Burns So Bad (Smoke Jumpers) (29 page)

She sounded like she was testing
the words, trying them on for fit.

He cleared his throat, because
there was something in there. “Still. I also loved yesterday and the day before
that. And I’m going to love you tomorrow and every day after that, okay?”

He reached out a hand, curls his
fingers around her shoulder. “You’re the part that matters, Gia. A baby would
just be a bonus.”

Their onlookers picked that moment
to open the floor to audience participation. Again, not what he’d planned on.

“Didn’t you have the safe sex talk
with him?” Jack punched Evan in the side. “Because, from what I’m hearing,
somebody skipped something important.”

Evan said something, but Rio didn’t
hear because Gia turned around and limped the two steps back into his arms. Her
walk was more of a swing and a body slam, because she wasn’t that far away, but
he liked the effort. And he liked having every inch of her pressed against his body.

Someone whistled—that
audience participation thing again—and he flipped the guy the bird with
the arm he had around Gia’s back. The spectators didn’t matter. What mattered
was holding onto Gia, no matter what. She didn’t get away from him this time,
not unless that was really what she wanted. She thunked her forehead onto his chest.
He was probably sweaty and more than a little dirty. He was certainly no Prince
Charming.

“Rio.” She said his name like he
was something special though and he’d probably wait fifty years by her side
just to hear her say his name like that again.

“Yeah, baby?”

“Say it again.”

“As many times as you want,” he
promised. “I love you.”

She
grabbed his hand, turned and headed for the hangar. “Let’s talk,” she said.

Rio let her tow him along even
though her grip had his fingers pinned against the crutches. “I thought I was.
Talking.”

“Absolutely.” She grinned at him
over her shoulder and his heart turned over. “You talked. I listened. Now it’s
my turn.”

###

Rio had got her naked in record
time. The undressing part would have gone faster, he’d complained, but she’d
had
her
hands on him. Getting in the
way. He’d also required convincing that she was up for this after her
near-brush with death. She didn’t know how to tell him that maybe it was
because
she’d almost died that she
needed to remember right now that she was alive.

Very, very much alive and just a
little shaken up.

Finally, he’d pulled her onto his
lap so that she faced him. They had the storage loft in the hangar to
themselves and she was fairly certain this was the best
damned use their jump gear had ever been put to.

He kissed her again and touched her
with his big, knowing hands and she came unglued. He knew it, too, even before
he dipped his fingers between her thighs.

“Rio—”

“I’m listening.” He stroked deeper.
Oh, God. His fingers were wicked.

“I’ve got something to tell you.” She
sounded breathless.

“Uh-huh.” He bent his head to her
throat, his mouth tracing a pattern over her skin that gave her goose bumps.

“You said you loved me.”

His mouth paused. “And I mean it,”
he growled against her throat. “You don’t get to have second thoughts about
that, honey. That’s gospel truth.”

“Mmmm,” she breathed, losing her
train of thought as one hard finger slid inside her.

“You going to tell me that you
reciprocate?”

“I definitely love this.” She ran a
hand down his stomach. “And this.”

When she wrapped her palm around
him, he groaned louder.

“How about the whole package?” he
asked hoarsely, lifting his head.

“Sure,” she whispered, leaning in
to kiss him. “The whole package is pretty damn sweet.”

“And?”

“And I love you too.”

“Thank God,” he said, his eyes
glinting with familiar mischief, “or this next part would be awkward.”

He pressed a thigh between her
legs.
Bad boy
.

Oh, please.

“I’ve been told going down on one
knee is obligatory.”

Her breath caught, her heart
pounding fit to burst. But not because of her PSVT. No, it was her Rio. All
him, all the time.

He spread her thighs with his
shoulders. God, he was looking at her.

And she loved it.

Loved him.

He slid his hands up, parting her
with his thumbs. The first kiss on her inner thigh had her jumping in the best
possible way.

“What are we discussing?”

Another kiss, closer and higher to
where she burned for him.

“We’re not discussing anything,
honey. I’m asking.”

