by L. P. Maxa
###
Diego had never seen anything more erotic in his entire life. They’d cleaned the kitchen, the lights were low, and now Eva stood before him in a black bra that barely contained the bounty of her breasts, a tiny pink flower at the heart of her cleavage adding a little sweet to the sexy. Silky black underwear didn’t quite cover her curvy rear, and he could say he liked that look just fine. Her eyes, as depthless green as the ocean, reflected desire as well as a hint of nervousness.
“You okay with this step?” he asked. He sure as hell hoped she was. “I’m in this for more than a one-night shag, Eva. Way more. So be sure this is where you want our relationship to go.”
She didn’t utter a word, instead leaning into him to brush a kiss on his lips, then lightly nip his bottom lip. Her hands slipped under his shirt and skimmed teasingly across his belly and ribs. “Why do you have so many clothes on?”
He whipped off the shirt, and sucked in a breath when she pulled open the belt of his shorts and began tugging them down.
“Looks like they’re caught on something,” she purred, and reached inside to grip his erection through his boxers. “I’ll help you with that.”
With his vision hazing with need, he scooped her up in his arms and laid her onto his bed, exactly where he’d wanted her since he’d first laid eyes on her. Her arms tightened around his shoulders and brought him down with her to rest against the moist heat between her legs. Nearly cross-eyed with desire, he buried his face in her breasts, nuzzling one, then turning to lick the nipple of the other under the cup of her bra.
Eva sat up, pushing him onto his back. She wiggled out of her tiny panties, then moved to straddle him, a feeling so erotic he nearly erupted on the spot. “You have condoms in that nightstand, big boy?”
“Fuck, yeah. I’ll get one. Hell with that, I’ll grab a dozen.”
She laughed low and husky. “I’ll get them.”
She stretched over him in a move that brought her breasts into perfect alignment with his mouth at the same time as she rubbed gloriously against his hard-on. Then she was ripping the wrapper with her teeth and stroking the latex over him and, praise Jesus, sinking onto him, taking him deep in one long, smooth move. Her nipple was in his mouth, she had enclosed him in her sweet tightness, and he was transported to heaven. He let her set the pace and enjoyed the rhythm with her until he felt himself on the brink and he eased her back.
“You’re not there with me yet.” He slipped free, slid down her body, kissing and nibbling as he went, until he found her warm center.
“Holy mother of god,” she stuttered her words, ending on a keening moan as he licked and sucked.
Gauging his prey, he built her up and, when she was oh so close, levered himself up to capture her mouth in his as he plunged in. Now she was with him, and after four or five mighty thrusts they both tumbled over the ledge to oblivion.
When he tried to shift his weight off her, she resisted, cupping his ass and holding him to her.
“Darlin’, I’m heavy.”
“I like your heavy.”
He nuzzled the soft skin over her collarbone, then the silky smoothness of her neck, before moving to brush his lips under her ear. “You know you’re going to have to marry me now. Then we can spend the rest of our lives trying to top that.”
He was an idiot. He knew it the moment the words were out of his mouth, because that was how long it took for her to stiffen, her muscles going taut beneath him. He could’ve sworn he felt her mentally pulling away as well, as if they’d had a psychic connection that had snapped as soon as he’d said the word “marry.”
“Look, Eva, I—”
“Off, get off me. I need to check on Finn.”
“Finn’s fine. We brought his crate over, he’s fine there.” Since she’d all but shoved him off her, he reached over to switch on the lamp on his nightstand. Already off the bed, she clutched her top in front of her as she searched on the ground for the rest of her clothing.
“You looking for this?” He hooked her bra lying on the sheet, dangling it at her. She snatched it from him. “I’m sorry I said that. Obviously, it’s not something you want to hear.” That hurt, because it meant that while he thought they were falling together, apparently it had only been him. She scurried into the hall bathroom without saying a word, the sheen of tears glistening on her cheeks.
