by Cynthia Eden
Lora stood on her toes, caught his mouth, and kissed him with her lips open, her tongue thrusting. She savored him.
More.
Her fingers slid down his chest, muscled and hard. Down, down his narrow waist, to the cock that bobbed toward her. Thick, with veins on the side, a dark head. Long and wide.
She wrapped her hands around him and pumped. Base to tip, again. Again.
Not nearly enough.
Kenton’s lips pressed harder against hers and a growl built in his throat.
She wanted more than a growl. She wanted his control to break. Lora wanted him weak, wild, desperate—
Like me.
Her grip tightened on him.
“Out.” Guttural. He twisted, shutting off the water with a swipe of his hands. “In you…”
They stumbled from the shower and didn’t bother drying. Hands and mouths were greedy. Taking, touching, claiming.
They fell on the bed, and the mattress squeaked. She slithered down his body and eased between his legs. She took his cock in her hand and opened her lips. Finally tasted.
My turn.
“Oh, fuck!” She glanced up in time to see his eyes widen. “Lora…”
Her lips tightened around him. Her tongue slid over his skin, licking, sampling, and he tasted salty on her tongue. Not bitter, but—
His fingers clamped in her wet hair. “Lora.”
She wanted him to come. Wanted to keep licking and sucking until she broke him.
Until there wasn’t any fire. Any death. Wasn’t anything but… them.
Pleasure. Life. Release.
She took him deeper and heard the rasp of his breath. Her sex quivered, and she worked him faster, wrapping her fingers around the base of his erection as she tasted him.
“No more.” Kenton’s voice was guttural.
Then she was on her back. Kenton loomed over her, face flushed, pupils so wide that his eyes looked black. His broad shoulders blocked the light. She licked her lips, still tasting him.
One of his hands clamped over her hip while the other shot across her, digging into her nightstand drawer, fumbling for a condom.
Four seconds later, he was ready.
She was past ready.
Her legs parted for him, so eager. Maybe too eager, but screw that. She needed him.
He thrust inside in a long, smooth glide that stole her breath. Her sex clamped around him and held tight.
His hands caught hers as he thrust, deep and strong. Lora arched up against him. The drumming of her heartbeat filled her ears and she wanted more.
She wanted to go as far over the edge as she could get. She wanted him.
Kenton. Alive. Strong. Fierce.
His fingers tightened around her, and his hips slammed against her. Her legs rose, wrapping tightly around him, and her heels dug into his flesh.
Harder.
He kissed her with the swipe of his tongue and the crush of his lips. His cock slid over her clit, and she moaned into his mouth. Shaking, twisting now as she fought for her release. A release that was so close. So damn close—
Her right hand tugged free of his grip and caught his shoulder. Her nails dug into him. More.
His hips slammed down. In, out, deep, deep.
His fingers snaked between them and found her clit. His thumb pushed against her even as his cock shoved inside in a thrust that had her gasping.
“Come for me.” His whisper.
Her eyes opened. When had she closed them? Lora met his stare. “Make me.” A taunt. One she’d never given a man before. What the hell was her problem? What was she—
He pulled on her clit. Thumb and forefinger, tugging, then pressing, pushing down with just the right force as his cock thrust into her, again and again.
His hips bucked. Then his eyes went wild, and he came.
So did she. Gasping his name, she climaxed. Lora rode the wave of pleasure until her breath was gone, until the pounding of her heart filled her ears, until she couldn’t think, could only feel—
Kent.
He kissed her again. Softer now.
Kent.
His head lifted. His breath came hard, just like hers, and his hair was still damp.
They stared at each other. Silent.
Then he shifted his weight and eased out of her. A slow glide of still-erect flesh.
Still?
He went to the bathroom and didn’t say a word. Right then, she couldn’t speak. Her legs shifted on the bed. Her muscles were lax, her body sated, but…
He came back and went straight to the nightstand.
Her gaze fell on his cock. Definitely still erect. Lora licked her lips, swallowed a few times, and eventually managed, “Kent?”
He reached into the drawer and snagged a packet. Oh, they were going to need more soon. A twist of his fingers and it was open.
He rolled the condom on, and she couldn’t look away. Because… damn. Her sex quivered a bit with an aftershock of pleasure.
And with need. Because she wanted more.
It sure looked like more would be exactly what she got.
His hand came down on her thigh and squeezed. “I’m not finished.”
Oh, wow. His hand slid down and caught her leg to pull her toward him.
Her legs now dangled over the bed and parted for him. He stepped closer, coming right to the edge of the mattress.
Lora stared up at him.
His jaw clenched when he thrust into her. No preliminaries this time. No caresses, no strokes. Just a hard thrust, one she met with an eager lift of her hips.
She was more than ready, still slick, her skin sensitive from her orgasm. She shoved her feet against the bed’s sideboard, bracing herself to meet those deep drives of his hips. She lifted toward him, arching her hips, and took everything he had to give.
His thrusts were hard, deep, so intense that she was shuddering beneath him. His eyes stayed on her. Dark, so dark now.
A quick retreat of his flesh was followed by a quick drive in, one that sent his cock sliding over her clit.
