Page 7 of Licking Fire

The edges of his entirely too inviting mouth curved upward. Everything about his partial smile said “bad boy” and promised sex. “Are you sure?”

“I’m not sure of anything at the moment. Seriously, it’s like burning up out here.”

His lips twitched. “Alondra, please stay and talk with me.”

She locked gazes with him. “I want to. I do, but if I’m wrong, then bad things could happen. I shouldn’t have mixed you up in this.”

She ducked under his arm and entered the elevator quickly, jabbing the button for the first floor. Rayer didn’t move from his spot, keeping the doors stuck open. She hit the button again but nothing happened. “Please. I need to go now. This was stupid.”

He watched her for a moment before stepping back and allowing the doors to close. She let out a long breath and then squeezed her knit cap, tears threatening to fall. She’d failed. She’d chickened out on asking him what he was, and now she would need to outrun the mayor and his men.

If they could even be called men.

It seemed to take forever for the elevator to descend all the floors of the high-rise, but when it did, the doors opened and she took a step—only to find Rayer there, standing in the lobby.

“What? How did you beat me down here?” she asked.

“We did not have our talk,” he said, not bothering to answer her.

Timothy came out from behind the desk and cast a sidelong glance at Rayer. The older man’s expression was hard to read. “Sir, how unexpected for you to arrive by other means.”

Other means?

Alondra had to push past Rayer to leave the elevator. He crowded her space, leaving her body pressing against his. He caught her upper arm, and while he’d not gripped her hard, it hurt because it was her injured arm.

She whimpered and grabbed at his hand, trying to pry his fingers from her. “Ouch.”

Timothy stepped in. “Sir, mind your strength.”

“I did,” said Rayer, sounding confused. “I was very careful with her.”

The look Timothy shot him said he didn’t believe the man.

Alondra held her upper arm and felt hot tears begin to move down her cheeks. “He didn’t hurt me. I, um, bumped my arm earlier. Thank you for getting me in to see him, but it was silly of me to come here and bother him. I should be going now.”

Timothy eased closer and offered a soft smile, reminding her a great deal of her grandfather when he did. They’d have been about the same age if her grandfather were still alive. The man before her possessed the same nurturing quality that her grandfather had had. “Miss, how about I make a cup of hot chocolate before you go back out into the weather? The tea I gave you before you went up wasn’t nearly strong enough to warm you. It’s snowing harder now than when you arrived, and you weren’t here long enough to warm up or dry out. One might think the person you went to talk to was rude or something.”

Rayer grunted. “I was not rude. She barely spoke to me and then insisted on leaving.”

“So you followed her by any means necessary?” asked Timothy.

Rayer grinned mischievously. “It was faster.”

“I’m sure it was, sir.” Timothy lifted an arm. “Please, miss, let me get something warm in you. You’re shivering.”

She was?

She wiped her cheeks and did her best to ignore the bite of pain in her upper arm. As warmth spread over it, she realized the gashes were torn open again.

Rayer stiffened, sniffing the air heavily. “You’re bleeding.”

“What? How did you know?” she asked before clearing her throat. “I’m fine. I need to go.”

“No!” he shouted.

She gasped.

Timothy put his hands up and motioned at Rayer to back away from her. “Sir, you’re scaring the poor girl with all your bluster.”

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