Set the Night on Fire

by Jennifer Bernard

  But she couldn’t find anything she wanted to watch on Netflix, she’d poured the last of her rum into the flask she’d taken to the Point, and the jasmine scent of her bubble bath kept making her sneeze. None of it helped. She was still the woman who’d been outmaneuvered, silenced, and kicked to the curb.

  Finally she gave up and tried Plan B. She called her brother. Hunter had recently gotten engaged to a famous pop star, so she never knew where he might be at any given moment. Backstage? Onstage? Tokyo? Australia?

  “Hey sis,” he answered. “I’ve been thinking about you.”

  “Really? Don’t you have more exciting things to think about?”

  “I was wondering if Sean Marcus managed to track you down.”

  “He did.” She sealed her mouth shut so she didn’t reveal any juicy details. In her fuzzy robe, curled on the couch against her newest load of clean laundry, she could feel Sean’s dynamic presence in her house as if he’d never left.

  “Okay then. I see we’re following the McGraw family policy of don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t say anything unless you have something nice to say, and…hmm, what am I leaving out?”

  Evie reached with her big toe and hooked the laundry basket closer to the couch. Her head throbbed and she felt as if the room was closing in on her. Was she doomed to never, ever speak about anything difficult? Was that her fate in life? Was she really such a coward? “The coalition ousted me,” she blurted.

  “What?”

  “For my own good, they said. Because I can’t handle controversy.” She halfheartedly folded a towel and dropped it in the laundry basket. “Is that true, Hunter? Am I controversy-challenged? Is that like some kind of disability?”

  And then a flash of revelation struck her like a two-by-four to the head. “Oh my God, Hunter. I’m disabled. Not in a physical way. Psychologically. I can’t deal with conflict.”

  “Come on, Evie—”

  She picked up a blouse that had wrapped itself into a tight knot in the washing machine. “Shush. Don’t try to sugarcoat it. I’m on to something here. It’s not just that I’m a McGraw and our parents raised us a certain way. Look at you! You’re a bodyguard. You handle conflict all the time.” Giving up on the blouse, she tossed it into the basket.

  “Honestly, sometimes I think I look for it. Makes me feel alive.”

  “I can’t believe I didn’t see this before. I’m Evie McGraw, and I’m disabled.”

  “You really think ‘disabled’ is the right—”

  She plucked a bra off the pile and waved it in the air. “Fine. I’m Evie McGraw and I’m an addict. I’m addicted to peace and harmony. I’ll do anything to avoid conflict. Even ruin my own life.”

  “Evie—”

  “No, this is good, Hunter. It’s really, really good. And it’s not just good in an ‘I feel so much better’ way. It’s good because I know exactly what to do now.”

  Tomorrow, Brad was holding a press conference.

  Maybe it was time she got over her aversion to the spotlight.

  Suddenly energized, she jumped to her feet and bounced up and down on the couch. Clean clothes went flying off the pile. Maybe she should feel bad because she’d just seen what a huge flaw she’d uncovered in herself. But she didn’t.

  She felt free and alive. Up to now, she hadn’t really been living. Not fully and completely. That had to change. Immediately.

  “What are you doing? I’m hearing weird sounds.”

  “I’m pulling a Tom Cruise. And I’m also waving a bra around. Hunter, this is amazing! You’ve changed everything. We should have talked like this long ago.”

  “You’re freaking me out, sis. Do I need to call someone?”

  A knock rattled her front door. “Evie,” called a deep male voice.

  Sean. Shivers rippled up and down her skin.

  “Nope. All good. Thanks for letting me rant. I’ll call you soon.” She hung up, tossed the bra back on her laundry pile, and danced to the door. She flung it open. Sean stood on her front stoop. His jaw was dark with stubble, his eyes hooded and bloodshot. Despite that, he was a glorious sight. She beamed at him with pure joy.

  He took a surprised step backwards—it must have been a lot of joy.

  “I…uh…came to make sure you were okay. I heard about the coalition.”

  “Yes, they’re done with me. Too bad, so sad.”

