Deadly Heat

by Cynthia Eden

  They all eased out of the door and surrounded him. And that guy—the one who’d kissed Lora—Kenton got a good look at him then.

  The right side of his face had been in the light. A much more masculine version of Lora, especially with that thick blond hair.

  But the left side of his face…

  Jesus.

  The flesh was raised, red and dark in spots as it criss-crossed his cheek and ran down his jaw.

  Her brother—the fire had caught him, burned him, over 60 percent of his body. The doctors didn’t think he’d make it.

  But he had made it, and the guy was looking at him like he’d love nothing more than to rip Kenton’s head clear off.

  Not that he particularly blamed him right then. Damn. Jealousy could make him act like such a fucking idiot.

  “I’m having dinner with my brothers tonight.”

  “Who the hell is he?” came a snarl from the redhead in the back.

  Lora jumped in front of Kenton. “A friend. He’s a friend. Guys, just go back inside and finish making the spaghetti. I’ll be there in a minute, okay?”

  “No friend talks to my sister like that.” The guy who’d walked through hell took a step forward. “And if this jerk had his hands on you last night…”

  Kenton knew he was about to get an ass-kicking. He set his shoulders, realizing that it would be hard for a man to be more stupid than he’d just been, and got ready to take his licks. From the looks of things, there’d be a lot of them.

  “Ryan, ease up, okay?”

  Ryan didn’t look like he really understood that concept.

  Lora’s hand shoved against Ryan’s chest. “My angel hair is gonna burn, and when it does, you’ll be the one going hungry.”

  The guy wasn’t moving.

  She gave a long, really long sigh. “This is Kenton Lake, all right? Special Agent Kenton Lake.”

  “Oooh… special agent.” From the redhead. He was about two inches shorter than Ryan, but he was wider. “Like I give a rat’s ass about that.” And he obviously had his sister’s tact.

  “Ben, you are not helping.”

  Kenton cleared his throat. “My apologies. I thought you were someone else.” Someone there to screw Lora and that sure as shit wasn’t going to happen. “I got… jealous.”

  A hard laugh from the brother who hadn’t spoken yet. A deep, rumbling laugh. “Aw, man, I think the special agent is sweet on Lora.” He blew a kiss into the air.

  Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “Ain’t that something.” Then he turned his narrowed gaze to Lora. “You didn’t mention you’d started dating, Lora.”

  “Because I don’t have to run everything by you guys. Jeez!” She threw her hands up. “Fine! Whatever! Okay, Kent was a jealous ass. Um, what were you gonna do, by the way?” she asked as she glanced at Kenton. “Punch Ryan?”

  Her brother laughed at that. “He could try.”

  Lora shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. I’m starving. It’s late, and I’m not standing on my porch all night so the neighbors can see us argue.” Lora grabbed Kenton’s hand. “Jake, put another plate on the table. We’ve got one more for dinner.”

  Her brothers’ eyes—they all had Lora’s exact eye color—widened. Then, as one, they said, “Shit.”

  Yeah, he could relate.

  Dinner was awkward. But, well, that was to be expected when three guys wanted to tear you apart.

  The food was good. Lots of spaghetti. Probably enough to feed a small town.

  Or Lora’s brothers.

  He watched them, when they weren’t glaring at him. Jake was the youngest, probably a year or two older than Lora. His hair was red like Ben’s, but shot with blond streaks. He ate fast, he laughed a lot, and he seemed to love stealing rolls off Lora’s plate.

  Ben sat at the head of the table. The oldest, well, that was what he’d told Kenton. But he and Ryan were twins. Not identical, though, not even close. His eyes were smaller than his brother’s, his chin narrower, his forehead higher—and it looked like the guy had gotten his nose smashed more than a few times.

  Then there was Ryan. Ryan who sat close to Lora. Ryan who snatched the rolls back any time Jake messed with his sister. Ryan who really looked like he wanted to tear Kenton apart.

  The protector. Yeah, Ryan was right there beside her, and Kenton didn’t blame the guy for wanting to kick his ass.

  “So…” Jake leaned forward with a lazy grin that looked a lot like Lora’s. “You sleeping with my sister?”

