by Nina Pierce
Hope knew she should be exhausted. The sun had risen hours ago, throwing its rays across the papers littering her coffee table. Despite her lack of sleep, the thrill of the hunt kept her poring over the internet sites and taking notes. As much as she hated to admit it, she had the adrenaline rush of the fire and Ronan Nason’s cynical comments to thank for awakening the reporter’s curiosity that had kept her up all night.
She’d stayed at the professor’s mansion several hours after the flames had been contained and her cameraman had gone back to the studio to edit footage. Not so much to see Josh in action, though that had definitely been a thrill, but Hope had wanted to take some time to talk with the fire marshal about the recent rash of deadly fires. The man hadn’t come out and said they were all related, but his body language and what he was careful not to say, however, intimated his office believed there was an arsonist roaming the streets of South Kenton.
Barely able to contain her eagerness to investigate, Hope had sped home and fired up her laptop before she’d even gotten out of her coat and brewed a pot of coffee. Searching police and fire department weekly logs for any reports of local fires over the last six months was child’s play. Homing in on fires where someone died took a simple flick of the wrist. It was when she expanded both her search grid and time frame that patterns began to emerge. And the picture forming as she connected the dots wasn’t only unbelievable—it was scary as hell.
Hope grabbed the map of California from the back of the couch and spread it over the mish-mash of papers. Double-checking the facts, she highlighted the spot of the earliest fire and circled it with a red sharpie. Nausea curled in her gut and she fell back hard against the seat. How could this be?
“Hey, babe. I’m surprised you’re up.” Josh sauntered into her living room.
So caught up in the revelation of what she’d pieced together, Hope hadn’t heard him use his key. “Hey, you.” She stretched to accept the kiss he offered. The clean scent of soap and fresh air added to the heat spreading through her body. Her hand fisted in the damp curls of his hair as she held him, keeping him from pulling away. Josh groaned, tilted his head and deepened the kiss. Even after a year, she couldn’t get enough of him.
Hope wanted to lose herself in everything his kiss was promising, but her head was still swimming with facts that weren’t making sense. She reluctantly broke the kiss.
“And good morning to you.” He stood next to her, his hand on her shoulder, his knee pressed against her thigh. His smile set butterflies lose in her tummy. “After the night you had, I figured you’d be sleeping. But it looks like something else has caught your attention.” His hand swept the mess on the table.
“Ronan made a joke of my profession last night at the tavern. He said—”
Josh laughed and walked into the kitchen. “He’s an arrogant ass. Why do you let him get to you?” The sound of dishes clanging and the fridge opening made her smile. She liked that Josh felt her apartment was his space as well. She’d been trying to work up the nerve to ask him to move in with her. “Sometimes I think that man gets his jollies from pissing people off,” Josh called from the kitchen, imitating Ronan’s brogue.
Hope laughed. “This time I think his needling worked.”
“Write it down. I think it’s a first.” More cupboards opened and closed. “Hey, babe, you got any of those—”
“Second cupboard on the right. Top shelf.” The man had a sweet tooth as insatiable as his libido. There was a very feminine satisfaction in feeding both his needs.
Josh came around the corner, several Ho Ho’s in one hand and two steaming mugs of coffee in the other. “So what could Nason have said that would trigger all this serious research?”
Hope cleared the loose papers from the couch cushion next to her and took the mug he offered. “He just made some flip remark about newsworthy stories. It got me thinking about all the recent fires.”
Josh choked on his snack cake. It took him a minute to catch his breath. “The man was just pushing your buttons. I think he’s jealous you’re already taken.” He leaned over and nuzzled her neck. “How about I take your mind off all of this?”
She wanted to melt into the teeth grazing the tender flesh of her throat, but Hope needed Josh to see what she’d discovered. “Still, he had a point. We haven’t really been digging into the facts.”
He nibbled her earlobe. “My boyish charm’s not working?”
“Of course it’s working.” Hope grabbed his jaw, pushing his face away and turning his eyes back to the coffee table. “It’s just that I need you to focus on this first. I may have a theory about an arsonist.”
