Burn It Down

by Jess Anastasi

  Jared’s expression was grim as the pair walked over, and unease churned in Troy’s stomach. He hated the thought that Aaron had anything to do with this. Sure, maybe the motivation of a teenager acting out in response to the shitty situation he was dealing with was oversimplifying things, but it was unfortunately still a solid theory. Only running second to the kid’s hotheaded drunk of a father.

  Benny Sadler.

  The last words the man had spoken to him on the steps of the rangers’ office a few hours ago played back through his mind in high definition.

  You’re gonna regret ever laying eyes on my kid. I’ll make sure of it.

  So was this what Benny had meant? This was the asshole’s idea of revenge?

  Okay, maybe he was jumping to conclusions. There was a small chance this had been some unfortunate accident, faulty wiring or a defective appliance. God knew the fridge in the kitchen had probably been older than he was.

  But coming on top of the dock fire, on top of Aaron being gone the past hour and Benny making outright threats, it seemed obvious someone was responsible for this. It was just a matter of figuring out who. Out of the pair, he knew who he’d prefer to be behind the crimes, and it definitely wasn’t the troubled teen Jared had opened his home to.

  “Aaron, where the hell were you?” Lewis demanded when he and Jared reached them.

  Aaron clenched his jaw, looking mulish like he wasn’t going to answer. But Lewis had puppy dog eyes in full affect, and Troy saw the moment Aaron caved. He huffed out a sigh and let his shoulders drop some of their tension.

  “I went to the campsite and snuck into our tent to get our money.”

  Lewis grabbed his forearm. “You shouldn’t have gone by yourself. What if one of our dads had seen you?”

  “He’s right, you shouldn’t have done that, Aaron,” Jared said, sounding disappointed and worried at the same time. Was it ridiculous that he found Jared’s dad routine endearing and maybe kind of hot?

  So not the time.

  “Did you get it?” Troy asked, thinking Aaron didn’t exactly look ecstatic for someone who’d gone to collect his life savings, meager as they might have been.

  “No, it was all gone. Our stuff was tossed everywhere. They must have searched our tent after we left.” Aaron blinked a few times, a suspicious sheen in his eyes, but it was gone in another moment.

  Lewis tried to pull his cousin closer, but Aaron was clearly shutting down on them.

  “It doesn’t matter, Aaron—” Lewis started, but Aaron jerked out of his hold.

  “Of course it does! You know exactly how long it took us to save that money, and now it’s gone, probably already spent on beer. We’re never getting out of this fucking town.”

  Aaron stomped away, going right past the SUV. Lewis started to go after him, but Jared gently grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

  “Just give him a few minutes to cool off,” Jared said, leaving Troy wondering if they were just going to let Aaron disappear into the darkened park when they’d already lost track of him once tonight. But then he saw Tate ambling up the road with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Sure enough, Jared’s younger brother intercepted the wayward teen.

  They stood speaking earnestly for a few moments, and then Tate seemed to be telling Aaron something. Whatever it was, the words seemed to take the bluster right out of Aaron. His posture slumped and he nodded, while Tate cupped both his shoulders—not hugging him, but gripping him in a comforting hold.

  After a few seconds, Tate slung an arm around Aaron in more of a buddy position as they walked toward the SUV. By the time they arrived, a small reluctant smile was chasing over Aaron’s lips at whatever Tate was going on about.

  “All good?” Jared asked, while Lewis hovered, not seeming to know whether he was allowed closer to his cousin.

  “Yep, we’re good,” Tate answered with a wide grin.

  Aaron nodded toward the back seat of the SUV, and Lewis looked relieved as he hurried over. Aaron muttered an apology to his cousin as they climbed inside, followed by Tate complaining about going home so early on summer bonfire night.

  Hell. He had to be getting old. It felt way too damned late to be out in his opinion. Of course, fighting the fire burning down his workplace with a garden hose probably had been a little draining. He was definitely on the wrong side of an adrenaline rush.

