Page 22 of Burnin' For You
Juliet rolled her eyes. “Stop trying so hard to prove yourself. In fact, you could let someone rescue you once in a while.” She’d looked at Gilly and winked.
No, no, she couldn’t. Wouldn’t.
Even the memory of the fall turned her a little sick. Gilly escaped with the cupcakes to the front.
“Reuben?” Juliet mimicked loudly from the kitchen as she frosted cupcakes. “Oh, him?”
“Stop.”
“Gills. Iknowyou’ve had a little thing for him going on, oh—five years?”
Longer. Try seven, from the first time he’d shown up at fire camp, young and strong, refusing to quit. And frankly, the way he’d spoken up for her last night had made her feel, for a second, brave and invincible. Then he’d somehow turned her brain to oatmeal with those brown-as-dark-chocolate eyes, so much that she’d ended up on the dance floor...
And clearly the frosting was going to her head.
“I just admire him, that’s all. He’s a hard worker. And yeah, he has a tough side—”
Tough was an understatement. She couldn’t breathe, watching him fight the bull last night, his thick, ropy arms straining to hang on, his torso lean and strong. The way he had leaped from the bull as if ready for another go-round.
She swallowed, found her voice. “Reuben is the man most likely to not give up, and I respect him for that.”
“Respect. Right.” Juliet looked up at her through the kitchen door, her eyes full of mischief.
“Stop. Listen. Here’s what you don’t know—and if you tell anyone, I’ll personally drop you from a high altitude. Reuben suffers from just about the worst case of airsickness than anyone I’ve ever met. I discovered his secret after we aborted a jump—he nearly didn’t wait until we landed, practically sprinted to a nearby trash can.”
Poor guy had looked green and a few shades of yellow before he finished.
“Are you serious?” Juliet came to the door, leaned on it, arms folded.
Gilly continued to load cupcakes into the case. “Yeah. I let him sit in the copilot seat whenever it’s empty. Less turbulence than the seat in back.”
And admittedly, she kept doing it because of the quiet thank you, the soft gaze in his eyes, the tiny tweak of a smile under his dark beard. The kind she wouldn’t mind brushing her fingers—
“Gilly? Hello, talk about turbulence. I hope you’re dreaming about Reuben and what might have happened if you hadn’t gotten tangled up on the dance floor.”
“Huh?” Gilly looked up. “No. I’m not—”
“I have ways of making you admit the truth.” Juliet held up her frosting gun.
“No—I mean it. He isn’t interested in me.”
“Are youkiddingme? Did you see the way he looked at you when you walked in? Poor guy had to scrape his chin off the floor.”
Gilly froze, a red velvet cupcake in her hand. And see, that was why she didn’t date. Because, while Juliet might like that reaction, Gilly knew how fast that could go south.
Get a girl hurt.
But Juliet seemed not to notice. “And you weren’t exactly suffering in his arms. I even heard you giggle.”
Giggle? Had she? For a moment there—a long moment—yeah, she’d actually relaxed in his arms.
If she were honest, she might admit she’d had the same feeling back at the fire when he’d turned and looked at her.
Peace. Hope.
And definitely the slow burn inside her. Oh no…no… She turned to Juliet. “Listen. I’m not going to get swept away by Reuben. He was just being nice, and let’s remember, I’m not the swooning type.”
“You mean you don’tletyourself swoon.” Juliet’s smile faded. “And that’s because you don’t let a guy within arm’s length.” She touched Gilly’s arm, her voice soft. “There’s no reason to be afraid anymore, Gills. You’re not the girl you were—”