But she always won. She took out his prey, burning so brightly, charring the flesh of his victims and sending the guilty to hell.
He stared down at the swirling lights. The running firemen.
Lora.
And Lora—she stared right back. A woman who knew the touch of fire better than she knew a lover’s touch.
When he closed his eyes, he could still hear Lora’s screams. She’d tried so hard to save her lover. Gone right back into the flames with him.
The others had run out, but she’d run in. And then dragged out a body.
The screams had come, when she couldn’t get the man to breathe. The choked sobs that wouldn’t stop.
Even when they hauled the body away. Poor Lora.
She looked so lovely by firelight.
“I want in that building,” Kenton growled. “I need to check the scene.”
They were back at Mickey’s. Three hours had passed since the flames had eaten their way through the walls and the roof of 419 Byron Street. The fire was out. All of the old houses near the fire scene had been thoroughly searched.
No sign of their pyro.
Lora turned off her car. “Tomorrow—” She broke off, shaking her head. What time was it? “Today, the arson team will go in first. But we should be able to get in maybe around two or three.” Once Seth and his guys had given the all-clear.
“I’ll go in with the team.” The scent of smoke clung to Kenton, filling the interior of her car. “And you’ll go with me.”
“Seth isn’t gonna like that.” The guy was more than territorial.
“Screw what he likes. From here on out, this is my show.”
Another man with a territory complex. “Have it your way, Special Agent.”
He turned on her, fast, and Lora realized that her car was way too small for the two of them.
“Keep it up, Spade. Keep pushing.”
’Cause, yeah, that’s what she was doing. Pushing. Sparring. So what? That was the way she worked.
“I’m calling my boss when dawn hits,” he said. Dawn wasn’t far away. She could already see the pink hues lighting the sky in the distance. “I’m getting a profiler down here. I’m going to rip apart every case the arson unit has worked on—and I’m going to make damn sure we haven’t missed another one of this guy’s hits.”
Now that was what she’d been hoping to hear. “Good.”
“If I’m right about this perp, and he’s been watching the scenes, then he’s seen you, Lora. He knows every man on your team. A guy like this—he wouldn’t take chances. He’d know you all.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. Because it hit too close to the weird feelings she’d had lately. Watching.
“Are you ready for what’s going to come? When we go after him, this guy won’t go down easy.”
A brittle laugh broke from her lips. “Trust me, things haven’t been easy so far.”
The streetlight spilled into the car, and she saw his gaze drop to her mouth. “No.” His hand came up and cupped her chin.
“Kent…” He shouldn’t do this. She shouldn’t. Bad idea. She’d already told him this. But her heart drummed too fast, and her gut clenched.
“I like the way you say my name.” Those sexy dimples flashed. “You’re the only woman who’s ever called me Kent, and when you say it, your voice goes soft and husky.”
His head came closer.
She sucked in a breath, tasted him and smoke, and put both her hands against his chest. Lora tried real hard not to notice how good he felt beneath her hands. How hard.
She failed.
“Lora…”
Damn. She liked the way he said her name, too. “I don’t want to get involved,” she told him, and her voice wasn’t so soft anymore.
Not that getting involved would probably be a real problem with a guy like Kenton.
Here today, gone tomorrow.
His eyes locked with hers. His fingers still held her chin, not too hard, stroking lightly. “I want you, Lora Spade.”
Didn’t get more blunt than that. Her breath caught. For once, Lora wasn’t sure what to say.
“But I can keep my hands off…” He freed her chin and gripped the seat behind her. Lora’s palms pressed against his chest, feeling the heat of his skin through the clothing. “If you want to keep things professional, fine. I can play that way.”
She bet he could play any way. Her heart kicked faster.
“But I know something about you, sweetheart.”
Her stomach tightened because the man had one deep, rumbling voice. Growling in the dark.
“I know you feel this, too.” He leaned in even closer, stopping when his lips were just an inch, maybe two, from hers. “Attraction, lust, need—call it whatever the hell you want, but for us, it’s there.”
She swallowed. “Y-yes.” She wouldn’t lie. Why bother? Lora felt the fire between them. A fire that could burn too fast, too hot.
“Don’t you want to see?” he whispered, and she felt his breath on her. “Before you turn away, don’t you want to know what it would be like?”
Why did people always want to touch the flames?
Why did she?
Six months.
And every night had hurt.
Sometimes, you just didn’t want to be alone.
But, sometimes, you wanted a lot more than just another body with you. So much more.
“One kiss.”
So tempting. Too tempting. She’d been weak before and wound up with guilt and ash come morning. Her fingers curled against him. “Kent…”
“Or you can tell me to f**k off. Hell, you can tell me to f**k off after the kiss if you want, but, sweetheart, I’ve been dying to know…”
Mistake. She knew it, but—
She wanted him. Wanted him more than she’d wanted anyone in so long. Was it wrong?
“I’ve been dying to know,” he said again, “how you taste.”
Oh, hell. Her right hand grabbed the back of his head, and she yanked him down toward her.
Their mouths met. Open. Ready. Lips kissed. Tongues licked. And—damn.
Yes, she wanted.
The control she’d held so tightly began to crack. She jerked in her seat, struggling to press against him. He took her mouth. Tasted her. Tormented her. And she met him. No, she fought him, fought him for more.
His hands locked around her, and her br**sts shoved against his chest. Her ni**les were tight, aching, and her sex began to cream.
From a kiss.