As I walked out of the building, I made a conference call with all the workers on this project, and they all said the same thing: the room on the second floor suddenly went up in flames. I ended the call with the assistant foreman and called the buyers of the building. I assured them the situation was being taken care of and that work would resume in a few weeks. Yet questions swam through my mind until my head started to ache.
Is someone trying to kill Joe? What would anyone gain from killing him? Does he have enemies that I don’t know about? Why didn’t the fire spread to other parts of the building? Am I over thinking this? Is someone trying to ruin me?
“You have been so quiet,” Ward said once I got into the car and we were on the way to the police station.
“I think someone is trying to ruin me,” I said, still trying to think of who would sink this low. This seemed to be even a low point for Rebecca Rice, and she was cold-blooded. “That fire was arson, and something doesn’t add up. I checked all the electrical units, and it didn’t seem that the fire was a result of an electrical error.”
“No, it’s not adding up at all, Mira. It definitely sounds like arson. The question is who would do this?”
“I can’t think of anyone who would hate me so much, except Rebecca,” I replied.
“But she wouldn’t risk her reputation and freedom to do something like this,” Ward said, though he didn’t sound as confident as he did about most things. “Heck, it could be a domestic terrorist with all that’s been going on in the United States lately,” he theorized.
“Let’s just hope the police have an idea,” I said as Ward parked the car in the police station’s parking lot.
We made our way into the building, and a bald-headed middle-aged cop directed us to Detective Jones’ office.
“Hello, Miss McBride and Mr. Levine,” Detective Jones said as we entered. “You may sit down.”
We sat down in the two chairs in front of the desk. A few moments later, the door opened, and Detective Murray joined us.
“How’s Mr. Joe doing?” Detective Jones asked.
"He's still in a coma, the doctors say he should be out of it in a few days…or weeks."
“What time do your workers report at the site each morning?” Detective Murray asked.
“Joe is my foreman, and he comes in at 7.30 a.m. promptly every morning, but the other staff doesn’t come until 8 a.m.,” I replied.
“Where were you between the hours of 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. this morning?” Detective Jones asked.
“I was in the office at my desk at 5 a.m. By 7 a.m., I was already on another of our building sites, which happens to be Mr. Levine’s project,” I said, hoping they didn’t think I’d burn down one of my own sites with my man in the building. “You can check the camera in my office, and also talk to my secretary and the other staff at Mr. Levine’s site. They can verify what I’m telling you,” I assured him.
“Mr. Levine, what time did you get to the site?” Detective Murray asked.
“7.30 a.m.,” Ward said curtly. “Do you think Mira would burn down her own building?”
“These are routine questions we ask in situations like this,” Detective Murray explained after he and Detective Jones made brief eye contact.
“My men and I checked the building and discovered someone connected a gas pipe into the room that exploded. It seems Mr. Joe discovered this and was about to raise the alarm when the room went up in flames. We found a gas hose at the back of the building.”
“My God. Who would do this? Did you find any DNA on the gas pipe?” I asked.
“It came back clean,” Detective Murray said. “Whoever did it must have been a professional.”
“Do you have any enemies? Anyone upset enough to do this to you?” Detective Jones asked.
“Honestly, no solid names come to mind, but Rebecca Rice and I have had a cat and dog relationship over the years. We exchanged a few words recently, but I still don’t think she would do this,” I said though a small part of me wondered if she would stoop this low.
Did finding out about Ward and me make her snap? Having him come to his front door with the scent of another woman lingering on his lips could do something to a woman. And then to have him push her away like that may have sent her over the edge.
“Rebecca Rice? The same one that works in community planning?” Detective Jones’ deep voice boomed with skepticism.
“Yes, her,” I said.
The Detectives both wrote down something on their little notepads. “We will contact her and ask her a few questions,” Detective Jones said. “But it’s unlikely that she did this. We’d like to speak with all your staff, both those on your payroll and those freelancing.”
I nodded. “Fine with me.”
“We would also speak to the people who were scheduled to work that morning, but, for now, it would be great if none of them goes to the building site until we are done with our investigations,” Detective Jones added.
“Alright,” I replied.
“You should also be careful, Miss McBride,” Detective Murray said. “If someone would do this to one of your building sites, we’re not sure what we have on our hands.”
“I will be careful,” I said to the detective. His cautionary statement alarmed me even more than I already was.
Ward helped me out of my chair, taking my hand in his as we walked out of the police station. I racked my brain, trying to think of who would do this, and it all kept coming back to one person.
Chapter Fourteen
Ward
It was past 11 p.m. when Mira and I came back to my house. She wanted to spend the night sitting by Joe’s bedside, but she would only stress herself and make herself sick if she didn’t rest. So I drove her to her apartment to pack an overnight bag, and we stopped at a local restaurant to have dinner. She was exhausted and yet still going strong.
"About Rebecca..." I started.
"I don't want to talk about her," she interjected. "Are you still seeing her, or do you have feelings for her?"
"No, none," I replied.
