Aliyah Burke

“I don’t sleep with guys just because they look good.” Well, not anymore. As if reading her mind, Heather merely arched a finely plucked brow. “What…fine since I’ve gotten back to the States I don’t do that anymore.”

Her lips twitched. “Had more fun in Japan though, I bet.”

“It was a one-time thing,” Delaney said with a slight snap. The memory was more painful that she cared to admit. And more than she cared to think about, especially on a night when she was supposed to be out having fun, not reliving sins of the past.

Heather was nonplussed by her bite of attitude, in fact, it was as if Delaney had meowed at her like a tiny cute fluffy kitchen who wanted its bottle of milk. Damn lawyers.

“Right, if you say so. Ever think there is a reason you’ve never done such a thing again? Perhaps because the man with that black hair, kickass body, and sapphire blue eyes meant something more to you? But, if you say it was a one-time thing, Delany, I’ll let it go. Doubt it, but hey what do I know? I mean, you kept a by-all-accounts gorgeous Marine pilot enamored with you without even trying. So, this is me letting it go, if you say that’s all it was, who am I to argue?” Heather tipped up her bottle and drank.

An attorney who does a damn good job arguing for a living. “I say so, Heather,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Back already? You, sexy, must have missed me.”

She chuckled and nodded sagely. “That could be. Or it could be I’m thirsty.”

This story is part of the born to fly series. The series started with the 3 brothers and has grown. Winter Bliss is also in this series, more of a connected book but still, considered part. Currently there are 7 in this series and I’m in the process of adding another.

The club was loud; the music shook the walls and the dancers did the same to the smooth tile floor beneath her feet.

Garrick Stark – youngest of 3. Marine pilot, works on a ranch when home in Texas

Amz: https://amzn.to/3aPUldY

She followed his finger out into the lake, not far but enough that when she realized what she was looking at was a body, she was torn between thinking a killer could still be around and the need to go see if they were okay.

“Stay here.” She rushed to the edge, not waiting to see if he listened to her or not. Without giving her clothing a second thought, she plunged into the water and slogged out to the one floating there.

“Be careful, Ginny.”

“Papa,” she called back. “Call the cops.”

She was up to her waist and still hadn’t reached them yet. The water reached to just below her neck when she got to the body whose only movement was that from the ripples she’d made on her way there.

I don’t want to have to touch another dead body. But she couldn’t ignore the fact that perhaps, with some serious stroke of luck, this person was still alive. She wouldn’t ever forgive herself if she’d stayed on the shore watching someone take their last breath knowing she could have at least attempted to save them.

Reaching out, she took a deep breath and turned them so their face wouldn’t be submerged and get them some air. The moment she spied their face, she knew it was to late, the glassy eyes looked to something that had ultimately been their last vision.

The person, she didn’t recognize, was female. Even though she knew there wouldn’t be a pulse, she pushed her fingers against the cold skin, searching for a miracle.

It didn’t come.

Nor did her luck get any better when she heard the sirens and watched as two cop cars raced up along the pathway. Ignoring the scene on shore, Jynx began to move there, towing the incredibly heavy body with her.

“Ms. Nix.”

Jimmy’s voice penetrated her focused little world with the force of someone smashing through a brick wall.

She looked up and promptly lost her breath. She’d missed him. The incredible chasm between them only growing the longer she was in town. No, that wasn’t far, she had put up her own walls and it wouldn’t be fair to blame a woman who had every right to move to town.

“Dep…Sheriff.” She stopped moving toward the shore, her fingers full of the waterlogged long-sleeved shirt she’d been towing the body with.

His eyes, so perfectly green, held her immobile for a moment. A splash behind him broke the spell as Officer Harris moved up beside him.

“Jynx,” he said with a small smile.

Her return one came far easier now. “Officer Harris.”

“I got this.” He gently nudged her aside and took the woman by the arm and began lifting her from her watery grave. She had on jeans and hiking boots as well.

Jynx didn’t say a word, just edged around Jimmy and climbed up and onto the shore. Her father waited there along with another officer. That one, Nepra Hollingsworth, gave her a blanket and she gratefully wrapped her cold body in it and stepped off to the side.

Dr. Beck hopped out of another vehicle and hurried toward her. She mouthed she was okay as soon as the two men got to the shore with the deceased. He changed direction and headed down to their side.

Jynx as numb as she offhandedly listened to Dr. Beck declare the woman dead. They covered her with blanket then moved her into a body bag. She chewed on her lower lip as Jimmy and Martin carried it to the back of the truck that Jimmy had driven.

Her father had his arm around her, rubbing her back. She hoped she had the energy to make it back to the house.

“I’ll do it.”

Those words from Officer Martin Harris had her looking up from the toes of her soaked shoes. The man strode toward her.

“Sorry you had to find the body.”

“I’m sure she’s wishing I hadn’t found her either. I would think she’d be much happier to be alive and breathing. Do you know who she is?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

She shook her head. “She doesn’t ring a bell to me. Papa?”

“She’s a tourist. Doesn’t smell right to be one of our residents.”

Jynx and Martin shared a look.

“Smell right, Papa? She was floating in the lake. She smells like lake water.”

Her father shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Oh, Pita’s back.” He wandered off and she tracked him with her gaze until he swept up the little reprobate in his arms. Pita looked over her father’s shoulder at her and put his head down.

Yeah, she could go for just being held by her dad too. It had been years.

“Can I give you both a ride home?”

“You sure you want to do that? You know we come with a raccoon and I am dripping wet.”

Martin grinned and hooked his thumbs in his duty belt. “Hate to break this to you, Jynx. You smelling like the lake is not even on the top ten of the worst things I’ve had in the back of my patrol car.”

Her face twisted. “Am I sure I want to be back there?”

He put his arm behind her and nudge-led her to his vehicle. Tossing a peek over her shoulder, she looked for her father but found Jimmy’s stare instead. He glared as he locked on where Martin touched her.

“Come on, Papa. Officer Harris is going to give us a ride home.”

“That’s good. You should cook him dinner as a thank you, Jynx. Maybe he would like some of that braised beef you made. Then again, perhaps he is scared that your boyfriend would be upset.”

Somedays her father needed mute button.

“No boyfriend, Papa. And I’m sure Officer Harris—”

“Would love some of that dinner, it sounds delicious.” He gave her a wink as he made sure to scoot closer to her and wrap his arm around her a bit more. “If I’m not suddenly on desk duty all night.” His last statement was for her ears only.