Page 36 of Burning Truth

Severn nodded, like he’d expected that answer. “I get it. I just don’t want you to get hurt. This guy, he’s not just some random weirdo. He’s careful, deliberate. And he’s made you his focus.”

Addie looked down at her ice cream, now more soup than solid, and pushed it around with her spoon. “I know. But running away won’t solve anything either. We need to catch him. Stop him.”

Severn leaned back in his chair, considering her words. “And we will. But taking care of yourself isn’t running away. It’s making sure you’re around to fight another day.”

Addie nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Maybe. I’ll think about it.” She appreciated his concern, more than she could say, but the idea of stepping back still felt foreign, like it didn’t fit her.

They finished their ice cream, the street performer’s music a soft background hum. As they walked back to Severn’s truck, Addie felt a small sense of relief, even if the danger was still out there. It was moments like these, normal and easy, that made everything else bearable.

The sun was setting as they pulled out of the lot, casting a golden glow over the city. Addie looked out the window, thinking about the plan they’d set in motion. She hoped it would work, that staying home and drawing the arsonist out would give them the upper hand. For now, she decided, she’d focus on the evening ahead, and the possibilities.

11

Severn watched Addie eat her ice cream and had totally inappropriate thoughts. Sometimes it was hard to separate work from real life. Granted, he didn’t do a lot of personal protection jobs like this. He usually worked and managed the group. So, maybe the proximity was getting to him, and he was feeling an unusual... protectiveness toward her. A softening.

It was more than that, he knew. The woman was gorgeous, too pretty to be with him, of course, but he had no way to get away from her. At least until this mess was done with. They had to catch the arsonist. Then he could go back to his safe, singular life.

He was beginning to realize how fun it could be just to be with a person, though. She didn’t seem to care that he was a beat up, scarred fuck. He was sure she’d seen some of the looks he’d gotten at the ice cream store.

Addie looked at him like it didn’t matter, though. If anything, he’d felt the heat from her gaze on him. He felt the tension that had been building between them, and he realized that lines were being crossed on her part, as well.

Did he nix the situation in the bud, though, and keep it entirely professional? Or did he roll with what he was feeling, and needing...

Addie would not be a bar hookup, fucked and forgotten. Severn wasn’t sure he even wanted that anymore. Addie actually made him wonder about the long-term.

What the fuck was he thinking...

Addie glanced back. She was smiling, her bright green eyes glittering, and she tossed some comment over her shoulder at him. For a second he was just lost in the look of her, minimal make-up, casual, yet stunningly gorgeous. She was almost too perfect to be real.

And he liked her. Liked talking to her, and learning about her. She had a true love for people and doing the right thing.

And she didn’t ride him about what he was thinking, or feeling. In the office earlier, when his brain had taken its own little vacation, she could have asked him about what happened. And he would have felt obliged to tell her something. She didn’t push, even though the questions had to be about to burst from her. He kind of felt bad thinking she was a vulture when he first saw her at the coffee shop fire. She had the curiosity of an investigator, but the sensitivity of a real person. She didn’t thrive on drama. She had more integrity than that.

When they got back to the truck, he opened her door for her, then swung around the front. Cranking the ignition, he pulled carefully into traffic. Then he glanced at her. “How did you get into reporting?”

Snorting, she shook her head. “I worked at the station as an editor, reading over copy. When Layla took the job in LA, they were scrambling to fill her spot. Ron put me in there because of my looks. No other reason. Didn’t even look at my resume.”

Severn frowned at her. “You didn’t plan to be a personality?”

She made a face at him. “No way,” she said, voice firm. “I went to college to manage a station, not be on TV. My mom says it’s all experience, though, so I might as well roll with it for a while.”

Huh. That was interesting.

Most of the on-air personalities he knew were always gunning for the spotlight, dreaming of that big break that would catapult them to national fame. Addie, it seemed, was different. She wasn’t just another pretty face looking to get noticed. There was depth to her.

“You’re good at it, though,” Severn said, keeping his eyes on the road but glancing at her every few seconds. “People respond to you. They trust you.”

Addie shrugged, looking out the window at the city passing by. “I think it’s because I actually care about the stories. About the people behind them. I’m not just trying to get a soundbite for ratings. I want to tell the truth. Show the reality of what people are going through.”

Severn nodded. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that about you. It’s rare.”

“Maybe,” Addie said softly, a hint of a smile on her lips. “But it makes it worth it. Even when things get scary or dangerous. I know I’m doing something that matters.”

Severn’s chest tightened a little at her words. There it was again, that pull he felt whenever she talked like this. It wasn’t just physical attraction—though that was definitely there, and strong—but a deeper connection. A respect for who she was and what she stood for. He wanted to protect that. Protect her. He believed in doing the right thing, too, no matter what.

He cleared his throat, trying to shift his thoughts back to safer ground. “So, you’re just biding your time then? Until you can manage your own station?”

“Maybe,” Addie said, turning back to him. “I like the idea of running things, making the big decisions. But part of mewonders if I’d miss the fieldwork. Being out there, talking to people, seeing things firsthand. There’s a rush to it, you know?”

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