Page 42 of Burning Truth

Addie blinked the water away. Severn was grinning at her. “That was your fault,” she said, smacking him on his hard stomach.

He held both hands out. “Not my fault,” he laughed.

They touched lightly and chatted, getting used to each other. Then they dried each other off and headed back to bed. Addie draped a towel over her pillow, because her hair was still wet. She was just not interested enough to blow it dry. The curls would need work tomorrow, anyway. Severn pulled her into his arms like he’d always done it, and they settled down to sleep.

It wassurreal sleeping with a woman.

Severn got rest, but it was weirdly like semi-conscious relaxation. They were spooning now, laying on their right side. His arms were full of a beautiful woman, and he didn’t want to sleep through the experience. He listened as she breathed in hersleep, and sighed out these breathy little moans, like she was thinking about the sex earlier.

Fuck, the sex. It was everything he could have hoped for and more. It was beyond anything he could have even dreamed up. Addie was voluptuous and sexy, and she didn’t mind telling him exactly what she wanted and how to get her off. He appreciated that. Some women he’d been with had liked to play coy, like they liked everything he did. He wasn’t a bad lover, but it was a refreshing change to get a little direction rather than fumbling around in the dark.

In his mind’s eye, he could see her arching up off the mattress with her orgasm, and he heard the raspy, broken sound she’d made. Fuck. That would be replaying in his mind for the rest of his life.

Reaching down, he adjusted his hard dick away from her, shifting his hips back a little.

The entire night had confounded him, a little, though. She didn’t care about his scars. He’d watched her face, waiting to see any hint of hesitation or distaste, and he hadn’t seen either.

From personal experience, he knew that wasn’t how most people reacted to him. Had she gotten so used to dealing with all walks of people that his scars really didn’t matter to her? Or was she just learning to be a better actress?

Severn frowned, not liking the thought. Addie had a better, more grounded morality than that.

This was such a fucked up situation, though. What was his morality like, after he’d slept with a client?

Severn opened his eyes. Morning was just beginning to brighten the window on the other side of the room. As if to greet him for the day, his cell phone pinged with a text notification.

This early, it couldn’t be good. He reached behind him to the nightstand and unplugged the device, one-handed, then positioned it in front of his face.

It was from Parker.Better watch the news, it said.Call me after you see it.

Severn shifted away from Addie, trying not to wake her. She turned over to look at him, blinking and yawning. “You all right?”

“Yeah,” he said softly. “Parker just sent a message that I need to look at the news.”

Immediately, she blinked and sat up, her expression going fearful. Severn hated to make her feel that way. Something must have happened for Parker to send him a message.

They dressed and used the bathroom, then went downstairs. Addie found the news channel, and they sat on the couch together. She leaned against him as they watched the segments roll through, but it didn’t take long for them to see it.

Breaking news this morning. A deadly firebombing has rocked a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. Authorities say the attack occurred just after midnight when an improvised explosive device was thrown into a residential home, igniting a massive blaze that quickly engulfed the property. Several witnesses heard the explosion and responded, but nothing could be done. Tragically, two people were killed in the fire, though their identity has not yet been released. Firefighters responded swiftly, but the flames had already spread beyond control before they arrived. Investigators are on the scene, working to determine the motive behind this brutal act. At this time, it’s unclear if the victims were targeted, but local police are urging anyone with information to come forward immediately. We’ll continue to follow this developing story and provide updates as we learn more.

Addie looked at Severn, and he could see the stress in her eyes. “Who’s house was it?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. I have to call Parker.”

He put the call through, then hit the speaker button. The line rang only once before it was picked up.

“So, you saw the report.”

“Yes. Do you know whose house it was?”

Parker sighed. “Yes. It belongs to Eloise Flynn. Her son Nelson lives with her.”

Addie gasped, one hand going up to cover her mouth.

“There was a note in the mailbox that said,first one out of the way. The detectives are running the paper for prints, but I doubt we’ll find anything.”

Severn watched tears fill Addie’s beautiful eyes, then roll down her cheeks. She was slowly shaking her head, as if she couldn’t believe what the arsonist had done. Without saying anything, she got up from the couch and disappeared up the stairs.

Parker asked him something, but Severn missed it. “What was that?”

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