Burning Love

by Debra Cowan

"That sounds wonderful."

  Good to know she liked steak. And that the intimate atmosphere of the small Oklahoma City restaurant didn't have her going skittish. Sweat slicked his palms and he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. It had been a hell of a long time since he'd been out on a date. Since he'd cared about being on a date.

  As he headed west toward Western Avenue, he decided if that sissy news reporter got a look at Terra right now, he'd sit up and howl like a coyote. Even if it made him a Neanderthal, Jack didn't try to squash the flare of satisfaction he felt that he, not Reynolds, was with Terra.

  Her hair pooled in a thick satin mane across her shoulders, making him itch to thrust his hands into all that silk. The hot dark scent of her settled in his chest. He wanted to see her eyes go all dreamy and soft, the way they had last night.

  Jack figured he'd better get a grip and shift his thoughts in another direction. The night was young. "What's the status of your car fire?"

  "Case closed." She smiled, relaxing slightly for the first time since he'd picked her up.

  "That was fast."

  "I got lucky. Once I finished at the scene, I started looking for the boyfriend. Had Presley P.D. looking, too. Just before noon, I got a call about a burn victim at Baptist Hospital."

  "He went all the way into central Oklahoma City, huh?"

  Terra nodded. "The officer who called said the victim had reported being doused with gasoline in a drive-by, then the guys in the car had thrown a match on him. The name was the same one given to me by the victim so I went to talk to him. It took about an hour, but he finally confessed he 'lit up' his ex-girlfriend's car."

  "And lied about being doused by drive-by attackers? I'm shocked." Jack chuckled. "What about the hat?"

  "It was his." Terra turned toward him, leaning in slightly. "This is the hardest part for me to believe. The guy sucked gas out of her car tank with that length of garden hose I found, then poured it into the car. He tried to start the fire with lit pieces of paper, but it wouldn't ignite. The air-to-gas mixture was too rich for the enclosed car interior. But after a few minutes—"

  "When the air had time to get to it," Jack put in.

  "Right. He stuck his whole arm in the window with a lighter. Bam! It caused a minor explosion, which is what woke Lisa. Blew his hat up into the tree."

  Jack couldn't help laughing. "Unbelievable."

  "Isn't it? The guy's just lucky he sustained only minor burns to his arms and shoulders."

  "Is the ex-girlfriend planning to press charges?"

  "Yes, and even if she didn't, I would."

  "Good."

  The next fifteen minutes were spent talking about movies and music. She liked country music and he preferred classic rock, but they both liked thrillers and action-adventure movies.

  Even though Terra seemed more at ease, Jack didn't miss the hint of wariness still in her eyes. He didn't blame her. He was a little wary, too.

  Once inside the restaurant, the waiter seated them at a corner table in the back of the carpeted room. Muted lights from small tulip fixtures played over the glass-fronted bookcases that lined the walls. Dark wood floors lent to the studylike atmosphere. Rich, deep wine-and-navy upholstery kept the mood soothing and elegant. A string orchestra played faintly beneath the delicate clink of crystal and silverware. The music over the sound system accompanied conversation rather than drowned it out.

  "I love this place, Jack."

  "Great. I was hoping you would."

  She removed her coat and Jack swallowed hard. A soft cashmere sweater the color of old gold cupped her full breasts and tucked neatly into a pair of dark brown slacks that showcased her long legs and firm rear.

  "You look great," he said hoarsely.

  "Thanks." Pleasure flashed in her eyes and in the flicker of the votive candles on the table, he saw color tinge her cheeks. "So do you."

  He'd worn a suit jacket and tie. Until now, he hadn't been aware of what he'd put on, but at least it matched.

  The waiter seated her then Jack took his chair. He moved his napkin to his lap then to the table then back to his lap. Had he been this nervous on his first date with Lori?

  In an effort to relieve the tension twisting through his neck, he fell back on work. "I followed up on that information from Ferguson and double-checked the assessment Harris Vaughn gave LeBass. LeBass was given the bad news the week before the Vaughn fire."

