A Lick of Flame (6 page)

It was sex—granted, it was amazing sex—but that’s all it was. The physical joining of bodies to sate an ache. Nothing more, nothing less. They weren’t playing for keeps, and when Sean was finally ready to settle down—and someday she was sure he would—he certainly wasn’t going to do it with a girl who had a scar that left her ugly and unlovable.

Sex was one thing, but love was something else entirely, and it would serve her well to remember that.

Chapter Four

As Sean perused the gorgeous woman snuggling in next to him, taking in her dark, expressive eyes, her long silky hair, and the pink flush of her skin after the most incredible sex of his life, his heart did a double beat and he knew he was in a shitload of trouble. Tonight he’d set out to seduce her, not only to get her to open herself up to him, but to discover if sleeping with her would help get her out his system or if it would simply draw her in deeper.

It didn’t take him long to discover that it was the latter, by far, and contrary to what Carter thought, this wasn’t about wanting what he couldn’t have. Madison was unlike any other girl he’d ever slept with. She was intelligent, real and giving. She cared about his wants and he didn’t for one minute believe she was just in this for her fantasy.

After making love to her, Sean knew Madison was the kind of woman who deserved it all. And dammit, the second he’d gathered her into his arms, the second his lips had found hers for a soul-searching kiss, it became glaringly apparent that he was the guy who wanted to give it all to her. And not just in the bedroom, or the rooftop. When her body opened for him, and he felt her give herself to him completely, he knew he was in it for the long haul. Without even trying, the sweet and sexy Madison Kelly had squashed his appetite for casual affairs and promptly turned him into a one-woman kind of guy.

Oh man, Cole was right. He had it bad.

Sean shifted, and when a pebble pressed into his back, he silently cursed under his breath. Fuck, he really should have found a more romantic spot to take her, but he’d been in such a hurry to get her naked that his brain hadn’t been firing properly. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he went at her like a rutting animal in heat. He really should have slowed down and taken his time with her, despite the fact that she asked for it hard and fast. The truth was, Madison deserved better from him.

“Sean,” she said, and he heard something in her voice, some unspoken hesitation.

“Yeah, baby?” As intimacy curled around them, he perused the sexy woman snuggled close.

She opened her mouth to speak, but when his emotions got the better of him and the words, “You’re so beautiful,” slipped from his lips a second time, her mouth closed and her forehead creased. His eyes moved over her features as he brushed her hair back to expose her face. He leisurely ran his thumb over her eyes, her nose, and her lips before tracing the curve of her right cheek.

When he brushed along her jaw, panic bloomed on her face and she rolled her shoulder to push his hand away. “You don’t have to say that,” she said, and a second later he felt her pull back, both physically and emotionally. He frowned and tried to draw her back into his arms, but she inched farther and farther away, severing the connection between them. She shook her hair free, and when he felt a shiver move through her, he tried to shift closer, to offer his heat.

Her body stiffened and that’s when he realized he’d mistaken her shiver. “I uh…I should get back.”

Sean’s stomach dropped as she widened the gap between them, distancing herself from him on all levels. Perplexed by her sudden mood shift, his mind raced, trying to think what he’d said or done to scare her away. A few minutes ago, in the heat of the moment, she’d readily handed herself over to him, but now, well, now he could feel her closing herself off and searching for an escape.

What the hell was going on?

As he took in her body language, and the way she masked her expressive eyes with her hair, he worked to sort things through, to think about what he’d said. He’d merely told her she was beautiful, but that simple word seemed to trigger a reaction from her. He looked at her long and hard, and when she lifted her lids to steal a glance at him, he detected a glimmer of vulnerability in her eyes, and it was that glimmer that spoke volumes.

When she angled her head, letting her hair fall over her cheek, his heart slammed against his chest. He briefly closed his eyes and sucked in a tight breath as a theory began forming in his brain.

As understanding struck harder than a loose fire hose, a noise sounded deep in his throat. Jesus, did she really have no idea how beautiful she was, on the inside and out? Did she really think that scar on her cheek made her unworthy, less desirable—a scar that spoke of strength and courage? Is that why she always kept a safe distance and pretended she didn’t want him? Because she thought her flaws would keep him from wanting her in return? In all ways?

“Madison,” he said, but before he had a chance to question her, or tell her how wrong she was, his cell phone rang.

They stared at each other for a moment, then when the faint smell of smoke drifted by on a breeze, Madison’s eyes widened and she said, “You’d better get that.”

Sean reached into his pocket, grabbed his cell and flipped it open. “Yeah?”

“Sean, it’s Jim. Can you get down here? We’re short-staffed tonight and we need all the help we can get.”

“I’m on it.” Knowing Jim wouldn’t call while he was off duty unless they really needed him, Sean snapped his phone shut. While he had so much he wanted to say to Madison, he knew now was neither the time nor place.

“I have to go.”

She nodded. “I know.”

He climbed to his feet and grabbed her hands to pull her up with him. When their bodies collided, she pulled away quickly and began rummaging around on the ground, looking for her clothes. After fastening his own pants, Sean found her jeans and held them out to her. When she took them, he caught sight of her ripped panties. Instead of handing them back, he stuffed them into his pocket, gave her a sheepish smile and said, “I’ll replace those.”

She dressed quickly then slipped into her sandals before gathering the blanket. “No need,” she whispered, looking everywhere and anywhere but at him.

After they climbed back down the ladder, he turned to her, and when he tried to pull her back into his arms for a kiss, she inched away.

Her smile looked forced, and while her voice sounded light and breezy, he could hear the strain of emotions beneath. “I better go back to the girls before they send out a search party.”

Sean frowned and ran his hand down her arm. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

“There is nothing to talk about, Sean. We had some fun. Tomorrow life goes back to normal. I’ve done this before, you know.”

