Page 56 of Make It Last

“Yeah. I’ve been watching the ones where they’re all on their own. I like it here, but I don’t want to do that middle-of-nowhere shit.”

I chuckled. “That can be kind of stressful.”

“And then there’s that one where they have to hunt and survive.”

I nodded. “Not easy to do, especially not when winter’s coming and you have to rely on your own protein intake.”

“I’ve never fished or hunted. I can’t even imagine.”

“I could teach you.”

“You could?” She reached for a slice of pizza.

“Sure. When the season’s right, and after your ankle heals up.”

She took a bite of pizza, followed by a small moan of satisfaction. Fuck me.

“This is so good,” she said after she finished chewing.

My cock twitched. Dammit.

“What?” she asked, circling her hand.

I forced myself to stay focused on anything other than what I wanted to do with Ava. “I was just thinking I don’t need to do anything like the middle-of-nowhere life. I’ve camped and hunted. But when we’re out in the field for firefighting, it’s different. We’ve got other priorities, like fighting fires.”

“Those shows are more for people who need to prove something.” She tilted her head. “You have nothing to prove.”

“Are you sure about that?” I teased.

She finished her first slice and reached for another. “Definitely not. You’re like one of those all-man kind of men.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re a hotshot firefighter,” she said matter-of-factly. “You rescue people. You rescued me.” She gestured at herself. “You’re muscly and strong and tough.”

I snorted as I reached for my second slice.

“And you grew up here. Born and bred in the wild. We need to pick what to watch,” she said, tapping her fingers against her thigh.

She was wearing an open shirt over a fitted tank top. I tried not to notice that it stretched perfectly across her curves.

“Let’s do a baking show,” she said. “I figure that’s something I can try while I’m stuck here.”

“Okay. Whatever you want.”

She quickly selected a show before glancing back over at me. “Do you like sports?” she asked next.

“Sometimes. Not a diehard fan. I enjoy hockey.”

“Ah, hockey guy. Of course.”

“It’s Alaska,” I deadpanned. “There’s ice.”

She laughed. “Fair. It’s more of a thing in cold areas.”

Growly started his purr-growl again. Ava glanced down at him, her expression soft.

“He seems pretty happy,” I noted.