Page 61 of Five Alarm Kiss

She scrunched her nose. “Is the fire out?”

“Yep. Totally out.”

“How bad is it? Did it burn Mr. Wilkins’ apartment?”

Please say no. Please say no.

“No. Just yours.”

“That’s—” She was going to say great, but there wasn’t anything great about a fire burning anything.

“Sucks,” Jake finished for her. “But the damage isn’t bad. The wall behind the stove is going to need an overhaul, and you’ll have to replace anything that used to be in those cupboards.”

“So, my dishes are ruined? That’s not too bad.”

“Your dishesandthe cupboards are ruined,” he corrected. “And there’s water and smoke damage, but I’m sure the apartment complex has insurance. Unless you have renter’s insurance, though, the personal items will fall on you. And they’ll probably raise your rent,” he said with a wink. “But as far as fires go, you got off pretty easy.”

“I’m just glad no one got hurt.”

“Me too.” He covered her hand with his. “Shit, Princess. You’re freezing.”

Pretty much.

“I’m—”

“If you say ‘fine’ one more time, I’m gonna put you over my knee and spank you.”

Heat shot through her with lightning speed, especially with the way he was looking at her… like he wouldn’t mind making good on his threat.

“Cold,” she whispered, not trusting her own voice. “A little cold.” True, it was the end of May, but there were still chilly days now and again. Leave it to Mother Nature to conjure one on the exact day Laurel wasn’t wearing pants.

“You are basically naked from the waist down,” he reminded her, the look in his eyes making her breath hitch. “Let’s get yousome clothes.” As he helped her down from her perch, he added, “That’s something I never thought I’d say to a woman wearing sex kitten underwear.”

She groaned and buried her face in the blanket. “I’m cutting up this underwear,” she whimpered.

“Now, that would be a tragedy.”

She chose to ignore his comment. “I’m glad I get to go back inside.”

“Only to get a few things,” he clarified, escorting her back to the building. “You’re not staying.”

“What do you mean, I’m not staying?”

“For one thing, the entire place smells like smoke, which you shouldn’t be breathing, and you’re gonna need disaster cleanup to come in and get rid of the water and foam.”

“Wait. Foam?”

“It’s not uncommon to use a little foam in the water when there’s oil or grease involved. Kind of like the foam in a fire extinguisher. Water can spread a grease fire. Basically, if you throw water onto, say, a pan of fried chicken?—”

Laurel stopped short and turned to him. “I didn’t mean to. I accidentally knocked over a glass of water. I didn’t throw it on the fire on purpose. I know better than that.”

Jake held his hands up in surrender. “I believe you. I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m just telling you what the foam is for, okay?”

“Okay.”

“In layman’s terms, when the water superheats, it creates steam that carries tiny grease droplets to other areas, like a wall. Since it’s flammable, it can ignite and make the fire spread quickly. When we add foam to the water, it creates a barrier between the grease and oxygen, which helps smother the flames.”

“I never knew that.”

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