Lora exhaled. “Phoenix is a sick freak. And the fires—they’re just getting worse.”

The SUV slowed down. She could see her house. Surrounded in dawn’s light, the white paint gleamed. Kenton braked, and her fingers reached for the door.

“Lora…”

She glanced back at him.

“I want to come in.” His voice was demanding, with an edge of—

Fear.

Lora understood. He’d been watching. While the fire burned and death came, he’d been outside.

Her head moved in a slow nod. She wanted him there with her.

Her steps were slow as she headed for the door. The keys in her hand trembled just a bit. Kenton followed her, close enough for her to feel his warmth.

Then they were inside, and she could finally breathe. She could draw in a deep breath and not taste her own fear.

“I—I’m going to take a shower.” First. Because she didn’t want to touch him like this. But she did want to touch him. She needed to push away the death and grab life.

He caught her hand. “Is there room for two?”

There was lust in his eyes. But need, a deeper, darker need, shone there, too. The same need she felt, coursing through her blood.

“Yes.” A simple answer that meant so much more.

Staring at her, he removed his weapon. He secured the gun by tucking it inside her desk drawer.

Then he followed her up the stairs, down the narrow hallway, and into the bathroom. He was silent while she twisted the faucet, then started the shower. Water thundered down in a hard blast.

She stripped without looking at him. Kicked off her shoes, tossed the socks, and dropped the borrowed scrubs.

Her fingers hesitated on her panties. Stupid. Why would she be nervous now?

Lora shoved them down, then she twisted a bit as she unhooked her bra. The fabric fell, and she didn’t glance back as she stepped into the hot stream of water.

Blindly, she reached for the soap and started scrubbing hard. Almost scratching her flesh.

Wade hadn’t been moving. She hadn’t gotten to him fast enough. She’d been too far away.

Like Carter. Oh, Jesus, like Carter…

“Let me.” His hands covered hers and took the soap. Smoothed where she’d scratched. Lathered over her arms, down her back, and over the scars that another blaze had left.

Her eyes closed, and the water pelted her. Washing away the fire. Washing it all away.

“You scared the shit out of me,” Kenton said gruffly, and she almost smiled.

“You do this every day, though, don’t you? Even without Phoenix…” His soapy hands slid around her waist and began to move up to cup her br**sts. “You do this every day.”

She inhaled on a deep breath. “Uh, not every day… most days it’s just life at the station when I’m on… ah… shift.” His hands were on her br**sts now, fingers rubbing the soap over her ni**les.

Her sex tightened. I need this. Need him.

“Lean against me,” he said.

She let her body slide back. The water washed away the soap, but his fingers stayed on her skin, stroking her ni**les. Squeezing and caressing them.

Then his right hand moved down, even as he reached for the soap once more with his left.

She tensed when his fingers pushed between her thighs. Wet, slick with soap, his broad fingers parted her folds with deft skill. Lora rose onto her toes, arching toward the spray of water.

His fingers slid against her sex, found her clit, and pressed.

Lora’s breath hissed out as her palms slapped against the tiled shower wall.

“Good.” A hard whisper in her ear. “Stay like that.” Kenton’s fingers thrust inside and stretched. Her eyes squeezed shut as the water plummeted down on her.

His mouth brushed over her shoulder. Kenton kissed her skin and moved slowly up to the curve of her neck. Licked. Bit. Not enough to hurt, oh, no, just enough to make her want.

And those fingers, damn, they were sliding in and out. Rubbing over her clit, stroking her core faster and faster. The shower wall was cold, the water was hot, and his hands—

Her h*ps arched back against him. Not enough. “Kent!” She needed more right then. So much more.

“You’ve got a f**king gorgeous ass.” His c*ck pressed against her. Long and eager.

That was what she wanted. When his hand eased back, Lora spun around, sending droplets of water flying. Her fingers curled over his chest, looking for balance. Her head tipped back, so she could see his eyes, glinting down at her. Lust flared from his eyes, etched in the hard lines of his face.