  “You okay?”

  He glanced up to see Jared studying him intently. Like him, Jared had smudges of soot on his face and a light dusting of ash in his auburn hair. They both desperately needed a shower. Of course, that left him imagining them taking a shower together and all the wet, slippery fun they could get up to. Which was apparently all he needed to get his second wind. Despite the fact his chances of that shower happening tonight were less than zero, it still perked him right up.

  “I am now,” he replied honestly, unable to help the probably stupid smile spreading over his face.

  Jared arched a brow to send him a skeptical look. “Do I want to know what that means?”

  “Probably not considering your houseguests. But let’s just say it involves you, me, minimal clothing, soap, and helping each other wash those hard-to-reach places.”

  Jared huffed at him. “Fucking tease.”

  At that, he laughed outright, leaving Jared looking even less impressed.

  “Sorry,” he said, knowing he didn’t sound the least bit apologetic. He shifted closer, touching a finger softly to Jared’s chin to tip his face up and draw him in. “I promise I’ll make it up to you later with a complimentary blowjob.”

  Even though Jared gave a quiet laugh, Troy kissed him lightly, enjoying the easiness between them, the way they were so comfortable with each other already. In the past, he’d always second-guessed himself, always wondered if he was doing the right thing or doing enough. But with Jared, he didn’t think about any of that. Somehow he instinctively knew just being himself was enough for Jared.

  “Complimentary blowjob, huh?” Jared murmured once he pulled back, licking his tongue over his lower lip and making a bolt of heat shoot straight to Troy’s groin. “Is that some special service park rangers offer that I didn’t know about?”

  Troy leaned in and kissed along his jaw until he reached Jared’s ear. “Off the books and only for sexy firefighters who like to take on building fires with garden hoses.”

  He felt Jared shiver and ended up getting way too much satisfaction out of that little detail.

  “That was a one-time deal, so I guess I’ll have to come up with other ways to earn those complimentary blowjobs in the future.”

  His chest clenched around his lungs, cutting off his breath at the way Jared had so easily let in the future roll off his tongue, like there was no doubt they’d be together months or years from now. Call him a sap, but the security of that, knowing he had someone to rely on who wouldn’t suddenly disappear or disappoint him was all he’d ever wanted. If he’d found it with Jared— Well, he had to say it was a little unexpected since he’d never seriously considered dating men in the past, but he had absolutely no hesitation. Because it wasn’t men. It was just Jared. Only Jared.

  It wasn’t about gender or sexuality; it was simply about being right for each other in a way he wouldn’t find with anyone else.

  “Come on.” Jared pulled completely out of his arms, obviously not realizing he was standing there practically having an epiphany. “We better get going before Tate starts complaining again.”

  “No offense, but your younger brother is kind of a pain in the ass,” he grumbled good-naturedly as he rounded the nose of the SUV.

  “None taken when it’s the truth,” Jared tossed back at him before climbing into the front passenger seat and immediately getting into some kind of argument with the aforementioned younger brother.

  Troy shook his head, but his insides were warm in a way he’d never felt before. This was family. A real family who loved each other unconditionally. This was the hole in his heart he’d always struggled t
o fill, always seeing others who had it and never understanding why he had to go without. Wondering if those people realized how damn lucky they were. Wishing he could have even a fraction of that love.

  Whatever happened after today, he could say one thing for sure. He was going to fight like hell to hold onto Jared Winters. He knew a good thing when he saw it, and he doubted he’d ever find anyone like him again in his life.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  JARED STEPPED carefully through the charred debris of the rangers’ office, studying the burn pattern the arson investigation officer had pointed out to him. He wasn’t an expert at working out whether a fire had been deliberately lit, but like all firefighters, he was trained to find the ignition point. Despite the building completely burning down to its foundations, it was clear to see where a whiskey bottle had been thrown through the kitchen window in back to start the fire. Most likely filled with barbeque lighter fluid from the two discarded white plastic bottles found tossed in some bushes a few hundred yards away.

