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Chapter 12
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Incendiary Chapter 13
Patrick had hoped to catch Keith before the start of his shift, but he'd barely made it in time. Instead, he'd managed to get a minute with him at the end of the day. He could have left the man a note to wait for him, but he wanted this to appear as casual as possible. So he hung around the locker room waiting for Keith to get off shift and come in to change. He had about given up when the door to the locker room opened."Hey, how's it going?" Keith gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "How's your partner?""Good. He's good.""I had hoped we could ride together," Keith told him, "but the assignments had already been made.""No problem." He fiddled around with his stuff for a moment before closing his locker and standing up. "Say, what's the deal with Kristi Gregory?""The deal?" Keith stopped in the middle of stripping off his uniform. "In what way?" Then a slow grin spread over his face. "Why, you sly dog. You interested in her?""What if I am?" He tried not to sound too defensive.
Incendiary Chapter 14
Kristi sat between Hank O'Korn and Jared as the people on her shift gathered around the big table in the lounge. Captain Stewart stood at the head of the table with a man she recognized as arson investigator Dan Varney. She knew he'd addressed the others late yesterday. Both men had hard, serious expressions on their faces."I'm going to let Dan handle this meeting," Captain Stewart said. "He needs no introduction to all of you, and you're aware he's here because we have a serious problem."Everyone was silent while they waited for Dan to begin. They had all worked the three recent terrible fires, and arson had been on everyone's mind."I'd like to have better news for you," he began, "but, unfortunately, we've determined that these fires were deliberately set. Arson. What we call, as you know, incendiary. They all began on the first floor, in the back, in an empty room. Piles of old cloths and newspapers were used, covered with paint thinner, which is a dangerous incendiary." He looke
Incendiary Chapter 15
Kristi took a sip of beer and leaned back in her chair. She was seated at one of the big round tables at McNally's with several of the guys from her shift plus Patrick, Keith, and two other cops from their precinct. The topic, as it had been for the past few nights, was the rash of fires in their area."Dan Varney's all over this one," Brad Hawkins said.Kenny MacMillan, another firefighter from her shift, nodded."He's one of the best arson investigators in the entire Dallas Fire-Rescue organization. If there's anything to be found, he'll be the one to find it.""He said he's going to have someone taking pictures from now on. He doesn't think this guy is finished at all." Brad shook his head. "Incendiary fires scare all of us. They're all bad, but I've got a feeling this guy is setting them for more than just the thrill. Don't ask me why, I just have that sense."Patrick had his arm draped casually across Kristi's shoulders. Now he tightened it and pulled her closer to him."You
Incendiary Chapter 16
He watched them walk out of McNally's, anger seething through him. Tonight, instead of sitting in a corner, he'd accepted an invitation to join a few of the firemen he knew casually. He wanted to be closer to her and that jackass cop she seemed to be so hung up on. He wondered how she'd feel if someone ran over the man, or better yet, burned his house down. Of course, that wouldn't work since he lived in an apartment, but the idea was intriguing.The talk everywhere was of the fires, the confirmation that they were the work of an arsonist and that whoever it was, wasn't finished. Damn straight, he wanted to shout. How about telling everyone how smart I am? How clever.Did Kristi think he was smart? Did she admire his ingenuity? He wished he could ask her. But, right now, it had to be enough for him to admire her from a distance. He itched to stroke his fingers through the golden strands of her hair. To strip her naked so he could skim his hands over her tempting curves and run his to
Incendiary Chapter 17
Kristi rose to her feet and yanked her sweater over her head, dropping it in the pile with Patrick's stuff. She toed off her shoes and got rid of the jeans. Then she stood there for a moment in her hot-pink lace bra and the teeny weenie thong she'd worn on purpose. Patrick had told her he loved her sexy underwear the first time he'd seen it, so whenever she wasn't working, she made sure to put it on.He focused his gaze on her, eyes widening, heat dancing in them. When he licked his lips, every erogenous zone pounded with need. She'd been aroused since the moment they'd left McNally's, and she'd thought about what she wanted to do to him. Now she stood there while he lay back on the pillows, his eyes feasting on her, his hands clenching as if they were squeezing parts of her body."Take off your bra," he ordered. "Toss it to the side.She reached behind her and unclasped it, slid the straps down her arms then bent forward and gave a little wiggle, setting her breasts to swaying. One
Incendiary Chapter 18
"Want to see how much I liked it?" Patrick eased his fingers from her and, one at a time, licked them clean of her juices.Kristi sighed, leaned forward, and kissed him. She could taste the faint flavor of herself on his lips, and it was one of the most erotic sensations ever. Lying on him like this, her breasts flattened against the hard wall of his chest, she struggled to catch her breath again. She was stunned when Patrick eased her forward a little, reached out an arm to the nightstand drawer, and grabbed one of the condoms he kept there. She braced herself and looked down at him, astonished."I can't believe it," she breathed. "I thought you were done for.""Believe it," he grinned."You're insatiable," she teased."Where you're concerned," he agreed. "It's what you do to me. I think, with you, I'm always ready. Now help me a little here and get up on your knees."She felt a thrill of satisfaction and a sense of power that she could do this to him, and, shockingly, she found
Incendiary Chapter 19
Four days off had given Kristi a chance to rest, although, when Patrick was around, she didn't do much resting. It seemed the more time they spent together, the more intense their physical attraction and the stronger whatever bond it was formed between them. For the next week, whenever she was off and he could make it, they were together. She discovered he liked to cook and, sometimes, enjoyed making something special for her. She was totally unused to being catered to by the man in her life. She had to stop herself from being suspicious and waiting for the other shoe to drop.Sometimes, when she was on shift but between calls, she found herself sitting in the lounge with her mind wandering, questioning everything about the relationship with him. She was always waiting for the unexpected to happen, and not in a good way. Why couldn't she just get past this?"He's different," she kept reminding herself. "Don't ruin it with what was. Think of what is and what can be."This morning, Da
Incendiary Chapter 20
They had just settled around the big table with cups of coffee, discussing the menu for dinner, when the speaker blared again. This one called for every piece of equipment they had and on the double."I have a sick feeling about this," Stan said as he pulled on his turnout gear."Me, too." Kristi took one moment to make sure Jared had stocked the ambo with extra supplies before they rolled out right behind the ladder truck.Three blocks away, they could see it was indeed a bad one. It was another abandoned apartment building, scheduled for demolition, and the black clouds spread for several blocks. Two blocks away, they could see the flames shooting up in the air. That was a good indication the building was fully involved, and at its most dangerous for the men who had to clear it. Because, abandoned or not, there would still be squatters, just like at the others.The scene was utter chaos. The battalion chief, the incident commander, was already there, making sure all protocols wer
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