Spark of Desire ; All for You

by Sheryl Lister

  “...along with Detective Warner have been working diligently to bring the arsonist to justice and with new evidence, I’m confident this will be over soon.”

  He frowned. She had new information? He realized she couldn’t divulge everything, but if they had evidence that would solve the mystery of who torched his site, he wondered why she hadn’t mentioned it. Throughout the past month, it had bugged him to no end, and he still couldn’t come up with one plausible explanation. He was tempted to call her right now for answers but decided to wait. Any way he asked the question might mess up what they had going. He’d have to approach the subject in a different way. Cedric reconnected his music and finished his run. Afterward, he went through his weight training workout.

  By the time he finished and made it home, his muscles were damn near at failure, but he felt good. He showered, then took his dinner out to the sunroom. He’d warmed up leftover chicken fajitas from yesterday. As he ate, he went through the one hundred-plus personal emails he hadn’t checked in almost a week. Most were junk, but one had to do with renewing his license. Cedric starred it and made a mental note to pay it tomorrow. He clicked on one from an old classmate who planned to relocate to Sacramento and wanted to know the best construction companies to work with. He hadn’t seen the man in almost a decade, but they’d kept in touch over the years. Of course, Cedric would say his company topped the list, but he wasn’t looking to hire at the moment. However, if they secured the bid for the office building, things could change. He placed the half-eaten fajita on the plate, wiped his hand and sent back a list of four good companies he knew off the top of his head. He polished off the remainder of his food and washed it down with a glass of water.

  Cedric picked up his phone, scrolled through the recent calls and hit the button next to Randi’s name.

  “Well, hello, sexy,” Randi said when she answered.

  He chuckled. “Hello, yourself. What are you up to?”

  “Oh, I’m relaxing in a tub filled with a ton of bubbles. What about you?”

  He groaned. “In about a minute, I’m going to be on my way to your house to join you.” Just thinking about sitting behind her in the tub, gliding the soap over her silky skin, made him hard.

  She laughed softly. “Not that I would mind, but I’d probably be done by the time you arrived. Though, I could be persuaded to take another...just in case I missed a spot or something.”

  “Or something. Randi, you know I don’t have any problems jumping in my car, and if you keep it up, you will be needing that second bath.”

  “Mmm, tempting, but how about we save it for another time?”

  Cedric glanced down at his watch. If he left now, it would be close to ten when he got there. They both had to work in the morning and he had to be in Elk Grove by seven thirty. With traffic, the drive to the south side could take almost an hour. So, yes, they’d have to wait. He wanted to spend some uninterrupted time with her. These two-and three-hour snatches of time weren’t doing it for him anymore. “Yeah, we’ll save it.” He turned the conversation to the news story. “I saw you on TV tonight.”

  Randi let out a low growl. “I wanted to muzzle that man. He made it sound like we were five minutes from finding this guy and that’s not the truth.”

  “He mentioned something about new evidence, too.”

  “Again, I don’t know where he’s getting his information from. Detective Warner was as shocked as I was. Believe me, Cedric, if I find out something, I’ll let you know.”

  “I know.” He didn’t know why he felt such relief. “Sounds like the mayor is trying to appease the media to get them off his back.”

  “Probably. I’m just glad they’ll all be calling the police and not our office.”

  He heard water in the background. “Are you getting out of the tub?”

  “Talking about this messed up my mood.”

  “I’m sorry. Let’s change the subject and see if I can’t get you back into the mood.”

  “What do you want to talk about?”

  “How when we’re in that tub together I’m going to take my time and wash every part of your body. Of course, after I’m done, I’ll have to do an inspection to make sure I haven’t missed anything. That could take at least an hour...or more.” He continued to describe in detail what the examination would entail. The more he talked, the more aroused he became. Coupled with her soft gasps and moans, he was close to exploding. He had to stop now.

  “Don’t stop,” she whispered.

  “Baby, I have to or we won’t be waiting.” Cedric sucked in a couple of deep breaths and let them out slowly. “If I didn’t have an early day tomorrow, I’d already be on my way.”

  “I know. I have a long day coming up, too. Otherwise, I’d be waiting at the door.”

  He didn’t need to know that. “We need to get off this phone before both of us end up not sleeping tonight.”

  “But it would be so worth it,” Randi said with a little laugh.

  “Once again, you’re skating on thin ice.”

  She laughed harder.

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Enjoy your bath.”

  “Oh, I will now, thanks to you.”

  “Randi—”

  “Good night, my love.”

  He went still. This was the first time she’d ever used any kind of endearment. He opened his mouth to ask her to repeat it, but heard the beep, indicating she’d hung up. Tossing the phone onto the lounger, Cedric leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He saw a cold shower in his future. And another long, restless night. Yet, he couldn’t stop smiling.

  * * *

  Randi’s head fell forward and she jerked herself upright. She took a hasty glance around to make sure no one had seen her. It was barely noon, but she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. Her body had been in such an uproar after playing around with Cedric last night, she couldn’t sleep. She’d awakened this morning pretty much the same way. If she planned to get anything done, she’d need a pick-me-up. She typically shied away from those energy shots, but not today.