“Oh.” Her answer was more moan than
word as he pressed a gentle kiss right there on the sweetest of sweet spots. “With
kisses?” She was so on board with that plan.

“Kisses are better than words,” he
said solemnly. “But a
yes
would be
good.”

He wasn’t waiting around though.
No, he kissed her deeper, his tongue sinking into her folds so that she lost
her train of thought as pleasure streaked through her.

Right. Questions.

He asked again. “You got a
yes
in you for me?”

His next kiss had her hips bucking,
but his hands held her in place.

“Uh-huh. You don’t get to go
anywhere just yet, honey. Because we’re talking.” He could call it whatever he
wanted.

She felt his smile against her.
“You got it.”

“What’s the question?”

He slid a finger deep inside her,
pushing her higher and faster toward the pleasure. Damned if she knew what he
was saying. Or if she cared.

“Will you marry me, Gia?”

He had his tongue curled around her
clit and she was supposed to answer him? And then he paused.

“Rio,” she wailed.

“I’m waiting,” he growled. “For my
yes
.”

And then he kissed her again.
Oh. My. God.
Heat and sweet pressure
built inside her. Once wasn’t enough. Or twice even. Forever, however, sounded
just about right.

Her
yes
was a long time coming.

Three days later, Gia was back in the
hangar. Mandatory team meeting, her ass. She’d woken up to a male hand slapping
said ass. That had been interesting. Rio had claimed he’d just wanted to get
her up for work. She’d counterclaimed he was into the kinky stuff.

And then…

He’d insisted she prove her words
and now they were both late for work and whatever was really going down in the
Donovan hangar today. Or, rather, Rio was late because he drove like a pansy. Her
loaner truck had some sweet pick up. She’d made it here with precisely thirty
seconds to spare.

The hangar floor was empty of
people. Not of stuff though—there were piles of gear everywhere. Rio’s
brothers definitely hadn’t inherited his neatnik gene.

“Incoming,” she hollered. “Where do
you want me?”

Jack poked his head of the office.
“We’re in here.”

He looked around her. “Did you lose
Rio? Already?”

She shrugged. “He drives too slow.”

Jack stared at her. “Have you heard
of global warning and car pooling? Maybe you could ride in the same truck
together?”

“She won’t let me drive,” Rio
called, striding into the hangar. Not too far behind after all. Maybe he did
know how to pick up the pace.

Jack shook his head and headed for
the office with a wave of his hand. “You two work it out.”

Rio caught up with her, sliding his
arms around her waist and pulling her back against him. His mouth nuzzled her neck.
“You didn’t wait for me.”

She hadn’t waited for him earlier
that morning, in their bed, either—but that was definitely his fault.
He’d touched and he’d kissed—and she’d left him far, far behind. She’d
finished first.

She grinned. “You like that I’m
impatient.”

“Yeah,” he growled, his mouth
moving south. She tilted her head to give him better access.

“Hey.” Jack popped his head back
out. “We’re having a meeting here?”

Rio dropped one last kiss on her
neck and then started for the office, tugging her gently along. Somehow, he’d
switched their positions so that he was leading while she followed. He had a
definite talent for that.

When they reached the door, he
stopped and looked down at her. “I love you. Remember that, okay, and cut me
some slack?”

Definitely an ambush.

And, when she stepped inside, she
got the reason for his concern. This was most definitely
not
a team meeting. Nope. The office was currently hosting Jack and
Evan. Rio. And her.

“I see why you’re asking,” she
said. “We’re short a few members of the jump team.”

Evan hooked a chair for her with
his foot. “Sit,” he suggested.

She sat and eyed her audience. “Gentlemen.”

Evan looked uncomfortable. “Shit,
Rio. You said you were going to discuss this with her.”

“The
her
in question is right here,” she pointed out. She tilted the
chair back on two legs and stared them down. They were a big, rough bunch of
men. She had no idea how Lily and Faye kept their guys in line. Maybe it was
the sex.

Or the love.

Because she was fairly certain her
newest girlfriends had these guys firmly wrapped around their fingers. She
needed pointers. ASAP.

