Set the Night on Fire (13 page)

Evie searched her memory, but couldn’t come up with an image of Jesse Marcus. “I don’t remember meeting him, but your mother came to our house a few times. She was always so sweet, kind of shy.”

His shoulders hunched, the muscles flexing as he reached for his shirt. “Yeah. She was. Jesse cheated on her, but he never called it that. He called it “engaging.” People here thought he was a hippie, but that’s not fair to hippies. He didn’t believe in love and peace and all that. He just believed in self-gratification.”

She watched him button his shirt. It was almost tragic to hide away all that magnificence. “He must have had good points too. I mean, look at you.”

He shrugged. “Yeah. He did. It turned out that he was pretty good with money. He could be fun. A risk-taker. He got his pilot’s license, then turned around and purchased a flightseeing service. Nothing scared him.”

“That sounds familiar.”

“How do you mean?”

“A fun, fearless risk-taker. Hmm, where have I met someone like that before?”

He stared at her for a long moment, then jumped to his feet and tucked in his shirt. Had she offended him with that observation? She got to her feet as well and folded the fleece blanket into a tight square to cram it into her backpack. As soon as she fastened the buckle, he held out his hand for it.

“I’ll take that,” he said tightly. “Hotshots and heavy packs, that’s what we’re all about.”

She handed it over and he slung the straps over his shoulders, then headed for the path that wound up the hillside. He was moving so fast, she had to skip to catch up with him. His long legs ate up the trail in easy strides. She remembered that he’d told her running up mountains was his favorite form of exercise.

It definitely wasn’t hers. “Sean. Why are you going so fast?”

When he turned to look back at her, he had a remote expression she hadn’t seen before. “Sorry.” He reached his hand to her and helped her over a rocky spot in the path. “I should get back to the base. I can’t leave Josh alone out there for too long. He might throw a party and invite every girl in town.”

When they reached the top of the trail, she saw that a few cars were parked in the main viewpoint lot. The big telescopes, the ones set into the concrete, were all in use. Her face colored as she thought about the sounds they’d made.

“Do you think anyone heard us?” she whispered as they crossed the parking lot.

“Nope. Even if they did, they probably figured there was a wounded hog and a weird ghost nearby.”

“Ha-ha.”

Even though he smiled faintly, his mood had shifted. All the playfulness was gone. And she had no idea what had triggered the change.

U
sually after sex
, Sean felt on top of the world. Clear-headed, carefree, ready to launch into the next thing. But driving back to Evie’s house, a whole different category of thoughts kept dive-bombing his brain.

Why did he and Evie have to get onto the topic of his family? It always made him edgy. It brought up all kinds of weird feelings. Not grief, so much. That had faded with time.

In Boulder, or any of the various hotshot or smoke-jumping bases where he’d worked, no one connected him with his family. The Marcus name meant nothing beyond what Sean gave to it. To his fellow firefighters, “Sean Marcus” meant skill, drive, intensity, good firefighter, smart risk-taker, reliable. To women, it meant short-term sex, hopefully good sex. It meant a fun time, some laughs, no strings, no expectations.

Here, in Jupiter Point, “Sean Marcus” had some other layers that kept springing at him like ghosts. “Marcus” meant fuckup, weirdo, maybe even crazy. “Sean Marcus” meant bad boy, rebel, underage drinker, hothead.

Those things didn’t seem to bother Evie. Maybe she liked them. Maybe that was why she’d picked him for her “mission.” Was he perfect for her “sexual reclaiming” because she didn’t have to take a member of the Marcus family seriously?

Not that he wanted “serious” in terms of a relationship. But maybe he wanted to be a contender. Or at least a potential contender. He remembered how she used to pine after Brad White when she was a kid. He was just as good as that fucking guy.

Speaking of Brad…he tuned back into Evie just as she was saying the dude’s name.

“What about Brad?”

Evie gave him a chiding look. “I was conveying the very important decision I just made, but if I had known you weren’t even listening…”

“I’m listening now. Anything to do with Brad, I want to be in the loop.”

“I don’t know if you’re going to like this.” She twisted her long hair back into a knot. “I realized that he just doesn’t matter to me at all.”

“He doesn’t
matter
?” The jackass had assaulted her. Sean’s knuckles actually itched with the urge to knock him out
again
now that he knew the whole story. “I don’t get it.”

“Well, I just feel different now that I’ve talked about it.” She aimed a sweet smile in his direction, but it didn’t work on him the way her smiles usually did. “I don’t have to hold on to any old grudges from the past. I can move on now. I’m free.”

