Ignite (Firefighters of Montana Book 3) by Nicole Helm Read Free Book Online

simply learned to live with had somehow disappeared.
    Everything was a confusing, exhilarating mass.
    His head moved the tiniest fraction closer, and when his finger swept down her cheek, this time it continued, all the way down her jaw to her chin, lighting a trail of warmth and nerves Lina had never before dreamed of experiencing.
    “It’s only code for what you want it to be code for,” he said, not gently exactly, but certain and kind.
    “Well, I… Cherrie drove me here. I-I don’t really need to drive home,” she stuttered—for the first time in her entire life. She didn’t even know why she was stuttering. Or why she was making excuses. She didn’t really understand…anything that was going on, above the heavy beating of her heart.
    “I didn’t ask if you needed one,” he returned, still so certain and amused and…hot.
    God, he was so unfairly hot.
    “You want to go home, and I want to spend some more time with you. So, I’m offering you a ride. Where I will likely kiss you before I leave.”
    Kiss. He wanted to spend more time with her and kiss her. Kiss. This insanely hot man, who put her at ease but somehow lit her on fire, which was a ridiculous metaphor. She’d seen people burned by fire. It wasn’t pleasant and this…was.
    More than pleasant. Exciting, and she kind of wanted to giggle, but she tried to find objections. She tried to find sense. She never did anything without weighing out all the pieces of the equation.
    But this wasn’t a math problem she could do to see if this was the right thing, if it made sense, if she should be the one doing it. There was only the ironic curve to Ace’s mouth and his offer.
    “You can drive me home,” she said, a little too girlishly breathless. But, it was nice to feel girlish and breathless for once instead of plodding and cutting.
    His grin spread across his face and she felt simultaneously like a million bucks and the biggest fool. What on earth was she doing? She didn’t even know how to be kissed.
    Ace will know. Yes, she had no doubt.
    “I just have to tell Cherrie that you’re going to take me home. I mean, to my home. My apartment. Drive. That.” Oh, God, she was flustered and babbling and she wanted to laugh at herself or be swallowed up by the earth or just lean forward and get the damn kiss over with.
    Instead she slid off the stool on shaky legs and walked over to Cherrie.
    “You want to go?” Cherrie asked, looking wistfully at the man who she’d been talking to. He grinned down at her, not even bothering to glance at Lina.
    “Actually, Ace offered me a ride.”
    Cherrie made a considering noise.
    “Is it crazy to let him?”
    “Let him what exactly?” Cherrie asked, lowering her voice so the guy next to her couldn’t hear.
    “Drive me home! That’s it.” Lina swallowed, looking back nervously—afraid Ace might have come to his senses and disappeared, but there he was. Exactly where she’d left him. Watching her.
    Her breath caught. “Mostly,” she amended.
    Cherrie’s laugh was low and comforting. “I’d do a lot more than mostly with that man, but if mostly is what you’re after, go for it. But text me when you’re home safe. Promise?”
    “Promise. You too? You’ll text me?”
    Cherrie grinned. “You got it, sister.”
    So, she had a friend. And a guy to drive her home. And kiss her. He hadn’t said maybe or that he’d ask or try, he’d simply said, with all the confidence in the world, that he’d likely kiss her.
    She should find that intimidating or obnoxious or…something, but the truth was she liked it. When she turned to face him, his eyes still on her, his smile still easy, she hoped it’d be a lot more than a peck on the cheek type kiss.
    *
    Ace couldn’t take his gaze off of her, even when Jake made some snide ass comment. Ace didn’t care. He couldn’t seem to get his brain to engage beyond the sweet anticipation of sliding his mouth against Lina McArthur’s.
    Don’t forget that last name