Chapter
Five
Oh God, what had she done
?
Jessie
’
s heart slammed against her ribs as he led her to his truck, parked in the shadows at the back of the lot. She kept remembering that
smoldering
look in his eyes when he pinned her up against the bar.
I like control
.
The words
and the erotic possibilities behind them
made her shiver.
She
’
d always fantasized about what it would be like to have a lover tie her up
in bed
, dominate her
as he
took
her
.
The difference was
Deke wouldn
’
t simply
pretend
to be into
that kind of play
for her benefit
. I
t was who he was
.
The knowledge
made her hot enough to melt
.
Deke
glanced sideways at her
.
“
Cold?
”
“
No.
”
Scared spitless o
f what he
’
d do to
her.
Of
what she might let him do
,
of
what he
’
d make her feel.
And that she
’
d
love it so much she
’
d
crave more
.
His large hand tightened around hers, then he stroked a thumb over her knuckles
. He unlocked her door without releasing her, but instead of opening it
,
he
crowded
close behind her and set his hands on her hips.
The heat coming off him
settled
over
her back. He was so much bigger than her. Yet
despite his size,
his touch was as
gentle
as it was
arousing
. He bent his head until his breath brushed over the sensitive skin on her nape. She bit back a gasp when he feathered a kiss below her hairline, then
more
across to her
bare
shoulder.
The unexpected tenderness mixed with the threat of the unknown, pushing her arousal higher.
Reaching the juncture between neck and shoulder, he nipped lightly. She
rose
on her toes, hands
gripping
his to anchor herself
as
the
world spun
.
The moist heat of his tongue on her skin made her knees wobble.
“
Turn around.
”
His deep murmur sent a blast of heat pooling between her legs
.
She faced him, straining to see his
features
in the darkness.
There was just enough light for her to
make out
the sexual gleam in his eyes. He was her darkest fantasy come to life. All potent, hungry male, waiting to devour her.
Deke released her hips to slide his hands into her hair. Long fingers
trailed
along her scalp, flexing slightly as he cradled her head. Holding her firmly in place, he tilted her head back and
kissed her
. She moaned at the feel and taste of him
, opening for his tongue. She
revelled
in the h
ard man and velvety soft lips faintly scented with the beer he
’
d never finished
.
Her hands sought his shoulders and squeezed, her spinning senses delighting in the ridges of muscle she explored.
All that power and hunger tightly controlled
while he took the time to
gently introduce her to this new experience
.
He
wedged
in tighter until her b
reasts pushed against his chest. Pressing
a
hard thigh between her legs,
his tongue entered her mouth in a slow, velvet thrust
.
She
whimpered
into his mouth and clung to his broad shoulders, rubbing her breasts against him to relieve the ache in her suddenly
hyper
sensitive nipples. In answer
,
he took her deeper and
rested
more of his weight against her, that thick thigh between her legs getting her wet and ready for him. Oh God, he knew how to kiss. Knew how to tease, to seduce with his tongue until she was ready to
rip his clothes off and
climb his body.
“
You feel good, sugar,
”
he murmured
against her mouth
.
“
You do
,
too.
”
She wanted more of him. Wanted to
strip
his shirt off and run her hands over all
the muscles beneath the soft cotton
. Her fingers grasped the open collar of his shirt, but he raised his head and stopped her with his hands. She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off with a searing kiss. When he pulled back, she could see the smile playing about the edges of his lips
.
“
Get in the truck, Jess.
”
The dark promise in the words made her mouth go dry, but she quickly opened the door and scrambled into the cab.
He climbed behind the wheel and shut the door, enclosing them in silence. The subtle spice of
leather and
his cologne swirled around her as he put the keys in the ignition and looked at her.
After a second
,
h
e dropped his hand from the steering column.
“
C
’
mere.
”
Before she could move, he reached across the space separating them and wound a hand behind her nape, giving her a tug. Balancing one hand on the center console, she leaned toward him, the glow in his eyes making her wetter by the second. His lips c
laimed
hers hungrily, yet with a seductive
languor
that made her
turn
liquid. She opened for his caressing tongue and reached for his shoulders to
steady
herself
.