  Same brand whiskey bottle, same brand lighter fluid as the dock fire. Whoever this arsonist was, they were either a complete moron or cocky as hell.

  There was no doubt in anyone’s mind this arsonist was escalating. One more fire and the culprit would earn him or herself the title of serial arsonist and this investigation would kick up to a whole new level.

  As it was, they’d been lucky the rangers’ office had been torched at night when there’d been no one inside. A heavy ball of anxiety had lodged low in his gut over the worry the next fire would be bigger, more dangerous, and maybe see someone hurt.

  His mind started compiling a list of probable targets within the park the arsonist might go for next, but it was impossible to pick one more likely than any other—the picnic shelters were all made of wood and would burn quickly. The shower and toilet blocks were mostly cinder block and cement, but there were still plastics and wooden structures inside that would take, given the opportunity. Then there were the many RVs and clusters of tents in the campground. And of course, there was always the possibility the arsonist would simply light the forest itself on fire, even if they had been targeting structures up to now.

  There were too many possibilities to guess what the arsonist might target next, and unless they got a solid lead, they had no real way of stopping the culprit before they struck again.

  “You know you get these cute little frown lines between your eyebrows when you concentrate so hard.”

  Jared glanced up at the sound of Troy’s voice to see him standing in what used to be the doorway to the rangers’ office holding two paper to-go cups of coffee. He rubbed a finger between his eyebrows, feeling his cheeks get a little warm at Troy’s observation.

  “It’s my serious face. I use it so people think I know what I’m doing.” He carefully stepped around what was left of the roof beams and made his way over to Troy. “Is one of those for me?”

  He started to reach for a cup, but Troy held it away. “Depends. I might need something of equal value in return.”

  “And here I thought you were bringing me coffee out of the goodness of your heart, but it’s really extortion. You know I’ve been helping the arson investigators comb over this place since sunrise.”

  “In other words, you really need this coffee.” Troy waggled the cup, shamelessly teasing him.

  He sent Troy an exaggerated pout. “Why do you want to hurt me?”

  Troy grinned and closed the distance between them. “Baby, I would never hurt you. But I am going to need a kiss before I hand over this coffee.”

  That he could provide. Even without the added incentive of hot coffee. He caught Troy by the belt buckle and tugged him in until their bodies were flush against each other. Just before he got his lips on Troy, however, the guy paused, studying him intently as his next warm exhale brushed over Jared’s lower lip and made him shiver with anticipation.

  “Have dinner with me tonight,” Troy murmured, a spark in his eyes Jared found irresistible.

  “Like a date?” The words came out breathless and giddy, as if he was a damned teenager with his first crush… which coincidentally was exactly how Troy made him feel.

  “Not like a date,” Troy answered, a small half smile kicking up one side of his mouth. “An actual date. Food, beer or wine, conversation. Maybe finding a bed at the end of the evening.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “So sure you’re going to get lucky, huh?”

  “You’re the one who can’t keep his hands off me.” Troy’s smile turned wolfish as he pointedly looked down.

  Sure enough, he was clutching Troy by the hips, keeping them plastered together while Troy had his hands occupied with holding both the coffees.

  “Why do I feel like I walked right into that one?” He wasn’t letting go, however. Not for anything.

  “Because you totally did.” Troy finally closed the remaining distance between them, sealing his mouth over Jared’s lower lip and sucking gently, before his tongue teased against Jared’s own.

  Goddamn. The man could kiss. It’d be so easy to forget about his coffee. To forget where they were standing. To forget everything but the way Troy utterly worshipped his mouth, making warm liquid lust gush through his veins and a shudder pour down his spine to his toes curling inside his boots.

  “So our date?” Troy asked when he pulled back, pressing one of the coffees into his hand.