  At lunch, she went to a nearby 7-Eleven and purchased one. Because she didn’t know how her body would react, she drank only half. It obviously helped, since she was able to stay alert for the rest of the day and complete two reports.

  Late in the day, Marlon stopped by her desk. “Hey, Randi. I saw the press conference yesterday. The mayor must be pretty desperate to put that kind of exaggeration out there.”

  “Brian said he’s going to talk to the chief about it. This is the last thing we need. You know the media is going to be all over us asking questions if we don’t find this guy, like yesterday.” She got angry all over again thinking about it. She hadn’t wanted to attend the press conference in the first place. Having her face plastered all over the television screen was something she tried to avoid. Thankfully, she hadn’t been standing directly on the podium with Brian, the police chief and fire captain. Randi thought she’d stayed out of the line of the cameras, but Cedric had seen her. Automatically, her mind went back to their conversation. She could still hear his deep voice in her ear describing how he intended to touch and kiss her. A touch on her arm shattered her reverie. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  “I asked if you were okay. You seemed a million miles away.”

  “Oh, I’m fine,” she said quickly. “Just thinking about the arsonist and hoping we’ll catch him soon. How did court go?”

  “Fine, I guess. Cross-examination is tomorrow.” Marlon had been called to testify at a preliminary hearing in the city’s charge against a manufacturing company that had ignored prevention codes and had its building go up in flames. He checked his watch. “It’s almost five. You want to grab a bite to eat?”

  In the past, Randi wouldn’t have hesitated to say yes. They, as well as two or three other of their coworkers, typically got together for dinner on
ce or twice a month. She didn’t have any plans with Cedric tonight but didn’t know how she felt going out to dinner with another man, no matter how innocent.

  “Jada and Hiram are coming, but Pat had something to do. We’re thinking pizza.”

  That made her feel better. “Sure. I need to make some copies, then I’ll be ready.” She completed the task and, after agreeing on a pizza restaurant, they all left in their respective cars.

  Randi had barely finished her first slice when she got the call about another fire. Marlon’s phone buzzed right after.

  “So much for dinner,” Marlon said. “Be sure to save me and Randi a couple of slices for lunch tomorrow.”

  Hiram snorted. “Hey, man. No promises. My wife has had me on this eating program with her and I swear she’s starving me. This is the first time I’ve had food with flavor in a month, so you might want to take those pieces now if you want to have some.”

  Randi and Jada laughed. Randi reached over and grabbed another slice and put it on a napkin. There would be no telling how long they’d be out there tonight and she worked better on a full stomach.

  Marlon did the same. “Ready?” he asked Randi.

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  On the drive, her phone rang. She engaged the Bluetooth. “Hello.”

  “Hey, sweetheart. Are you available for me to collect on that bath tonight?”

  She groaned. “I wish. I just got a call and I’m on my way to a scene.”

  “Construction site?”

  “I don’t know yet. I hope not.”

  “Call me when you get home.”

  “Cedric, it could be one or two o’clock in the morning when I get in. I don’t want to wake you up.”

  “I don’t care what time it is, just call. I know you’ve been doing this for years, but I didn’t know you then. I do now and I need to know you’re safe. So humor me, please.”

  “I’ll call.” What else could she say? And she didn’t ever remember him saying please.

  “Thank you. Be safe.”

  “I will.” That he cared so much about her safety made her love him all the more. Not once had he suggested she get another job, and although she knew he wanted to ask her for information, he respected her position enough not to do it. Maybe she could let herself hope.

  When the fire came into view, her heart sank. Not only was it another construction site, but the paramedics had arrived. She prayed that someone hadn’t died. Randi went through the customary drill. Later, she caught up with Brian and found out that a security guard had been injured but thankfully hadn’t died.

  “According to the guard, he was doing his customary walk around the premises and someone hit him in the back of the head. He’s lucky the firefighters got here when they did, otherwise we’d be having a different conversation. We’ve got to catch this guy before someone gets killed,” Brian muttered.

  She agreed wholeheartedly. Just the thought of someone dying made her stomach churn. “Did anyone see anything?”

  He looked down at his notes. “I got a vague description from a witness named Lawrence Steele. He remembers seeing a white male with dark hair, around five-nine or five-ten, wearing jeans. That’s it. And he wasn’t sure if the man was actually leaving the site. He only saw him walking fast.”

  “Well, at least it’s better than nothing. Have you considered that the first fire in March might not actually have been the first? I’m going to check to see if there were any others before that time.”

  “I don’t remember any offhand, but if you find something, let me know.”

  “I will.” Randi searched for Marlon and spotted him several feet away, talking to the fire captain. “I’m going to check with Marlon to see what the fire captain is saying.”

  “Okay.”

  He went one way and she went in the opposite direction. Her conversation with Marlon confirmed what Brian had told her. Once the fire was out, she and Marlon combed the outside of the building for evidence—they wouldn’t be able to go inside until tomorrow or Thursday when it was deemed safe. For now, they concentrated on determining the points of origin.

