Survive the Fire

by Diana Duncan

  But she was a pro at flying solo.

  “Even with the rest of the family around, after the memorial service the house seemed empty. Cold. I’d never see my father again. Never smell his spicy aftershave in the bathroom in the mornings. Never hear him belting out naughty limericks.” His voice caught. “Never get another big, warm bear hug.”

  Murphy whimpered from behind Liam. The dog planted his wide paws on the seat back and rested his muzzle on Liam’s right shoulder ... as if he were offering Liam a hug.

  Kate snatched her hand away from the dog.

  Wow. Murphy was cognizant of Liam’s emotions.

  Liam gripped the wheel until his knuckles whitened as he swiftly negotiated traffic. “I wandered out to the garage. I climbed inside the Mustang and sat, clinging to the steering wheel. Then I put the top down, revved her up and drove out of the city. I floored it, let ’er rip. Sped through the countryside for hours. The solid gearshift in my hand, the roar of the engine, and the wind in my face washed away the pain and anger. I—” A long hesitation. “I swear, I could feel Pop sitting beside me, hear him telling me everything would be okay.”

  “Maybe he was there.”

  “I’ve never told anyone about that. It sounds certifiable.”

  “No, I understand completely.”

  He gave her a crooked smile. “Somehow I thought you might.”

  “Did they ever find out what happened to your dad?”

  “Only recently. We just got his remains back and he’s finally been buried.” Another moment of silence, then he sighed. “Long story, for another time.”

  “I’m glad you have the car to keep your father’s spirit alive. I have one painting by my paternal grandmother, who was also an artist. We were very much alike, very close. I was only seven when she died. Somehow, through the painting, her spirit always encourages me.”

  “You do get it.” He shot her a look of wonder. “Whenever I miss Pop, I take this pony out and open her up ... and he’s right beside me.”

  “Which explains why you drove to Vegas instead of flying.”

  “Yes.” He stroked the dog’s muzzle that was snuggled into his shoulder. “And I didn’t want to subject Murph to the cargo hold of a plane.”

  Murphy flopped down on the backseat with a gusty sigh. Kate fidgeted with her camera to hide roiling emotions. Liam’s brush with tragedy had caused him to form strong attachments. He possessed love and loyalty for his family, his dog, and even his car.

  Love and loyalty she’d yearned for her entire life.

  His feelings ran deep and touched the loneliness inside her. Aching to respond, she fought the crazy urge to fling herself into his arms. To comfort and be comforted. To soak in his warm strength and understanding. To lose her flaws in the all-consuming passion her body and soul remembered.

  Doubts assailed her. Though her heart was breaking for him, how did he feel about her? Had the trauma of his father’s murder unsettled him enough to make him cling too tightly ... causing him to stalk her after their intimate encounter?

  She studied his noble profile, his face heavy with sorrow. If she bought into that theory, then she’d have to take the next logical step and surmise he’d also tried to kill her. Did she actually believe that? Could she go that far?

  She shuddered. Could he?

  Liam glanced at her. Frowned. “Are you afraid of me?”

  In so many ways. But not quite the way he meant. “No,” she lied.

  He abruptly jerked the car over to the curb. “No more bluffing, Kate.”

  She blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “Let’s lay our cards on the table. Go all in. Right here. Right now.”

  Chapter 5

  4:00 p.m.

  Kate stared at the determined cop, her thoughts spinning faster than the slot machines at Caesar’s. Confrontation—she avoided it at all costs. Growing up, her sister kept everyone in constant upheaval. Everything was done Janine’s way ... or scream out to the highway. Kate never wanted to behave like that. She craved peace, needed stability. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He snorted. “I won an ass-load of college debate trophies. Don’t try to out-BS a champion BSer.”

  Taut urgency thrummed inside her. “We don’t have time. I need to get to the hospital.”

  “I’ll take you to the hospital. We settle this first. If you don’t trust me, I can’t help you. Can’t protect you. Not trusting me could cost you your life.” He frowned. “Two years ago, you went home with me. Trusted me to be your lover.” He released his seatbelt and turned toward her. “To be your first lover. What is it about me now that makes you look at me with so much fear?”