The hand against her nape kneaded gently, soothing some of the tension away
. T
he other cradled her cheek a moment befor
e sliding into her hair. He tilt
ed her head back and kissed her
harder, deeper
, until
she squirmed against the leather seat. Long fingers
swept
from her hair to her bare shoulder, pausing to skim lightly along her collar bone. His palm hovered deliciously close to one aching breast
, the heat making her nipple bead even tighter. Begging to be touched
.
Closing her hands around his shoulders, she made a soft whimpering sound and
arched
closer, wordlessly asking for what she wanted.
But he didn
’
t give it to her. Just kissed her until she could hardly breathe. Growing impatient, Jess
ie
took his wrist and tried to tug it downward. He didn
’
t budge
.
Lifting a breath away from her lips, Deke smiled and nuzzled her jawline.
“
Undo your blouse for me.
”
It took a moment for the words to register, and when his intent became clear, a
blush stole up her cheeks.
Watching
her with a heated expression,
he
eased
back and waited
for her to comply
.
Jess
ie
swallowed, fingers creeping up
to the halter tie at the back of her neck
to slip
it undone. Already
hard, her nipples
throb
bed
inside
the cups of her bra. Meeting his gaze, she gathered her courage and slowly lowered the ties, exposing the
tops of her breasts
for his inspection
.
She
held her breath while his deep blue
gaze
raked over her with frank male appreciation
.
But for all the leashed hunger she sensed in him, he didn
’
t move.
“
Now the bra.
”
It fastened at the back, so she had to arch her
spine
to reach
the clasp
. Her fingers shook slightly as she found the hooks and undid them, pausing for a moment to let the anticipation build before she released them and pulled the garment away from her flushed skin. She let it drop to the floor and licked her lips
, berating herself
.
It was stupid to feel so exposed now
. He
’
d warned her
about what he wanted
,
and s
he
’
d asked for
it
anyway
.
A muscle jumped in Deke
’
s jaw as he stared at her
naked breasts
, his gaze so hot it singed her skin. She
was
half
sprawled
against the door
almost panting with arousal, hardly able to believe she was half naked in the cab of a truck with a man she barely knew. And more turned on than she
’
d ever been in her entire life
.
He
tore his gaze away from her breasts to glide his thumb across her
lips
.
“
You
’
re
beautiful
.
”
She believed him. The way he looked at her made her feel like the sexiest woman alive
.
Deke trailed his fingers down her throat to her breastbone. The pads of his fingers were warm and slightly rough, sending a rush of goose bumps over her skin. They skimmed lightly over the tops of her breasts. Her nipples tightened even more, lifting toward him. Begging to be touched. Between her thighs, a hot rush of moisture
saturated
her lace panties
.
His expression was completely absorbed as he stroked her breasts
with one hand
, tracing the plump curves
, ignoring her restless shifting and quickened breathing.
“
Look at the
se pretty nipples
.
”
Jess
ie
closed her eyes, aching for so muc
h more than he was giving her. At last
,
h
is thumb brushed over one rigid peak, tearing a gasp from her throat as her back arched involuntarily. She
’
d never been so sensitive there before. Biting back a moan, she opened her eyes
.
He watched her face, tracking every nuance of her expression as he feathered his thumb over her. Back and forth, back and forth, before leaving
the nipple
and finding the other. She pressed up against his hand, wanting more pressure, and slid her fingers into his hair to pull his mouth to her. With a dark chu
ckle
,
he leaned forward and trapped
her between his hard torso and the truck door. He brushed a kiss over the top of one breast and took
the
throbbing nipple between his thumb and forefinger, squeezing it gently
.
A broken moan escaped
her
,
and her eyes slid
closed. He rolled
her nipple
between his fingers, each little tug sending streamers of sensation to the damp folds between her legs, centering on her aching clit. She squirmed against the leather and tugged on the back of his head.
He resisted the movement, bending to torment her with a light nibble against the side of her breast.
He made a
growling
sound
.
“
You like
having
your nipples played with.
