Page 6 of Birchwood Burn
I gulp and let off another series of coughs. He runs his hands on my back as I try to clear my lungs. Once I’ve settled a bit, I let him know I’m ready.
“Let’s do this then.” He bends his knees and makes himself eye level with me. “Now wrap your legs around my waist.”
“What?”
“Come on, jump up and hold on to me like a monkey.”
A massive heat wave of lust rolls through my body. Holding onto him like a monkey isn’t what I have in mind. Surroundinghim has my pulse racing. But before I question things further, I do what he says, because he’s the professional and our lives are on the line. I jump up, and he holds me like I weigh nothing.
Insane.
Sure, the man is massive himself, but with everything we’ve been through, I’d think his muscles were straining. Not to mention the work he must’ve done before he came searching for me.
“Let’s get off this mountain, huh?” He yells.
I yell back. “Yes. Please!”
He tugs on the line three times, and in a second, my throat drops into my stomach as the ground beneath us gets smaller. I slam my eyes shut and wrap my arms tighter around Jace’s neck as I bury my face against his. His face rubs against mine, and his lips are right on my earlobe, causing me to shiver.
“You’re doing great.”
The fear of this stunt grips tightly and I can’t say a single word. I can only hold on tight and pray.
“Okay, Bradley is going to reach out for you. I want you to grab his hand.” Jace shouts. I open my eyes and stifle a scream as the fire takes over a massive chunk of the mountain behind Jace. All beneath us are miles of trees, and everywhere else is air. I’m flying above the mountain with nothing but a harness and Jace to cling to.
What the hell?
“Trouble, grab Bradley’s hand.” He lifts his eyes, and I realize we’re at the feet of the helicopter, if that is what they’re even called. A man rests one foot on the bottom, as he leans down, holding onto an extended bar above him, his other hand reaching for me.
Knowing I need to do this and not wanting to put more strain on Jace, I stretch for the other man’s hand but miss it.
“That’s okay, try again,” Jace says.
I do, and this time, Bradley grabs my wrist and pulls me closer to him. I squeal as I let go of the other arm around Jace and grasp the one hand Bradley has on me. Jace’s hands are pushing on my ass, getting me closer to Bradley, and I’m able to get my feet on the legs of the helicopter. Bradley lifts my hands to the outstretched bar and guides me into the helicopter. He points to the other side of the helicopter, where the door is closed, and turns back to Jace. But I already see Jace climbing in.
Once he’s inside, Bradley does some maneuvering and gets the door closed. Jace moves over to me and puts headphones on both of us. He speaks, and his rich voice is clear through the gear.
“You did so good, Trouble. Are you okay?”
I nod a couple of times and then shake my head no before falling into Jace. He hugs me close. “You’re safe.” He rubs his hands down my back again, and chills seize me.
“Thanks for getting us out of there, guys.”
“Glad to see you’re safe. But do me a favor, don’t do that again,” Bradley says.
“Seriously? Do you always have to be the hero? I mean, come on, you were cutting it close.” The other guy must be Coop, the pilot.
Jace chuckles.
“How’s she doing?” Bradley comes over with a first aid kit, and I realize how I’m hanging onto Jace, and get embarrassed. I sit up and give him an awkward smile of thanks. He lifts his brow and tips his head to the side as he’s trying to piece something together.
Before either of us can answer him, he has an oxygen mask going over my mouth and nose, and I suck it all in as best as I can. My chest hurts like no other, and I continue to cough into the mask.
Bradley and Jace share a concerned gaze at each other, but both turn to me and smile like everything is fine when it’s obvious something isn’t.
“We’re only a few minutes out from the post. An ambulance is there waiting to take her to the hospital.”
This is all great news, and I’m happy to hear it, but is it crazy that it makes me a little sad knowing I won’t ever see Jace again? It stings in such a way that it hurts deeper than watching my ex with the other woman. This is crazy, and I have no way of explaining it, but it’s there.