  She had trusted him. But the way he roiled her feelings wasn’t at all comfortable.

  She pressed her lips together. Her parents continually dismissed her. Her fiancé had been a liar and a cheat. Her sister was incurably selfish. Often frantic. Kate had chosen the polar opposite of Janine’s rants. Especially after losing the use of her hand, she needed a clean, angst-free canvas. She strove to maintain constancy, to achieve quiet blankness inside.

  Liam hurtled her so far out of her comfort zone she was on freaking Pluto. Could that uneasiness cause her to rationalize her anxiety as suspicion of him?

  She looked at his amazing face and was whammied—again—by desire. Ha. Such an innocuous word to describe the tsunami he unleashed inside her.

  Two years ago, convinced she had nothing more to lose except her virginity, she’d gone home with him—thinking she’d enjoy one night with a spectacular lover, then start her exciting new life in Paris.

  Too late, she’d discovered her horrible mistake. She’d been prepared for some physical discomfort. But not the blazing intimacy.

  Not the heart-to-heart connection.

  Not the ultimate bond of soul-to-soul.

  She’d never intended to make herself fatally vulnerable to him.

  Those newly-awakened feelings had ambushed her, too unexpected, too raw. Her startling out-of-control emotions immediately complicated what should’ve been no-strings sex. She’d left him behind, but never managed to banish her intense feelings for him. Now they’d been thrown together again and she was struggling to maintain her precarious balance.

  After destiny had knocked her flat, she’d gotten back up and kept fighting. Reimagined her future, rebuilt her life. She’d survived losing her fiancé, losing the use of her hand, losing her bright shiny hopes. But Liam’s inevitable rejection would be the final blow. Love-’em-and-Leave-’em guys didn’t do complicated ... but nowadays everything about her was complicated.

  And even if he wasn’t a one-night wonder, she was no longer the “perfect” woman he’d looked upon so admiringly. Scarred in body and spirit.

  If she let Liam as deeply, as intimately into her heart as she had her body, he’d have the power to annihilate her.

  Unlike irresistible attraction and unfulfilled longing—unlike wishing for the impossible—suspicion that he was stalking her was manageable.

  Suspicion kept him at a safe distance.

  Kate marshaled her fortitude. Hating confrontation was no excuse to be a wimp. Or lie to herself. She unbuckled her seatbelt to face him head-on. “It’s not you who’s different. It’s me. Perhaps ... I ... I’ve learned to expect betrayal.”

  “I just spilled my guts to you.” Liam’s big hands gently grasped her shoulders. “Four hours ago, I saved your life. I sprung you out of federal custody—at no small hazard to my career. And I got your camera back, which also put my ass on the line. I love my job. Too much to torch it by self-indulgently stalking anyone—much less the woman I ...” He gritted his teeth. “I’ve never betrayed you.”

  Her good hand clenched into a fist. He’d been open, honest, and kind since the moment they’d met. Today, he had jeopardized everything to keep her out of prison. And asked nothing in return. He could’ve kissed her in the parking lot, easily vanquished her every objection. Dissolved her inhibitions.
She would’ve surrendered without him firing a shot.

  As her attention locked on his sexy mouth, he arched a sardonic brow. And dammit, he knew it. Instead, he’d exhibited tungsten self-discipline and stepped back.

  Although many things about Liam confused her, she understood him well enough to realize how tough retreat was for him. Hell, she’d witnessed his adrenaline rush after he’d disarmed the bomb. He reveled in challenges.

  He frowned. “Didn’t our night together prove anything?”

  The past flew up to mock her. Liam’s good-natured teasing in the pub. Him tenderly holding her close in dance after dance. His awed expression as he’d filled her with himself, as if she were uniquely precious. His horrified concern when he’d inadvertently caused her pain.

  His gentle, exquisite lovemaking that had gifted her with the wonders of her own body.