”
Apparently
. Every time he tou
ched them exquisite tingles
raced
through her.
Bracing on an elbow, Deke
crowded
in closer and rolled her other nipple with his free hand, his lips rubbing at the sensitive spot where her neck and shoulder joined.
She caught her breath and
pushed
up harder, demanding more. His
skilful
fingers kept teasing her throbbing nipples as he layered kisses up her throat to
the corner of her
mouth. Grasping handfuls of his thick hair, Jess
ie
dragged him to her lips and kissed him, hard.
He stayed like that, sliding his tongue against hers and playing with her nipples like
they were the most fascinating things in the world and
he had no plans to do anything else. Ever
.
Finally u
nable to stand the burn, she tore her mouth away.
“
Deke, I
…”
“
What, sugar?
”
His lazy drawl stroked her aching body,
his
fingers making her crazy.
Frustrated, s
he tugged on his head, trying to draw his mouth to where she wanted it.
He
resisted the pressure and
shook his head, those
endlessly
blue eyes burning into hers.
“
Say it. Tell me what you want me to do.
”
Jess
ie
fought to relax.
“
I want your mouth on me.
”
His tongue stole out to tease the corner of her mouth.
“
Where?
”
He was going to make her say it
, whether she wanted to or not
. Pushing aside the
scary
feeling of vulnerability, she met his stare.
“
My
…”
Why was it so hard to say the words? It was only the two of them here. No one knew, and no one would overhear.
“
My
…
nipples.
”
“
Mmm.
”
He praised her with a slow stroke of his tongue across her lower lip but pulled away before she could kiss him.
“
And what do you want me to do with them, sugar?
”
Chickening out, she closed her eyes.
“
S
-s
uck them.
”
“
Then
look at me and
a
sk
for it
.
”
Her eyes flew open
in shock
. The
implacable
demand was there in his face, in his eyes. He wouldn
’
t give her what she wanted until she gave him what
he
wanted. Her vulnerability.
He was
slowly
pushing her into a place she
’
d never been before. It
unnerved
her.
B
ut b
eneath the flutter
of unease, a wave of heat flooded
her veins. She wanted this. Wanted to surrender to the unyielding dominance in him. All she had to do was
give up
control
,
if she could summon the courage to take what he offered
.
Swallowing, she found her voice.
“
Suck
my nipples
. Please.
”
The words came out in a shaky rush.
The slow smile he gave her made her heart knock against her ribs.
“
With pleasure.
”
H
e bent his dark head and parted his lips over one ripe nipple. The first stroke of his damp tongue made her gasp and clench her fingers in his hair. The second made her tremble and moan. But when he finally opened his mouth and took her inside to suckle, she
thought she
’
d faint.
“
Oh,
God
,
”
she
cried
. Pleasure tore into her, so fast and intense it stole her breath
.
Deke slid one arm behind her back to hold her while he
enjoyed
her, his
free
hand tormenting the other nipple. He sucked gently at first, then more firmly, licking and nibbling at the tortured peak. Jess
ie
tipped
her head back against the door and gave into the sensation, her whole body
pulsing
with unfulfilled need. She rubbed her thighs together to relieve the ache
between them
, but the friction only made the throb worse.
She wanted his hands there, sliding between her hot folds.
He lifted his head.
“
You wet for me, sweetheart?
”
“
Yes.
”
And getting wetter every second.
God, she was going to go crazy if he didn
’
t do something to
douse
the fire he
’
d started
.
“
Good
girl
.
”
He sucked her nipple firmly, rubbing his tongue over the tip.
“
Give into it, Jess. Let me take you higher.
”
Higher? She was ready to shove him into his seat and attack him
.
His mouth tugged and pleasured in a lazy rhythm while his free hand trailed down her stomach, pausing to tease her navel a moment before finding her hip. The warmth of his palm sank through her jeans as
he
caressed the curve of her bottom and down her thigh. Shifting in his firm grip, she parted her legs and lifted into his body, desperate for him to touch her aching
pussy
. His hand skimmed up the inside of her leg, the thumb sweeping oh so close to where she needed to be touched.
But never close enough.
