“Yeah, but you’re not going to like it.”
“Tell me.”
“Someone used paint thinner as an accelerant.”
Becket cursed. Paint thinner was often used by arsonists because it was available in containers that were small and easy to transport. It also didn’t raise any red flags when bought. “You think it’s the same person?”
“Two forest fires set within a few miles of each other? Yeah, I think it was the same person.”
It was too big of a coincidence not to be. “Why would they use two different accelerants though?”
“Maybe gasoline didn’t have the effect they liked.”
“Maybe. Or maybe they were scared to be pulled over with gasoline in their car near the mountains after the first fire.”
“Whatever it was, I’ll be getting my deputies to do drives through the most wooded areas as often as possible.”
That wouldn’t be enough. The forest was huge. “Jesse…if we hadn’t gotten to today’s fire when we had, it could have been really bad. The fire could have become completely uncontrollable.”
He could almost hear his brother’s heavy inhale. “We’d better not let this person start another one then.”
Absolutely not. They were lucky no one had gotten hurt yet. They may not be so lucky a third time.
CHAPTER21
Sky stood under the warm stream of water, one thing on her mind. The same thing that had been on her mind for the last week. Well, not so much a thing but a person.
Becket.
He was downstairs cooking dinner while she washed off the smell of dogs. In fact, unless one of them was at work, he literally hadn’t left her side since the incident on the bridge. He’d been sleeping here, making her food, caring for her.
She sucked in a sharp breath. He’d been…God, he’d been so much more for her than she’d ever expected.
The cocky, know-it-all-Becket was gone, and in his place was this kind, gentle,protectiveversion of him. He’d even taken her to another family dinner, and every touch and intimate glance her way had felt real.
Wasit real? At some point, had they shifted from fake dating to real dating and just not discussed it?
She closed her eyes, letting the water beat down on her face and chest.
They weren’t friends. Friends didn’t share a bed, right? Friends didn’t wake up in each other’s embrace with his hard stomach pressed to her back or her cheek on his chest. And they weren’t enemies anymore.
She just needed to ask him and get it over with.
Mind made up, she turned off the water and stepped out. As she dried, her gaze caught on her reflection in the mirror. On the bruises that were fading from her arms. The healing scratches splattered across her body. After the car accident, she’d been covered in them. Now, you almost wouldn’t be able to tell anything had happened.
She still couldn’t believe Becket had jumped in after her. Because that was crazy, right? He’d jumped off a freaking bridge and risked his life for her.
Fear kicked at her ribs. The same fear that had been living inside her for the last week.He’d risked his life for her.He could have drowned trying to get her out.
She shook her head. Nothing was going to happen to him because of her. And her bad luckwas notreturning.
Ha. Maybe if she repeated that enough she might believe it.
She left the bathroom and stopped at the sight of broad shoulders and a very muscled back in the bedroom.
Desire slammed into her belly. Even from behind, he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.
Becket turned, and his washboard abs made her skin feel sensitive and tingly. She forced her gaze up to his eyes. Eyes that were darker than usual as they took her in just as she’d done to him.
