Firestarter (7 page)

“I can’t believe this. What the heck is this town coming to?” Brick braced his booted feet apart, hands on his hips, scowling at the burned shell of the garage.

Cammie left the chief and Keanu to finish up and spoke with the owners.

She wanted to smack them both within minutes of listening to their absurd explanations. She kept her head down as she took notes, not wanting them to see her clenched jaw, and the eye roll she couldn’t prevent.

“You realize they could have killed someone, right?” she asked.

The father, not much taller than her, puffed out his chest. “Well, luckily there was no harm, no foul.” He spat a stream of brown liquid out the side of his mouth.

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It was all Cammie could do not to knee him in the nuts. “I’ll turn this over to the local PD, and they’ll be in touch.” She didn’t spare either of them another glance.

“Hey chief, I just finished speaking to the parents. They said their twin boys set the fire and it was an accident. Boys will be boys,” Cammie imitated the mother’s high pitched voice. “Blah, blah, blah.” Cammie was disgusted with the lack of remorse from the two adults in the situation, not to mention the complete disregard for authority.

“We don’t need any more goddamn accidents.” Brick growled.

Keanu shook his head. “Major understatement of the year.” He agreed.

“The cops are here. We’ll leave it up to them to decide what to do with the kids, or the parents. Let’s go, I’ll talk to them.”

Cammie tried to ignore Keanu while they rolled the hoses back up, chatting with the other team members about inane things. His gaze seemed to bore into her even when she wasn’t looking at him. Damn the man was potent.

She watched the chief nod after talking with the police, his confident walk bringing him to where they stood in a few quick strides.

If her boys had set fire to something, she sure as hell wouldn’t be spouting nonsense about boys being boys. An image of a young Keanu burning things popped into her head. Cammie couldn’t imagine him doing anything as reckless as burning a garage for fun, nor could she see his grandfather acting the way the parents of the twins had.

Keanu had been handsome in his early twenties. Now, she could appreciate him with a

woman’s eyes, and she most assuredly admired everything about him.

“Cammie, did you hear what I just said?” Brick asked.

Her savior saved her again, his hand on her shoulder gave her a chance to focus on the here and now.

“Both the father and mother are as big of a menace, if not more so, than the boys. I

remember the dad from school. I kicked his ass more than once for picking on some of the younger kids. I’d say his boys are one step away from juvie.” Keanu squeezed her shoulder one more time before stepping away.

“I got that feeling, too.” Brick ran his hand over his face. “Let’s load up.”

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Chapter Four

Cammie did everything in her power to avoid Keanu for the rest of their shift. Not an easy thing to do, when all she wanted was to hump the man like a cat in freaking heat. “Just great, now even my euphemisms remind me of work.”

Walking quickly, she scanned the parking lot, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Keanu’s vehicle still parked in his spot. With deliberate calm, she unlocked her rig. She couldn’t get home fast enough, and take a much needed soak.

Time to dispense with her work clothes, dress in a flirty little outfit, fix her hair, and don some really feminine undergarments. Heaven knew she couldn’t put fresh underwear on until the very last. A girl needed every weapon she could get her hands on when dealing with such an alpha male, and there was no doubt, Keanu Raine was one hundred percent alpha. Cammie’s armor consisted of ridiculously expensive scraps of lace and silk, which felt good against her skin when she slipped them on. Imagining Keanu’s hands removing them sent a delicious

sensation to the pit of her tummy.

Her heartbeat increased its pace as she waited for Keanu to arrive. There was no doubt in her mind he would show up sooner rather than later; she was counting on it. Her nerves danced a crazy jig in her stomach. The sound of gravel crunching on her drive drew her gaze out the window. Keanu’s incredible physique was on display through the open top of his Jeep. He looked like a big jungle cat vaulting over the side.

As he reached her door, she felt her palms begin to sweat. She opened the door with what she hoped was a polite smile, prepared to offer him a drink like a good hostess.

“Hi,” she began.

He cradled her face in the palms of his hands, silencing the words she wanted to say.

His head lowered, holding her wide-eyed gaze, claiming her lips a little too thoroughly.

When his mouth lifted, she wanted to pull him back down to her.