Chapter Eight
“That’s just fucking great,” he muttered. He dealt with the condom before lying back on his pillow and staring at the lazily whirling ceiling fan. “Fucking brilliant. Say ‘marry’ and freak the girl out.” He’d said he’d go slow, and then he’d blown it. Shifting light had him glancing at the curtained window with a frown. Why the hell was there light coming from the back of his house? Comprehension had him bolting out of bed and dragging on a pair of jeans. Socks, shoes, shirt—he was dressed before he even looked out the window to confirm what he already knew. The tall pine closest to his house was in flames, the fire laddering to the crown, and the tree next to it starting to burn.
###
Eva leaned against the counter, eyes tightly closed. Okay, she’d had a freak-out. Diego said the word “marry” and memories of Bruce and the fiasco of their not-wedding had flashed across her brain in an unpleasant montage. She liked Diego. A lot. Okay, more than a lot. Her feelings might even be edging into something scarily like love. Sex with him had been glorious. She was still feeling the tingles, and she could confidently rate it as the best sexual experience of her life. There was no reason to mess that up with talk of marriage. Marriage was fine for other people, but she’d tried that and had failed. Bruce had gotten cold feet, and she’d had to face the fact that she hadn’t ever really known him, not deep down known him. And she certainly didn’t know Diego enough for talk of marriage.
She tugged on her bra and underwear, then the rest of her clothing. She’d have to face Diego, tell him they needed to cool things between them, that they were moving too fast, whatever it took to put the brakes on any thoughts of marriage. The pounding on the bathroom door made her jump, then Diego bellowed, “Eva, there’s a fire behind my house. Call it in.”
He was already out the back door by the time she had the bathroom door open. She flipped on the light in the bedroom and grabbed her phone, dialing nine-one-one, telling the dispatcher the address. She pulled back the curtains and her heart stuttered in her chest when she saw Diego pulling a hose, silhouetted against the flames creating an inferno out of the tall pines ringing his yard. Wishing she had sturdier footwear but not wanting to take the time to run to her house, she slipped her feet into her flip-flops. Though she could hear him whimpering, Finn was safe in his crate. She would go outside and find another hose to do what she could to keep the fire away from Diego’s house, and hers.
The door to the deck opened as she approached. “I called nine-one-one, they—”
She heaved in a breath. The man standing in the doorway wasn’t Diego. Not as tall, not as broad-shouldered.
“Who are you?” She hadn’t bothered to turn on the kitchen light. The room was lit only by the bulb in the range hood, which was set on the lowest wattage. Finn’s frantic barking competed with the blood pounding in her ears to drown her sense of hearing. The man turned to look at the dog, and she sucked in a panicked breath when she recognized him.
“Don’t you know? We’re friends,” he spoke softly, his voice barely audible above the barking dog. Finn pounded against the side of the crate, growling and snapping.
“Bryan? Bryan Lancaster?”
“Yes. I told you we are friends. I sent you a postcard. That’s what friends do.”
“I got the postcard.” Keeping him talking seemed to be the right thing to do while she figured out how to get away from him and out of the house. “Did you start the fires, Bryan?” She backed away a step, mind racing, trying to decide on her best option for dealing with him. Should she try to get to the front door to get out of the house, or keep him talking until first respond
ers or maybe Diego got here? She wasn’t sure if the police would accompany the fire department. But they would be busy with the fire and might not even notice there was an intruder. Another backward step, then another, and she was in the living room.
Bryan stepped into the kitchen and sent Finn into a frenzy clawing at the door of his crate. He turned to look at the dog and Eva felt like an iron hand had gripped her throat, because he held a knife, the blade glinting wickedly. Thin and long, he held it at his leg, pointed downward. He turned his attention back to her. “You don’t have to be afraid of me, Eva. I would never hurt you. I love you. I want to get married.”
Hysteria bubbled. Two men in one night suggesting marriage—one she’d consider, the other was a living nightmare. He’d left the back door open, allowing the faint wailing of a siren to be heard over the crackling of the burning trees and the wild barking. She breathed deep to try and steady herself and think through what to say to him. “Then why do you have a knife, Bryan? You’re scaring me.”