  She reached for his hand and dragged him inside. As soon as he was through the door, she leaped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Let’s celebrate.”

  He staggered backwards a half step, but managed to keep his balance. He was so strong, her Sean. Strong enough to handle fires and plane crashes and all manner of conflict.

  She was pretty sure…no, almost entirely sure…that she loved him.

  * * *

  Clearly, Sean hadn’t sobered up nearly enough. Evie’s almost manic happiness made no sense to him. Shouldn’t she be angry, upset, hurt, crying? Instead she was rubbing up against him like a cat, and if there was a man alive who could resist that…well, it wasn’t Sean.

  He walked backwards toward her couch, which looked as if a bomb had gone off in the middle of her laundry pile. Clothes everywhere. Not that he minded standing-up sex. Pinning Evie against the wall worked for him too. But he’d had just enough tequila that he didn’t want to risk either or both of them hitting the floor mid-orgasm.

  The back of his legs hit the couch and he fell into the cushions, his arms filled with warm, passionate woman. And a pink fleece robe with little fluffy sheep.

  “I know, it’s not exactly sexy,” she told him, sitting back on his thighs so she could slip off the robe. “If it makes a difference, I’m naked underneath it.”

  His heart thudded as he let his eyes wander up and down her nudity. He touched the rosy tips of her breasts and felt her shudder. She shifted on his lap to press her sex against the hard ridge already pushing against his jeans. He groaned at the searing wave of pleasure that followed.

  “Oh man. That’s too good, Evie. You always feel so incredible to me.” With a seductive look from under her eyelashes, she slid off his thighs and settled herself on the floor between his legs. “What are you doing?”

  “Well, I only got a taste of you that night on the cliffs.” She unzipped his pants and reached in to draw out his fierce erection. “It was also dark. I didn’t really get the full experience. From now on, I’m all about the full experience. Of anything and everything.”

  He held on tight to the arm of the couch. “Like what?”

  “Like this.” She fixed her gaze on his penis. “Your cock.”

  Oh God. Seeing those perfect, sensual lips say the word “cock” nearly made him come right then. But he bent his entire will on not coming so he could savor every bit of what she was doing to him.

  She settled her mouth around the head of his cock and slid downwards, lips clasping him with wet, velvety heat. She explored his balls with light, feathery touches, then moved on up his shaft.

  He flexed his hips to deepen the contact with her mouth and throat. She hummed, eyes closing halfway. The vibration traveled across the skin of his cock and directly to the pleasure center of his brain. “Holy mother of…” he breathed. It took everything in him to keep from coming. His balls tightened, energy gathered at the base of his spine. God, he wanted to come right there in her sweet, suckling mouth, explode into her throat.

  But he also wanted her. He wanted to plunge deep into her core, to touch the part closest to her innermost being.

  With shaky hands, he withdrew his cock from her mouth, trying not to look at its glistening surface because that might put him over the edge. “Stand up,” he told her, voice tight and rough with lust.

  She came to her feet, naked before him. He snagged a condom from his pocket, then kicked his own jeans all the way off. He drew her between his thighs. Buried his face between her legs and inhaled her heady scent. Already aroused, already wet, already trembling under his tongue. He held her
tight, hands gripping her ass, while he gorged himself on her sweet juices, her swelling clit, her delicate folds, her tight channel.

  He had to have her. Now. He pulled his mouth away, hearing her gasp, and stood up. Her body was so flushed and beautiful, he could look at her all night. But he had a much better idea than that. Moving behind her, he growled in her ear. “Bend over and put your hands on the back of the couch.”

  Eyes widening with excitement, lips parting, she did so.

  “Lower down,” he prompted, putting his hand to her lower back to direct her. When she’d reached the perfect angle, he widened her stance by inserting his knee between her thighs. He looked away because the sight of her in that position was almost too exciting. He might come before he even got inside her.

  He slipped on the condom and positioned himself behind her. Anchoring her hips with one hand, he used the other to work his insanely hard cock inside her.

