Page 9 of Burn With Me

Pulling the T-shirt off over my head, I wrapped up my hand and braced myself. Picking what I knew was a weak spot in all windows, I reached back and slammed my fist at the spot with all my might. A tiny crack formed, but it didn’t break. I could hear more help arriving below, and the fire escape shook and clanged as they got the ladder lowered.

Once more, my fist hit the same spot. This time, a large crack formed. With a yell, I hit the window again, and it shattered, the pieces falling away. As quickly as I could, I smashed my hand against a couple of jagged shards that were left. Blood started to seep through the flimsy protection of the shirt. I knew I was cut but didn’t care.

“Come on, let’s go. Careful on the glass.” I stuck my head in her kitchen. “Head down the stairs,” I said, as I reached my hand in the window to help Sarah out.

I stared at the fire that had wrapped its way around the walls into the room and I swallowed hard. The fire made a deep rumbling sound like a dragon getting ready to roar its fiery breath. I pulled hard on her hand as she moved too slow. “Go, run.”

I gave Sarah a gentle push to rush her down the stairs. That sound made goosebumps rise all over me, knowing that the noise meant an explosion was coming. Our feet made the landing of the next floor down when a fire ball burst from the window above.

A heavy arm wrapped around my shoulders just as a jacket draped over my back, and bare-skin like a shield as bits of debris rained down on us.

“That was either the bravest or the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen,” a deep voice said right beside my ear. A shiver raced down my spine at the undeniably sexy sound, and the sudden warmth of the man felt hotter than the fire as we hid under his large jacket.

I glanced over as the unknown firefighter stood, helping Sarah to her feet. My eyes were immediately drawn to the face of the sexy stranger. His intense electric blue eyes and six o’clock shadow proved why firefighters like him were chosen for calendars because, holy fuck! Even I could admit he might be hotter than the fire raging above my head.

Crushing the thought, I knew this was not the time or place for a random flirt session. Besides, I’d never want to date a firefighter. I’d seen them in action, and I didn’t mean while fighting a fire. They all held the same arrogance and needed to have multiples of everything, multiple jobs, cars, vacations, women and or men. It was like a prerequisite to becoming a firefighter that one needed to be a cheating asshole. Mind you, they were a step up from cops and paramedics, just not by much.

Besides, flirting wasn’t something I did. I’d probably end up saying something random and stupid, like quoting what common chemicals in your cupboard it would take to cause an explosion. Dating wasn’t on my radar anyhow. I didn’t do the fuck buddy or casual one-night stand shit. People were too fucking crazy to trust, and a relationship was way too much effort.

I followed the small party down the stairs, and water began to rain down onto the building. I looked up at the brick structure and stared at Sarah’s apartment. It seemed primarily isolated and could’ve been so much worse. I tapped my chin as I stared at the flames that were only now beginning to spread. That was strange. Fire didn’t choose which direction it was going to head or who it was going to kill, but this one acted like it had been specifically after Sarah.

“Sarah? Was Kim in the apartment?” I said to her as we walked toward one of the ambulances.

“No,” she said without any further explanation, and as long as the kid was safe, I didn’t need to know anymore.

The same deep voice interrupted my thoughts. “You need to be looked at as well. Come with me over there. Let’s take a look at that,” the firefighter said.

He pointed to my hand, and it was only then that I realized how much blood I was losing as it ran down my arm to drip to the ground below.

Nodding, I followed him over to the ambulance. He pulled off his jacket, wrapping it around my shoulders. The warmth instantly seeped into my body, and I had to refrain from sniffing the collar as a hint of something spicy joined with the smoky scent that lingered on the fire retardant fabric.

“Thanks.” My brain momentarily short-circuited as I stared up at him with the fire burning behind him. He looked like he just walked off a movie set from saving the day.

“What’s your name? I have to know who’s crazy enough to make that jump and in sock feet.” He placed his hands on his hips.

I thought I knew all the firefighters since I’d worked with most of them in one capacity or another over the last six years, but this man I’d never met.

Was he new?

My heart pounded a little harder as I stared into those unusual-colored eyes. They were like staring into a crystal-clear lagoon, and I shivered. I chalked up the response to the mass amounts of adrenaline coursing through my veins, not directly linked to the man in front of me.

“I’m Fire Investigator Violet Clarke.” I held out my uninjured hand, and he looked at it and then back up into my eyes.

“Ah, well, that explains it. You really are crazy,” he said as he cocked an eyebrow at me. Why did it feel like he was scolding me like I was a child and not a grown-ass woman?

My hand dropped as my back straightened at the insult. “Oh, really? And why is that exactly? Don’t think a woman can save the day? Only you big, strapping men can do it,” I mocked.

He smirked, and I felt it right in the middle of my gut as if it decided to perform backflips.

“No. Because you knew better and still did it.” He shook his head. “You had to know that help was coming, and you could end up becoming a bigger issue causing us to spend precious time saving your ass as well as those in the apartment, but you chose to jump and put yourself at risk as well. Not exactly a smart move.”

My eyes narrowed into slits as I glared at him and felt my blood pressure rise. “Well, if it had been solely left up to you lot, then they would’ve been dead, so how about you say thank you instead?”

He smiled, and I wanted to smack myself because I could only think about dragging him into the back of the ambulance. Rolling out his shoulders, he turned and began walking away but stopped and turned back. I was ready for an apology of some sort, but instead, he shocked me further. “I need my jacket back.” His tone was so flat and unaffected that my mouth fell open.

Slamming my lips shut, I recovered and stood to step around the paramedic that was trying to wrap my hand, but I pulled away.

“Hey,” the paramedic complained, but I ignored him and marched across the few strides separating me from the firefighter. He seemed uninterested in helping me out by stepping closer to me, but I ignored that slight too. With my back ramrod straight, I never took my eyes off his.