“I got distracted.” Rio sounded
unapologetic. The already crowded office was out of chairs, so he settled for
leaning against the wall by her side. She shifted an inch and her shoulder
bumped his blue jeans-covered thigh.

“Jesus.” Jack swung his booted feet
up onto the desk and winced. “I don’t want to know.”

Evan just grinned.

“I’m that good,” Gia said, just to
twist the screws a little. She knew her guys. If she didn’t give as good as she
got, they’d walk all over her. With the best of intentions, granted, but she’d
still be under their very sexy boots. Which wasn’t happening.

Rio shook his head. “Play nice with
my brothers, okay?”

“You want to cut to the chase
here?” She waved a hand around the office. “Because this is a really strange
team meeting. I’m not seeing the other jumpers.”

“That’s because this is a
management meeting.” Rio watched her carefully, like he was expecting some kind
of reaction from her.

Great.

“Are you firing me? Because I think
I could sue for sexual harassment,” she said flippantly. She loved him, but she
wasn’t blind or stupid. Rio was alpha to his core—and he didn’t like her
jumping because it wreaked havoc with his heart.

Or so he claimed.

Maybe women were the tougher sex,
because she didn’t have that problem. As long as she was by his side, he could
jump out of all the planes he wanted. He, on the hand, would absolutely ground
her if he thought he could get away with it.

“Gia.” Rio scrubbed a hand over his
head and looked at his brothers. They just stared back at him doing that silent
male communication thing. Or passing the buck. She tilted the chair back
further, hooking her feet around the legs. Whatever he had to say, they’d work
it out. Somehow.

“We’ve got a proposal for you.” Rio
reached out and gently tugged her chair to the ground. “Hear us out?”

She nodded, heart in her throat.
The thrum-thrum-thrum half-drowned out his words, but the message was clear.
Rio wasn’t playing.

“We want to make a change to how
Donovan Brothers is run. I can’t be your boss.”

She was
so
getting fired.

“Donovans,” Jack said. “Instead of
Donovan Brothers.”

Her heartbeat double-timed it as
her head struggled to make sense of where Rio was going. He hadn’t Donald
Trumped her yet. Apparently, she still had a job—and now she had no idea
where this conversation was headed.

“We want you to be a part of the
business, no matter what name goes on the stationary, but I thought you’d
appreciate the new name.”

Holy. Moly.“You want me to join you?”

“Is that a
yes
?” Evan asked.

“Us,” Rio said, ignoring his
brother. “Everyone in the family can and will have a hand in running the
company—from the ground or in the air, as part of the jump team.
Although,” he shot her a wry grin, “I’m begging you to be careful, okay?”

She liked the sound of Rio begging
almost as much as the sense of belonging that swept over her. From the way his
eyes darkened, he clearly spotted the possibilities as well, but Rio had always
been observant.

“You’re giving me a promotion?
Making me an equal player?”

“You’ve earned it,” Rio said, his
dark eyes steady on her face. Watching her.
Believing
in her. “This isn’t a gift.”

Rio definitely didn’t play fair.
And… she was so in.

“Count me in,” she said.

The plane banked gently as Rio rand
his hands over her gear, gentle and sure. “You’re good to go.”

As was he. As his jump partner, Gia
had made doubly sure of that. Losing him once was enough. Joey nodded from his
position as spotter, seconding the motion, and Spotted Dick flashed a thumbs-up
from the cockpit.

“Baby’s okay?”

“He’s doing fine.”

Rio rubbed a hand over the
almost-invisible swell of her belly. This would be her last jump until after
her miniature Donovan made his appearance. Since her pregnancy had been straightforward so far and was low risk,
her doctor had cleared her for this afternoon since she’d jumped before and was
no novice. She had a feeling, though, that next time he’d be more careful when
he cheerfully spotted the well-known line about it being fine for a woman to
continue all her usual activities.

She looked out the door. No fire,
just clear blue skies and a wide-open landing zone. “This is too easy.”

Thirteen thousand feet stood between
them and the start of happily ever after. She couldn’t wait.