Page 7 of Burning Desire

His voice sounds panicked. “I’m in the bathroom.”

Soon enough he walks in to find me in the tub. He has soot marks covering his face and arms, but I swear to all that is holy, I have never seen a man more gorgeous than him at the moment.

“We need to get out of here,” he says. Even though I know he is trained for situations like this, panic still sets in.

“But the fire!” I cry out, my terror bleeding into my words.

“Do you trust me?” he asks calmly while looking down at me.

I stare at him for a moment before nodding. How could I not trust him? He says something but I’m not sure what, all I can hear is my heavy breathing. He cradles me to his chest, covering me with one of the wet towels, and before I can even orientate myself, we are outside and he is placing me on a gurney beside an ambulance.

“I don’t know how long she was in there,” Draven says to the Simon, the paramedic, who is already moving around me, grabbing different items he may need. “She may have some smoke inhalation, but she shouldn’t have any burns.”

“Are you sure?” Simon asks. “Why is she soaking wet?”

“I found her in the tub covered in water,” Draven says but his gaze is locked on his fellow firefighters. “I’ll be right back. I need to check if the guys need anything.”

“That was smart,” Simon says to me with a smile. He is new to town but since he arrived six months ago we have always gotten along. Placing the stethoscope on my chest, he listens carefully. “Breathe in deeply, hold for three seconds, and exhale.”

I follow his instructions while staring at Draven as he moves between the other firefighters.

“Who taught you to do that?” Simon asks after listening to my breathing.

I smile and nod in Draven’s direction. “He did. A long time ago.”

Chapter Four

Draven

It’s been a little over an hour since I pulled Harmony from the building and the fire has finally been put out. The paramedic, who I now know is Simon, has seen her and assured me that aside from a sore throat she is perfectly fine. I was lucky too. No more than some singed hair along my arms and the back of my neck. It could have been so much worse for both of us.

My heart rate still hasn’t gone down and every time I look at Harmony, I want to pull her tightly against my chest just to make sure she is real. She stands beside me wrapped in a blue tartan picnic blanket I had behind the seat in my truck. Luckily, it’s summer and she isn’t freezing.

The fact that she was soaking wet and her pretty blue sundress was clinging to each and every one of her curves was driving me insane, so I had to cover her. Not only were my thoughts drifting away from what needed to be done but the thought of anyone seeing her peaked nipples beneath the wet fabric was enough to have me wanting to kill someone.

“Draven,” Dexter Banks, the other fire chief for our house greets me.

“Chief,” I say in reply.

The man is older than I am and has held his post longer. I have respect for him and all he has accomplished.

“Can we talk privately?”

I stare at him trying to figure out what he might want to say to me. “If it’s about the fire, I think Harmony deserves to know.”

He nods before speaking. “In that case, I am sorry to say this fire was set on purpose.”

Harmony gasps beside me before I feel her lean into me even more. Using me as support. In any other situation, I wouldhave been thrilled but this is so fucked up, I can’t even enjoy this little moment.

“Are you sure?” I ask, wrapping an arm around her.

“Positive,” he states emphatically. “The accelerant was poured from the center of the kitchen, all the way through to the outside alley. The lock on the door has also been broken.”

“Oh my God,” Harmony gasps. “Who would do something like this?”

“No idea, ma’am, but the police are on their way to assist us in a formal investigation,” he answers with a nod. “We also need to talk about your actions.”

“What actions?” Harmony asks but he doesn’t answer her, instead facing me.

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