All Chapters of Incendiary: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Kristi dreamed she was on a tropical beach, the sun bathing her in its warmth. She felt warm inside and out, pleased and happy. Then, without warning, the sun disappeared taking the heat with it, and a chill skittered over her skin."No," she moaned. "Come back."The sun kissed her shoulder then her cheek. The sun? Kissed her?"Sorry, sleepyhead. We don't all have the day off."What? Wait...She pried her eyes open to see an astonishing pair of midnight-blue ones staring back at her. She blinked, and the rest of Patrick's face came into focus. He was crouched beside the bed, watching her. When he saw she was awake, he nudged her over enough so he could sit down next to her. With his fingers, he gently stroked the strands of hair back from her cheek.She realized her warmth had come from Patrick's body wrapped around her, and the absence occurred when he slid out of bed."Come back," she teased in a sleep-filled voice, and she reached out an arm to him."Some of us have to go to

Kristi sat between Hank O'Korn and Jared as the people on her shift gathered around the big table in the lounge. Captain Stewart stood at the head of the table with a man she recognized as arson investigator Dan Varney. She knew he'd addressed the others late yesterday. Both men had hard, serious expressions on their faces."I'm going to let Dan handle this meeting," Captain Stewart said. "He needs no introduction to all of you, and you're aware he's here because we have a serious problem."Everyone was silent while they waited for Dan to begin. They had all worked the three recent terrible fires, and arson had been on everyone's mind."I'd like to have better news for you," he began, "but, unfortunately, we've determined that these fires were deliberately set. Arson. What we call, as you know, incendiary. They all began on the first floor, in the back, in an empty room. Piles of old cloths and newspapers were used, covered with paint thinner, which is a dangerous incendiary." He looke

He watched them walk out of McNally's, anger seething through him. Tonight, instead of sitting in a corner, he'd accepted an invitation to join a few of the firemen he knew casually. He wanted to be closer to her and that jackass cop she seemed to be so hung up on. He wondered how she'd feel if someone ran over the man, or better yet, burned his house down. Of course, that wouldn't work since he lived in an apartment, but the idea was intriguing.The talk everywhere was of the fires, the confirmation that they were the work of an arsonist and that whoever it was, wasn't finished. Damn straight, he wanted to shout. How about telling everyone how smart I am? How clever.Did Kristi think he was smart? Did she admire his ingenuity? He wished he could ask her. But, right now, it had to be enough for him to admire her from a distance. He itched to stroke his fingers through the golden strands of her hair. To strip her naked so he could skim his hands over her tempting curves and run his to

"Want to see how much I liked it?" Patrick eased his fingers from her and, one at a time, licked them clean of her juices.Kristi sighed, leaned forward, and kissed him. She could taste the faint flavor of herself on his lips, and it was one of the most erotic sensations ever. Lying on him like this, her breasts flattened against the hard wall of his chest, she struggled to catch her breath again. She was stunned when Patrick eased her forward a little, reached out an arm to the nightstand drawer, and grabbed one of the condoms he kept there. She braced herself and looked down at him, astonished."I can't believe it," she breathed. "I thought you were done for.""Believe it," he grinned."You're insatiable," she teased."Where you're concerned," he agreed. "It's what you do to me. I think, with you, I'm always ready. Now help me a little here and get up on your knees."She felt a thrill of satisfaction and a sense of power that she could do this to him, and, shockingly, she found

They had just settled around the big table with cups of coffee, discussing the menu for dinner, when the speaker blared again. This one called for every piece of equipment they had and on the double."I have a sick feeling about this," Stan said as he pulled on his turnout gear."Me, too." Kristi took one moment to make sure Jared had stocked the ambo with extra supplies before they rolled out right behind the ladder truck.Three blocks away, they could see it was indeed a bad one. It was another abandoned apartment building, scheduled for demolition, and the black clouds spread for several blocks. Two blocks away, they could see the flames shooting up in the air. That was a good indication the building was fully involved, and at its most dangerous for the men who had to clear it. Because, abandoned or not, there would still be squatters, just like at the others.The scene was utter chaos. The battalion chief, the incident commander, was already there, making sure all protocols wer