"That's all I need to know," she said. "Ward, no more secrets. You could have told me about your past relationship with her when her name first came up. That would have squashed all of this."
"I just got on your good side, Mira. Do you know how hard that is?”
She laughed. “I know, but still no more secrets," she replied.
“You have my word, baby.”
She smiled. “Thank you. That’s all I want,” Mira said and began to yawn.
“Come on. Let’s get in bed,” I said, taking her hand.
“Don’t hold your breath. I’ll stay in the guestroom,” she countered.
“Mira, you’re sleeping in my bed. I’m going to hold you and comfort you tonight, and that’s not negotiable, baby.” I tried not to sound desperate for her, but the thought of her being under the same roof, yet inaccessible to me, had me on edge.
“Ward, I have had a long day. I can’t add any more emotions to it.” She smiled wearily. “All I want to do right now is sleep.”
“You’ll get the best night’s sleep ever. I promise you that,” I said, biting down on my bottom lip.
“In the guest bedroom,” she asserted.
After a few more minutes of going back and forth with her about where she would sleep, I digressed. I carried her bag into the guestroom, and she followed close behind me. I pulled her into an embrace once we were at the edge of the bed.
“Do you need me to get you anything so that you will be comfortable?” I asked.
"No, all I need is the bed and a pillow, and I’ll be out like a light in no time," she said with a smile.
“Well, I guess it’s goodnight,” I said, laying a feather kiss on her soft lips. I breathed in her scent and felt her warm skin against mine.
“Goodnight Ward.” She watched as I backed away from her, leaving the room even though I wanted her in my arms.
I took a shower and went to bed, naked. I didn
’t like wearing pajamas, and since Mira was in the guestroom, there was no reason to wear anything to bed. It took me a while to get to sleep. I was picturing her face and wondering if she was alright. Her being under the same roof, yet so far away from me, made me realize I cared about her very much, and it would hurt me to lose her. This feeling was foreign to me, and the thought of something happening to her was enough to drive me crazy. I didn’t slowly fall for Mira. I freefell into love, and I didn’t feel suffocated by it.
I didn’t know when I fell asleep, but I was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of running water. At first, I thought I had left the shower on, but I indeed turned it off. I made my way into the bathroom, and the scent of lemon and jasmine hit me from the doorway. Mira was in my bathroom, shampooing her hair, and she looked startled when she saw me.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t get the hot water to come on in my bathroom, and I wanted to have a warm shower,” she said.
I was speechless. She looked breathtaking. But I reluctantly dragged my gaze to her face.
"You…are naked," she said.
I glanced down at myself. “I don’t wear pajamas to bed,” I told her.
She turned her back to me in an attempt to cover up her naked front.
I groaned at her round and sexy buttocks.
She turned off the shower and grabbed a towel and tied it around her body quickly.
“It’s colder in the guest bedroom too. I had to rummage around to find an extra blanket,” she said as she dried her hair with another towel.
“You can sleep in here tonight, and I’ll get the heaters fixed tomorrow,” I said, and my tone was both hopeful and excited.
“Okay, I hate to be cold,” she said.
“As long as you’re with me, you don’t have to be. I’ll keep you warm,” I told her.
She smiled as she removed the towel and slid under the covers. I slid under the covers too, and an awkward silence grew between us. I wanted to honor her wishes of not being intimate tonight, but I didn’t know how long I could resist. She reached for my hand and put it on her soft, succulent breasts.
"Make me feel good," she said.
“Mira, baby.” My voice was thick with lust. My body burned with desire for her, but I controlled myself. “You should rest because, once I get started, the sun may be coming up before I finish with you.”
“Ward, just make love to me. And I want you to take the lead," she said softly, her voice tender and with need.
My heart tightened in my chest at the sound of her plea. I loved her. The thought flew across my mind, and a certain calmness filled my body. God, I do love her. I had never felt this way about anyone before. Did she feel the same way about me?
I placed my hand under her chin and tilted her head backward. My lips found hers, and I sucked on her tongue. I placed my hands on the sides of her face, and tears brimmed in my eyes. Fuck, I am in love. I’ve finally met my match.
So this was what it felt like to finally find the one.
My heart pounded heavily in my chest as she looked into my eyes.
"Are you okay?"
"Mira..." I wanted to tell her that I loved her, but she pressed her lips to mine. Her fingers slid into my hair as she slipped her tongue into my mouth. We kissed passionately, our hands exploring each other's body. I wrapped my arms around her and held her.
"I know you are worried about me getting attached, but I will be fine. I know what I’m doing," she said, not understanding I was the one who was falling.
I wanted to tell her this… us… it meant something. But I couldn't. Her words from our first date “It means nothing to me, and it never will” stilled my admission and kept the words from rolling off my tongue.