She whimpered and closed her eyes.
Did he want
her to beg? She would if he kept pushing her like this, no matter how embarrassed she
’
d be later
.
Deke released her captive nipple and eased away. She reached for him, but he wound his fingers around her wrists and pressed them against the seat. He studied her glistening, swollen nipples, her heaving breasts
. Under his intense gaze,
the tingling
got
worse
.
“
So pretty,
”
he murmured. Then he reached for the discarded bra and brought it to her breasts
.
Jess
ie
grabbed it
in surprise
.
“
What—
”
He pushed her hands away and hooked it behind her back
,
lifting each breast and sucking tenderly on its
tip
before nestling them in the satin cups. When he drew the ties
of her blouse up, she sat up, shaking in
confusion.
“
You
’
re not going to
…
do anything else
?
”
“
Not here.
”
He reached up and pulled her seatbelt around her, his knuckles
intentionally
grazing the denim between her legs when he drew it across her lap to buckle it.
She sucked in a
sharp
breath.
What the hell was he doing? Did he get off on torturing her or something? If so, she
’
d had enough. She
’
d rather go
back
to her own cabin than suffer more of the excruciating need he created in her if he had no intention of letting her come
.
The silence inside the cab nearly suffocated her as he drove through the darkness. Her fingers dug into her thighs as the frustration pulsed through her.
This wasn
’
t what she
’
d had in mind.
“
I don
’
t think I want to—
”
“
I
’
m going to take care of you
,
Jess, but not in the damn truck. I want to go somewhere private where I can stretch you out and enjoy every sound I pull out of you.
”
His words made her core clench.
She licked her lips.
She wanted that, more than anything. But to be alone with him
in an isolated place
filled her with sudden unease
. She
’
d only known the man for two days.
Not that he
’
d hurt her, but things were moving fast.
“
Are you going to let me touch you
,
too?
”
“
Maybe
.
”
She barely noticed the
car
coming up behind them until the glare of the headlights in the side mirror made her squint.
She glanced over at the speedometer. Deke
was doing
at least
seventy. He kept glancing in the rearview mirror as the other vehicle drew closer and finally pulled out to pass.
A black BMW.
The driver accelerated to catch up with them, and something about the way
the man
looked over at her made her uneasy, but he drove ahead before she could get a good look at him. Weird
.
Deke distracted her by taking her hand. She looked at him and smiled.
“
I never thought I
’
d meet someone like you on this trip.
”
Her body still hummed with unrelieved hunger.
He grinned.
“
I
’
ll bet.
”
He reached up to tilt something on the rearview mirror when another vehicle
’
s headlights appeared around the curve behind them
.
The
BMW
pulled farther away, until it
s red tail lights
finally disappeared around the next
bend in the road
. Savoring the feel of
Deke
’
s
strong fingers wrapped around her hand, she looked o
ut her window at the full moon. I
ts pale rays
painted
the ground with silvery
streams of
light
.
His thumb feathered over the backs of her knuckles.
“
You liked what I did to you.
”
It wasn
’
t a question.
“
I didn
’
t like that you stopped
.
”
Looking at her, he smiled.
“
That
only makes the payoff better for both of us
in the end
.
”
She lifted her chin.
“
Just as long as you don
’
t plan on leaving me hanging the rest of the night.
”
Raising her hand
to his lips
, he pressed a
seductive
kiss to the back of it.
“
I
’
d never leave you hurting, sugar.
”
“
I
’
m hurting now.
”
His head turned, a flame burning
in his eyes.
“
I
’
m going to take care of that. Eventually.
”
Around the next curve, the
Beemer
appeared
in front of them
again. S
uddenly
,
it
swung around in a tight
arc, its tires squealing as it made the erratic u-turn
and headed back toward them in the opposite lane
.
Jess
ie
tensed.
“
Is he drunk?
”
“
Dunno.
”
Deke slowed a bit and moved closer to the shoulder as the other driver approached.
She tried to make out the plate number when
the
car
got closer, but
it
veered
over the center line
at the last moment,
flying
right
at
them.
She barely had time to brace.