“Sweet,” Keanu murmured huskily as he licked his lips.

“Lip gloss.” The strawberry flavor was her favorite.

A smile graced his gorgeous face. “Nope, you are.” Keanu grinned.

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“Would you like to come inside?” She slapped her forehead. “Stupid question, please come inside. Can I get you something to drink?” Leading the way into the kitchen, she felt his gaze on her as she walked.

“Coffee would be great.”

It was an easy matter to turn the machine on, grind some coffee beans, and fill the reservoir with water. One of her major vices was good coffee. She set out two mugs, some sugar, and waited for the coffee to percolate.

“Do you want cream?” Cammie asked as Keanu made himself comfortable on one of the

barstools.

“No, I like mine dark and sweet.” He grabbed a packet of pink sweetener.

She pulled milk from the fridge, and added a splash to her own cup. After she handed him his mug, she leaned on the counter. They both savored the rich brew. His sinfully long lashes closed, mesmerizing Cammie. As a low moan of bliss escaped his mouth, she nearly dropped her cup. It took all her concentration to finish her drink.

When he was done, he got up from the stool and walked around the counter. She became

transfixed by the darkness in his eyes, the hint of his cologne teasing her nostrils, and wanted to explore all his tantalizing scents.

She turned to watch him rinse his cup, her own forgotten as he stepped up to her.

Her eyes flared. His darkened as he cupped her face and touched his mouth to hers, tracing the seam of her lips with his tongue. He teased her mouth until she succumbed and welcomed him inside.

The kiss was like none she’d ever experienced, deepening into something so much more.

She grabbed a handful of his shirt, intending to pull him closer. But then he changed the kiss from demanding and sensual, to gentle before he stepped back.

“I think we should talk before this goes any further,” Keanu said shakily, his eyes blazing.

She was glad to hear his voice wasn’t steady. Nothing about her was, either.

“If that’s what you want.” Cammie couldn’t believe she’d just said that.

“Good, God, woman. I don’t want to do anything but make love to you.” He took a step

towards her. “It’s your call, baby.”

“I’d prefer to um…talk first.” She shook her head, the counter digging into her back.

No sooner were the words out of her mouth, and she wanted to call them back.

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His very presence was a threat to her sanity. She crossed her arms over her midriff in a gesture of protection, for him or her, she wasn’t sure.

Keanu nodded and moved back, waving his hand toward the front room. She led him to the spacious area with the comfy seating.

He looked at her in silence for what seemed like forever, making her want to squirm.

Cammie sat on the end of the sofa, her nerves already on edge, thinking the worst.

“Oh hell, are you gay? When guys say they need to talk first it always means something bad.

Right?”

“What?” he yelled.

“I mean, it’s okay if you are, or if you are…oh, God, are you bisexual? I’m really not cut out to share, and having penis envy every day would suck, because I don’t have one and…I’m freaking babbling, and you’re laughing.” She slapped at his arm, jumping up to hit him again when he continued to laugh.

“Damn, that is some funny-ass shit.” Keanu wiped his eyes. “I am so far from gay or even bi, not that I have a problem with either. I like women. No, correct that, I
love
women.”

Air left her lungs in a great whoosh. “You do? I mean, that’s great. Except you don’t love them at the same time right?”

He reached for her, leading them both back to the overstuffed leather sofa. There was a sense of intimacy in the way his arm curved along her shoulder, followed by a feeling of disappointment when he removed it, and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

His husky voice curled around her nerve endings as he gave a tiny shrug. “Okay, where to start?”

“How about you tell me how you, ya know, you made the fire go bye bye.” Cammie waved

her hand back and forth.

“Noticed that, did you?” He smiled, showing his dimples.

The man really shouldn’t be allowed to smile and show those cute little indents. She nodded, listening as he explained about elementals. Her eyes widened when he recounted the first time he’d created fire.

Keanu spoke, his eyes faraway
.
“I was angry with my grandfather. I wanted to play with the other boys you see, not help my mother. I asked my grandfather if I could play first, because they wanted me to be the pitcher. I had been practicing and finally they asked me.”

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“And he said you had to do your chores and then you could play?” Cammie asked.