So I kissed her, and she kissed me back, matching fire with fire. I traced the contours of her lips with my tongue, and my tongue delved back into her mouth, licking the roof of her mouth before I glided it gently along the ridges of her teeth. She trembled and rubbed her hard peaks against my chest. I felt warmth flow from my spine down to the sole of my feet. I kissed her collarbones, her breasts and trailed kisses down to the plane of her stomach. My fingers slipped between her legs, teasing her moist pussy folds until she cried out my name. I loved the way my name rolled off her tongue, and she moaned out when I shoved two fingers deep inside her. My fingers found her sweet spot, and I rubbed the tip of them on it in a circular motion. She blinked back the tears in her eyes and groaned. I slid my fingers out of her and twirled my finger on her clit, and her legs trembled. She started to make a deep, whining sound at the back of her throat as sensations coiled around her body.
She pulled away from me and straddled me. She placed her palms on my chest and kissed my jaw and my face. She tweaked my nipples, causing me to moan out. She licked my nipples, trailing her wet tongue down to my navel and pre-cum shot out of my shaft. I cried out when she moved lower and her mouth closed around the tip of my cock. She sucked me into her mouth and started to bob her head up and down as she pleasured me. Her fingers caressed, teased, and pleasured my balls. I felt my orgasm building. I gently slid my shaft out of her mouth and placed her on her back.
I pushed my face into her pussy and licked the entire soft, juicy length and slurped on it. I spread her wet folds with my fingers and stuck my tongue into her, and she combed her fingers through my hair, caressing my scalp.
I began to pleasure her with my tongue, licking her clit, and thrusting my tongue into her. I shoved two fingers into her again. I felt her pussy walls tighten around my fingers, and her hips arched upward as she whimpered and her orgasm erupted. I wedged my knees between her legs and drove into her. It felt wonderful being surrounded by her warmth. She looked into my eyes as I started to move in and out of her. She bucked her hips, raking her fingers down my back. I flicked my tongue on her nipples and squeezed the sides of her breasts, and she cried out in ecstasy. Her orgasm was about to explode, so I started to thrust faster and deeper until she had her release.
“I’m on the pill,” she said. "I want you to come inside me!"
I grabbed her waist with my hands, slamming in and out of her until my semen flooded her pussy walls.
I slid out of her and lay beside her on the bed.
“That was amazing," she whined.
“It was for me too,” I replied. “Everything about you is amazing. I’ll ask you one more time, and this time I mean it to my core. Can I keep you?”
She smiled. Not a humorous smile, but the kind one gives a person when their world is tilting on its axis. The kind with which the sparkle stars, moons, and planets are made of. Was I being poetic? Damn, who’s in my head?
"Ward...remember the lyrics to Nat King Cole's ‘When I Fall in Love?’" she asked as she looked into my eyes.
"Every word," I replied, staring right back at her.
"I’m that girl that wants forever. Are you ready for that?"
"For you? I’m ready, baby."
She rolled onto her side and kissed me.
"My heart belongs to you, Ward," she said in a serious tone. “Don’t break it.”
I placed my arms around her and kissed the tip of her nose. I felt like I’d just won a million bucks. “Never,” I made the first promise I ever made to a woman, and I meant that single word with everything in me.
"Goodnight, Ward," she said and finally drifted off to sleep.
“Goodnight, my angel.”
I lay awake, looking at her luscious silhouette in the darkness of the room until sleep overtook me.
Chapter Fifteen
Mira
Ward woke me up with kisses and breakfast in bed. We shared the breakfast, and he went into the bathroom to take a shower while I placed a call to Detective Jones.
“Good morning, Detective Jones. This is Mira McBride.”
“Miss McBride, you called at the right time. My partner and I just got to your firm,” he said, sounding upbeat.
“Okay, have you spoken with Rebecca Rice?” I asked.
“Okay, I’ll be in the office in a few minutes,” I said, relieved it wasn’t Rebecca, but at the same time anxious over someone else being out to destroy me.
“Okay, can we go ahead and talk to your staff?” he asked.
“Of course,” I replied, and the call disconnected.
Ward walked into the room naked, and I forced myself not to look at his body.
“Please, put some clothes on,” I said.
“So now that you’ve eaten my breakfast, you want me to get dressed?” He looked incredulous but sauntered to his wardrobe.
I giggled. “The breakfast was good,” I teased him.
“Well, lucky for you, I have a meeting this morning and clothes are necessary. Can I pick you up for lunch?” he asked.
“No, Detective Jones and his partner are already at the office. When I am done there, I’m going to the hospital to be with Joe,” I said.
“Joe’s a lucky guy to have you by his side,” Ward said, and his lips curved into a smile.
“I just hate that this happened to him. I know I’m not, but I can’t help but feel responsible,” I admitted.
“You’re in no way responsible. The real culprit can run, but they can’t hide forever,” Ward said confidently. “We will find out who did this.”
“They say Rebecca has a solid alibi?” I informed him.
“She might be mean, but she’s not evil.” He sounded as relieved as I was that she wasn’t the arsonist. “She wouldn’t do something like this. She doesn’t have the guts for it, and she hates to cross paths with the law.”
"Well, the detectives are doing their job. They’ll get the person responsible and make him or her pay for their crimes." I stood up and went into the bathroom to shower.
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