Into the Flames

by Multi-Author

  Noah slid out of the booth. “See you then. And thanks for lunch.”

  As he walked outside, he couldn’t stop himself from wondering if Randi would be there. And he damn sure wasn’t going to ask Jeff.

  Chapter Four

  “I’m totally bumfuzzled,” Randi said, leaning her head back against the car seat. Her brain was whirling, but it seemed to be in too many directions. “Not a condition I enjoy being in.”

  “I have to say, I am, too,” Dan Kessler agreed with her. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say we had a brand new arson gang working here, each member with his own recipe.”

  “It seems that way, doesn’t it? So many different accelerants, each with different flashpoints.” She raked her fingers through her hair in frustration. “You’ve pulled in every arsonist you’ve got in your files, and you said none of them had even a tiny bit of knowledge about it. Neither did any of your sources. Are you sure about that? Not even one made you suspicious of them?”

  “I wish.”

  “We’ve talked to all the owners, or at least their representatives. That got us no place fast.” She frowned at him. “Although, didn’t they all seem a little too practiced to you? Too rehearsed?”

  “Sort of. Not enough to trip any warning signals, though.” He sighed. “Different corporations for each one, different corporate reps handling things. No connection we could find.” He glanced over at her. “Maybe we’re just looking for shadows where there aren’t any. Maybe we’ve just got a new firebug in our city whose thing is burning down apartment buildings.”

  “If only.” She was silent for a moment, letting the day’s results process in her brain. “Dan, there’s something here that doesn’t pass the smell test, and I’m not talking about the debris at the burn sites. I gave the lab all the new samples we collected the other day and asked them to do another full analysis. I took more pictures with my cell, too.”

  “You went back there without me?” He gave her a disapproving look. “We’re partners, Randi. We do things together.”

  “You were busy, and I wanted to get this done. No biggie.”

  “What if the arsonist saw you and decided you were too big a risk to him? That you were getting too nosy? That he needed to do something about you?”

  “Aren’t you being a little melodramatic?” she asked. “All anyone would see is me doing my job.”

  “Maybe a little too thoroughly,” he pointed out.

  She flapped a hand at him. “I was very careful and paid attention to my surroundings. Anyway, I haven’t had a chance to download those pictures yet. Tonight, when I get home, I’m going to print them out on my laptop and set up a new diagram board.”

  “Don’t you think you ought it give it a rest tonight? You’ve had a hard day after a hard week. Give yourself a break. We could turn out to get really lucky here and it’s all a big coincidence.”

  “I don’t believe in coincidence much. We’ll see.”

  “Truth to tell, I’m about ready to leave it an open file for the moment. We don’t have a trace of the arsonist, and the chemicals are a mishmash. We’ll never get whoever this is.”

  “Yes, we will.” She folded her arms. What was with him? The most recent fire was barely more than a week behind them, so how could this not be an active case? “Is there something about this that you aren’t telling me, Dan? We’ve worked together so well for two years. I’ve never seen you ready to close a case this early before.”

  He rubbed his jaw. “I’m not saying close it for sure now. Just maybe try to keep an eye on other possible targets.” He sighed. “Randi, we have nothing here. The chemical trace is such a jumble we can’t even find a pattern. No one on the streets has a clue about who this could be. And these are old buildings without the safeguards current ones have. It’s a recipe for disaster, period. We’re working with an empty slate.”

  “You can close the case if you want to.” She gave him a hard look. “But I never give up.”

  “Maybe we can figure another angle to come at it from because, Randi? Right now, we have less than nothing.”

  “So far,” she snapped. “We’ll see what happens. You’re right about one thing. We’ve been over this stuff so often I can see it in my sleep.”

  “That’s why I’m saying maybe it’s time to take a step back. Just for the moment. Sometimes you need to take a step back to see what the situation really is.”

  “You do what you want.” She tried to control her irritation. “I’m still hard at it.”