A
scream
got
trapped in her throat as Deke jerked the wheel and hit the brake
s
. They started to skid. The truck tipped
as it hit the
gravel
shoulder. Her hands splayed on the das
h in anticipation of the impact, but
the BMW
hurtled past them, missing them by inches. The vehicle behind them wasn
’
t so lucky
.
An instant later
,
a deafening bang and the screeching of tires
ripped through the quiet night
.
Whipping her head to the side, she caught sight of the
BMW
’
s
tail lights speeding away into the darkness and the mangled, smoking wreckage behind them. Cursing, Deke slammed the truck into park and shut off the engine
. Before she could utter a single word
,
he
jumped out of the truck and
ran
for the other vehicle
.
Fumbling with the strap of the seatbelt, she followed on shaky legs. He was already inside the crumpled cab of the truck, talking to the driver. Jess
ie
swallowed a gasp as she drew near enough to see the woman.
The airbag had deployed, but h
er
face was
covered with blood
,
and her eyes were closed. She didn
’
t
respond to
Deke
’
s attempts
at
rousing her
.
He looked back at
Jessie
.
“
There
’
s a med kit in the truck bed.
”
She ran for the truck, located
the heavy
duffel
,
and
hefted it from the truck bed. It weighed a ton. What the hell was in there
, rocks
? Struggling to hold the heavy bag, she
rushed
back to him. He handed her his cell phone
and
ripp
ed
the zipper open
, exposing an oxygen tank
.
Her eyes widened.
He carried an oxygen tank in his
med kit
?
“
Call 911.
”
Her fingers shook as she hit the buttons, but the call wouldn
’
t go through.
“
No signal,
”
she said
, trying to calm her breathing
as Deke worked on the woman
.
“
Keep moving around until you get through. She
’
s going to need
an ambulance
.
”
She
’
d just passed the back of the
wrecked
truck when a plaintive wail came from inside the cab. Whirling around, she
met
Deke
’
s grim
stare
. A baby. That crazy asshole had smashed into this poor woman with a helpless baby in the back seat
.
“
I can
’
t let go of her yet,
”
Deke said calmly.
“
Can you—
”
Jessie
was already
heading for the back of the
pickup
. In three strides
,
she was at the door, setting her leg against the truck frame to wrench it open. Her heart knocked against her ribs as the baby
’
s cries grew louder, and when she finally saw it
,
her throat clenched. It had to be less than six months old. The baby was wedged in its rear-facing car seat, the seat crumpled around it
.
“
Shh,
”
she soothed as she climbed in, fighting to stay calm even though she was shaking inside. The seat was pinned too tight for her to get it out of the base.
“
It
’
s okay,
”
she told the baby, stroking a hand over the crown of his downy head.
“
You
’
ll be okay, and Deke
’
s taking care of your mama.
”
He had a couple cuts on the side of his face, probably from flying glass, but other than that she couldn
’
t see any other obvious injuries
.
She looked up at Deke, who
’
d put a cervical collar on the woman and
stabilized her position
in
the truck.
“
I can
’
t get the seat out,
”
she called
, trying to stay calm
.
“
He
’
s turning his head and kicking his arms
and legs, so I think his neck and spine must
okay. Can I take him out?
”
“
No, just leave him where he is until I can check him
.
”
She
maneuvered around until she could see into
the baby
’
s
face
. He continued to wail and thrash around, and just as she
climbed deeper into
the truck she glimpsed the pacifier lying on the floorboard. She wiped it against her jeans and offered it to him, and his chubby little hands reached out and yanked it to his mouth. In an instant, all was quiet
.
Far too quiet
.
Talking softly to
the baby and dabbing at his cuts with her shirt, she
dialed 911 again and set the phone between her ear and shoulder as she
soothe
d
him
.
In the front,
Deke was hooking up an IV.
How the hell did he know how to do that?
And what was with all the equipment in his med kit?
She
closed her
hand
around the baby
’
s fist when he grabbed her finger in a shockingly hard grip
.
Her heart pound
ed
.
The mother didn
’
t look good.
“
She
’
s breathing?