  "And murder," Terra reminded quietly.

  Jack hated the flash of pain in her eyes. He thought about taking her hand, but didn't.

  She sipped at her water. "I appreciate you doing the leg work on LeBass's assessment. I didn't have time today, what with the car fire and all the mayor's calls."

  "You're welcome. I also ran LeBass NCIC, but I turned up nothing." Terra knew as well as Jack that if LeBass had a record, it would show up in the National Crime Information Center's computer.

  "I think we need to interview the guy," he said. "We know he worked the Vaughn fire, but we don't know about the other fires."

  "We may have to do more than check his schedule. Even if LeBass didn't work the other fires, he could've stopped by the scene when he heard there was a call. A lot of firefighters do it. I know I did, when I was riding a rig."

  Jack nodded, making a mental note. Cops did the same thing.

  "We can view the fire scene videos again and see if we spot LeBass."

  "Good. And his neighbors will be able to tell us how things are between him and his wife. If they've overheard any yelling or witnessed any domestic disturbances. We'll check into the Halcion connection for him, too. Both Cecily Vaughn and Dane Reynolds say they don't have a prescription. I don't have enough to get a search warrant to see if either of them are lying."

  "What about doing surveillance on Reynolds?"

  "The victim's protective order against him might be enough to get my captain to okay it. I'll try. If we need to…follow other channels, we can."

  Terra smiled.

  "We need to reinterview witnesses at each fire scene, see if they recognize LeBass, Reynolds or Cecily Vaughn. I'm not looking at any other firefighters for this, especially after the new information you picked up concerning LeBass's negative assessment from Vaughn.

  "I haven't found anything remotely suspicious about any of the other firefighters. I've had all their backgrounds checked, just like the city did when they were hired. LeBass was the only one from Presley who applied for the fire investigator test in Oklahoma City."

  The waiter walked up and they both ordered steak. After the man left, there was a long moment of silence. Jack noticed Terra stroking her neck in what he'd come to recognize as a nervous gesture.

  "Can I ask you something?" she said.

  "Sure."

  She glanced down, aligned her fork with her knife, then raised her gaze to his. "I know you lost your wife. Do you ever talk about her?"

  "Not usually."

  Terra nodded, brushing his hand with her fingers. "Well, I'm very sorry for your loss."

  "Thanks." He paused for a long moment. "It happened over three years ago."

  "You don't have to tell me." She started to draw away, but Jack curled his fingers over hers.

  "It's okay." For the first time since Lori's death, he wanted to talk about it. Somewhere over time, the pain had dimmed. There was still loss, a sense of emptiness about that part of his life, but now he didn't feel as if his heart were being ripped out just by saying his wife's name. "She was murdered."

  Terra's hand tightened on his.

  "She was a social worker. She was arranging to remove two children from their abusive father after he'd nearly beaten their mother to death. The guy found out where we lived and shot her in the driveway. Four times. Lori never had a chance."

  "Oh, Jack. I'm sorry."

  "Presley detectives caught the S.O.B. and now he's on death row at McAlester."

  "Good." Terra's hand stayed locked with his.

  He knew she understood the pain, t
he conflict of having to do her job in a circumstance where a loved one had been killed. Her quiet strength released something in his chest. As if he were finally able to breathe fully again for the first time since Lori had died.

  "We had a good life. We were married ten years. Met in college and married a year after graduation. I'd gotten on with the department by then. Lori finished her master's in social work, then was hired by the state."

  "No kids?"

  "We tried, but it never happened. We were discussing adoption when she was killed. It was best in the end that we didn't have children. I would've been useless to anyone else dealing with her death."

  "I don't believe that." Terra smiled at him, compassion and conviction burning in her green eyes. "You've helped me since Harris's death. You're not pushy, but you don't tiptoe around the subject either. I know if I want to talk, you'll listen."

  Jack moved his thumb back and forth across her wrist and felt her pulse skitter. If it hadn't been for the stubborn support of his parents and sister, he probably would've eaten his gun at some point. And then he wouldn't have met his fire investigator. "So, what about you? You were married before, right?"