  Did he have an ulterior motive for backing off? No, not Dan. He was a square shooter all the way.

  Dan pulled to the curb and turned off the engine. “Sure you’re up for a party?”

  “I really ought to just go home and tuck myself into bed with a glass of wine and a good book.” Randi climbed out of Dan’s car and blew out a breath. “I’m exhausted, and I think I smell like every kind of accelerant made.”

  Dan laughed and took her elbow, steering her across the sidewalk to the door of Jeff Nagle’s townhouse.

  “Wouldn’t you feel a lot better if you jumped into bed with a hot hunk?” he teased.

  “Are you applying for the job?” she joked back.

  “I would if I thought I had a chance of being accepted.” He stopped on the sidewalk and turned her to face him, the look he had totally serious. “I think we’d be good together, Randi. I have plans for the future, and I’d love it if they could include you.”

  She sighed and found a smile somewhere inside. “We’ve been over this before, Dan. We make a great professional team. I’d hate to ruin that with meaningless sex.”

  His laugh was slightly tinged with sarcasm. “I’d like to think sex with me is never meaningless.”

  She jabbed him in the ribs. “You know what I mean. We’re good friends and partners, Dan. I’d drive you crazy if we got together personally.” She wrinkled her forehead. “What plans?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You said you have big plans.”

  He shrugged. “You know. The usual. Marriage. Two point five kids.” He grinned. “Typical ten thousand square foot house.”

  “Now I know you’re kidding. Come on. Let’s go inside.”

  They walked up the two steps to the little stoop, and she rang the bell. The door opened, and she came face to face with Noah. It was hard to say which of them was more stunned.

  Of course. The perfect end to the perfect day.

  She wasn’t aware they were just standing there, staring at each other, until Dan nudged her forward.

  “Think it’s okay for us to go in?” he joked. “Or you can just let me by and go back to gawking at each other. Or ogling. Or whatever the hell you two were doing.”

  The edge in Dan’s voice pierced Randi’s consciousness, and she took a step forward. Noah moved back just enough for Dan to get by her then closed the door but didn’t move away.

  “Jeff didn’t mention you’d be here,” he said in a raspy voice.

  “He didn’t tell me about you, either.”

  “Fool me once, shame on me.” She was only partially joking. “Fool me twice, shame on me.”

  She should move, but her feet seemed glued to the floor and her gaze locked with Noah’s.

  “I’m not fooling, Randi. Not a bit.”

  She had no idea how long they would have stood there like that except Dan returned carrying two bottles of beer. He nudged her and held one out to her.

  “Jeff said it’s okay for you to come in and play with the rest of the kids,” he joked. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, Randi?” His voice had a tiny edge to it that puzzled her. “I assume he is a friend?”

  Noah held out his hand. “Noah Cutler. And you would be?”

  “Dan Kessler. Randi’s…partner.”

  Randi thought she might choke from all the testosterone floating around her. And what was with that little emphasis Dan put on the word partner? Th
at’s what they were. It was all they were. She thought she’d made that clear enough and that Dan was fine with that. She grabbed the bottle Dan held out to her. Yup, she really needed a drink. Lifting the beer, she took a long swallow. Then she looked at Noah and Dan glaring at each other.

  Okay, enough of that.

  “I’m going to say hello to Jeff,” she told them, “and ask him why he keeps secrets from me. Play nice in the sandbox, you two.”

  She found Jeff out on the patio, in the middle of a group of people.

  “Hey!” He grinned when he saw her. “Glad you made it.”

  She gave him a one-armed hug and whispered in his ear, “Did you deliberately not tell me someone in particular was coming?”

  He lowered his voice and put his mouth close to her ear. “Would you have come if I’d told you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Well, then. Maybe it’s time the two of you talked over old times.”

  “We have nothing to talk about,” she insisted. “You can bet I’ll get you back for this.”

