Up in Flames (Crash and Burn, Book Two) (A Military Romance) by Eva Grayson Page B

her and peer into her eyes. “Never say never. I got you here. I bet I can get you in a plane with me. There’s nothing that compares to the sensation of free-falling.”
    “Nothing?” she blurts out, and then bites her lip. She gives an awkward chuckle.
    I smile widely and lean closer until our mouths are inches apart. I won’t kiss her, but I want her to be aware of me. To associate me with the wild rush of letting go, having fun. “Almost nothing.” Then I deftly change the subject to keep her on her toes and not let her dwell too much on where that line of thought can lead. “Xander’s son’s birthday party is in a couple of weeks. Do you want to go?”
    She blinks. “Oh, wow, okay. How old will he be?”
    “Three. I can hardly believe it.” I saw him yesterday when he came by the bar with his mom. He toddled right over to me and hugged my leg, and I think my heart exploded from all the emotions I felt. Then Xander gave me a knowing smirk, and I slugged him in the arm, which made him cry out loud.
    “I’d love to go,” Lauren murmurs.
    The minivan rolls to a stop, and we return all the equipment. I don’t want our time together to be over yet, so after we say our goodbyes and thanks, and make our way to my truck, I say with a casual glance at my watch, “I’m in the mood for something to eat. You hungry?”
    There’s only a slight pause, like she’s weighing what to do. Before frustration can settle into my chest, or I can say something like “It’s only food, Lauren, don’t second-guess everything,” she says, “That would be great. I’m starving.”
    The sincerity in her words, and the fact that she wants to be around me too, makes me feel like I walk on air.

Seven

Lauren
    I take a bite of my cheeseburger and groan with pleasure, closing my eyes and chewing as slowly as I can to taste all the flavors. “This is the best burger I’ve ever had in my life.” I’m ravenous, probably from my nerves being on edge for like three hours straight while we ziplined. “I feel like I could eat an entire cow.”
    I hear Cole chuckle, and I open my eyes to find him watching me, a smirk on his face. “I’ll have our server pass your compliments to the chef.”
    I finish chewing and swallow, then take a sip of soda, mulling over our experience today. “So, is that how you felt when—” I pause and shake my head. No, that’s a super stupid question.
    “What? What were you going to ask?” Cole tilts his head.
    “It was dumb, sorry.” I wave my hand and dig into another bite. I don’t want to see his face get shadowed again, or feel him pull away from me like he did the last time we talked about his service.
    “No, it wasn’t quite like that,” Cole says in a gentle voice, clearly guessing at what I was going to ask. My cheeks burn. “The fear over there was almost overwhelming at times, though we all did our best to push that aside and focus on our jobs. But when we got through a dangerous situation and it all came out okay in the end, that’s when that high would kick in, like ‘I did it—I made it through something that would have broken most everyone else.’ At that point, I felt like I could do anything. Climb a mountain and jump off the top. Or eat an entire cow.” The last words are said in a teasing tone.
    “Sorry. I have foot-in-mouthitis,” I say. “It was an insensitive thing to ask you. Of course the situations aren’t the same at all. I just… I don’t live in a world where I experience adrenaline rushes like that. Probably a good thing.”
    Cole reaches over and strokes my finger, one long, leisurely touch that sets my skin alight in goosebumps. I swallow and try to pretend like I don’t want him to kiss my face off. “You don’t have to be afraid to ask me anything. I’ll tell you everything you want to know. No question is dumb, kitten.”
    How do you feel about me? The question is right on the end of my tongue, and I struggle to not ask. Despite the courage I