She bit her lip to hold back the scream building in her throat. This, this was what she needed.
“Fucking… beautiful…” The first words he’d spoken since he’d plunged into her.
Lora shuddered beneath him and came.
He kept thrusting even as her sex spasmed around him. Her hands reached up and curled around his arms so she could pull him toward her.
Her lips opened against his neck, and she licked the skin. Then Lora bit him because the pleasure was that good.
His cock jerked, his body stiffened, and she held him tighter because she knew he was coming.
And because that had been one hell of a wild ride.
She’d pulled down her shades to kill the light as best she could. Now Lora lay in the four-poster bed, naked, her soft skin beneath his fingertips.
Kenton turned to look at her. Her lashes were lowering, and she was nearly asleep. After their night, she needed her sleep.
His fingers trailed up her chest and felt the steady beat of her heart. He glanced up and caught the slow smile that curved her lips.
Beautiful.
“You can stay, you know,” she murmured, her voice husky with sex. Christ, how could he still want her? But his cock was up, twitching, because he saw her mouth, red and swollen, and remembered those lips around him.
Made for sex. The woman really was. Ah, damn.
Kenton cleared his throat but couldn’t get his fingers to move away from her. “I’ve got to—I’m meeting Monica. We’re going to talk to Seth and look through his files.” They should have done that yesterday, but Phoenix had screwed up those plans.
Before he’d picked up Lora, he’d spent more time interviewing firefighters—her friends. She didn’t need to know that now, though. Some had been able to provide clear alibis. Some, like Garrison, were still on the suspect list.
Her fingers rose and caught his. “If you need me, call. I want to keep working on
these cases.”
But he wanted her the hell away from the fire. Right. Like that was going to happen. Her life was fire.
And his was death.
They were some pair.
“Kenton, it’s not someone at my station. You saw how we all fought today… it’s not one of us.”
He knew how badly she wanted to believe that. His lips brushed over hers. “Get some sleep.”
A moan rumbled in her throat. Come on. Was the woman trying to break him?
“I will,” she promised, and her voice was slurring, her eyes closing.
Kenton eased out of the bed and stared at her a moment. She was rolling, turning onto her side and away from the light. Curling up her hand, curling her body. So beautiful. And in sleep, so fragile.
When she was awake, the woman radiated energy and strength. Nothing she couldn’t handle—nothing.
But in sleep, he realized her bones were small, so very breakable. Her skin delicate.
And she was one person he never wanted to see broken.
He found the clothes that he’d torn off earlier. But dressing took a while because he kept looking at her. The long lines of her body, the sweet curve of her hip.
“I’ll be back tonight,” he told her, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. But she didn’t hear him. Lora was out.
Kenton left her, but made damn sure to lock the door behind him. The lock seemed like such weak protection. Locks wouldn’t stop someone like Phoenix.
I’ll stop him.
• • •
Kenton went to the hospital first. He wanted to check on the firefighter and see for himself how Wade Copeland was doing. It wasn’t a pretty sight, and the guy’s wife kept crying the whole time he was there.
By the time he left, his shoulders were stiff and a dull throb pounded behind his right eye. Kenton headed for the parking garage and froze when he saw Frank Garrison.
It’s not one of us.
Garrison was walking toward the hospital with his head down. Kenton shifted and blocked his path.
Garrison looked up, and a frown flickered over his face. “Special Agent? What are you—”
“I just stopped by to see Copeland.” His gaze swept Garrison’s face. The chief looked haggard, with deep shadows lining his eyes. Kenton hesitated. Hell, Lora would be pissed at this, but he had to do his job. “When we were at the station before, where’d you go?”
Garrison blinked at that.
“When the call came in about the Randall fire, you weren’t there.” Kenton lifted a brow. “But you sure did make it to that crime scene fast.” Fast enough to beat him.
Garrison’s jaw locked. “I was scheduled to do a safety program for some elementary kids. The school was a few blocks away from Randall’s place, Agent Lake. I was with the kids when I got the call—and that’s why I was able to get to the scene so fast.”
Garrison shoved by him.
“Lora respects you,” Kenton said the words quietly.
The chief halted. “I respect her. The woman isn’t scared of anything.” He paused. “She’s smart, and she’s strong, and I don’t know why the hell she’d waste her time with you.”
Kenton took the hit because he figured the chief was entitled to his anger. He watched Garrison hurry toward the wide hospital doors.
Garrison’s story would be easy enough to check out. And if he found out that Garrison was lying…
Then the next time he questioned the chief, he’d do it at the police station.
Thirty minutes later, Kenton walked into Seth MacIntyre’s office and stopped dead. His eyes locked on the bulletin board hanging on the right wall. The one lined with pictures of burnt bodies and flames.
Monica rammed into him. “Kenton, what are you—”
He stepped to the side and heard her quick intake of breath.
“They’re his.” Seth rose from his desk and jerked his thumb toward the photos. “I–I’ve been going back over all the cases, trying to find a link.”
Christ, that shit was bad. And during his time on the force and then in the Bureau, he’d sure seen his share of horrific crimes. But…
Kenton forced his eyes away from the photos. “Did you find a link?” Lora’s ex-lover was up there. Damn good thing he hadn’t brought her with him. He didn’t want her seeing that.