  Kenton choked on the spaghetti.

  “Yeah, he is,” Lora answered, and Ryan tossed her another roll. “You still sleeping with—oh, what’s her name? Kelly? Kim? Kar—”

  “Katie.” His lips twisted. “And, um, no, we’re not together anymore.”

  “Dude.” Ben stilled with the fork near his mouth. “You dumped the massage therapist? Are you freaking insane?”

  A flush stole over Jake’s cheeks. “Didn’t dump her.”

  Ben winced with empathy. “That one had to hurt.”

  “You’re with the SSD,” Ryan’s voice came, low but clear. A massage therapist wasn’t enough to get that fellow off-track.

  Kenton gave a slow nod.

  “How’d you know that?” Lora demanded. “I didn’t say—”

  “You got a serial in town. You got a special agent on your doorstep.” A little shrug. “Connecting the dots isn’t hard.”

  And just like that, all their eyes were back on him.

  Ryan’s lip curled, just a bit, tightening the scars. “And I saw lover boy on the news the other night.” His arms stretched out, one wrapping around the back of Lora’s chair. “Just didn’t realize you were working quite so close with Lora on these cases.”

  “Well, he is.” She elbowed his arm out of the way. “All right. Let’s clear the air.” She waved at them. “Hi, I’m Lora. I’m thirty-two, no longer a virgin, and able to date and do anything else with any man I want.” Her grin was gorgeous and, dammit, getting a hard-on when her brothers were around probably wasn’t smart.

  Like he’d been having a smart night.

  “So I want you all to stop acting like idiots and be nice to the guy I’m with. Got it?” Oh, there was some real steel there.

  “This serious?” asked Ben.

  Lora’s head turned slowly toward him, and Kenton wished he could have seen her eyes as she said, “This? Kenton is what I want. What I need.”

  Silence.

  Ben’s stare jumped to Ryan, and Kenton caught the small movement of his head. Giving the okay—for now.

  Ryan might not be the oldest, by a couple of minutes, but when it came to the pecking order at the house, he ruled.

  “Great.” Lora shoved back from the table. “Now who wants dessert?”

  Jake’s hand shot up. Ben begged for two pieces of pie.

  And Ryan turned his stare onto Kenton. No man liked to meet the guy screwing his little sister.

  Kenton pushed his shoulders back. “Let me help you with that, Lora.”

  Wasn’t that fucking sweet.

  They were all together, talking and laughing. Having damn dinner like nothing was wrong in their world.

  He slammed his foot on the gas, and his truck shot down the road.

  He was being hunted, but they were all dicking around in there.

  That damn agent—coming into this town, taking over. Acting like this was his place.

  Even moving right in on Lora.

  He’d given them another taste of his fire, but they still didn’t realize… he was in charge. He could burn and kill anyone he wanted. The power was his.

  Not the Bureau bastard’s. Not Lora’s.

  Some people could go into the fire, feel the burn, and rise right out of the ashes.

  But others, well, they fell into the flames.

  Time for more to fall.

  They left, finally. Lora watched her brothers leave, one by one, and though she loved them more than anything, she’d never been happier to see them wa
lk away.

  Ryan hung back. He always stayed just a little longer to help her clean up and to make sure she locked her doors.

  Or stayed a little longer to give her new lover hell.

  Ryan’s gaze raked over Kenton. “You’re a lucky bastard, you know that?”

  Kenton lifted a brow. “Lucky because you’re not gonna take that swing you’ve been wanting all night?”

  Ryan laughed. God, Lora loved that sound. After the fire, it had been months before he laughed again. Eleven months and three days. She could still remember perfectly.

  “Nah, I’ll get that punch in when you least expect it, buddy.” He brushed a kiss over Lora’s cheek. “You’re lucky because Lora’s bothering to give you the time of day. Usually, she just tells guys to piss off.”

  Ah, well, yeah.

  “Guess that means you’re coming back, huh, Lora?” His voice softened when he said her name.

  She sucked in a deep breath because Ryan knew her so well. And yes, she was coming back. She was pushing the past away and trying to get a life again.