He held the knife in front of him, staring at it with a quizzical expression, as if trying to figure out how it had ended up in his hand. “This is to protect you from that fucking fire monkey. You shouldn’t be at his house, Eva. That’s why I decided I had to do something drastic, because you belong to me. I’ll have to punish you until you learn you can’t spend time with other men.”
He raised the knife. “Your punishment will be later. You’re coming with me.”
He stepped closer, Finn snarling behind him, and Eva felt a scream backing up in her lungs.
###
Diego ran into the night and immediately felt the slap of hot air from the fire consuming the pine trees with a roar. He’d cleared debris from around his house, the pitched roof was metal, the soffit vents to the attic had screens to keep out embers. He’d even used a manufactured material instead of wood for his deck. He cranked on the spigot and grabbed the extra-long hose coiled there, using the spray to soak everything within range.
God, he hoped the fire crews got here soon. He could keep the flames away from his home, but he couldn’t do a damn thing about the inferno already spreading through the tall pines. There were other houses scattered on the other side of the slope, and then the town of Hangman’s Loss. He heard an approaching siren, and the deeper honk of an airhorn on a fire engine, and his fear eased a bit. How the hell had the fire started?
Realization exploded. Flinging the hose aside, he raced back to the house, panic snapping at his heels. Finn barked frantically, adding to the urgency. He raced through the open door and the scene before him seared into his brain. Lancaster standing with his back to him, the glint of a blade, Eva backing toward the front door.
Diego made no effort to check his forward motion and launched himself at Lancaster. He caught him square in the back and sent them both sprawling on the ground. The knife went skidding across the floor. Eva snapped on the overhead lights and jumped for the knife. Still on his knees, Lancaster twisted around and struck out. On his feet, Diego caught the wild punch, shoved back, and landed a solid blow to Lancaster’s gut. He went down and Diego leapt forward to press a knee in the center of his back. With a quick move, he pulled his arms behind him, and felt the fight seep out of his opponent. The guy was gasping, mouth opening and closing like a hooked fish, and Diego guessed the punch had knocked the wind out of him. The sirens drew closer. Finn had subsided, though still growling low in his throat.
“Take your phone, go outside,” he told Eva. “See if law enforcement is assisting. If not, call nine-one-one again.”
She glanced at Lancaster, as if making sure he wasn’t moving, then laid the knife on a bookshelf before following Diego’s order, leaving the door open. Sirens were cut as emergency vehicles filled the street in front of his and Eva’s houses, the flashing blue mixed with the red telling him the cops had come. He could hear firefighters calling to each other and the sound of hoses being laid out. Lancaster was now breathing normally and beginning to struggle. “Let me up, man.”
“Not a fucking chance.”
“You got no right to tackle me like that.”
Diego thought he was showing amazing restraint by not hauling the guy outside and heaving him into the blaze. “Don’t talk to me about rights, dumbshit. You started fires that burned homes and endangered lives, and that’s not even considering the destruction of the environment and wildlife habitat. They’re going to lock you in a cage where you won’t even have the right to take a piss in private.”
“I wouldn’t have started the fires if it wasn’t for you. Eva deserves better than some asshole fire monkey. Figured you’d be called out to the fires and I’d be able to get close to her.”
“You got as close as you’ll ever get. Now shut the fuck up.”
Brad Gallagher and Jack Morgan walked in, Jack in uniform, Brad in jeans and a button-down shirt with a gun holstered at the side of his cop belt. Eva followed them in. Her gaze locked with Diego’s and he tried to keep his anger in check—anger at the asshole beneath him who caused all this mayhem. But mostly, he was angry with himself for mentioning marriage after their first time together. He couldn’t blame her if his feelings weren’t reciprocated, but he sure as hell wished they were.
Jack produced handcuffs and knelt to snap them on Lancaster. Diego grabbed an arm to help pull him to his feet, and Jack read him his rights. At that moment, how badly he’d screwed up seemed to dawn on Lancaster, because he dropped his head and didn’t say a word.