Lora stood on her toes, caught his mouth, and kissed him with her lips open, her tongue thrusting. She savored him.

More.

Her fingers slid down his chest, muscled and hard. Down, down his narrow waist, to the c*ck that bobbed toward her. Thick, with veins on the side, a dark head. Long and wide.

She wrapped her hands around him and pumped. Base to tip, again. Again.

Not nearly enough.

Kenton’s lips pressed harder against hers and a growl built in his throat.

She wanted more than a growl. She wanted his control to break. Lora wanted him weak, wild, desperate—

Like me.

Her grip tightened on him.

“Out.” Guttural. He twisted, shutting off the water with a swipe of his hands. “In you…”

They stumbled from the shower and didn’t bother drying. Hands and mouths were greedy. Taking, touching, claiming.

They fell on the bed, and the mattress squeaked. She slithered down his body and eased between his legs. She took his c*ck in her hand and opened her lips. Finally tasted.

My turn.

“Oh, f**k!” She glanced up in time to see his eyes widen. “Lora…”

Her lips tightened around him. Her tongue slid over his skin, licking, sampling, and he tasted salty on her tongue. Not bitter, but—

His fingers clamped in her wet hair. “Lora.”

She wanted him to come. Wanted to keep licking and sucking until she broke him.

Until there wasn’t any fire. Any death. Wasn’t anything but… them.

Pleasure. Life. Release.

She took him deeper and heard the rasp of his breath. Her sex quivered, and she worked him faster, wrapping her fingers around the base of his erection as she tasted him.

“No more.” Kenton’s voice was guttural.

Then she was on her back. Kenton loomed over her, face flushed, pupils so wide that his eyes looked black. His broad shoulders blocked the light. She licked her lips, still tasting him.

One of his hands clamped over her hip while the other shot across her, digging into her nightstand drawer, fumbling for a condom.

Four seconds later, he was ready.

She was past ready.

Her legs parted for him, so eager. Maybe too eager, but screw that. She needed him.

He thrust inside in a long, smooth glide that stole her breath. Her sex clamped around him and held tight.

His hands caught hers as he thrust, deep and strong. Lora arched up against him. The drumming of her heartbeat filled her ears and she wanted more.

She wanted to go as far over the edge as she could get. She wanted him.

Kenton. Alive. Strong. Fierce.

His fingers tightened around her, and his h*ps slammed against her. Her legs rose, wrapping tightly around him, and her heels dug into his flesh.

Harder.

He kissed her with the swipe of his tongue and the crush of his lips. His c*ck slid over her clit, and she moaned into his mouth. Shaking, twisting now as she fought for her release. A release that was so close. So damn close—

Her right hand tugged free of his grip and caught his shoulder. Her nails dug into him. More.

His h*ps slammed down. In, out, deep, deep.

His fingers snaked between them and found her clit. His thumb pushed against her even as his c*ck shoved inside in a thrust that had her gasping.

“Come for me.” His whisper.

Her eyes opened. When had she closed them? Lora met his stare. “Make me.” A taunt. One she’d never given a man before. What the hell was her problem? What was she—

He pulled on her clit. Thumb and forefinger, tugging, then pressing, pushing down with just the right force as his c*ck thrust into her, again and again.

His h*ps bucked. Then his eyes went wild, and he came.

So did she. Gasping his name, she cl**axed. Lora rode the wave of pleasure until her breath was gone, until the pounding of her heart filled her ears, until she couldn’t think, could only feel—

Kent.

He kissed her again. Softer now.

Kent.

His head lifted. His breath came hard, just like hers, and his hair was still damp.

They stared at each other. Silent.

Then he shifted his weight and eased out of her. A slow glide of still-erect flesh.

Still?

He went to the bathroom and didn’t say a word. Right then, she couldn’t speak. Her legs shifted on the bed. Her muscles were lax, her body sated, but…

He came back and went straight to the nightstand.

Her gaze fell on his cock. Definitely still erect. Lora licked her lips, swallowed a few times, and eventually managed, “Kent?”

