Chapter 10
Trask felt off kilter.
He’d blame it on the cold water from earlier, but hell, he’d been acting like a fool since the moment he met Jett.
And that needed to stop.
Currently, she was fussing over him with more towels that someone had procured, and as much as he liked her hands on him, Trask had to take back control of whatever was happening between them.
“Okay. Enough,” he barked.
She backed off, a look of hurt on her face from his harsh tone, but he couldn’t let that bother him.
The young cop chose that moment to arrive back with Jett’s coat, and as she stepped away from Trask, she plastered on a smile while the officer gallantly held the garment out for her and she slipped her arms into the sleeves.
“Thanks so much,” she told him with a sexy dip of her lashes. It looked…calculated.
A growl built up in Trask’s throat that he could barely suppress.
Was she blinking at the man on purpose? Did she think that the wet-behind-the-ears cop in full uniform was good looking? A slow burn began somewhere in his gut, and…
No.
Just no.
There was zero reason for Trask to feel anything. If Jett wanted to flirt…
Fuck.
He needed to be honest with himself.
He’d liked it when Jett’s attention was all on him. He flipping enjoyed it when he and the frustrating woman were verbally sparring. He liked…just about everything about her, besides her lack of filters, her messiness, her spontaneity, her ridiculously sunny outlook on life…
Okay. There was a lot not to like, but weirdly, the total package of bubble-headedness looked damned good on her, and he was having a lot of trouble resisting.
She was clearly an expert at pulling off a personality that was so unique and foreign to him, that he’d never be prepared for what was going to come out of her mouth.
Which for some fucked up reason, made the interactions with her even more enticing.
What did all that mean in the end?
How did he deal with such an…unknown?
Did he forcibly shut down his ramped-up libido; stop thinking about all the things that made her so unique and…un-ignorable until he could get her ass back on her plane? Or did he ditch his uptight concerns and make a play for her, angling to get her to stay.
If he went with the unaccustomed impulsiveness idea and they hooked up, it could be…epic.
At that momentous thought, Trask had to assure himself that anything that happened between them definitely wouldn’t amount to shit in the end. So maybe that was the answer. A quick romp between the sheets somewhere neutral, then a fast goodbye.
He could take that risk.
It would get the sassy spitfire out of his head, and his life could return to normal.
Plan made, he needed to see if she’d be willing to get physical for an hour or two without thinking it meant a forever kind of thing.
That would be trickier. He already had her pegged as a woman who heard Disney songs in her head for most everything that occurred in her life. Hell, rescuing the moose probably had her humming all kinds of Bambi shit.
No. He needed to approach this pragmatically, and let her know his strict parameters. But first he needed her undivided attention.
“You ready to get out of here?” Trask prodded her gruffly, once she turned her fluttering lashes away from the cop and back toward him.
Did she do that shit on purpose to drive men crazy?
“Sure. I’m ready.”
She yawned so widely he could almost see her tonsils, and didn’t look like she regretted the spontaneous action. Trask actually liked that she was so comfortable in her own skin that she didn’t care how she acted. And…
Okay. She’d just given him his opening to say that she shouldn’t fly home until she was “rested up”.
He opened his mouth to pose his suggestion when Officer Daniella appeared out of nowhere and insinuated her body between him and Jett, placing her hand on his arm.
“Listen. I just want to thank you both so much for what you’ve done here.”
Trask wanted to snort. If she was thanking them, why were her eyes all on him.
He hadn’t really taken the sergeant’s measure before; too intent on Jett and the task at hand, but now that he really looked at the woman, he could see that she was quite attractive.
And she was just his type.
Neat. Business-like. Orderly. Which should have had him sitting up and taking notice.
So why wasn’t he?
It was Officer Daniella he should be thinking of inviting to a local motel, not the annoying thorn-in-his-side, Jett.
He sighed, already knowing how he was going to play this one.
“My partner and I are just happy to have been in the right place at the right time,” Trask told her, making sure his voice held no extra warmth.
Being a smart woman, she got the picture immediately, and backed off, changing the subject.
“Our large friend over there got lucky,” she followed through by bringing the conversation back to the moose who had struggled groggily to his feet.
“He sure did.”
Dammit all. Why couldn’t Trask have found the well-put-together woman more enticing? It certainly would have been an easier route to take than the one he was contemplating.
They all stood companionably for a few minutes, watching the moose from a distance, and Trask tried to shed his trepidation as easily as the bull was shaking off the effects of the sedative.
When the beast finally turned a baleful eye toward them and lumbered off, the crews on site all cheered.
Yup. Despite Trask’s inner turmoil, it had been a good save.
“Have your office send a bill to our town clerk,” Officer Daniella said, reverting easily back to professionalism. “I’ll approve payment.”
Her easy capitulation was predictable.
And maybe that was what was sticking in Trask’s craw. He’d always gone for women like the sergeant; someone who could read the room. A woman whose mind set and agenda matched his, and who, after a night or two of fun, would go back to business and not balk at saying goodbye.
The antitheses of Jett.
His molars actually ached as he clenched his jaw just looking at the frustrating woman. She was so…uninhibitedly sweet, yet na?ve in a worldly kind of way, and he had no idea how she’d feel if he proposed a one-and-done with him.
Perhaps he needed that challenge?
If she gave him the opportunity, he’d make it damned good for her if she agreed to his terms. But first he needed to conclude business, here.