With smoke growing thicker in the air, he didn’t have time to talk to her, to tell her how he truly felt. And really, why would she believe him? He’d taken her to the rooftop to have sex with her, for Christ’s sake. Why would she think he wanted anything more than a hurried fuck from her? Or that their lovemaking meant something to him—that she meant something to him?

Jesus, he was an asshole, and with the way she was pulling away from him, he had a sinking feeling that he just might have screwed up any chance he had of developing a real relationship with her.

The fire-station bell sounded in the near distance, and while he wanted to talk to Madison, he knew it would have to wait. When Madison lost herself in the crowd, he rushed from Harry’s and spotted Carter climbing into his car as he hopped into his own. Sean threw his car into gear and drove the two short blocks to the station.

Once inside, he pulled on his gear and made his way to the waiting truck. He tried to get his focus on the job as the truck negotiated the narrow town streets, but when it took the corner and headed down Keep Crescent, his head came up with a start, and panic invaded his stomach.

As the truck slowed down in front of Madison’s condo, his world shifted. He jumped from the passenger seat and ran up her walkway to assess the damage. Carter was already there.

“It started out back,” Carter said, nodding his head toward the line of trees fringing her backyard.

Sean ran along the gravel walkway leading to the rear of the condo and found the ground-level deck engulfed in flames. A movement, combined with the rustling of trees in the woods, heralded someone’s presence. He sensed he was being watched, and unease chased along his skin, but when he narrowed his eyes and peered into the dark, his search came up empty. Passing it off as an animal, he turned back to see fiery embers shoot high, as the old wooden deck sparked and crackled under the assault. Fortunately, the fire hadn’t penetrated the inside of the condo.

Moving quickly, Sean made his way back to the truck. He helped with the hose then ran around back with it. He turned it on and doused the flames, filling the night air with acrid smoke and ash. Less than ten minutes later, once the fire had been extinguished, he shut down the hose and helped his colleagues wind it back up.

Just as he was about to go back to appraise the damage, he spotted Madison standing outside her car next to her friend Haley, a stricken expression on her face.

She looked like she was about to bolt out back, and since it was no place for her while his crew sifted through the rubble, he said, “Madison. Wait.”

“Sean, what the hell?” she rushed toward him, breathless.

Before she could pass, he gripped her arms and tried to calm her. “There’s no damage inside. Just your back deck.”

As she stared past him, smoke danced in her eyes, but beneath that haze he saw something else, something he’d seen in her eyes only one time before. Fear. He didn’t have to ask to know that the blaze had sent her thoughts spiraling back to that dreadful night at the factory.

When she angled her head to mask her emotions behind a curtain of hair, his stomach clenched. “Madison, are you okay?” he asked. She nodded, but he felt a quiver race through her. He put his arm around her. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

Before he had a chance to take her someplace safe, somewhere that didn’t remind her of the horrific blaze that nearly killed her, Carter came up to them.

Carter’s glance settled on Madison. “The data’s not in yet, but my gut tells me the fire was deliberately set.”

Shock spread across her face as she gave a hard shake of her head. “Who would do that?”

“That’s what I want to know,” Carter said. “Do you have any enemies, Madison?”

Madison looked down in thought. “I don’t think so,” she answered.

Carter turned concerned eyes on Sean and questioned, “How about you? Any enemies?”

“Not that I know of,” Sean answered.

“Come on, we all have people who don’t like us.” He cocked his head and added, “Yeah, even a guy like you, Sean.” As Sean though it over, Carter continued, “Anyone you’ve pissed off, lately? Any crazies?”

Madison shot Sean a glance, the look on her face speaking volumes. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Since Madison was a former cop, Sean could only bet that she’d just come to the same conclusion as he had, especially considering how he’d gone off with Madison earlier tonight, and not Tara. His jaw clenched and he tightened his grip around her waist. “It’s worth looking into.”

She leaned closer and he could feel her reaching out to him, unconsciously seeking his comfort, the way she’d done only once before, a year ago. “She’s very possessive toward you.”

An eerie feeling fell over him as he thought more about Tara. Not only did he get the sense that someone was watching him lately, the weird, stalker-like letters were getting more and more threatening. He didn’t recognize the handwriting, but with Tara’s controlling behavior, he’d begun to wonder if they were coming from her. He hadn’t mentioned it to Carter because his friend had been dealing with enough of his own personal shit over the last few months.

“Who are you two talking about?” Carter asked, his deep tone pulling Sean’s thoughts back.

Sean glanced past Carter’s shoulders and scanned the tree line. “Tara Kennedy, a reporter I dated a few times, was covering the photo shoot tonight, and was acting a little possessive.”

Carter grabbed his notepad and scribbled in it. “Okay, I’ll check it out.” He turned his attention to Madison. “In the meantime, you need to find somewhere else to stay.”

“She can stay with me,” Haley said. All eyes turned to Madison’s friend. She’d been so quiet throughout the whole exchange Sean had forgotten she was even there.

Sean shook his head. “No. She’s staying with me.”

“I’ll stay with Haley,” Madison rushed out, and when she tried to break free of his hold, he held her tighter, refusing to let her run away from him this time.

Haley nodded in agreement, but when she saw the look Sean was aiming her way, she began back-peddling. “Oh wait, maybe you should stay with Sean. I forgot. I have a friend coming in from out of town and she needs the spare room.”

“Haley,” Madison said, her voice grating in warning. “What are you talking about?”

Haley whacked her palm to her forehead. “Totally slipped my mind.”

“I’m your best friend and you just conveniently forgot to tell me that.”

“I’m also needed at the hospital bright and early tomorrow morning so I won’t be there when you wake up, and after the fire, I’d rather you not be left alone.” She gave a big smile and added, “A therapist’s work is never done.”