  She gasped and arched her back. “So good,” she whispered, looking over her shoulder at him.

  A spasm lanced through him—the first warning shot of an oncoming orgasm. Hold off, hold off. He wanted to do this together, dammit. He reached around and found her clit. Pressed his palm against her sex, making sure the hot little kernel received plenty of friction.

  He thrust into her channel, keeping his hand firmly in its position. Again. Again. Long, sleek, commanding strokes until he couldn’t maintain his control any longer. He let it all loose, all the passion and lust churning inside him. He pistoned hard and fast, pinning her between his cock and his hand, working her from both sides, surrounding her, consuming her, driving both of them over the edge.

  When she let out her first cry of release and her body clenched around him, he let go of the last tiny bit of his control. He exploded into an orgasm so intense, he forgot where he was. He bent over her body, held her tight and emptied himself inside her. The room spun, the world shifted. He must have made sounds, but he didn’t hear.

  All he knew was pleasure, release, and a deep, deep connection to the woman in his arms.

  * * *

  Sean slept in her bed that night, although Evie thought it might have been more a case of passing out. They entwined, naked, under her comforter. Other than the nap they’d shared the other evening, she’d never slept in the same bed with a man before.

  Just one more example of how she hadn’t really been living.

  Sean conked out right way, but she had too much adrenaline cruising through her system to sleep. She wished she’d told Sean about the feelings growing inside her. The certainty that she loved him—that this was something real for her—wouldn’t go away. Maybe their involvement had started as a way to reclaim her sexuality. But it wasn’t that anymore. She’d fallen in love with him.

  And she knew perfectly well that he wasn’t interested in a relationship. For Pete’s sake, he didn’t even live in Jupiter Point. Their relationship was doomed. The dark fire warrior in her bed was destined to break her heart.

  She could kick herself for being so reckless.

  Except it was absolutely worth it. From now on, there would be no keeping silent, no holding back, no half living. She was going to live her life even when it hurt.

  25

  A pounding on her front door woke Evie up bright and early the next morning. Sean sat bolt upright in bed. “My boots. Where are my boots?”

  “Shhh, it’s okay, Sean. It’s not a fire.” She slid out of bed and pulled on shorts and a Sky View Gallery t-shirt. “It’s probably Brianna or Suzanne.”

  She hurried to her front door and peered out the peephole. Blinking, she tried to make sense of what she saw on her front stoop.

  Men.

  Extremely fit, very attractive men. Four of them. They didn’t seem to have a spare ounce of body fat between them. She recognized Josh, but not the others.

  She opened the door and gazed in amazement at the selection of male hunkiness staring back at her.

  “Hi, Evie,” said Josh finally. “Is Sean here?”

  “Who…uh…who wants to know?” If this was some kind of firefighter gang after him, she didn’t want to give away his location.

  “We’re friends of his.” A huge, bear-like man with a beard and the kindest eyes she’d ever seen answered. “I’m Rollo. This is Hughie and Baker.” He waved at the rest of the guys. “We’re part of his old crew back in Colorado.”

  Sean stepped next to her, wearing nothing but jeans and mussed hair. He blinked at the group on the doorstep. “Rollo? Baker? What are you guys all doing here?” He whispered in Evie’s ear. “I’m not still drunk, am I?”

  “No, I think there really are four hotshots at my door. Do…uh…you guys want to come in? I can make some coffee.”

  Rollo grinned and scratched at his stocking cap. “Gorgeous and kind. You hit the jackpot, Magneto.”

  Sean glared at him, but Evie didn’t mind. She already liked these guys. There was something unusually real and down-to-earth about them. “Remind me again what you’re all doing here?”

  “Word got out that someone’s trying to smear the Fighting Scorpions. We couldn’t let that happen.”

  “Not the crew, just me.” Sean rubbed the back of his neck. He looked so sexy with his morning stubble that Evie wanted to kick everyone out and drag him back to bed.