“Oh yes. But I did what all good little boys do.” He waited a beat. “I stomped my foot, and did an impressive war cry, just before I bolted out the screen door. The next thing I knew, the birdhouse that my grandfather and I built was on fire. My mother came around the side of the house, just in time to catch me before I fell flat on my face. I cried like a baby, hiccupping and stammering out an apology for killing the birds.”

Cammie reached out to touch him. “Oh Keanu, that must’ve been awful.”

“My mother and grandfather just looked at each other and smiled. They acted like I had done something amazing.” Keanu shook his head. “When Alo said I was an elemental, I was horrified that they didn’t seem to care I had just killed some birds, and ruined a perfectly good birdhouse.”

She tried to conceal her mirth. “What happened then?”

Keanu spread his arms wide. “From that moment on, my grandfather taught me how to

harness the energy of fire, and how to call it back into my body. Don’t get me wrong, I burned up a lot of shit, but never anything that wasn’t meant to be burned. Nothing like those two little shits did.” His eyes blazed for a moment.

The way he spoke, as if it was normal, astounded her. “How? I mean, doesn’t it hurt you?”

“No, fire is a part of me.” He chuckled. “Believe me, in those early days I set more than a birdhouse on fire. But I didn’t kill any birds that day.”

“Phew,” she wiped her brow. “Thank God for that.”

“Yes, it was a lucky thing. Could you imagine the scars I’d still carry if I had killed Tweety?”

Cammie scrunched up her nose. “You named a wild bird Tweety?”

“Hey, I thought I taw a putty tat,” Keanu imitated with a lisp, very much like the cartoon character.

“So, you don’t have any spidey sense, or can’t see through walls, climb tall buildings, or anything cool like that?” She pretended to ponder the thought. “I guess being a
fireman
is cool.”

He shook his head. “You think so, do you?”

Cammie giggled at his mock growl.

Keanu tackled her to the couch. With him on top of her, she could feel their difference in temperatures. His body had the feel of sun-warmed skin. Not something you could tell unless 47

you were aware of it, and only then was the subtle difference noticeable. She wondered if it was different when he made love to a woman.

His lips were at a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, just below the base of her ear. He touched her skin with the tip of his tongue next, and she sucked in a breath, bowing her body to allow more contact.

She wanted the clothes out of the way. Not realizing she spoke her thought aloud again, she earned a husky rumble from his busy mouth.

His eyes flared wide. “Are you certain this is what you want?”

The skirt of her dress was bunched up to her waist, exposing her panties to the delicious friction of his jeans-covered manhood.

“Yes,” she whispered on a gasp.

His fingers slid up the outside of her thigh, trailing inward, reaching the top of her undies, but he didn’t attempt to ease them down. He pressed his thumb to her center, sliding down the silk covering, only to go back up, hitting all her nerve endings, making them extra sensitive.

“Too many clothes,” he bit out.

Way too many, she silently agreed.

He pulled back and stood up, holding his hand out to her. This was it. If she took his hand, there would be no turning back. Not that she had any desire to. This man was so very, very gorgeous. And he was all hers. As a little girl she’d fallen head over pigtails for him, and now she was scared she’d done the same thing, only as a woman.

Placing her hand in his larger one, it felt like she was jumping off a cliff. Cammie’s tummy did a little flip, sending flutters of sensation all the way to her toes, and what an awesome place to be, on the edge of a cliff ready to free fall.

With an effortless tug, he pulled her up. Cammie set her hands on his chest, dragging them over rippling muscles that jumped under her touch. One by one, she undid the top three buttons of his polo shirt. A heartbeat later, his shirt was gone, exposing him to her gaze. His smooth chest beckoned her palms and mouth to explore. Cammie let her hands roam the contours of his shoulders. She placed open-mouthed kisses over his pecs, moving her hands down to the

waistband of his jeans.

“Enough.” He grabbed her wrists. “Where’s your bedroom?” Keanu growled.

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She pointed in the direction behind her, hoping he could figure it out. She didn’t want to take her eyes, or her mouth, off his well-sculpted torso. Leaning forward, she used her tongue to tease the little brown disc of his nipple, before giving the same attention to its twin.