Josh gave up on his seduction. “It’s not like the local news has been ignoring them. Besides, it’s the fire marshal’s job to investigate.”
“I know. Which is why I talked to him this morning.”
Josh set his mug down and turned to her, his brow furrowed. “The fire marshal talked to the press?”
“It’s not like I overstepped any ethical lines.” Hope couldn’t understand Josh’s concerns. She wasn’t one of those reporters who used underhanded tactics to get her stories and this man warm against her side knew that. “All I got from the fire marshal were vague responses and generalities. But …” Hope excitedly grabbed the map, “after my internet search of all the fires within a thirty-mile radius over the last eighteen months, look what I found.”
Leaning forward, Josh took a minute to study the map. “All I see are yellow and orange marks with different colored numbers and circles around them. Sorry, babe, it’s not making any sense to me.”
Hope tapped a couple of keys on her computer, retrieving information she’d stored over the last few hours. “Okay, here. July 17. South Kenton University. One student of Professor Alexandra Flanagan burned in a lab fire. Accidental.” She pointed to the map. “Yellow highlighted dot for the location of the fire. A green number indicating how many died. In this case, one. A colored circle if the story included an affiliation with another person. For this fire there’s a red circle for Alex. Blue for Ronan. Brown for Professor Morgan. I’ve also got brown for unidentified connections if I didn’t know anyone associated with the victim.”
She pointed to another mark. “August 5. Bailer’s Park here in South Kenton. A couple died in a cabin fire. The woman was a summer bartender at the tavern. Red for Alex. Orange for Glenn.” Hope clicked a couple more keys on the computer, pulling up more news articles. “March 17. Structure fire at Royal Mills apartments. South Kenton. One dead.”
“You’ve got it circled in red.”
“It’s Alex’s apartment complex.”
“That’s stretching it.”
“Is it?”
Hope rattled off several more facts about the fires spreading out from their quiet town. She wanted Josh to tell her she was seeing things, that the conclusions she’d begun to draw were too far-fetched to be possible. But when she finished, he only blew out a heavy breath, falling back against the couch.
“You know what you’re saying?” Josh asked, staring at the map with a couple dozen fires highlighted—all but five of them are circled with red.
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“But this is Alex you’re talking about.”
Unable to stand the tension crawling over her skin, Hope got up and began to pace. “Damn it, Josh, you think I went looking for this when I began this little project?” Needing something to do with her hands, she removed the scrunchy from her hair, stretching and pulling it between her fingers. “She’s my best friend.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Shit, she’s my only friend.”
Josh got up, came around the coffee table and gathered her in his arms. Hope wanted to go back to the fire at the professor’s mansion and forget everything that happened after. “I can’t erase it now, can I?”
Tipping up her chin, Josh kissed her tenderly. “Let’s hope there’s another explanation.”
“Alex wouldn’t …” Hope closed her eyes and swallowed the hot l
ump of dread burning her throat. “No, Alex, couldn’t do something this heinous. There’s no reason for her to cause all those fires.”
“Babe, what you’ve mapped out isn’t the path of an arsonist. You’ve discovered the murderous trail of a serial killer.”
Between the exhaustion and weight of the truth, Hope was sure if Josh hadn’t had his arms around her she would have collapsed. “Josh, what are we going to do?”
“You’re going to take every scrap of paper and file it away somewhere safe. Then you’re going to get some rest and not think about it.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I need to take this information to Reese.”
“I’ve been hoping those two would get together for months. Now …” Sadness burned her throat, causing a fresh wave of tears.
“Don’t go there.” Josh tenderly brushed away her tears with his thumbs and kissed her forehead. “I’m sure there’s another explanation. Let me take the map over to the cabin and discuss this with Reese. Not only do we need another set of eyes on this information, but I owe it to the man to give him a heads up.”
