Firestarter (9 page)

completely. He wrapped a towel around his hand and pushed the glass out of the way, and then tossed it to the side, before grabbing a fresh bath sheet to cover the ledge.

They had shut the bathroom door before entering, but he knew the fire had reached her room by the increase in temperature.

Cammie had obviously woken up enough to remember her purse. It was slung over her

shoulder, and she had sandals strapped on her feet.

While he had been breaking the window, she had shoved several towels along the bottom of the door. He loved a woman who kept her head in an emergency. She got top marks for being the absolute best.

“I’ll go first and help you down.”

Cammie rolled her eyes. “Keanu, this isn’t my first rodeo.”

“Humor me, hmm?” He leaned in and kissed away any objection she could make.

“Men,” she muttered, but her face wasn’t as drawn as it had been just moments earlier.

She shocked him on so many levels: her home was on fire, she had just lost her virginity, and she still looked like a well-loved woman.

Sticking his head out the window, he scanned the area, cursing the forest that could be hiding any threats. A wide smile split his face at the sound of an eagle screeching in the distance.

The eagle was his grandfather’s spirit guide. He took that to be a good sign and jumped down, holding his arms out for Cammie. She came willingly, and he couldn’t help letting her body slide down his, before he placed her on the ground.

Hearing sirens, he dragged Cammie around the side of the house and to the front, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. The feeling they were being observed never left him.

“Shit, I forgot my dog. I gotta go back for her.” Cammie was interrupted by a loud bark and a streak of red running straight for them. The dog ran to her, licking her face and wagging her tail.

He barely kept himself from stepping back. “That’s not a friggin’ dog. That’s a damn

horse.”

The woman of his dreams laughed at him. She giggled as the huge animal jumped on his

chest, and stared him in the eye. If he didn’t know better, he’d think the beast was reading his mind. Or, maybe planning his death was more like it.

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Still laughing, she clicked her tongue. “LeeLee, get down girl. Keanu, this is LeeLee.”

He was amazed when the
dog
listened, and planted herself next to Cammie.

They stood back as the fire truck pulled in. A crew from the closest station climbed out, effectively pushing them back, where they were put on the sideline until the flames were contained.

A man Keanu knew as Chief Rowland approached them sometime later with a steady stride.

“You say you didn’t leave a candle burning in the hallway?” Chief Rowland asked.

“What are you talking about? Who the hell would have a candle lit in a hallway, in the middle of the night?” Cammie asked.

Keanu reached over to touch Cammie’s arm. “I can honestly say there was no candle, or

even anything to hold one in the hall.” Keanu told him.

The chief narrowed his eyes. “I can’t say for sure, but it looks like the fire was started, first in the hall, and then the bedroom. There’s minimal smoke damage in the rest of the living space, but it isn’t a total loss. We need to wait for the inspector’s words.”

“I want to speak to him before he goes in. With all the foot traffic that has come and gone, I’m afraid any evidence may have been destroyed.” Keanu didn’t like the fact he had to rely on someone else.

Chief Rowland straightened, looking around before he spoke again. “Evidence to what,

Raine? Do you think this was arson?”

“That’s what I know, but I’ll wait to hear what he says.” He nodded toward the inspector.

Looking over, Keanu saw Cammie talking to a woman who looked just like her, only she

had long black hair. The two looked so much alike they could pass for sisters. He strode over to where they stood after a few more minutes with the chief, each woman petting the now docile animal Cammie called a pet. He would have sworn there were no red wolves in the area, and wondered where she got the hybrid wolf.

Both ladies’ heads jerked up at his approach, making him think they had been talking about him. His suspicions were confirmed at the older woman’s fierce gaze, and Cammie’s pink tinged cheeks.

“Hi, you must be Keanu. Your grandfather speaks very highly of you. My name’s Dyani

Hakun.” The woman he now had a name for spoke to him with hostility lacing her words. He smiled and held out his hand in greeting.

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“Mom. Be nice,” Cammie pleaded.

