Flame (Fire on the Mountain #2) Read Free Page A

believe it’s been, what . . . four or five years?”
    Keeping her hands resting on her friend’s shoulders, Emmy Sue leans back far enough to allow her gaze to sweep up and down Dakota’s body before squealing and wrapping her back up in a suffocating embrace. “This is perfect! You look amazing. Can you come to my wedding on Saturday? Mom and Dad will be so happy to see you, and Gabe is flying in tomorrow. He’ll want to see you too! Do you think you can come?”
    Dakota takes Emmy Sue’s ramblings of a crazy person in stride, laughing heartily at the barrage of questions. When they finally release each other, Dakota briefly looks up as if she’s searching her brain for answers, and then blurts out, “Yep, it’s me. I’ve been great. I live right outside of Denver, but the rest of my family is all still here in Breck. They’re actually right over there.” She points across the restaurant, but I don’t bother following her finger, ’cause I can’t tear my eyes away from her face. “We’re here for my sister’s boyfriend’s birthday dinner. I just got back in town today for summer break from school, and I’d love to come to your wedding, though saying your parents will be happy to see me may be a stretch. I’m pretty sure they chalk up every bit of trouble you got into because you were hanging out with me . . . which is exactly why Gabe will most definitely want to see me again.”
    Before I can mull over how much this stranger’s last comment about some fucker named Gabe bothers me for no logical reason whatsoever, Gunner sidles up next to his girl and extends his arm toward her friend. “Hey, I’m Gunner, Emmy Sue’s fiancé. I heard her making all kinds of ruckus over here about something.”
    Shaking his hand, her face illuminates with a wide, friendly smile. “Nice to meet you, Gunner. I’m Dakota. Emilia and I went to school together from middle school up until she moved to Montana the summer before our senior year.”
    “Cool.” His mouth ticks up with a smirk as he kisses the top of his fiancée’s head. “I’d love to hear stories sometime about what this firecracker was like when she was younger. I can’t even imagine the trouble she used to get into.”
    “Oh no, you don’t,” Emmy Sue protests, pretending to cover Dakota’s mouth, both of them laughing hard. “Girl Code says none of that stuff can ever be repeated.”
    Dakota’s eyes slide over to where I stand awkwardly observing their entire reunion, like a fucking weird-ass creeper, my desire to escape outside now a distant memory. “You’re still hanging around, big guy?” she asks, her head cocked slightly to the side while she boldly peruses my body from head to toe. A daunting grin dances across her petite facial features. “Do we know each other too, and I don’t remember?”
    As I take a single step forward to close the gap between us, her bright, expressive eyes grow wide, not with concern, but with anticipation. “No, Sunshine, I promise if we’d have met before, there’s no way in hell you could ever forget something like that.” I wink. “Nor would you want to.”
    Dakota presses her lips together in a straight line, trying hard not to show her smile, but a combination of amusement and curiosity are evident in her animated sapphire stare.
    “Good Lord! Sometimes I think even you believe all the ridiculous shit that falls out of your mouth. And that stupid wink is just . . . just no. ” Emmy Sue rolls her eyes, momentarily pretending she doesn’t love my cockiness before reaching out and grabbing my shirt to pull me over next to her and Gunner. Then, returning her attention to her friend, she continues, “Kota, this is Levi, Gunner’s cousin and best friend, who will also be his best man this weekend, and a pain in my ass for the rest of my life. I would apologize for his condescending overconfidence, but he’s not sorry so I won’t waste my breath.”
    A chuckle bubbles up inside me at the