Page 59 of The Heat is On

Skye heard the “No. We’re waiting on the chopper,” as she pushed past Marshal Warner into the room.

And there he sat. On a chair, hands secured behind his back, head back, eyes closed, legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. He’d changed into a clean white T-shirt and a flannel shirt, looking very Alaskan, with his tousled, albeit grimy black hair, the growth of his beard.

“Rio?”

She said it softly, not sure if she should wake him, not sure if…

Oh, she’d probably dreamed up the way he looked at her when he threw her into the river. Like he wanted to dive in after her.

And sure, he’d kissed her, twice, but maybe that had been about the heat of the moment, and now that they were all safe…

Then he opened his eyes. Golden brown like the fire at night, they settled on her with surprise, then a molten desire that had her stopping short, her breath catching. A dangerous smile tugged up one side of his face, and even though she knew he wasn’t a bona fide criminal, she felt something downright lawless about the way he rose to his feet, his shoulders impossibly wide, the smell of the woods and fire emanating off his skin.

She breathed him in, barely resisting the urge to put her hands on his chest even as he took a step closer to her, standing a breath apart, his voice low. “Skye Doyle. I thought I threw you into a river.”

Then Agent Warner was uncuffing him, offering a sort of apology.

“Go keep an eye on my prisoner,” Rio said, turning back to Skye.

Clearly with something besides justice on his mind.

The door had barely closed before Rio drew in a breath, his gaze running over her from her toes to her eyes, landing at her lips. “Tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m okay,” she said, putting a hand on his chest. His heart thundered under her touch. “Are you?”

“Now I am,” he said and slipped a hand around her neck.

He kissed her with so much force, it nearly knocked her over, his other hand going around her waist, pulling her roughly against him. He wasn’t a criminal, but he kissed her like she might be freedom and light and everything he’d escaped to find. She hung on, her arms around his neck, softened her mouth, and let him unloose his heart.

Because she was gloriously, deliciously in over her head.

He picked her up, set her on the table, and slowed them down, taking her face in his hands as he leaned away. He was breathing hard, his eyes glossy when he looked down at her. “I…I was afraid I’d lost you. That you were back fighting that fire, and…” He touched his forehead to hers.

She wound her hands around his wrists. “About that. I gotta go. Tucker’s called in a chopper to take us back to the fire line.”

Rio’s mouth tightened, but he nodded. “And I have to bring Darryl back into custody. I’ll probably end up at the Copper Mountain sheriff’s office, for now, but…wait. What are you doing here?”

Oh, that. “Um…well, I thought you were in danger. I thought…I thought I saw Wayne Buttles in town a couple days ago.”

Rio frowned at her. Backed up. A heartbeat. “Why?”

“I saw a guy with the scar Darryl mentioned.”

“Where?”

“At a bar and grill called the Midnight Sun. We had dinner there. He was at the bar.”

Rio reacted a little like he’d been punched. “Oh wow. Okay…uh.” He rubbed her arms. “Yeah, you need to get back to that fire line, and I need to get Darryl out of here.”

“What?” She slid off the table, following him out the door and into the reception area. Archer Mills was being ushered out of the building on a gurney. Not far behind, Darryl had his arm around a very pregnant woman, also walking her out.

“What’s going on?” Rio asked.

Stevie came up to him, following the ensemble out the back of the clinic to the ambulance bay. Her gaze fell off Skye and onto Rio. “They’re transferring my dad and Alicia Salmon down to the Copper Mountain Regional hospital. Darryl’s claiming you said he could go with her.”

Rio blew out a breath. “Yeah, well. He’s…an informant.”

“And a fugitive. My team can take Darryl into custody.”

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