Taste the Heat (7 page)

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.”