”
“
Yeah, but not well.
”
He expertly got the line in
to a vein in her arm and taped it down
. He met her
stunned
gaze.
“
You get through
yet?
”
“
Still trying.
”
Damn,
what was with this part of the country? W
here was a
freaking
signal when she needed one? She was eventually forced to
leave the baby and
stand in the middle of the road
to get
reception
.
“
Watch yourself,
”
Deke said.
“
That idiot might come back.
”
What? She turned to gawk at him, but her call suddenly went through. After telling the operator what had happened, she got the info
on the woman
’
s specific condition
from Deke and relayed it to the woman.
He
knew enough that he
sounded like a paramedic
.
“
I
’
m standing in the middle of the highway,
”
she added,
“
so I
’
ll probably lose you when you I move.
”
A moment later headlights appeared around the curve and sure enough,
as soon as she moved
she lost the signal.
She
stood
beside Deke
but kept her eyes on the road just in case
.
“
Ambulance is on its way.
”
The car slowed to a stop beside them
,
and an elderly man rolled down the window.
“
You folks need any help?
”
“
Thanks, but help
’
s on the way,
”
Deke answered
,
and the man drove away.
H
anding her the bag of IV fluid to hold, he bandaged up some of the worst of the woman
’
s cuts and then
headed around
to
the back to check
the baby.
“
Let
’
s see what we
’
ve got here, little man.
”
Extending
one brawny arm, he flicked on a pen light and checked
the infant
’
s
pupils.
Jessie
held
the
IV
bag
, wishing she could help, but he seemed to have everything under control.
He handled the baby with an ease that startled her.
“
T-Thomas
…”
At the garbled voice,
Jessie
looked down
to see the mother struggling to turn over
in her seat
.
Deke placed a calming hand on her shoulder
and kept her in place
.
“
He
’
s okay. He
’
s right here. See him?
”
He
somehow
unlocked the car seat from its base and
brought the baby closer to her.
The woman lifted a frail
, blood-streaked
hand toward her child.
“
C-can
’
t breathe,
”
she gasped.
Jessie knelt beside her and shared a look with Deke.
“
Probably
a collapsed lung,
”
he told her.
“
Do you remember what happened?
”
he asked the woman.
“
No,
”
she choked.
“
Was
…
driving to my
…
mother
’
s.
”
The words were wheezy and
speaking was obviously a struggle for her.
“
What
’
s your name
?
”
Jessie asked.
“
It
’
s Stacey,
”
Deke answered.
“
She lives on one of the
neighboring
ranches.
”
Jessie spared a glance at him. His neighbor
lay
bleeding on the
front seat
,
but he seemed completely
unruffled
, in full control of the situation
.
“
Trade places with me
,
”
Deke said,
climbing into the front
so he could place an oxygen mask over
the mother
’
s
face.
“
Don
’
t talk for now. You
’
re going to be fine, and the baby
’
s okay.
Ambulance will be here in a few minutes.
”
Jessie took the woman
’
s hand and
gently
settled
it against
the baby
’
s cheek
.
Stacey
’
s
eyes filled with tears
,
and Jessie felt her own sting.
“
He
’
s okay,
”
she reassured the mother.
“
I think he was mostly upset at having his sleep disturbed.
”
She looked at Deke.
“
Can I do anything?
”
He took out
a blanket and covered Stacey with it
.
“
Just keep doing what you
’
re doing.
”
She stayed beside
Stacey
with the baby and talked to her until the police came, then the ambulance. Deke briefed the paramedics and helped them load the woman onto a gurney and into the back of the ambulance and handed
up
the baby
in the
seat he
’
d wrestled from the crumpled interior of the truck
.
They pulled away, lights and sirens blaring, and disappeared into the darkness.
The police asked her some questions but focused mostly on Deke before leaving.
Shivering despite the warm night air, Jessie wrapped her arms around herself and stared after
the cruiser
. Deke
stripped off his latex gloves as
he
came over and set an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, grateful for the warmth.
“
You sure she
’
ll be okay?
