Temptation Ridge (Virgin River #6)(26)

“Faster, higher and maybe safer,” she said.

“Possibly.” He laughed.

“How many times have you crashed?”

“I’ve never crashed,” he said, straightening proudly. “But I’ve been a damn good target three times. Mogadishu, Afghanistan and Iraq. I’m all done getting shot out of the sky. Right now, I want my most dangerous experience to be hammer versus thumb.”

They talked about building for a while, about the plans he had for the cabins. He would concentrate on the exteriors while the weather was still nice and when it cooled off and the Pacific winds brought the wet and cold, he could work inside. “Chapman left the house a wreck, but the structure seems sound. It’s going to take some doing to get it right. It’s small, but big enough for me. And if a brother or two shows up, there’s room. But this is temporary for me. By the time the work is done, I’ll be looking for a flying job—rescue or news chopper, or maybe even private industry. But chopper jobs are pretty tight, so it’s good I have something to keep me busy while I check out the job market.”

“Where will you go?” she asked.

“I’m flexible,” he said with a shrug.

She learned the brothers were close—when they were in the same part of the world, they got together. His father was deceased, but his mother was in Phoenix and they met there regularly. And each of them was willing to travel if there was a chance to meet. When she asked if he had a lot of nieces and nephews, he said, “All single. No kids anywhere.”

She didn’t tell him a whole lot about herself, just that she was finally ready to get on with her education, that she would be applying for degree programs. “I have my tuition money set aside from the house sale. I’d like to take a couple of trips first, maybe a cruise, since I can’t get back to full-time school till next fall anyway. I’m pretty nervous about that, it’s been a long time since I’ve been a student.”

“You’ll kick ass,” he said, taking curious pride in her ambition.

“For now, I’m just hanging out.”

“For how long?” he asked.

She answered with a shrug. “Till the first of the year, anyway, that’s the plan. There’s not too much for me to do except help everyone out, and I’m already getting a little bored.”

He made her laugh, put her at ease. She had a second beer and he had another. “You about ready for some dinner?” he finally asked her.

“I’m starving,” she said.

By the time Jack put stew in front of them, many of the locals were leaving, but there were still a few fishermen, so there was no hurry for Luke and Shelby to clear out.

They asked Jack for coffee and talked for another hour before Shelby looked at her watch and said, “Do you think I’ve given the lovebirds enough time alone?”

“By the look on Paul’s face, there isn’t enough time.”

“Tell me about it.” She stood up and slipped a hand into her jeans’ pocket.

“Nah, Shelby. Let me,” Luke said. He pulled out his wallet and put some bills on the bar.

“Careful, Luke,” she teased. “If you buy my dinner, I’ll think you like me.”

He put a hand on the small of her back. “That’s the problem,” he said. “I do.” He was past the jitters about her age, her uncle. He was moving on this. And when it was over, he was going to be shot, he was pretty sure. But he was into her; she had him. He hoped his death would be quick and painless.

An excited shiver ran through her as she preceded him out the door. When she got outside, she stopped on the porch and looked up at the clear, cool sky, peppered with a million stars. The wind through the pines made a whirring sound; an owl occasionally hooted.

Luke moved behind her and, with his arms around her waist, drew her back against him. She let her eyes softly close, enjoying the feeling of his sturdy body so close to hers. He nuzzled her hair and despite the noise of the wind through the pines, she heard his breath as he inhaled. Then she felt him move her hair aside; his lips and tongue were on her neck. “Hmm,” he said. “That’s nice. Real nice.” Then she felt him sucking and she tilted her head to one side to give him more of her neck.

That tilt of the head, that was more invitation than Luke usually required. He pulled her away from the bar’s front door to the edge of the porch, to a dark corner. He’d begun feeling light-headed just from the sensation of her neck against his lips. Her soft, sweet fragrance swirled around him and he wanted to take her somewhere, undress her, taste the rest of her body.

He faced her and looked down into her eyes. “I’m sure this is a huge mistake,” he said in a throaty whisper.

She rubbed her hands up and down his upper arms and just smiled that soft, sweet, beguiling smile.

“You’re pretty irresistible, Shelby. And I never did have much willpower.”

“I’m kind of new at this flirting with dangerous older men,” she said. “Is this where I apologize?”

“New at it?” he asked. “I think you might be a natural. It’s working.”

“Well, maybe I have more social skills than I thought,” she said with a laugh. There was no maybe about it—she had made a sudden and crazy decision. She wasn’t going to wait for the younger, more stylish man. The very thing he was warning her to be careful about, she decided, would work to her advantage. He was experienced. He knew what he was doing. She needed that. His arms around her and his lips on her neck felt wonderful. He would do nicely.