“Hakun means fire.” He turned to Cammie and raised a brow, and then turned back to face her mother. “It’s very nice to meet you, Ms. Hakun, although I’d rather have met under better circumstances. Your daughter is very special to me.” Keanu held both of her hands between his, looking her in the eye to convey his sincerity.

“Please, call me Dyani. It’s very nice to meet you. My Cammie’s told me a lot about you.”

Keanu wondered how he’d never seen Cammie’s mother in town over the years. Of course

he hadn't been around much in the last ten years or so. She didn’t look old enough to have a grown daughter, but the shuttered look he saw when he gazed into her eyes kept his questions unasked. When he’d carried a twelve-year old Cammie home, it was her grandfather who’d met him at the door. He rolled his shoulders to ease the tension, releasing Dyani’s hands with a gentle squeeze she returned.

“Cammie’s talked about me to you? I think we should discuss this further,” he joked.

Cammie’s mother laughed, easing the last of the tension around her eyes.

Both women nudged each other, real affection shown in their actions.

He left Cammie with her mother while he spoke with the other firemen. When he came back around to where he’d left the two women, he noticed Dyani had relaxed. Her posture wasn’t as stiff, and she actually smiled at him. With a wave and a promise to speak to them soon, she walked back to her vehicle.

Dyani stopped at her vehicle, and leveled him with a stare. “Take care of my baby.”

She didn’t give him time to respond. Obviously, she knew he would protect Cammie with

his life, or at least he hoped she did. If not, he figured he had the rest of his life to prove it.

Over an hour passed before they were allowed back into the house. The first place his

woman headed was to the garage to check on her other baby. Seriously, the woman liked

oversized things. Looking down, he gave himself a little pat. Thankfully, he could fit into that category too.

Keanu entered the garage behind Cammie.

She glanced over her shoulder with an impish smile that had him melting. “Lightening is fine. Not even a little black to muck up her pristine silver coat.”

“I think I might be jealous of your rig.”

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Her grin turned into a sexy smirk. “But you look sexy with that little smudge on your face.

My car wouldn’t look good with black soot on it.”

“What smudge?” He wiped his hand across his face.

Laughing, she grabbed a paper towel from the holder, wet it, and brought it to his face.

While he let Cammie play nurse, Keanu was kicking himself for not paying closer attention to the fire. If he hadn’t been so worried about getting Cammie out, he probably would’ve noticed the blaze wasn’t engulfing the entire house. He might have been able to save her home some of the damage. As a fire elemental, he could’ve called the fire into him, but he’d worried there was someone in the home. His focus had been on getting Cammie out of the house, and away from the flames.

Cammie tossed the dirty towels in the garbage, shocking him when she grabbed both of his arms and proceeded to try and shake him. “Stop it. I know what you’re thinking, and you need to quit blaming yourself.”

“What am I thinking?” He frowned.

She stared into his eyes. “You’re thinking that it could have been stopped. But if you had gone out there, maybe whoever started the fire would’ve still been there. Did you think about that?”

Keanu threw his hands up. “Fuck, yes. That’s all I keep thinking about. Shit, some asshole was in your home, right outside the room we just made love in, and I didn’t even hear them.”

She pulled back, eyes going wide. “Did you just say we made love?”

“What? God, Cammie. If I can’t keep my head straight during a fire when you’re around, how can I do my job? How can I keep you safe?” He began to pace.

“Did you lose focus on any of the calls we’ve been on in the last few days? The answer is no. You did your job, and I did mine. But if you’re getting cold feet, then get out, and don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.” She waved her hand toward the garage door. “Just don’t try to use this as an excuse. I mean great sex doesn’t mean you and me are like, I don’t know, stuck together.”

Keanu shook his head. Here he was being a total asshat, and she thought he wanted a way out.

“Oh baby, we are so much more than stuck together.” He crowded her against the Jeep.

“Where the good Lord split me, huh? I think I need to work on splitting you a little more.”

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“You’re not going to distract me with your giant penis.” She punctuated each word with a poke of her finger to his chest.

Keanu nuzzled her neck, licking a trail down her throat. “Are you sure about that?”

“I think so.” Cammie gasped. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure you didn’t get cut by any glass.”