  "He was a lawyer, as you know," she reminded wryly, drawing his mind back to the questions he'd asked about her in the hours after the Vaughn fire.

  He grinned. "Keith Garcia."

  "Yes. We met in college, too. I always thought we were lucky. We both had jobs we loved. Our marriage was good. At least it was until I couldn't spend the time with Keith that he wanted. He made partner at his law firm, which required more politicking, more parties, more out-of-town meetings the spouses were expected to attend. I couldn't take the time away and he resented it.

  "He made it clear he wanted me to quit, but I couldn't. I'd already waited two years to test for fire investigations and by then, all the compromise had been on my side. When I received the promotion, he demanded I quit. I guess if I'd done it, I'd still be married."

  "You'd be miserable." Garcia should've been glad Terra had moved off the front lines. "Plus you're damn good at your job."

  "Thanks." Her hand squeezed his. "I thought I knew him so well, thought I knew our marriage. I didn't. My judgement was way off, but I did learn that I can't give up my job for anyone."

  Taking note of the way her voice firmed, Jack nodded. "Me either. In the days after Lori's death, the job was all that held me together."

  The waiter delivered their food and, after making sure they had everything they needed, left them alone. Jack's steak was great and Terra seemed to enjoy hers, too. She talked about her grandfather, Joe August, who'd raised her after her parents were killed in a car wreck. Jack told her about his parents and sister, who lived in nearby Edmond.

  She touched him easily, a hand on his arm, their fingers brushing when they simultaneously reached for their wine. The sassy scent she wore drifted around him. He wanted to kiss her again, wanted to know if the rest of her skin was as silky as the hand that had curled into his for those few brief moments. Hot need drew tight in his belly and he cautioned himself to go slow.

  As the evening passed, the pleasure in her eyes was plain. But so was the occasional cloud of wariness, the doubt he'd seen when she talked about misjudging her marriage.

  After dinner, he held her coat while she slipped into it and found his hands lingering on her shoulders. She glanced back at him and smiled.

  As he paid for their meal, Jack caught her watching him. Hotly. Curiously. The same curiosity burned inside him.

  As he drove her home, they swapped a couple of war stories. His favorite was her most recent case involving the boyfriend and his fire-revenge-gone-bad. He couldn't recall feeling this relaxed with a woman in years. Both of them had been drawn into investigations because of their need to solve puzzles, to get to the root of a crime. He liked that about her, too.

  He parked in front of her house and walked around to open her door. When she stepped out, her hair brushed his cheek. He inhaled the fresh, teasing scent of her shampoo and his throat tightened. Placing his hand lightly in the small of her back, he walked her to the front door. Their shoulders touched briefly, sharpening the hum of electricity Jack already felt.

  Her porch light threw a shaft of yellow onto the sidewalk. Terra took out her keys and unlocked her front door, then turned to face him.

  "I had a great time, Jack. And thanks for telling me about Lori. I wish I'd known her."

  "You would've liked her." His gaze traced her features, lingered on her lips. He was definitely going to kiss her; he just wondered if he could stop.

  She edged closer, rested her hand lightly on his chest. "If you don't hurry up and kiss me, I'm going to sound the alarm."

  He grinned and hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her into him. Even with her coat between them, he felt the curve of her breasts, her hips against his.

  He threaded his other hand through her thick silky hair, slid his palm around to her nape and tilted her head back. Instead of kissing her lips, he kissed her neck. Nipped and laved her with his tongue. She gasped and tilted her head to give him better access. White-hot need slashed through him, but he forced himself to go slowly. He nibbled along her jawline, his body going rigid when she made a sound deep in her throat.

  She slid her hands up his arms, over his shoulders. Her fingernails scraped lightly across his nape. He took her mouth, his blood hammering with a searing desire that fogged his thoughts. He focused on the need thundering through him, the woman in his arms who kissed him back with enough fervor to push him over the edge.

  She fumbled for the door. "Come in, come in," she said against his mouth.

