Page 5 of Burn for You

Reluctantly, I clasped his hand with a firm shake. Teagan’s smile grew. His palm was warm and callused, his fingers strong. A lump formed in my throat at the undeniable spark of attraction I couldn’t afford to allow myself to feel.

Then I withdrew my hand, resisting the urge to wipe my palm on my pants.

“Tell me more about this arsonist,” I said.

Sheriff Beck retrieved something from behind his desk and held it up—a rusty gas can, sealed in an evidence bag.

“Seth found this at the house when he was conducting his sweep of the interior,” he said.

“There’s a good chance the arsonist could strike again,” Teagan put in. “The fire department and the police department will work closely to put a stop to it.”

“Do you have any idea why the arsonist targeted one of the houses my real estate office is trying to sell?” I asked.

Teagan blew out a breath with a shrug. He sprawled deeper in his seat, nonchalant and comfortable. I tried to convince myself that his manspreading was obscene, but the flex of his muscled thighs beneath the fabric of his pants drove me to distraction.

“Could be any number of reasons. An empty house is an easy target. That provides plenty of opportunity with very little resistance. It’s not like the arsonist had to get past a resident in order to burn the place down.”

I narrowed my eyes, studying Teagan’s lackadaisical posture and folded hands.

“In other words, you don’t have much to go on and this arsonist will likely be free as a bird for the rest of his days.”

“Or her,” Teagan supplied.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You automatically assumed the arsonist was a guy. Could be a woman. I’ve met a lady firebug once or twice in my day.”

I stifled a growl of frustration at his correction, even though technically, I knew he had a point. Not that I would admit it out loud. He was already gazing at me with that sparkle in his eye, like he knew he was annoying me and enjoyed every minute of it.

“Whether the arsonist is male or female doesn’t change the fact that I can’t sell a pile of ashes,” I countered. “I’m losing money because of this firefly.”

“Firebug,” Teagan said.

“Whatever,” I replied, exasperated.

He pressed his lips together and ducked his head. When he scrubbed a hand over his mouth, I could have sworn he was trying to prevent himself from laughing. Did he think this wasfunny?

I pushed to my feet.

“If you find anything else, Sheriff Beck, I would appreciate it if you could inform me right away. I need to take precautionary measures to ensure I don’t lose any more houses.”

“Of course, Miss Jenkins.”

Without acknowledging Seth Teagan in any way, I headed out of the sheriff’s office. But I couldn’t get rid of him that easily. Teagan hurried to catch up to me, trotting at my heels.

“It looks like we’ll be seeing more of each other, sweetheart,” he said.

“I have assistants who handle members of the public that I don’t wish to deal with,” I replied, fishing my keys from my purse. “And that’sMiss Jenkinsto you. Notsweetheart,unless you’d like to be reported for sexual harassment.”

“MissJenkins. Not Mrs? There’s no Mr. Jenkins in the picture then? Interesting.”

Teagan darted ahead of me and pushed the door of the police station open. With a flourish, he gestured for me to go ahead.

“Ladies first,” he said. “See? I can be a polite member of society worthy of your time and attention. You don’t have to hand me off to an assistant. I can behave myself, cross my heart and pinkie promise.”

I shot him a sideways glance as I passed through the door.

“Why do I get the feeling you actually have no clue how to behave yourself?”

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