Crave the Heat Book Tour & Giveaway

Shrugging into the gray T-shirt he’d brought with him, Dak didn’t seem to be paying attention
to Kirk. She couldn’t focus either, distracted by the play of muscles along his big chest.
As her gaze met his, a zing of connection reverberated between them. Surely it had affected
him, too. Proving her point, the right side of his lips tilted up, revealing a hint of straight white teeth.
That halfway grin. The lace of heat in her gut reminded her that it had been way too long.
Well, she didn’t have the emotional bandwidth for that kind of sexy right now. To be honest,
she might never have that in her again.
But, she could act professionally. Her job, her work, that’s what she had. Inhaling shakily,
she extended her hand. “I’m Special Agent Heidi Sinclair. Call me Heidi.”
He extended his hand, the muscles along his arms and chest flexing. Not that she noticed.
His fingers engulfed hers. “Dak Parrish. Your tagalong.” The corner of his mouth turned up
again. He’d heard her, then. If she was the sort to be embarrassed about stuff like that, she would
be. But she wasn’t. So she grinned back.
“Exactly. You’re tagging along, so I can get a quick assessment. You’re here because they
want you here.”
Tension exploded into the silence. If she was the kind of girl who cared about
awkwardness—she wasn’t—it might have bothered her.
Dak Parrish’s eyebrows lifted, and his lips twitched again. “Noted.”
“Fine.” She was proud that she kept her eyes trained on his.
“Yes.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Fine.”
“Then we are in agreement. My son will accompany you to the point of origin today for your
initial pictures and reports.” The man who had come in with Dak was dressed too smoothly,
everything too neat and perfect, even his smile. His voice was imperious, like a king visiting the
masses. This was a man who was used to getting his way, someone who got things done. Heidi
disliked him immediately.
Lyle Parrish. This guy was super-hot, looked-good-in-dirt-and-smelling like-smoke guy’s dad.
Bottom line: this was her job. She worked for the Forest Services, and part of that included
maintaining good relations with the local communities, including the tribal ones. So, fine. If everyone
wanted her to wander out to the side of the mountain today, she’d go.
“Yes. We’re all in agreement.”
Lyle Parrish’s smug grin made her grind her teeth.
“Well, then. I should get going. It’ll be dark soon.” She offered a glance at Dak. “We may
need to camp there.” Then she smiled at Mitch. “Thank you again. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of
each other.” Unlike Parrish and Kirk, she’d liked him right away.
Dak? She’d reserve judgment. Right now, she couldn’t decide, thanks to her annoying
immediate attraction to him.
Well, that was enough public relating for today. She bid the two men from Warm Springs
goodbye and left the air center, ignoring the appreciative glances from a couple of the other jumpers
milling around. She had a job to do, and she couldn’t afford to be distracted. Besides, a big male
body had been the start of her problems in Washington. That wasn’t a mistake she planned to repeat
here.
Crunching across the gravel parking lot, she headed to the SUV the Forest Services had
issued her. According to what Mitch had told her, the point of origin for the recent wildfire was on a
hillside to the west of the reservation. She already had her gear in the back. Pulling her phone up,
she mapped the area, wondering what the best route would be. She’d also need to contact her
superior, let him know about this new development.
“Hey. Wait up.” Dak trotted up to her. “I’m supposed to keep you company.”
It had been a while since she’d been a girl who needed company. He definitely didn’t look
like the kind of guy who would be used to being unwanted. Maybe all he needed was to be let off the
hook. She halted,
squinting up at him in the midday sun. This close, she was painfully aware of how tall and broad he
was, dwarfing her five-foot-four-inch frame.
“Look, Dak, you seem like a nice enough guy and I get the impression you’re getting dragged
into this. So, if this isn’t your scene, I get it. You can bail. I can wait until tomorrow for the
investigator.”
“What kind of nice enough guy would I be if I did that?” He hitched his thumbs into the belt
loops on his pants. “What’s that?”
“Point of origin.” She lifted her phone, showing the map.
He cocked his head and grinned as if he found her adorable. “That’s not going to help you.”
She glared at him. “Google maps is quite—”
“Trust me, I’m better.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Come on. I can help. I’m a great
tour guide.”
She rolled her eyes. “You ever hiked that ridge?”
He grinned. “Once or twice.”
Of course he had. Guess she wasn’t going to shake him. The lights of her SUV flashed as
she unlocked the doors. “Climb in, then.”