  She moved away from him, nodding and smiling at people she knew. She visited with acquaintances she hadn’t seen for some time, helping herself now and then to some of the snack foods Jeff had put out. Three televisions were tuned to the game, a big screen in the living room, a countertop in the kitchen, and one out on the patio. Jeff sure liked his television, she thought.

  It was easy enough to avoid serious conversation, what with everyone cheering or booing the game. She could smile, utter a few pleasant phrases, and look like she was enjoying the party. Wherever she was, she was acutely aware of Noah’s presence and his gaze on her. Finally, she stepped off the patio onto the lawn and wandered toward the back of the small yard. A large, mature crepe myrtle dominated one corner, and the moon sitting high in the sky cast silvery beams of light on it. Randi walked over to stand near it, hoping some of the serenity of the beauty would wash off onto her.

  What on earth was going on with the men in her life? Jeff surprising her, Noah acting like he was sorry they had ended things, and Dan trying to push the envelope of their partnership again? Not to mention the very hinky nature of the arson investigation.

  What was up with that, anyway? Every accelerant was different, every burn pattern. The only thing they all had in common was an ILS to create the quickest flashpoint. She was still chewing over the fact there was something screwy and she had no idea what it could be when a hand tapped her shoulder. She nearly jumped a foot and almost lost her beer bottle.

  “I didn’t mean to startle you like that.” Noah’s voice was deep and warm in her ear.

  “Then don’t sneak up on me.”

  She was afraid to turn around and look at him. Even after all this time, just the sight of him made her pulse points throb, moisture flood her panties, and her nipples ache for the touch of his fingers and his mouth. She had worked so hard to get over him, to put the pain of that last night behind her. She’d been so certain she was successful, but who was she kidding? The moment she saw him the other night, all the old feelings came rushing to the surface.

  I am a glutton for punishment. Will I never learn?

  He gently nudged her to turn and face him. When she did, slowly, he took the bottle from her and set it on the ground. Then he cupped her face in his warm hands.

  “I am the stupidest fucking man in the entire world.”

  She shook her head. “You said that the other night. Or words to that effect.”

  “And I’ll keep saying them again and again, as many times as I have to in order to get you to hear me.”

  “And if I don’t?” she asked.

  “I’m never giving up, Randi. Take that to the bank.”

  He looked so intently into her eyes she was sure he could see clear to the inside of her soul. She drank in the sight of him, the deep brown irises flecked with gold, the late day scruff that accentuated his jawline and looked so sexy on him. The chocolate silk of his hair, still just below his collar the way he’d always worn it. She drew in a breath, inhaling the outdoor scent of his cologne that had always appealed to her, and waited to see what he’d do next.

  Very slowly, as if giving her the chance to stop him, he pressed his lips to hers. His were just as warm as she remembered, and softer than she expected. At first, the contact was light, a gentle brush that still ignited all her nerve endings. She felt his warm breath on her face as he held them in that position, just the lightest of contacts. Then his tongue, that very clever tongue she’d never been able to forget, licked a soft line along the seam of her lips, just once each way. As if she’d just been waiting for that, she opened her mouth and that clever tongue swept in.

  Oh god!

  The touch of it was so familiar, the wet heat of it as Noah tasted every inch of the inside of her mouth. She brought her own tongue into play, dancing with his in an erotic rhythm that sent shafts of desire through her body. He held her head firmly in place, taking his time with the leisurely exploration. When he lifted his head, a little moan drifted from her mouth. She wanted more. Much more. That soft kiss wasn’t nearly enough, as the hunger she’d suppressed for six long years came surging back like a tidal wave.

  “I’ve never been able to get you out of my mind.” His voice had a raspy sound to it, thick with emotion. “God knows I wanted to, but Jesus, Randi. I think you’re in my blood.” He brushed his lips lightly over hers again. “I’ve regretted the things I said that night and the way it all ended more than I can ever tell you.”

  She stared into his eyes, searching for the truth of the matter.

