Page 2 of Light My Fire Three Times
In the blink of an eye, I’m doing my best impression of a human pendulum. Arms flailing, my body pitching forward like some cartoon character about to face-plant into the snow.
“Oh no,” I mutter, my life flashing before my eyes.
This is it.
This is how I go out.
Alone in the woods, taking a tumble in a picturesque mountain town.
And then,wham.
I crash into someone. Hard. My nose smacks into something solid, and I instantly freeze. But not from the cold. From the fact that I know exactly what, or rather who, this solid thing is.
I pull back, blinking up in total confusion as the man holding me is none other than…
“Jesse Fletcher?”
He grins down at me, looking entirely too pleased with himself for someone who just caught a woman mid-fall.
“At your service,” he says smoothly.
Ivy’s brother’s arms are still wrapped around me, and I take a moment to appreciate just how warm he is. This guy is built like a boulder, solid muscle and strength, and now I know, first hand, that he’s got the reflexes of a cat.
A really big cat.
I get my feet back under me, feeling a flush creeping up my neck. He is lookinggood.Damn.
He’s rugged in the way that guys who work with their hands are. Tall, with broad shoulders that seem to fill every inch of space around him.
His dark brown hair is always just a little too long, messy in a way that somehow makes him look even more attractive. Like he’s been out chopping wood or saving kittens from trees, and he’s so used to being the guy people turn to for help, that the idea of him being anything else seems… impossible.
I can’t help but notice the way his jawline cuts through the air, angular and defined, like something out of a sculptor’s dream. And then there’s the little tattoos peeking out from his sleeves, rugged little marks that only add to the mystery.
And those storm gray eyes…wow.
“Okay. Well, this is embarrassing,” I say, brushing snow off my jacket, hoping to recover some dignity.
“Embarrassing? I think you just made my day,” Jesse teases, the smirk on his face turning into a full-blown grin. “You sure that you’re okay? You were going down like a sack of potatoes there.”
“Very poetic,” I deadpan, though the edges of my lips are twitching. “I’m fine. Just a little off balance. Thanks for saving me.”
He chuckles, his eyes lighting up in that way that makes you feel like you’re the only person in the world for a split second. “I’ve got you, Livvy. Can’t let you make a habit out of falling in front of me.”
The way he says my name,Livvy, the nickname he gave me when I briefly met him a couple of years back, sends a weird little jolt through me.
My stomach does something funny, and I don’t know if it’s the cold air or the fact that I’m totally not supposed to be feeling this way.
“Yeah, well, it’s only because you were there. I’m usually much more graceful.”
He raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “Uh-huh. Sure, you are.”
I throw him a playful glare, and he holds up his hands in mock surrender.
“Alright, alright. But I am glad you’re in one piece. Can’t have you hurtin’ yourself before you get to know the town, right?”
I chuckle. “I’ll take your word for it. Although after this, I might have to hire you as my personal bodyguard.”
“Only if I get to charge you for the full VIP experience.” His grin widens, and I swear the guy’s got dimples now.