  “Same thing.” Rollo folded his arms across his broad chest. The other guys backed him up with nods and expressions that said don’t mess with us. “Every guy here is ready to make a statement. The others couldn’t come, but I have a stack of faxes in my back pocket. We just want to know where to go and who to talk to. Then we’ll let you two get back to…whatever you were doing.”

  Evie’s eyes welled with tears. No, she didn’t just like these guys. She loved them.

  In a sisterly, friendly way, of course. There was only one man for her—the one standing next to her pretending he wasn’t moved to the point of tears.

  * * *

  When he’d knocked on her door the night before, Sean had intended to slow things down with Evie. But when he caught sight of her in that fluffy robe he forgot everything except getting her naked. Now that his buddies were here, he had to put the slowing down conversation on hold again.

  While the guys waited in the truck, he pulled Evie back into the bedroom. “Sorry about this. I had no idea they were going to show up. Do you want to come with us?”

  She smiled and touched his shoulder. “No. You’d probably like some time to catch up with them. And I have something to do this morning.”

  “Your mother?”

  After a micro-hesitation, she nodded.

  “Okay then. I’ll…see you later.” He bent his head and pressed his lips to her sleep-soft cheek. “Last night…” The words to tell her about his decision refused to come out. He just couldn’t say them. Especially after a night like that. “Was totally hot. I’ll never forget it.”

  She searched his face with those wide silver-green eyes, then smiled. “Go. Your friends are waiting. And I have to get dressed. Have fun.”

  It was so good to be around the Scorpions again. He couldn’t believe they’d flown all the way out to California just to back him up. Every time he thought about it, he had to stop talking before he lost it.

  He chased Josh out of the driver’s seat and steered the Ford Super Duty into town. He took them through the cute little downtown area to the Venus and Mars Cafe, which served the best coffee in town. They trouped in, talking and joking, drawing the attention of every other customer in the place. He was pretty sure the waitresses had a little tussle over who was going to serve their table. Smart move, because his hotshot crew made a point of tipping well. Good local relations were always important.

  “Nice town you got here,” Rollo said when they’d worked their way through a basket of homemade raisin scones.

  “It’s a great place,” Josh told them all. “I’ve been scoping out the female population and I give Jupiter Point a big thumb’s up.”

  “
How’s the hiring going? Are you all crewed up yet?” Baker asked.

  “Just about. Still looking to fill some of the higher GS spots.” He indicated Rollo with his chin. “This guy’s got dibs on one of them.”

  “That I do.” Rollo exchanged a glance with the others. “If you want some rock solid experience, you’ve got two more ready to transfer.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “We want to join the Jupiter Point Hotshots.” Baker spoke while Hughie, never a big talker, nodded along.

  “All of you do?”

  Baker nodded. “We’re with you, Magneto. You want strong overhead, right?” In fire-service lingo, that meant that the top positions on the crew—squad boss, captains (such as Josh)--had plenty of experience.

  “Of course.”

  “You won’t get better than us. You’re looking at over twenty years of experience right here.”

  Sean scanned the array of faces, more familiar than his own. Bearded Rollo, with his stocking cap and favorite lucky sweater, hand-knitted by his sister. Baker’s mahogany face, always filled with laugh lines. Hughie had a new ring on his finger—he must have proposed to Cindy after all. They’d all cut line together, worked their asses off, then survived a face-off with hell. He knew them, he trusted them.

  Then he remembered the one who hadn’t trusted him. The one who’d run into the ravine rather than stick with the crew. “Did Finn send one of those faxes?” He asked Rollo.

  “He did.”

  Again, that inconvenient surge of emotion kept him from answering. The brotherhood of hotshots hadn’t let him down. He hadn’t spoken to Finn since he’d told him to take his movie and shove it. But even Finn had come through for him in a crisis.

  “I’ll run it by Vargas, the operations supervisor,” he finally said when he could squeeze out a word. “Jupiter Point, watch out.”

  * * *

  After a breakfast of catching up and a lot of joking around, the group of hotshots emerged into the sunshine of mid-morning. Rollo wanted to go straight to the police department to deliver their statements, but Sean nixed that. The burnover had nothing to do with the crash investigation.