A hand pressed down on his shoulder. “You need to head off, Jonny. You’re well over your time.” Carl was an absolutely stickler for procedure and rules. “Who’s leading on this?”
“It was Will.”
“I’m deputising.” Peter Madeley was Will’s usual second. “It’s all taken care of. Another hour and this baby will be out completely.”
Another hour and Jonny could be buried inside Rayah, making her scream his name like a woman possessed. Rayah who was lurking at the perimeter.
“You should go, Jon,” Alex said. “The ambulance is still there so check in on Will on the way. He looked okay when I saw him. He was doing his usual flirt with Dinah.”
Jonny chuckled. Will and Robyn hadn’t even managed a date. She was now seeing someone from Leeds and it looked to be going well. Will was being his usual mysterious self, although Dinah brought him out a little, mainly because he didn’t like to lose and she wasn’t for letting him win a date.
“I’ll call in. You think this is related to the fire at the farmhouse?”
Alex shrugged. “I don’t believe in coincidences. So yes. Too many things going on around here at the moment.” He stepped away, gesturing for Jonny to come with him. “Did Rayah tell you about the girl in her school? The one who said she saw a gun?”
Jonny pulled off his helmet. The team that had started tackling the fire a couple of hours ago were handing over to the night shift. A few were on an extended shift. He needed to switch his head off and enjoy his weekend. But first, Rayah.
“She mentioned it. She couldn’t give me details.”
Alex nodded. “I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but it’s cool whatever it is. However, given that you’ve been stopping Rayah from getting hurt since time began, please can you keep that up?”
Jonny nodded. “You know I’d do anything for her.”
“I know.” Alex looked at him, saying nothing more, then turned and went back to the congregation of officers that were with Carl.
An audience had been accrued,residents of Severton and tourists who were there for the weekend lined the police tape that had been used to officially cordon off the scene, keeping everyone at a safe distance.
Jonny saw Rayah at the end, keeping within the shadows. She looked pale, her eyes wide and tired. This week had been tough on her.
“Walk with me.” He ducked under the tape and placed his hand on her back guiding her to the fire engine that had been parked out of the way.
“Someone said that a firefighter had been caught in the blast. I heard the explosion from my house and I ran out…”
He moved them under the nearby trees, the River Ast a few feet away, and then he gathered her in his arms. “It was Will, but he’s fine. Apparently giving Dinah a load of shit in the ambulance.”
“I thought it was you. It could’ve been you.” She was on the verge of tears.
“It could’ve, but it wasn’t. I can’t promise you that my job is safe because it isn’t. But I am good at it and I don’t take risks.” He held her so he could see her, examine with his own eyes that she was all right. “Give me an hour to do what I need to do and then we can head off. Tomorrow and Sunday we don’t need to think about anything other than how many orgasms I can make you have.”
“You smell of smoke.”
She was back. Better.
“It’s a bad habit I have. Okay, baby, I need to finish up.” He used a hand to tip her head, looking into her eyes that were swimming with tears. He kissed her soundly, aware that they could still be seen even though they were out of the way and the main attraction was the dying fire, not them. She tasted of sugar and chocolate and her; his favourite taste. “Go home, have a glass of wine, think about how you want me to make you come first.”
“I’m mad at you.”
He laughed. “The way your arms are wrapped round me tells me a different story.” He gave her one last kiss and smacked her ass. “Go home. Give me an hour.”
Rayah nodded.
“I think Alex has worked out we’re seeing each other.” He threw the words in.
She looked non-plussed. “He won’t ask questions or share his theory. Does that mean I’ve won the bet?”
Jonny smiled. “I don’t think either of us have given it away. It’s Alex. He sees things that other miss.”
“True. I’ll see you in an hour.”