He reached into the drawer and snagged a packet. Oh, they were going to need more soon. A twist of his fingers and it was open.

He rolled the condom on, and she couldn’t look away. Because… damn. Her sex quivered a bit with an aftershock of pleasure.

And with need. Because she wanted more.

It sure looked like more would be exactly what she got.

His hand came down on her thigh and squeezed. “I’m not finished.”

Oh, wow. His hand slid down and caught her leg to pull her toward him.

Her legs now dangled over the bed and parted for him. He stepped closer, coming right to the edge of the mattress.

Lora stared up at him.

His jaw clenched when he thrust into her. No preliminaries this time. No caresses, no strokes. Just a hard thrust, one she met with an eager lift of her hips.

She was more than ready, still slick, her skin sensitive from her orgasm. She shoved her feet against the bed’s sideboard, bracing herself to meet those deep drives of his hips. She lifted toward him, arching her hips, and took everything he had to give.

His thrusts were hard, deep, so intense that she was shuddering beneath him. His eyes stayed on her. Dark, so dark now.

A quick retreat of his flesh was followed by a quick drive in, one that sent his c*ck sliding over her clit.

She bit her lip to hold back the scream building in her throat. This, this was what she needed.

“Fucking… beautiful…” The first words he’d spoken since he’d plunged into her.

Lora shuddered beneath him and came.

He kept thrusting even as her sex spasmed around him. Her hands reached up and curled around his arms so she could pull him toward her.

Her lips opened against his neck, and she licked the skin. Then Lora bit him because the pleasure was that good.

His c*ck jerked, his body stiffened, and she held him tighter because she knew he was coming.

And because that had been one hell of a wild ride.

She’d pulled down her shades to kill the light as best she could. Now Lora lay in the four-poster bed, na**d, her soft skin beneath his fingertips.

Kenton turned to look at her. Her lashes were lowering, and she was nearly asleep. After their night, she needed her sleep.

His fingers trailed up her chest and felt the steady beat of her heart. He glanced up and caught the slow smile that curved her lips.

Beautiful.

“You can stay, you know,” she murmured, her voice husky with sex. Christ, how could he still want her? But his c*ck was up, twitching, because he saw her mouth, red and swollen, and remembered those lips around him.

Made for sex. The woman really was. Ah, damn.

Kenton cleared his throat but couldn’t get his fingers to move away from her. “I’ve got to—I’m meeting Monica. We’re going to talk to Seth and look through his files.” They should have done that yesterday, but Phoenix had screwed up those plans.

Before he’d picked up Lora, he’d spent more time interviewing firefighters—her friends. She didn’t need to know that now, though. Some had been able to provide clear alibis. Some, like Garrison, were still on the suspect list.

Her fingers rose and caught his. “If you need me, call. I want to keep working on these cases.”

But he wanted her the hell away from the fire. Right. Like that was going to happen. Her life was fire.

And his was death.

They were some pair.

“Kenton, it’s not someone at my station. You saw how we all fought today… it’s not one of us.”

He knew how badly she wanted to believe that. His lips brushed over hers. “Get some sleep.”

A moan rumbled in her throat. Come on. Was the woman trying to break him?

“I will,” she promised, and her voice was slurring, her eyes closing.

Kenton eased out of the bed and stared at her a moment. She was rolling, turning onto her side and away from the light. Curling up her hand, curling her body. So beautiful. And in sleep, so fragile.

When she was awake, the woman radiated energy and strength. Nothing she couldn’t handle—nothing.

But in sleep, he realized her bones were small, so very breakable. Her skin delicate.

And she was one person he never wanted to see broken.

He found the clothes that he’d torn off earlier. But dressing took a while because he kept looking at her. The long lines of her body, the sweet curve of her hip.

“I’ll be back tonight,” he told her, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. But she didn’t hear him. Lora was out.

Kenton left her, but made damn sure to lock the door behind him. The lock seemed like such weak protection. Locks wouldn’t stop someone like Phoenix.