“That’s great,” Trask finally answered the sergeant. “I’ll get our office manager on it as soon as we get back.” He then turned back to the firefighter who’d procured his borrowed finery. “I’ll make sure you get all your gear back within a few days. Thanks again for the loan.”
“No problem, man,” the youngster with the handlebar mustache replied. “And no hurry. I have extras.”
Trask nodded and turned once again to Officer Daniella. “I’m glad we could be of service, but now we need to get going.”
“Safe travels,” she answered in a business-like tone, and if there’d been any interest there, it was clearly gone, now.
Without kicking himself too much, Trask, in his make-shift fireman’s outfit—complete with bunker boots—clomped over and took Jett’s elbow.
He could see that she was pretty much reeling where she stood, and could also tell that— despite having been protected in her drysuit—the ordeal in the cold water had pretty much sapped her of her normal energy.
“Let’s get you…home,” he gruffed.
She raised a brow, but didn’t argue as he steered her back to the truck.
“Where’s home?” she finally asked, because yeah.
If the woman was anything, it was curious.
Yawning once again and clicking into her seatbelt, she curled up on his heated passenger seat like a cat, while her dogs leaned over the center console and gave her excited kisses.
“Because,” she continued, giving them scritches, “you’ve got to know I’m in no shape to fly for a while. ”
At least she had the wherewithal to know her limits.
Here’s where the rubber met the road.
“Well, I can take you back to my parents’ house where I’m temporarily staying. They’d be happy to put you up. Or…” Should he go for it? Why the hell not?
“Or I can get us a motel room somewhere nearby, and we can sleep it off.”
Trask held his breath while she regarded him under hooded lids, a grin twitching at her tired mouth.
“Are you asking me if I’ll have sex with you?” she questioned saucily.
Shit. Did they really need to discuss this offer in detail? Couldn’t the woman just take her cues from him and follow his lead? She already knew he was attracted to her since he’d kissed her twice.
“What if I am?” he managed, treading on uncertain ground.
“Then crap. I’d say that’s completely out of character.
Which means you’re either confused as hell from the cold dip you took, or thinking it might be fun to slum-it-up with someone who clearly doesn’t fit the profile of your normal bed-partner.
Am I getting warm?” she quipped, amusedly referencing their recent dip.
She was, but he wasn’t about to give her confirmation.
“What if I, uh, find you compelling with your…unique way of looking at things,” he managed, going with honesty but without revealing all the caveats that were swirling around in his overactive brain.
She snort-laughed. “Well, I find you compelling, too, but that doesn’t mean we should hook up.
If we do, we could be headed for a lot of trouble.
For instance…” She got that look on her face that told Trask she was about to become profound.
“…what happens when you find out I’m exactly what you need in bed?
” she posited mischievously. “How are you going to justify it to yourself when you want me for seconds and thirds, when you can barely stand all my…eccentricities?”
“Geeze. Pretty confident, aren’t you?” he answered tersely, then laid his proverbial cards down on the table.
“Listen. Here it is in a nutshell. I’m not looking for a relationship of any kind.
I’m thinking we can have some fun together for a single night, then part as friends.
If that appeals to you, good. If it doesn’t, I’ll take you to my parents’ house where I promise you’ll be safe from my evil clutches. ”
Jett threw back her head and laughed heartily, most likely expending the last of her energy.
Right. Was he an idiot to suggest monkey sex? Jett was flat out exhausted, and certainly wouldn’t have the chops to perform.
“How about this?” she sent back before he could rescind his offer. “First, we need to go back to the airport so I can pay for a tie-down for the night. After that, I’ll probably fall asleep while we head to… Where do your parents live?” she questioned.
His hopes fell. She hadn’t taken him up on his motel suggestion.
“Just outside of Orono,” he answered with a clip to his tone.
“Okay, Orono. While we head there,” she speculated. “I’ll nap. Then I’ll have enough in the tank to sneak into your childhood bedroom and fuck you quietly under your wittew cowboy bedspwead.”
She tapped her lip audaciously while Trask nearly choked on his spit.
“Or it could be rocket-ships,” she pondered, making comical engine noises as if she hadn’t just knocked him for a loop.
“You…you…want to have sex with me? At my folks’ house. Not in a motel room.”
“Ding, ding, ding.” She shrugged and pointed a finger to the back seat.
“Because if I want…some, some, we can’t very well leave the dogs in your truck to freeze.
And I’m pretty sure knocking uglies with you is going to take a significant amount of time, and most motels don’t allow pups inside. So…” She let it hang.
He hadn’t spared a thought for the dogs, and that irked him. Still…“I guess there’s really no option but to head north,” Trask finished with a grunt.
Jett nodded, as if it was no big deal.
Well hell. Good news but bad.
How was that going to work out? He’d never brought a woman through his parents’ door before, and they were bound to see the attraction that sizzled between him and Jett. They might even figure out that he and their houseguest would be up to some hanky-panky once they went upstairs…
Ah, hell.
He was willing to take that chance.
“Okay,” he agreed. “Airport first, then a meet and greet with Guy and Ellen Sothard before we…engage. But don’t think this means we’re forming any long-lasting attachments. In the morning, I will be driving you back to your plane, and waving good-bye. Got it?”
“Sir, yes sir,” she mocked him again.
Oh, she was going to be a pain in his ass, and she was going to pay for that bit of sass.