  Shared memories flickered in his gaze. She wasn’t the only one jolting down memory lane. He drew her toward him. His body heat, his pine-forest scent beckoned her closer, until inches separated them. “I don’t know who, or what hurt you,” he whispered in pained bewilderment. “But I swear on my life that I won’t.”

  Kate had forced herself to learn to see life as it was, not as she wished it would be. She stared into his eyes, struggling to distinguish reality from her own self-protective denial. “You’re not stalking me?”

  She expected him to spout angry, indignant protests.

  “I’m not.” His quiet denial recalled his kindness after her failure to disclose her virginity. She’d lied to him by omission, ensnared him in a difficult situation, but he hadn’t hidden his feelings, and hadn’t become angry. Some men would’ve gone ahead and screwed her, no matter how much pain they caused. Liam had given her a clear choice. Then given her unbelievable pleasure.

  At the police station, she’d witnessed his fury at Agent Hanson, but his ire flashed quick and hot as a summer storm and passed as rapidly. The opposite of someone who let grudges fester long-term.

  His grip gentled. “I’ve never clung too tightly to anyone or anything.”

  Kate pressed her pounding temples. Right. A man opposed to commitment wouldn’t stalk a woman. Leaving was what they did best.

  Two years ago, all her instincts told her she could trust the handsome SWAT cop. After being held in his arms again today, the feeling was even stronger.

  Battered by conflicted emotions, she glanced at him through the buffer of her lashes. “Everything is just so confusing.”

  He frowned. “Do you believe Alex is a straight shooter?”

  “Yes. He came across as a man dedicated to justice, sincerely concerned about me, and very gallant.”

  Liam’s jaw tightened. “Your instincts are on-target.” He tugged out his cell phone, hit a speed-dial button, then handed it to her. “Alex and I have known each other since we were thirteen. Ask him anything you want about me.”

  She accepted the phone.

  Alex assured her Liam was a reliable, decorated police officer with an exemplary record, and would guard her with his life. He also verified Liam had been in the United States while she’d been stalked in Europe. She hung up and passed the phone back. “I didn’t mean hurt your feelings. Sorry.”

  Liam exhaled hard. “No, I’m sorry, Kate. You have every right to protect yourself.” He shook his head. “Believe it or not, I rarely get frustrated or angry. I’m not making excuses for behaving like an ass-wipe, but it’s been ... a day.”

  “Understatement of the millennium. And you’re not behaving like an ass-wipe. Far from it. I’m just struggling to figure out the truth.”

  He smoothed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his gaze holding hers captive. “Here’s the truth. I’m responsible for protecting you. I’ll give my last breath to do so.”

  She gulped. Being stalked by a bomber was—weirdly—less frightening than their crackling chemistry. She’d rather a quick exit than suffer lingering pain of amputated dreams.

  Been there, done that. Donated her painting supplies to a children’s art school.

  Get real.

  Keeping her safe was Liam’s job ... and he was devoted to his job. She was nothing more to him than another duty. Couldn’t be more.

  Fear battered her protective shield. Liam might be able to save her life, but he couldn’t save her from her overwhelming craving for him. The fact that he didn’t push about her disability, but seemed more concerned over her inner scars made him even more alluring.

  If he wasn’t her stalker, it relieved a threat to her physical safety. And tripled the threat to her heart.

  * * *

  Liam warily watched Kate’s silent battle. She’d erected a frozen fortress that no Vegas heat wave could melt, but her vulnerable expression revealed far more than she knew.

  The idea that she thought he could stalk her ... hurt her ... killed him.

  The impulse to confide in her about Pop had ambushed him—treacherous as a hidden minefield. And once he’d stepped in it, he was committed to moving forward.

  He grimaced. All these years he’d managed to hide his pain from those who knew him best. After Pop’s murder, Liam’s self-assigned duty was cheering up his loved ones. Reviving shattered spirits. Keeping hope alive. The last thing his family needed was the burden of his personal angst. His irrepressible humor had been his saving grace ... and theirs.

  Perhaps his spontaneous unload and the call to Alex would encourage Kate to at least take steps toward trust. She had to trust him. Had to obey him without question. Or they could both die.