  He did, functioning solely on the heat driving through him, the heady scent of the woman who slammed the door behind him and dragged him to her.

  Each kiss went longer, deeper, hotter. He pushed at her coat and she shrugged out of it. He kicked it out of the way. She tugged off his jacket, fumbled with his tie.

  He yanked at it, loosened it while she unfastened the buttons on his shirt. Sliding his hands up her rib cage, he tugged the hem of her sweater from her slacks and peeled off her top. She felt like velvet and cream beneath his palms. She bent and pressed kisses on his chest, up to his neck as she spread his shirt wide.

  Want drove through him in unrelenting waves. He backed her against the door, lifted her arms over her head so he could look at her. Lush breasts swelled over the top of a flesh-colored lace bra; rosy nipples peeked out at him.

  With one hand, he kept her arms pinned loosely over her head. With the other, he touched her magnolia-smooth skin. Traced the valley of her breasts, skimmed the crest and dipped his finger inside her bra. She shifted against him, urging him on.

  Heart thundering in his ears, his gaze locked on hers. She mouthed his name. For the first time since he'd met her, her gaze was totally open, vulnerable. Pleading.

  He cupped her breast, his heart pounding so hard he thought it would blow through his chest. She pressed into him, dropping her arms to pull him to her. Her mouth—that gorgeously wicked mouth—closed over his, kindled an ache to have her kiss him all over.

  He dragged his thumb across her nipple, teasing it to a hard peak. Sliding one bra strap from her shoulder, Jack leaned down to capture a pink nipple in his mouth. A breath shuddered out of her as she arched against him.

  "Stay, Jack. Stay with me."

  That was all he wanted. She dragged her fingernails down his back, cupped his flanks as her thigh slid between his legs and pressed hard against his erection. Then her hands found him, stroking him, urging him. Despite the barrier of his slacks, he felt her touch like a branding iron. He surged into her hand.

  "Stay for tonight," she said. "Just for tonight."

  It was then he realized how far they'd gone. And exactly what he wanted. Pleasure throbbed through his body on a sharp ache that edged into pain.

  "Wait. Terra, wait."

  "What is it?" She drew back, looking at him with heated eyes. Her face was
flushed, her hair tousled. Her pulse pounded wildly in her throat.

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes." She put her hand over his, hugged it to her bare breast. "Don't I feel sure?"

  "I know you want me." His hands shook as he stroked a stray tendril of hair away from her face. "I want you, too. But I want more than one night."

  She blinked up at him.

  "You've got to be sure that's what you want." Biting off a curse at the tight pressure of his body, he gently took her hands between his. "This thing between us isn't going away and I don't want to move too fast. When we make love, I want you to be sure you want more than one night. Are you ready for that?"

  Wariness flashed through her eyes before she masked it.

  "I want you to be able to trust your judgement when you get involved with me."

  "But I—"

  "Do you?" He gently slid her bra strap back up, wondering if he was the biggest idiot ever born. She was vibrant and beautiful and sexy. And he was walking away. "There's no hurry. We have time, if you're interested."

  "I'm definitely interested." She looked dazed, gathering the edges of his shirt and trying to button it. His tie hung halfway down his back. One shirttail was out, the other in.

  Hard and aching, he bent and picked up her sweater. She took it, holding it to her breasts protectively. Shadows of doubt still clouded her eyes.

  "You're right," she said. "I really can't think straight when you're kissing me like that. And I do need some time."

  He hated the uncertainty he'd seen, the uncertainty he'd reinforced. He thought about saying to hell with it and taking her to the floor. "It's okay if you change your mind about wanting to pursue this, but I hope you don't."

  "I hope I don't either."

  For an instant, Jack thought he'd made the worst mistake of his life. But he wasn't cut out for one-night stands. He wanted Terra's trust as much as he wanted her body. Wanted her to believe getting involved would be the right thing. A good thing. "You let me know. I want you to be as sure as I am."

  She nodded, her face still flushed, her lips still swollen from his kisses.

  Despite the want clawing through him, he knew this was right. He wanted her to know, too. "Good night," he said hoarsely.