“Keanu, I’m pretty sure I didn’t cut my punani during my climb out the window.” The

laughter in her voice lifted some of the worry from him.

“So, is that what you call this little slice of heaven?” He rubbed a finger up her slit through the material of her underwear.

“Uh huh,” Cammie moaned.

“Wrap your legs around my waist.”

He was happy when she obliged, and the fact she had flimsy panties on was a major boon.

He used her momentary distraction to tear at his fly, releasing his dick and pointing it straight up to paradise. Remembering she was still new to this, he paused.

“Are you too sore?”

“God, no, Keanu. Fuck me.” She helped him by pulling her panties to the side and relaxing her legs, sliding down onto his cock.

“Yes,” they cried in unison.

With her back braced against the vehicle, he used his grip on her ass to guide her body up, down, and up again. He set a furious pace, needing to reaffirm she was safe, that they were both alive.

* * * *

Heat burned through her like flames licking over her flesh. Cammie wasn’t sure if it was Keanu or herself. She lifted up against him, fighting and bucking, driving him deeper. Wanting him fully, trying to keep up with his heated rhythm.

She was ready to explode around the thick wedge of his cock as it throbbed violently inside her, triggering a tiny release. She moaned, sweating, out of her mind with an insatiable hunger that left her completely senseless.

“Keanu, yes, I’m coming,” she wailed.

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His heated spurts of semen surging inside the spasming flesh of her pussy had her arching.

Twisting her hips, he surged, shafted inside her, and fucked her with forceful strokes, pushing her toward an ecstasy so hot she was lost in it.

“Me, too. So fucking good. Never like this.” He closed his eyes.

Cammie held onto his shoulders, feeling their heart beating a thundering staccato against her chest where they were pressed together. Thank the Lord they were both in such great shape, otherwise they’d surely have a heart attack from such an explosive encounter. She pressed her face into his neck, smelling the smoke, but under that she caught a whiff of his cologne.

Keanu carefully pulled out of Cammie, straightening both of their clothes with care.

“Damn, baby, I’m sorry,” Keanu murmured before he paced a few feet away.

She wasn’t quite steady on her legs and used her jeep for balance. His words sent red hot rage through her, making her step away from the door as he passed her. Without thought, she slapped him in the back of the head. If the big oaf said one more time he was sorry, she was seriously going to go Lorena Bobbitt on his ass. Which would be a shame, because the man in question had a mighty fine package. And she had yet to explore all the ridges of said parts.

“Ouch. What was that for?”

“If you apologize again, I swear to all that is holy, I’ll cut your damn dick off and put it in the garbage disposal. There will be no finding it in a park down the street. And, just so we are clear.” She palmed him thru his pants. “That is mine until we are through. Got it?”

“First of all, I’m sorry if I hurt you, not for making love to you. Second, please do not threaten Little Kea.” Keanu placed his hand over Cammie’s as it rested between his legs. “He’s all shriveled up now. Third, I was also apologizing because I didn’t use any protection. I swear I’m clean.”

“Did you just call this thing Little Kea?” She squeezed.

Keanu chuckled. “Hey, don’t laugh at me. If I called him Big Kea, you’d say I had an

overinflated ego, ergo Little Kea.”

The way his voice got all husky when he laughed did crazy things to her insides. “Oh well, all right then,” she giggled, “but you don’t have to worry. I mean obviously I don’t have anything either, and well…I’m on the pill, so we’re safe there, too.”

Good Lord, she was a stammering fool. Just being near Keanu made her body light up like a Christmas tree, and tied her tongue into knots.

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He leaned in, kissing her on the lips before he stepped back. “Come on. Let’s go see what we can salvage for you to wear for the next few days. You’re coming back to my grandfather’s with me, and don’t even think about arguing. Someone tried to kill us. Whether it was you or me they were after don’t matter. I won’t be able to rest, and would end up parked outside your mother’s place like a love-sick fool, which would be really inconvenient if they arrested me.”

His mouth tilted up in a half grin. “I can’t remember the last time I had to climb out a girl’s window, before her parents caught me in their daughter’s bed.”