  “You hurt me, Noah. More than I can tell you. It still hurts that after everything we were to each other, you could treat me the way you did. Say the things you did.”

  Pain slashed across his face. “I was an arrogant, conceited know-it-all who thought I could make decisions for both of us.”

  “You wanted me to drop everything and run off with you on your exciting new job without even one opportunity awaiting me,” she reminded him.

  “I was an ass,” he agreed. “But the other part? About moving from EMT to firefighter? Randi, I loved you so much it hurt, and I was scared shitless for you to put yourself in danger.”

  “I hear you,” she told him. “But we could have worked through it together. You just wanted to take the decision out of my hands.”

  He stroked her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb. “Because I was scared to death something would happen and I’d lose you.”

  She sighed. “But you knew this was something I’d wanted all my life. I just—”

  He pressed the tip of one finger to her lips. “Ssh. Enough. I want another chance with you. All the success in the world means nothing to me without you. I learned that the hard way.” He locked his gaze with hers, staring intently into her eyes as if trying to read what was going on deep inside her. “Can you give me another chance, Randi? Please?”

  God, she wanted to so badly, but she was afraid to trust what he said.

  “Please?” he asked again, and she heard the deep emotion in his voice.

  She closed her eyes, trying to sort through all the crazy emotions assaulting her.

  “Randi, you about ready to go?”

  Dan Kessler’s voice startled her into awareness of where she was and what she was doing. She blinked, trying to kick start her brain again. When she looked over Noah’s shoulder, she saw Dan standing there, impatience and irritation in every line of his posture.

  “Um,” was all she could manage.

  Noah tensed, but he did not drop his hands from her face. Instead, he stared intently at her as if searching for answers or maybe sending her a message.

  “Come on.” Dan sounded impatient. “Don’t forget, we need to pick up your car.”

  “Where’s your car?” Noah asked.

  “I, uh, left it at the firehouse. Dan picked me up when we went to check the fire sites again. It was easier just to come r
ight here when we were finished.”

  “I’ll take you to get your car,” he told her in a soft voice. “Or I can take you home and we can pick it up in the morning.” He paused. “Your choice.”

  “Randi?” Dan’s voice nudged at her.

  “I’m fine, Dan. You go on. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

  “Are you sure?” he persisted. “I can wait if you aren’t ready to leave yet.”

  “She told you she’s good,” Noah said, an edge to his voice.

  “He’s right.” Noah’s touch burned against her cheeks. “Thanks for being my caretaker, but Noah will see that I get home okay.”

  For a long moment, it seemed as if Dan wasn’t going to leave.

  “Fine,” he said at last. “Call me first thing in the morning.”

  “Okay.”

  “Do you want to go pick up your car now?” Noah asked.

  “I’ve hardly spent any time here,” she pointed out. “I don’t want to be rude to Jeff.”

  He gave her a heated smile. “I think Jeff has enough company that he won’t miss us. Let me text him and tell him we’re leaving. I can talk to him in the morning.”

  He pulled his cell phone from his jeans pocket, sent Jeff a message, then took Randi’s hand and tugged her toward the walkway leading around the townhouse. Her heart was thumping so hard and fast she was sure he had to hear it. Reservations aside, the anticipation of being with Noah again had every cell in her body on high alert. Already the walls of her pussy were flexing with need, and her breasts demanded to feel his warm hands on them.

  As they rounded the townhouse and headed toward where Noah had parked his rental car, she noticed Dan’s car still parked at the curb.

  “Wait.” She stopped, forcing Noah to stop with her.

  “What?” He studied her face in the streetlight. “Please don’t tell me you’re changing your mind. I’m not sure I could stand it.” His mouth curved in a crooked smile as he placed her hand over his fly. “And neither could he.”

  “No, not changing my mind.” If even her brain told her she should. “It’s just…. That’s Dan’s car, and he’s sitting in it. I wonder why he hasn’t left.”