Page 22 of Wild Fires

I'd thought that maybe letting it play out in my mind would somehow help curb the desire I seemed to have for her, but now I feared I had been very, very wrong. Because now I desperately needed to know if my imagination was even close to the reality of her.

And in the dark, alone with myself, I could finally admit the truth—I wanted Gracie Montgomery.

Gracie

Chapter 8

I hadn't slept well at all and was not in the greatest of moods when got to the station early the next morning. My dreams had been plagued by stories starring Ryan Davenport. It had left me hot and bothered and feeling like I hadn't slept at all.

But the firehouse was empty when I arrived with two trucks and an ambulance missing.

Something had happened and I hadn't been called in for it. I knew I was benched, but this pissed me off. Someone couldn't even let me know?

A car pulled up and I ran out to see what had happened only to find it was just Ryan.

I couldn't hide the scowl from my face.

“I'm not exactly thrilled to see you either,” he grumbled. “Where is everyone?”

I nearly growled. “I don't know. There had to be a call, but no one notified me about it.”

“Do you think our arsonist struck again?”

“It's possible, I guess. How the hell am I supposed to know when they leave me in the dark?”

“Hold on.”

He picked up his phone and called someone.

“Hey Vance. What’s the call that came in this morning?”

“The fire?” I heard Vance ask as Ryan put the call on speaker.

“Yeah man. Can you give me the address?”

“Sure.” He rattled off the address. It was a place I knew.

“I'm driving,” I told Ryan.

“Who was that?”

“Gracie.”

“Oh shit. I heard she was benched and told not to alert her of this. Clarence's orders.”

I practically roared with frustration.

Ryan reached out and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. The shock of his touch sent unwanted waves of pleasure through my body as dreams from my sleepless night resurfaced.

“I'm overriding him on that. Clarence assigned her to me to help look into a rash of fires this week. I'll take responsibility for her.”

“Excuse me?”

Vance chuckled. “Good luck with that. I'm heading over there now in case I need to intervene.”

“I heard that, Vance.”

“Just fair warning, Gracie Lou.”

---