  “Huh?” He just barely got his fingers wrapped around the cup to avoid dropping it. His brain had completely gone off-line for a few seconds there.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” Troy adjusted his thick equipment belt as he stepped back, looking way too satisfied with himself. “I’ll swing by and pick you up. Make it all official-like.”

  “Going to buy me flowers and chocolates too?” he asked with a straight face, before taking a sip of coffee. “That’ll make it really official, right?”

  Troy actually looked stumped, his brow creasing in adorable confusion, leaving Jared desperately swallowing a laugh that he’d so easily turned the teasing tables on his new boyfriend.

  Whoa. New boyfriend? Was he totally getting ahead of himself? He’d been feeling gun shy for so long after Kevin, he’d always assumed that when he eventually met someone he wanted to be more than friends with, he’d take things slow and put a lot of consideration into each new step, including whenever he got to the point of needing the boyfriend label. Except everything with Troy had happened so fast, he had no idea how he was suddenly here. But thinking of Troy as his boyfriend didn’t make him break out in a cold sweat. It was just the opposite. It made him feel all warm and melty inside.

  “Uh-oh, the frown lines are back.” Troy shook his head. “And I worked so hard to get rid of them.”

  “Sorry,” he mumbled, taking a deeper sip of the coffee.

  “No need to be sorry, just talk to me.” Troy held out a hand, and he took it without even needing to think about anything. “Is it the fire that’s got you so worried?”

  Troy led him out of the destroyed building and over to a bench beneath a large shady tree.

  “It was before,” he replied as he sat down. “Just now I was thinking about something else, but we’ll talk about it at dinner tonight.”

  Troy nodded, sipping his own coffee, accepting the words without question. Kevin wouldn’t have let it go so easily. He would have complained and needled and outright threatened to get Jared to tell him things, no matter if it was the appropriate time or place to be having the conversation. Kevin had hated the idea of Jared keeping anything from him, even his own thoughts.

  Troy just seemed to trust him without question. Which felt kind of weird after everything he’d been through with Kevin. But also really fucking great. Still, he was really starting to hate how often his ex intruded on his thoughts when he was around Troy.

  “The arson investigation team found anything yet?” Troy asked, motioning to the pile of charred remains where a few people wearing gloves and masks were collecti
ng evidence.

  “Nothing official. But off the record I can tell you it was deliberately lit. No doubt about that.”

  “Shit,” Troy muttered, forking a hand through his hair. “I know it’s dumb, but I was kind of hoping the ancient fridge in the kitchen or faulty wiring had been responsible. The last thing we need in this tinderbox of a forest right now is an arsonist.”

  “Tell me about it,” he replied, voice heavy. Everyone at EFD was on edge. They all knew what was at stake, what could happen if a fire got out of control.

  “That’s not all,” he continued after a lengthy moment of silence between them. “It looks like this fire was lit by whoever started the dock fire—same whiskey bottle and empty plastic bottles of lighter fluid.”

  “You don’t think—” Troy’s lips pressed together in a thin line after he broke off, like he didn’t want to let to words escape.

  “That it was Aaron?” Jared finished for him. Saying it out loud made the coffee taste sour in the back of his throat. “I know I don’t want to think it. And I also know I’m not objective when it comes to that kid any longer. But we can place him within the vicinity of both fires. And he wouldn’t be the first angry teen to lash out by getting destructive. The best thing we can do is let the investigators do their job and not get in the way.”

  Troy nodded, then shifted his attention to what was left of the building, his expression pensive. “It makes me a terrible person, but I want it to be Benny Sadler. I want him to end up in jail for the next two decades so he’s got no chance in hell of hurting Aaron again. But I also know having a dad in jail will probably screw him up in a completely different way.”

  Jared reached over and set a hand on Troy’s thigh, giving a comforting squeeze. “It doesn’t make you a terrible person to want what’s best for Aaron.”

  “He threatened me, you know.”

  “Who? Aaron?” He dug his fingers into Troy’s thigh, torn between not wanting to believe it and the overwhelming urge to go kick the little punk’s ass.