”
“
Yeah. As soon as they get a chest tube in she
’
ll be more comfortable. Then they
’
ll run a CT scan just to be sure she doesn
’
t have a brain bleed
, but her GCS
score
was good
,
so I wouldn
’
t worry
.
”
She looked up into his shadowed face.
He was so composed, and she felt shaky as hell. She struggled to clamp down on the shivers coursing through her
.
He rubbed her shoulder.
“
You
’
re cold.
”
She shook her head.
“
N-no. Honestly, I d-don
’
t kn-know what
’
s w-wrong with me.
”
Her breaths were coming in gasps
,
and her heart
raced
.
Usually she was stronger than this
, and it embarrassed
her to come unglued when he wasn
’
t affected at all by what had happened
.
“
It
’
s all right. Hey, c
’
mere.
”
He brought her in close and wrapped her in his arms
.
Locked in his strong embrace, she allowed herself to soften and let the shivers roll through her.
“
It
’
s just adrenaline,
”
he murmured against her hair, keeping her pressed firmly against his hard chest.
“
It
’
ll be over soon.
”
She nodded and closed her eyes,
grateful for
his body heat and the protective way he held her.
He made her feel safe
.
When her body had calmed, she wound her arms around his back and hugged him.
“
Thanks. I needed that.
”
“
Anytime.
I like holding you.
”
He tipped her chin up with his hand and kissed her once
, igniting a warm glow in her lower belly
.
“
Let
’
s get you into the truck and warmed up.
”
“
Wait.
”
He looked down at her expectantly
.
“
In the Air Force. Were you a medic
or something
?
”
Because he
’
d been
totally
composed
, and he
knew a hell of a lot more than basic first aid.
“
Yeah, a
PJ.
”
PJ?
He smiled at her confused expression.
“
Pararescue Jumper.
A
Special Ops trained medic
. We work with the SEALs and Rangers and the Delta boys on various missions, and we go in
to rescue
friendly air crew
shot down
behind enemy lines
.
”
Holy
crap
.
He really was a hero.
No wonder he
’
d taken charge of everything so easily
and had all the special equipment
.
“
That
’
s all over now, though.
”
His expression
closed up
as he looked away.
She snagged his hand and squeezed it.
“
Maybe, but look what you just did. The paramedics didn
’
t have to do anything but load her into the ambulance when they got here.
”
His shrug was tight, almost belligerent.
“
I didn
’
t do anything fancy.
”
“
It was fancy to me.
”
She couldn
’
t
stop the sappy smile spreading over her face
.
Damn
, she felt like crying all of a sudden.
“
I
’
m totally impressed.
”
He grinned
and lost his defensive posture
.
“
Yeah?
”
“
Yeah,
”
she said huskily.
“
Damn, then I should have told you on Thursday night on the way from the airport.
”
He settled her in her seat and draped his leather jacket over her.
“
I
’
ve got to make a
quick
call.
”
“
Did you get the plate number for the police?
”
“
Yep. They
’
re running a search.
”
He
bent forward
into the cab for a moment, running his gaze over her face.
“
I
’
m just going across the road where you were before.
”
She waved a hand.
“
Sure, go.
”
He was probably worried she was going to fall apart on him or something.
He
walk
ed
out into the middle of the road,
dialing
someone on his cell. A
P
ararescue
man
, she thought in admiration, imagining the missions he
’
d carried out and the gruelling training he must have completed.
It suited him. And it partly
explained the edge to his confident
demeanor
.
Deke talked
on the phone for a moment, but then
in the
beam of the truck
’
s headlights she saw
his expression tighten
.
Her muscles tensed in response.
Even at this distance
she could see his jaw flex.
He ended the call and came back to the truck.
“
What
’
s wrong?
”
She asked as he
settled
behind the wheel
.
“
That was
Dillon
.
”
His eldest brother.
“
Something about the accident?
”
Oh God, had
he
found out
the woman
had
died
on the way to the hospital
?
Deke met her eyes
, and the
hard
look on his face
chilled her
before he masked it
.
“
Everyt
hing
’
s fine. Let
’
s get you
warmed up
and back to the ranch
.
”