* * *
A bet. It had taken a stupid poker game to make Reese realize how fear had kept him from a relationship with the woman in the wine cellar office. He dropped the empty wine cask in the pile in the corner before storing the last dozen wine bottles in the rack. A busy few hours had passed, bottling blood wine and packing and filling orders for the couriers.
“I could get used to this.” Alex leaned against the door frame, her crossed arms showcasing her lovely curves. In the heat of the wine cellar, he’d taken off his shirt and, she’d stripped down to a strappy little black tank that had his fingers itching to touch. “I hate to admit it, Colton, but you’ve been a huge help this morning.”
“You just like staring at my ass.” He strode across the room and gathered her in his arms.
The smile she flashed melted his heart.
“A definite perk,”
“Anymore appointments?”
She shook her head, her sassy crop of red hair brushing her chin.
“Chris here yet?” he asked.
“He called to apologize. He’s running late. Won’t be here for another couple of hours.”
He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her cheeks flushed a sexy shade of pink. Each ragged breath she took brushed her breasts against his chest. “I haven’t even taken you on a proper date. I could at least buy you lunch.”
“Do I look like I’m hungry for food, Colton?” She snaked her fingers in his hair and nipped her teeth along the stubble on his chin. “I’ve been wondering what’s taken you so damn long to notice me.”
“Oh, I noticed everything about you, Alexandra Flanagan.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her nose. “This cute upturned nose.” His lips fluttered over her lids. “The sky blue color of your eyes and how they darken when someone pisses you off—or turns you on—though I didn’t know that until now.” He wasn’t sure if the blush creeping up to paint her cheeks was from embarrassment or the sexually charged air. Whatever the cause, he liked it and continued. “The sweep of your long lashes when someone compliments you.” Reese lifted Alex’s arms above her head, hooking her fingers on the sill of the door. “The way your breasts look in these little tanks when you reach for a bar glass.” His palms skimmed down the soft flesh of her arms, leaving goose bumps trailing behind. He brought his hands down her torso, eliciting a sigh as he grazed the soft swell of her breasts. His fingers curved around Alex’s narrow hips and he gently pulled her tight to his body. “The way your jeans ride low and show off that tribal tattoo on the small of your back.” Reese’s hands finished their exploration by palming the mounds of her ass. “The sweet curve of your bottom when you bend to get extra napkins.”
“I just thought you were unusually messy.” Alex smiled at him, her eyes growing darker, communicating desire she didn’t verbalize.
“Nope. Calculating.”
His teeth grazed along Alex’s neck and he realized the sexual energy had lengthened his fangs. She seemed unfazed by their appearance. It had been a long while since Reese had allowed himself this freedom with a woman. His last liaison had been a one-night stand the previous winter with a human female in the city after too many hours fighting a fire. Hopped up on the adrenaline rush, he’d been unable to keep his beast under control. As they’d fucked like horny teenagers in the backseat of his Buick, his fangs had lengthened, his body screaming to be satiated by her blood. In fact, if Josh hadn’t called his cell phone just as they’d finished the deed, Reese was sure the woman would have left his car missing several pints of blood. His lack of control had shaken him and kept Reese from sleeping with another human.
But vampires. That was another story all together. Long-ago promises squeezed the breath from his lungs and Reese pulled back, staring at the desire clouding Alex’s heavy-lidded eyes. He wanted to take this chance and enjoy the feeling of a female vampire in his arms, her teeth piercing his flesh. But sometimes the past reared its ugly head, rising up in the present, making it impossible to move forward.
“What is it?” Alex whispered.
“I don’t want you to get hurt.”
She licked at his canines, sending electric currents of lust jolting over his nerves. “I’ve always known your bite was worse than your bark, Colton. Your teeth don’t frighten me.”
She’d misunderstood. “It’s so much more complicated than I can explain. I don’t know—”
“Today.” She grazed her teeth along his jaw. “Let’s just share today and not worry about tomorrow.” She bit his earlobe, her breath feathering over his skin. “To hell with the consequences.”
Today. He’d been far too cautions for far too long. He deserved today.
