Hot as Sin (Hot Shots: Men of Fire #2)(46)
Author: Bella Andre

She shook her head. “No, you’ve been incredible, helping me like this. Especially after everything that went wrong before.”

She was searching for the right words to try to solidify some future plans for the two of them when Sam suddenly let go of her hand and ducked into a small crevasse in the rocks.

“Good news, the dirt bike is right where Peter said it would be.”

The hike over tree trunks and wide boulders had gone much more quickly than she expected. Entirely because of the company.

Sam pulled one of the helmets out of his pack, but instead of handing it to her, he plopped it on her head.

“Cute. Very cute.”

She hadn’t given much thought to her appearance since April’s call, but now that everything was almost normal, it was nice to know she wasn’t going to scare little children. And that Sam still seemed to think she looked okay.

“Climb on behind me,” he said as he wheeled the miniature motorcycle out from its hiding place. Through the shield on the helmet she could see he was smiling as he said, “And hold on tight.”

Oh yes, it would be her pleasure to wrap her arms around his waist and chest and tuck her hips against his muscular butt.

Sam revved the engine and then they were flying down the dirt trail. Her long hair was whipping out of the bottom of her helmet, dust from the trail soon covering her legs and boots.

She’d never felt so wonderfully alive!

Between the speed and Sam’s closeness, she found herself laughing out loud. And best of all, she was getting to share this moment with Sam.

The beauty of the trees and mountains and blue sky above were so colorful, so lovely. She hadn’t been able to appreciate any of it until now, and she prayed that once she and April were back in San Francisco, she’d get to share another incredible moment like this with Sam.

Being with him had always been her biggest thrill. A total rush.

It still was.

Sam heard her laugh and smiled. He never considered that he might find himself on a dirt bike with Dianna, speeding down a narrow trail in the Rockies. And yet, these had been the most exhilarating couple of days in recent memory. No wildfire could compare to Dianna. Not even the heat.

Seeing her look so happy this morning after April’s call, it was impossible not to want to see her look that way again. The night before, he’d grappled with the question of giving things another shot. This morning, he couldn’t remember his reasons why not.

She was beautiful. Smart. Loyal. And, despite everything he’d tried to convince himself she’d done during the past decade, incredibly loving.

He’d be a fool to let her slip out of his life again.

The bike was fast, and because Dianna didn’t seem to mind the speed, he kicked it up another notch. Within the next quarter hour they were pulling into the campground’s front gates. Heading for the ranger’s headquarters, he put the brakes on and Dianna was off the bike and running up the stairs before he turned the engine off.

Seconds later, she came back down, her face pinched and tight. “She’s not there.”

Oh shit. April’d had plenty of time to get to the ranger’s station. She should have been there.

And then, he heard Dianna gasp, her hand going over her mouth as all the color left her face, her finger pointing toward the sky.

A quarter mile to the left, in the direction of the river, a plume of fresh, black smoke was rising into the blue sky.

A building must have just been set on fire.

“Get on,” he yelled, and once her arms were back around him, he sped down the paved one-way road that wound through the campsites, wanting to get as close as he could to the fire as quickly as possible before he went in on foot. A group of vacationing families stood huddled together in the parking lot watching the flames.

Again, Dianna jumped off and raced toward the cabin before the bike’s tires had completely stopped spinning.

Leaping off the leather seat, the dirt bike dropping onto the dirt, Sam ran after her. She was fast, but he was faster. He grabbed her arms, not letting her take another step toward certain danger. She struggled hard, trying to pull away, and he had no choice but to imprison her against him, her back pressed hard against his front.

“What if April’s inside? I have to save her!”

It was a big leap, but he understood why she’d gone there. April’s safety was all she could think about right now.

But if he couldn’t get her to listen to reason, there’d be more than one casualty today.

“We don’t know if she’s inside. And it’s not safe for you to go anywhere near that building,” he said firmly in her ear to make sure she got it.

“But what if she is? I can’t let her burn to death!”

There was no reason in her voice, only desperation. He understood, but it didn’t mean he was willing to risk losing her.

The tall dry grass in front of the building was already engulfed in flames. Before he could even get near the cabin, he’d need to put out the grass fire. Still, he wouldn’t let her go until she’d regained control.

“The only way I can get to the building is to light a backfire.”

“No,” she gasped. “Not more fire.”

“When the two fires make contact, they’ll burn each other out. It’s the only way.”

Finally, she seemed to understand, giving him an anguished “Okay.”

He was still afraid that she’d make a run for it when he released his hold on her and pulled several flares out of his pocket. A couple spilled to the ground and Dianna picked them up. Looking at the trees, he studied the direction of the wind to make sure the flames weren’t going to blow straight toward them, or toward the crowd of people who should have known better and evacuated the site already.

But he didn’t have time to warn them of the dangers of loitering so close to a live fire. If Dianna’s sister was inside, he had to save her.

If it wasn’t already too late.

He’d been in the very same position with his brother Connor, had watched him suffer agonizing burns. Even though he’d done all he could to save him, he’d always wished he could have done more.

Would Dianna ever be able to forgive herself if April perished in the fire? And would she forgive him for not saving her?

He reached for her hand and she dug her nails into his knuckles as the fire ravaged the ground in between them and the cabin. And then, less than a minute later, a path cleared in the field into a mass of sizzling embers.

“I’m going to try and get in the cabin now, but I don’t want you to follow me. It’s not safe.”