“Take him to the station and book him, Jack. Let him call his folks. I’ll call the DA when I get there,” Brad said.
“Sure thing,” Jack replied as he marched Lancaster out ahead of him.
“Either of you hurt?” Brad asked.
Eva rose from where she’d been crouched next to Finn’s crate, crooning to him in a soft voice. Diego felt her gaze traveling over him, but her rejection earlier still stung and he looked away.
Both of them responded in the negative, and Brad nodded to his cousin. “You want to tell me what happened?”
Eva spoke in a hushed voice, telling how she’d found Lancaster in the house. Diego’s blood chilled as she related the asshole’s intent to kidnap her, and his admission that the postcard had been from him.
“He set the fires to get me out of the way so he could make time with Eva,” Diego interjected.
Distress was apparent on Eva’s face, and Brad gave her a one-armed hug. “It’s not your fault, sweetheart. Lancaster built up a relationship with you in his own head. Too bad I couldn’t nab him before he caused so much destruction.”
“I wish I realized what was going on. Maybe I could have said something to set him straight before all this happened,” Eva muttered, her face a picture of misery.
“I’m not sure there was anything you could have said. He created his relationship with you and it had nothing to do with reality. Knowing how bad this could have gone, I’m just glad you’re safe.” Brad continued, “I’ve got to get to the station. You’ll both need to come in to give your statements. Tomorrow morning is fine.”
Diego nodded, and walked with Brad out the door.
Finn had finally settled down, and Eva retrieved his leash and went to his crate where he lavishly licked her hand through the gap in the wire. “I know, baby, that was scary.” She let him out and took a moment to bury her face in his neck. She breathed deep, then let out a shaky breath, then stood. With the leash snapped to his collar, she took him out onto the back deck where the acrid smell of smoke hung heavy in the air.
Chapter Nine
With Finn by her side, Eva watched the firefighters, her stomach twisting in knots so tight she thought she would pass out. She’d blown it. There was nothing like a crazy man coming at you with a knife to put things in perspective. She’d never been more frightened in her life, or had anyone act so heroically to protect her. Although she had a feeling, if he’d been free, Finn would have joined Diego in a bid for heroism. Diego had flown at Lancast
er without hesitation and easily subdued the man who had intended to kidnap her, and then “punish” her. She shuddered at what that could have meant. Diego must have realized the fire had been started to distract him and clear the way for Lancaster to make his move. The memory of Diego’s remote expression after he’d nabbed Lancaster made her realize she might have made the biggest mistake of her life. She needed to talk to him but wasn’t sure he would listen to what she had to say.
The firefighters had already knocked down the blaze, and flames were visible in only a few spots. Diego jogged past her going toward the street where another fire engine had pulled up. Eva guessed not being in his turnout gear was keeping him from fully working the fire.
With Finn quivering with his desire to run off leash to check out all the activity, Eva tugged him to a cushioned lounge chair. Her dog sat beside her, his ears pricked forward as he kept watch. A group of firefighters were dispatched into the forest, she guessed to check for any signs that embers had traveled to ignite another blaze, while the crew handling the hoses doused the remaining live fire.
Fatigue was dragging at her and she pulled out her phone and saw the time was almost midnight. A dozen texts from Maddy and Brad’s wife Emma, as well as her Aunt Trish, lit the screen. She texted responses to let them all know she was fine, that Diego was fine, and that Finn was fine. At least they were physically fine.
Finn settled next to her, finally relaxing enough to lie down. She draped an arm around him as she watched firefighters begin the mopping-up stage of the operation.
###
Diego stepped from his empty house, guessing Eva must have gone back to her home. Yet one more kick in the gut—she hadn’t bothered to say good-bye. The last fire engine and its crew would stay through the night to ensure there were no flare-ups, but he was no longer needed. In the past several hours, his mental state had boomeranged from paradise, to dejection, to abject fear for Eva’s safety. Add the adrenaline crash he was riding, and he was dead tired.