  With a man she wanted.

  “I guess so,” she murmured.

  His stare turned back to Kenton. “So for that, I won’t shove your dick down your throat, yet.” He turned away and took a few quick steps toward his car. “But if you hurt her, I won’t give a shit about assaulting a federal officer.”

  “Good to know,” Kenton said.

  Then Ryan was gone. His Corvette’s engine roared to life, and his tires squealed as he shot down the street.

  She glanced at Kenton, but his eyes were on the road. “Ah, sorry about that. I didn’t know you were coming—”

  “I should have called first.” He paused. “Next time, I will.”

  “Thursday is spaghetti night. They always come over.” Their ritual. Their way of keeping the family together since their mom had died two years ago. A heart attack had stolen her away. God, that had hurt.

  “Your brothers are very protective.”

  That was an understatement. “They’ve always been like that. If you think tonight was bad, you should have seen what they did to Johnny Went.”

  His eyes cut toward her.

  A grin stretched her lips. “My high school prom date. Johnny thought we’d be going back to the hotel room he’d booked and having a quiet night, just the two of us.”

  Kenton’s brows rose.

  “My brothers found out.” She shook her head, remembering. “I have never seen a guy run so fast, buck-naked.”

  Laughter broke from Kenton. The deep, rolling laughter had her smile widening. “Come on, let’s go inside.” Because she wanted to be alone with him. To get him buck-naked, sure. But also, just to talk to him. To find out more about him. His family. His life.

  “By the way, I liked those flowers.” Her eyes dropped to the porch and to the petals that had fallen due to the death-grip he’d had on them. “Roses are my favorites.” Not that the flowers were looking all that good right now. But she’d put them in a vase and maybe they’d rally.

  His hand caught her shoulder. “What are you doing to me?” No more laughter. The dimples that had flashed with his smile were gone.

  Her head turned, and Lora met his stare over her shoulder. “I don’t know—”

  “I think about you…” His head shook. “All day. I can smell you when you’re gone. Can taste you.”

  She licked her lips because she’d been tasting him too.

  “When I saw that guy standing right here.” The boards creaked beneath his shifting feet. “I wanted to go after him.”

  “Um, you did.” Lora turned to face him fully.

  His hand caught her jaw, tipping her head back. “I think you’re making me crazy.”

  Not the overwhelming sweet words that a woman liked to hear. “Thanks.”

  “No—look, I just… want you.”

  She wanted him.

  “I don’t know what the hell we have going on here—”

  Hot sex. A need that wouldn’t subside.

  “I didn’t count on this, on you.”

  Ditto.

  “But I’m damned glad you pulled my ass out of that fire.”

  Her hands curled against his chest. “Me, too.”

  His mouth took hers, but not hard or demanding this time. A light and easy caress of his lips. A swipe of his tongue to savor and enjoy.

  She rose higher on her toes, and her hands curled around his neck. The crickets chirped around them. The humid summer air pressed on her skin, and she pushed her body against him. Nice. Very, very nice.

  The man was a good kisser. He knew just how to work that tongue. How to make her knees tremble and her toes want to curl.

  He also knew how to make her wet. He was very, very good at that.

  Kenton’s head rose slowly as he let the kiss linger. Their eyes held.

  She could see so much in those eyes. The desire, the lust, yes, but more. A need that went soul deep. A hunger…

  What does he see in my eyes?

  Her breath caught when a car door slammed.

  Kenton pulled back and whirled around to see a man hurrying down the sidewalk as he rushed to Lora’s house.

  “Kenton…” She grabbed his arm. She didn’t know this guy. A quick spike of fear had her straightening fast.

  “Yo, Lake! We’ve got to go!” The man came closer. The light that Ryan had installed near the corner of her house fell on him, revealing dark hair, dark eyes, and rumpled pants and shirt.

  His arm shifted, and she saw the flash of his badge.

  “Hell.” Kenton stiffened against her. “Another one?”

  But then Kenton’s hip started to vibrate against her. His phone.

  “Told Davenport you were busy.” The guy shook his head. “That woman is impatient.”