But she’d been there that night. She’d seen him like that, up close and personal.
Then the woman had gone right back out and walked into the flames again.
“Actually…” Seth licked his lips. “I did find something.”
Monica brushed by him. “Then don’t keep us waiting, MacIntyre.” While Monica pretended to be all icy and controlled, deep inside, she was just human. And he’d seen the brief flinch from the corner of his eye when she’d caught a glimpse of those photos.
Her shell had cracked, just a bit.
Seth rummaged through the mountain of files on his desk. “The station logs…”
Kenton’s brows rose.
“I’ve been—I’ve been going back over every detail of these fires.”
“You know there was another arson last night.” Monica’s voice was smoother now. Her control was coming back. “Wade Copeland was injured. He’s in the burn unit at Memorial Infirmary.”
His face paled even as he gave a quick nod. “I–I know. I’ve got men working the scene right now.” He lifted a file, and his fingers trembled. “I’m heading down to the scene next, but I wanted to talk to you first.” He offered the file to Kenton. “Might be nothin’…”
That was what they had so far.
Kenton took the file and flipped through the pages. Monica sidled up next to him for a better look. Seth had circled a name, a firefighter who’d been present at the first three Phoenix fires.
Lora Spade. Yeah, they already knew about her, but—
“Frank—he rotates his teams,” Seth said. “But Lora, even with the rotation, she was on the scene for Langley, Hatchen, and Skofield’s deaths.”
Kenton lifted his gaze. “And you think this is important to the killer?” Having Lora there? Coincidence, nothing more. Not like the guy knew when she’d be on duty.
He stiffened.
Watching.
Sonofabitch.
Seth’s chin lifted. “I think it’s a link.” His voice came stronger now. The guy wasn’t backing down or getting intimidated. Good for him. “The only one I’ve found so far.”
“The victims are the link.” Kenton knew that. He closed the file but didn’t hand it back to Seth. “And we’re ripping their lives apart to find out why. Their deaths weren’t nice and neat, and I’m betting their lives weren’t either.”
Seth’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I think the killer’s watching the station,” Seth said, his voice firmer. “Lora Spade, Rick Suvalis, and Max Quint are the three most decorated firefighters at that station. They’ve been profiled in the papers.” His hands shoved back down and pulled up another file, one overflowing with computer-printed stories from newspapers. He shoved this file at Kenton, too. “They’re the ones people know. Hell, they even go to all the schools and talk to the kids. They’re the ones people see.”
Kenton glanced down at the file. Had they been the ones the killer saw?
“He uses liquid accelerants—gas, turpentine, alcohol… He soaks the fire zone, and then he traps the victims inside the fire—”
“Michael Randall wasn’t trapped,” Monica broke through Seth’s words. “He could have left on his own, gotten out any time.”
And not tried to take a firefighter down with him.
“Randall was trapped.” Seth’s hands hit the pile on his desk and sent papers flying. “I knew that kid. Hell, I worked with him.” His emotion broke through the surface and choked his words. “The minute the fire started, he wouldn’t have been able to leave. It was a compulsion for him; he had to watch the flames.”
“He didn’t just watch.” Kenton’s grip on the files tightened. “He lit himself on fire and wen
t after Wade.”
Seth swallowed, the soft click audible.
“You worked with him?” Kenton asked carefully.
“Yeah. Garrison and me—we visited with him. Malone said his therapists thought talking with us might help him.”
Guess that didn’t work so well.
“How many more?” Monica asked.
The arson investigator blinked. “Uh, what? I’m not sure I understand—”
“The PD is pulling arson files to make sure no other firestarters are on the streets that we don’t know about but…” Her head cocked to the right. “You work these cases day in and day out. You know the arsonists, don’t you?”
A grim nod.
“How many more are living in the area?”
His eyes darted between them. “Uh, n-none that fit the MO here—”
“How many,” Kenton demanded.
“Three, that I know of.” Seth’s shoulders straightened. “A woman, Margie Dawson. She got out last May. But she’s—she was hurt real bad in the last fire. She can’t get around so good anymore.”
“Who else?”
“Sean Kennedy. Fifty-five, um, he likes to burn rental houses. He’s a scammer people try to use for insurance fraud. Sean likes the fires as well as the money, though.”
Kenton saw Monica’s brows rise. “And the last one?”
“Howard Tate. He’s into electrical fires. Rigging them, then watching the houses blow.”
Great. Just fucking great. These perps were out there, and Lora was walking right into their fires.
“We want all of your files,” Monica told him.
Seth glanced down at the chaos that was his desk. “Help yourself.” He grabbed his bag. “I got a scene to work.” Seth walked around the desk, his limp slowing him just a bit.
Kenton stepped in front of him. “I think I’ll come along.” So his last trip to an arson scene had ended with him on the ground and a roof nearly smashing his head in. This time, he’d stay on guard.
Every single minute.
The loud ringing of the phone woke her. Lora rolled over, tossed out her hand, and snagged the receiver. “Hello?”
“He’s awake, Lora.”
Frank’s voice.