  Alex claimed Interpol blamed the bombings on Les Hommes de la Mort, a ruthless terrorist organization founded by the late, but not lamented Phillipe Marche’. The infamous bomber had terrorized Europe in the late seventies and early eighties before blowing himself up to escape arrest. If Men of Death were involved, Kate was in mortal danger.

  The woman he’d met two years ago had been intuitive, intelligent, and fair-minded. Willing to take a chance on him. At least he’d thought so. But now she wouldn’t even open up enough to talk about her life-changing injury. He studied her face, so still and pale her delicate features might have been chiseled from ice, and a chill crawled down his backbone.

  Had he gambled his future—and Kate’s—on a fantasy?

  Her summer garden scent, so at odds with her cool facade, filled his head, buzzed his senses. He chafed at the delay. As head of Riverside SWAT EOD, he’d been trained to make fast decisions. To ad lib, and get it right. Or people died. For a man used to taking immediate action, who didn’t let anyone else make judgment calls for him, waiting was torture.

  Resignation shadowed her face. “I didn’t mean to seem ungrateful for all you’ve done.” Her lips trembled. “I believe you. Thank you, Liam, for risking your job, risking your life for me.”

  He released a silent sigh. Believing had the lady balancing on a precarious tightrope. She still didn’t fully trust him. Yet. “I’d risk it all again in a hot second.”

  “I don’t understand why,” she whispered.

  “Because, like it or not, you need me.” His fingers tightened on the smooth skin of her bare shoulders with the desire to yank her to him. To wrap his arms around her and kiss her until he banished the sorrow from her wide brown eyes. Until the worry lines around her generous mouth softened and her lips surrendered to his. Until her body relaxed with sated pleasure beneath him. “It’s a gamble I’m willing to take.”

  The tip of Kate’s tongue skated across her lush, pink lower lip. The unconsciously erotic gesture drummed scalding blood through his veins, made him instantly hard. He’d never forgotten her hot, sweet taste. The way she’d trembled with passion in his arms. How perfectly her soft curves welcomed his body, as if she’d been made only for him.

  She pulled back. “We’re through. I need to get to the hospital. Now.”

  Slammed into reality, he commanded himself to release her.

  Short-leash the libido.

  Kate might be Th
e One ... but he didn’t fully trust her either. Yet.

  She’d already run out on him once. Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, and I’m a gullible idiot with kibble for brains.

  He fastened his seat belt. Merged into traffic. After she’d left him, he’d diverted his longing for her by pouring all his time and energy into restoring the Craftsman. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to sell that house, to have nothing left of her except his memories. He’d used many of her spot-on suggestions during the renovation. Had hammered, sanded, and painted to stay grounded.

  What were the odds they’d both be in the pub that long-ago night? That she’d jetted off to Paris while he remained in Oregon, yet they’d met again during a brief time window in Vegas? He didn’t believe in coincidence. Destiny had tossed her back into his life for a reason ... and the scenario was as dicey as juggling live grenades.

  Their past might be history, but it was far from over.

  Murphy woofed from the backseat. Quit sniffing around your female and focus on the job, partner.

  Liam narrowed his eyes. Damn, he hadn’t looked in the rearview mirror for blocks. Several lane changes followed by mirror checks confirmed his idiocy. “We’ve picked up a tail.”

  Kate swiveled. “I’ve been watching. I always watch. I didn’t see anyone.”

  “Gray SUV three cars back. Probably Chuck’s flunkies.” The Fed was a Gila monster. Once he clamped his jaws on something, he didn’t let go until his head got chopped off. However, Liam wasn’t sticking around to find out if their new groupies were Feebs or not.

  “Hold on.” He depressed the clutch and shifted. “Murph, floor.” Murphy jumped to the floor behind the driver’s seat.

  Liam swerved into the right lane, glanced in the mirror. A black Triumph motorcycle broke from the pack, and the leather-clad, dark-helmeted biker zoomed past two cars on the shoulder. A sawed-off shotgun rode at his side.

  “Shit!” That wasn’t the FBI. “Two tails in active pursuit. SUV and a bike. Armed.”