  “Hey, Marlon. I think we’ve got another sign.” Randi took several pictures of the still-smoking, half-burned wood, and documented the location. It was similar to the one found at Cedric’s site, but this time the word pay was clearly visible.

  Marlon squatted next to her and shined his flashlight over the area. “Looks like the same color paint, too.”

  The paint signature hadn’t yielded any results in the area the last time. Brian had mentioned widening the search, just in case it had been purchased somewhere else. However, so far, nothing had come up. It took them another three hours to gather all the preliminary evidence, then Randi dropped it off at the office so it could be delivered to the lab in the morning. She didn’t make it home until almost two.

  She headed straight for the shower and washed off the smell of smoke. It was the first time she’d been the lead on a serial case, and not being able to solve it had her beyond frustrated. Right now, however, all she wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep for a day. She flipped the covers back, slid between the cool sheets and sighed tiredly. Her eyes closed.

  A moment later, Randi’s eyes snapped open. Cedric. She really didn’t want to wake him up, but she had promised. Reaching for her cell, she made the call.

  “You home?” came the sleepy greeting.

  “Yes. You should’ve just let me call you in the morning, instead of waking you up in the middle of the night.”

  “We’ve already had this conversation, baby. It said on the news someone was injured. How are you doing with all this?”

  “I’m frustrated as hell that we can’t find one solid lead to get this guy. Every piece of evidence that has some potential ends up being another dead end. It’s almost May and this has been going on for two months.”

  “I can imagine you’re pretty frustrated. I won’t lie and say I’m not just as anxious for this to be over, because I am. I’d feel a whole lot better not having to worry about whether this idiot is going to go after another one of my sites. But I believe you’ll find that one piece you’re looking for.”

  “I’m glad one of us is confident. Right now, I’m not feeling that way.” She couldn’t believe she’d told him that. Randi rarely gave voice to her doubts or uncertainties, unless she was talking to her family, but lately, she seemed to have no problems opening herself up to Cedric.

  “Sometimes, I feel the same way when I start a new project. I wonder if I’ll be able to build it to whatever the specifications are or if the developer will be pleased with the finished product. I think these moments of fear and doubt go with the territory in any career, but as my dad always told me, as long as you do your very best, the rest will follow.”

  “Your father sounds like a special man.”

  “He is, and so is my mom. I consider myself blessed to have them.”

  She could hear the love and admiration in his voice and wondered if she would ever get a chance to meet them. “I feel the same about my parents.” They fell silent for a moment. “I should let you go back to sleep. Thanks for talking to me.”

  “Are you going to be okay? If you need me to come hang out with you, I will.”

  His offer tempted her oh, so much. “No, I’m fine, but I appreciate the offer. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Okay. But if you change your mind, promise you’ll call me.”

  “I promise. I... Good night, Cedric.”

  “Good night, sweetheart. Sleep well.”

  Randi held the phone against her heart. She had come so close to telling him how much she loved him.

  Chapter 15

  Cedric: Will you go away with me next weekend?

  Randi: I’d like that. Where are we going?

  Cedric: Lake Tahoe. The temps are stil
l a little cool in May and the nights colder, but I’ll keep you warm.

  Randi: Count me in! Just let me know when we’re leaving.

  Cedric: I’ll pick you up Friday around 7:30. Hopefully, some of the traffic will have died down by then.

  Randi: I can’t wait.

  That had been a week ago and the conversation had stayed with him. Cedric sensed the simple bachelor lifestyle he’d always enjoyed changing in a big way, and he still was unsure how he felt about it. Yet he’d invited her to his private getaway. When he and Lorenzo first floated the idea of building homes in Lake Tahoe, Cedric had been adamant about not bringing any women outside of his family to his sacred space. Now he was breaking that rule. He seemed to be breaking all of them with Randi.

  Shaking his head, he refocused on his task. Cedric worked alongside his employees out at the strip mall site, trying to shave at least two weeks off the delayed schedule. The early May temperatures had warmed up considerably, many of them hitting the eighties. With the longer days, he hadn’t left once in the past week until almost seven, and more than half of his staff volunteered to stay overtime with him. The long hours had cut into his time with Randi, but then she’d been working just as many, if not more, hours. She’d even been going in on weekends. He recalled their middle-of-the-night conversation after the last fire. Her vulnerability had tempted him to drive over, despite her telling him she was okay. He’d wanted to wrap her in his arms and whisper that everything would be alright. He still did, only there hadn’t been time. They needed this time away from the madness, and he was looking forward to their weekend.

  Cedric checked the time. Today, he planned to leave on schedule. Cedric hadn’t seen Randi in over a week and he missed her. For a man intent on staying single for the rest of his life, the admission was staggering. He’d forgotten to ask her about stopping by tonight, so he made a mental note to text her when he got back to his office. He finished working on the frame that would replace one of the damaged walls.

  “Lana, I’m headed back to the office.”