Alex stayed where she was, stretched and ready for him, her eyes inviting him to make the next move. “Don’t let chivalry win out today. I’m a big girl, Colton. I know what I want. Let me worry about any repercussions to my conscience.”
Her words were a soft aria, serenading his heart. Reese wanted to be with Alex more than he needed his next breath and she’d just given him permission to give in to his animalistic desires. How much more of an invitation did a gentleman need?
He pulled Alex into a deep kiss, swallowing her moans and giving them right back to her. His tongue thrust between her parted lips, taking and taking until she melted against him. She tasted like liquid sugar and the heat pulsing from her straining body pushed away the last of his doubts.
He tugged the flimsy cotton tank over her head, brushing his knuckles over the satin curve of skin showcased by her sexy bra. With her hands high above her head, her breasts jutted proudly, her nipples straining against the lacy material. He filled his hands with the fleshy mounds, pinching and teasing the tight peaks. Undoing the front clasp, he wrapped his tongue around one of the pearled tips and sucked hard. Her moans vibrated straight through him, driving him to a frenzied pitch of need.
She kicked off her tiny sneakers and he shucked off her jeans, throwing them in the growing pile of clothes. The vision standing before him stole what little breath filled his lungs. Naked, save for a lacy purple thong that matched the bra hanging from her shoulders, Alex was miles of unflawed alabaster skin, nearly luminescent against the dark wood of the cellar. Her flat belly rose and fell with her chest as she worked to slow her breathing. He couldn’t tear his gaze from her beauty.
“Like what you see?” Alex asked. As if bound by an invisible force, her arms were still high above her head. She didn’t seem interested in moving from his intimate inspection.
His head bobbed up and down. “No.”
The chime of her laughter invited him back into her arms. She was impossibly soft and warm with her breasts pressed against his skin. Their mouths fought for control as tongues darted in and out, meshing and clashing. He wrestled with the button of his jeans. The need to couple with this woman overrode his common sense. Getting involved when his undercover work guaranteed
he wouldn’t be staying was such a bad idea. But her needy sounds called to him, pushing him to reckless abandon.
His hands worked feverishly to free their bodies from the restriction of clothing. When they were naked, his erection pulsing painfully between them, Reese pressed his forehead against hers, waiting for Alex’s eyes to flutter open and focus. He needed to know there would be no regrets.
“Don’t you dare think about leaving me like this.” She lifted her leg, draping it around his hip, opening herself, begging him to claim her. The heady aroma of her arousal wafted between them, wrapping around his senses, driving him crazy with desire. At times like this, he was grateful he wasn’t human. Vampire births were very rare, so human birth control was of no consequence to either them. Nothing would come between him and Alex’s silky heat.
He guided his erection to her slick opening, willing himself to go slow, but she would have none of it. Alex canted her hips, pressing him into her, both of them moaning as he sank deeper. He grabbed her ass, pulling her close. Alex wrapped the other leg around his waist and squeezed until he was completely buried. Her internal muscles pulsed around him, testing the limits of his control.
She dropped her arms, her nails scoring his shoulders. Burying her face in his neck, she mumbled through desperate pants. “I’ve waited a long time for this.”
His heart swelled at her words. All his fears seemed so inconsequential in light of what Alex was giving him. He wasn’t sure why he’d let his insecurities keep him from claiming this sexy vamp.
With her pinned to the wall, her legs and arms wrapped around his body, he only needed to hold her tiny waist for leverage. He tilted his hips back, gliding out along her slick heat, then flexed his ass and rocked forward to fill her. The sublime friction shot hot currents out from his groin. He dragged his teeth along her neck and tasted the trickle of blood where he’d opened her flesh.
Alex nipped along his jaw, her lips seeking his and he gladly obliged her. As much as he’d like to sink his teeth into the soft flesh of her throat and taste every part of her, Reese understood their sharing of blood would definitely make this even more intimate. More real. And he wasn’t sure he was ready for that commitment either.