and only then did he realize that she was holding a sketch pad and pencils.
His mouth had gone dry, so he swallowed, found his voice. “I called your house and...I’m so sorry, Liza. I know it’s been a while...”
His a while, aka a year since he’d last talked to her, flickered in her eyes ever so briefly and he braced himself, added, “I missed you.”
And if that didn’t sound pitiful and make him want to run for his car—
But then she loosened the coil in his chest with a shrug. “I figured you were busy. I kept praying for you...”
Oh, how he didn’t deserve that. Deserve her.
“Am I interrupting?”
“Nope. It’s the summer session, and I’m artist in residence right now. No classes.” She took a step toward him. “How’s your grandfather?” She was on the porch, so close he could touch her. Wanted to, especially when he smelled something sweet and floral lifting off her skin.
Needed, really, to feel her arms around him.
“He passed away.” About six months ago, but he didn’t add that.
More shame, and not a little self-pity, because maybe he could have appreciated her being at the funeral. Or even just in his life as he’d packed up and sold the ranch he’d grown up on. Or even since then, caught in the middle of a brutal fire season.
“Oh, Conner, I’m so sorry.” She lifted her hand to reach out to him, then let it fall, as if she didn’t want to assume.
Assume. Please.
“Thanks. I should have called you.”
“No. You were busy, and I know what he meant to you.”
And he had to look away, because, yeah, she did. Get a hold of yourself. He hadn’t come here for pity.
“So, I was in the area...”
Lie. But if he told her he’d hopped a plane as soon as Raina gave him the information, that would sound way too needy.
And, he might have his heart on his sleeve, but Liza had never offered, or even hinted, at anything more than friendship.
So... “And I was thinking about that time you said you wondered what it was like to be a smokejumper. So I thought it would be fun to go skydiving.”
She raised an eyebrow.
She had said that, right? Because he knew that he did most of the talking—oh no. What if it was just one of her comments, the kind she didn’t mean. Like her comment last summer about him visiting her in Deep Haven.
He’d nearly said yes before his common sense kicked in. Right. The last thing she needed was a guy in her life living moment by moment, not sure what his future would be. Afraid to take a look at it, frankly.
“I mean, I thought—”
“Yes.” She smiled at him then, a spark of what he’d seen when he’d first met her. Adventure, warmth.
And he might have missed it before, but her smile also contained a sense of anticipation.
“I’d love to go skydiving with you.”
It all broke free then, that darkness that had suffocated him, and in its place, light.
Liza.
“When?”
“Right now, bay-bee.” And yeah, he added flirt to his tone. Because he wasn’t here just to see his friend.
He fully intended on seeing if Liza wanted more, just as much as he did.
#
She didn’t want to call it a date—but that’s exactly what it felt like. Driving ninety miles to the Grand Canyon, stopping at an airstrip. Meeting Conner’s friend Gilly, who apparently was waiting for him— them .
As if he’d prearranged his so-called in the neighborhood, whimsical, let’s-go-skydiving-or-whatever outing.
It only got more confusing as he gave her a short lesson on
Fortifying. Then she smiled, nothing of reproach or accusation in her expression.
As if she were genuinely, positively, thrilled to see him.
His raw, fraying heart gave a thump of joy in his chest. Wow, he might need to sit down with the way his legs were giving out.
“I can’t believe it. How did you find me?” She walked over to him, and only then did he realize that she was holding a sketch pad and pencils.
His mouth had gone dry, so he swallowed, found his voice. “I called your house and...I’m so sorry, Liza. I know it’s been a while...”
His a while, aka a year since he’d last talked to her, flickered in her eyes ever so briefly and he braced himself, added, “I missed you.”
And if that didn’t sound pitiful and make him want to run for his car—
But then she loosened the coil in his chest with a shrug. “I figured you were busy. I kept praying for you...”
Oh, how he didn’t deserve that. Deserve her.
“Am I interrupting?”
“Nope. It’s the summer session, and I’m artist in residence right now. No classes.” She took a step toward him. “How’s your grandfather?” She was on the porch, so close he could touch her. Wanted to, especially when he smelled something sweet and floral lifting off her skin.
Needed, really, to feel her arms around him.
“He passed away.” About six months ago, but he didn’t add that.
More shame, and not a little self-pity, because maybe he could have appreciated her being at the funeral. Or even just in his life as he’d packed up and sold the ranch he’d grown up on. Or even since then, caught in the middle of a brutal fire season.
“Oh, Conner, I’m so sorry.” She lifted her hand to reach out to him, then let it fall, as if she didn’t want to assume.
Assume. Please.
“Thanks. I should have called you.”
“No. You were busy, and I know what he meant to you.”
And he had to look away, because, yeah, she did. Get a hold of yourself. He hadn’t come here for pity.
“So, I was in the area...”
Lie. But if he told her he’d hopped a plane as soon as Raina gave him the information, that would sound way too needy.
And, he might have his heart on his sleeve, but Liza had never offered, or even hinted, at anything more than friendship.
So... “And I was thinking about that time you said you wondered what it was like to be a smokejumper. So I thought it would be fun to go skydiving.”
She raised an eyebrow.
She had said that, right? Because he knew that he did most of the talking—oh no. What if it was just one of her comments, the kind she didn’t mean. Like her comment last summer about him visiting her in Deep Haven.
He’d nearly said yes before his common sense kicked in. Right. The last thing she needed was a guy in her life living moment by moment, not sure what his future would be. Afraid to take a look at it, frankly.
“I mean, I thought—”
“Yes.” She smiled at him then, a spark of what he’d seen when he’d first met her. Adventure, warmth.
And he might have missed it before, but her smile also contained a sense of anticipation.
“I’d love to go skydiving with you.”
It all broke free then, that darkness that had suffocated him, and in its place, light.
Liza.
“When?”
“Right now, bay-bee.” And yeah, he added flirt to his tone. Because he wasn’t here just to see his friend.
He fully intended on seeing if Liza wanted more, just as much as he did.
#
She didn’t want to call it a date—but that’s exactly what it felt like. Driving ninety miles to the Grand Canyon, stopping at an airstrip. Meeting Conner’s friend Gilly, who apparently was waiting for him— them .
As if he’d prearranged his so-called in the neighborhood, whimsical, let’s-go-skydiving-or-whatever outing.
It only got more confusing as he gave her a short lesson on
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