  Kenton yanked out his phone. “Lake.”

  Lora eased away from him and kept her eyes on the stranger. “Who are you?”

  He flashed a smile, lots of white teeth in the shadows. “Name’s Jon Ramirez, ma’am.”

  “What? What the fuck?” Kenton’s voice blasted.

  Oh, that couldn’t be good. Her eyes narrowed as Kenton turned away and began to pace the length of the porch. “So you were just… outside my house, all evening?” Lora asked Ramirez.

  His shoulders rose, then dropped in a careless shrug. “Keeping an eye on Lake can be a real pain in the ass.”

  Uh, okay. “Why are you watching Kent?”

  “They promised to put the fucker on the air?”

  She winced at Kenton’s snarl.

  Ramirez just shrugged. “Because pretty boy made himself a target, and we watch our own at the SSD.”

  Anger had her tensing. “That interview.”

  Ramirez gave a nod, and his eyes cut to Kenton.

  “Stop them. Pull the whole show off the air if you have to,” Kenton barked into the phone. His gaze landed on her, and she saw the barely controlled fury lurking in his eyes. “I’ll be there, ten minutes. Do not let them go live. Do whatever you have to in order to stop them, Monica, but, stop them.”

  He ended the call and bounded down the steps. Lora grabbed his arm. “What’s going on?”

  A muscle flexed along his jaw. “Seems Channel Five got a call from Phoenix. The perp wants them to put him on the air.”

  “What?”

  “Equal fucking time, right?” He shook his head. “He’s supposed to call back during the live broadcast tonight, and some prick of a producer gave the okay to put him on the air.”

  “Is Monica gonna be able to hold them off?” Ramirez asked, glancing at his watch. “ ’Cuz the broadcast starts in less than half an hour.”

  “She’ll stop them, but we’re getting there, now. Follow me, Jon, and we’ll—”

  “Not without me.” Lora wasn’t about to be left behind. “I’m coming on this one.”

  “You’re not an agent,” Ramirez said. “This is official—”

  Her eyes narrowed to slits. “It�
�s just a phone call. And I’m going.”

  The agent’s stare shot to Kenton. He gave a nod. “She’s going.”

  Damn straight.

  “You can’t tell me what the fuck to do with my station!” a man’s voice thundered.

  “Actually, I can tell you exactly what the fuck to do,” Monica replied with her voice low. Calm and cold.

  Kenton rounded the corner and saw them. The station manager, Harvey Pile, had his short, squat body planted right in front of Monica. His hands were curved into fists, and his face flushed dark red. Reporters stood behind him, watching closely, and the producer—Travis Jenkins—was just steps away. Monica had told him good old Travis was the one who’d approved the idiot plan.

  Monica stood with her arms crossed over her chest, her dark brows up. There were two uniforms near her, one man on each side. They looked nervous and tense.

  “Let us into the control room,” Harvey shouted. “We’re scheduled to go live in three minutes.”

  Ah, so that explained Monica’s strategic placement with the cops. Monica glanced over at Kenton. “About time you showed up.”

  Traffic could be a bitch.

  Harvey whirled toward him. “You. Look, I did you a favor, let you come on my show—”

  “No, I did you a favor.” And Kenton had. “I gave you a ratings boost that I could have given to any other station in town.” He’d just picked Channel Five because it was closest. It was the luck of the draw.

  Sweat lined Harvey’s forehead. “If we don’t take his call, he’ll just go to another station. They’ll take him. He’ll get on—”

  “No, he won’t.” Monica was certain. “Every station in the city has a police presence right now.” Her hands gestured toward the cops. “He’s not getting on the air.”

  Damn right he wasn’t.

  “You can’t do this! We’ve got freedom of the damn press. You can’t—”

  Lora moved to his side. “You’re seriously gonna put a killer on the air? He’s burned people alive, moron! He’s taken out a firefighter, and you want him on your show?”

  She looked as if she might start swinging any minute.

  Kenton eased a bit in front of her, the better to keep her from going after old Harvey.

  But Harvey was already inching back from her. “Look, it’s not like we want to go on the air.”