Sean frowned as he turned onto Constellation Way. The little downtown area was snugged up tight for the night. The low-lumen streetlights created a golden-orange glow around the tidy storefronts and hand-carved signs. They passed the Goodnight Moon Bed and Breakfast, with its little turret perched on top. Night jasmine flowed in soft clouds over the iron-work fence around the Orbit’s outside patio.

Jupiter Point was a lovely little town, but that didn’t mean that everything or everyone in it was equally lovely.

Brad White being the prime example of that.

“So what are you saying? You’re going to endorse him?”

She nodded decisively. “I am. I’m going to endorse him. It’s the best thing for the town. We don’t need any controversy. Tourists don’t come here for that. They come here to enjoy themselves. To pause for a moment and look up at the stars.”

The infamous town motto; Sean hadn’t heard that in a while. “So you’re not going to mention anything about what happened that night?”

“No. Why should I? It has nothing to do with his political agenda.” She must have sensed his disappointment, because she gave him a nervous glance. “The coalition decided to endorse him when the issue first came up, you know. I just couldn’t make myself say the words.”

“And now you can?”

“I think I can now. It no longer seems so important. I can let the past go, thanks to you.” She touched his thigh, not in a sexual way but in a “thank you” way. He shifted away from her hand.

He didn’t want that “thanks.” Brad was going to get away with his heinous actions. He was getting everything he wanted from Evie—her silence about his deeds, her support for his campaign. None of this sat right with him.

But it was her call, not his.

He took Evie home and drove back to the base in a surprisingly foul mood, considering he’d come pretty damn close to having sex with Evie McGraw.

When he got back to the base, he found it blazing with light but all the common areas empty. “Hello?” he called into the deserted space. The sound of crashing and swearing led him to the gear cache, the crew’s storage area.

There, he found Josh rubbing his head and cursing at a box of extra-large fire-resistant gloves. “I bring you into the family,” Josh told the box in his best “Godfather” accent. “And this is how you betray me.”

“Gloves, these days,” Sean said dryly. “You can’t turn your back on them for a second.”

Still rubbing his head, Josh glanced up from his cross-legged position on the floor. “Hey, Casanova. How was your night?”

Sean didn’t want to answer that question. “I thought you were planning to hit all the Jupiter Point hot spots tonight?”

“I did. It was a very entertaining five minutes. Then I figured all this crap still needed organizing. We need to get our act together, Magneto. Did you know the snowpack is half what it usually is? Dry summer coming up.”

“I know. We’re on track for May. That’s what we’re aiming for.” He looked closely at Josh, who seemed a little jittery. “So the Jupiter Point nightlife didn’t do much for you?”

“Barstow’s isn’t bad. Pretty cool local hangout. A whiny alt-rock band was playing but I managed to tune that shit out. Had a couple of beers there. Then I stopped in at the Orbit. Connected with a few friends there.”

“A few friends? Are you telling me you know people in Jupiter Point now?”

“Of course I know people. What do you think I do when you’re wrapped up with your pretty princess? People are talking, by the way. The town sweetheart and the hotshot. The good girl and the rebel. It doesn’t make sense. People keep saying things like, ‘Remember when the Marcus family first came to town and held a party out at the airstrip? I think there was pot in those brownies they served.’”

Sean snorted. “Jesse knew how to make a splash.”

“Must be a Marcus family trait.”

Sean startled. Evie had said something similar earlier, and he hadn’t liked it then either. “What are you talking about?”

Josh rose to his feet and brushed dust off his cargo shorts. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a pink message slip. The note scrawled on it said,
You’re in BIG TROUBLE. Chief Becker wants to see you. “
The police chief called while you were out. He asked you to come into the station as soon as you can.”

Sean stared at the ominous message. “I already talked to Becker. What else does he want?”

“I tried to get him to say, but he wouldn’t. He just said it’s important. Oh, and he said that next time, you should listen to his advice.” Josh scratched his chin, pretending to search his memory. “Something…hmm…it’s starting to come back to me…something about ‘stay away from Evie McGraw’?”

Sean crumpled up the message and tossed it in the trash.

D
ays passed
before Evie saw Sean again. He sent her a text telling her he was interviewing the last candidates for the hotshot crew and would be busy until the end of the week.

She understood. That was completely fine. He was busy, she was busy. No need to read anything into it, just because he’d seemed so distant at the end. Right?

The Dean, a notorious hypochondriac, announced that he felt the flu coming on and asked Evie to stay over for a couple of days. Life slowed to a crawl as Evie helped her mother with the daily tasks of life. Getting her dressed took a good half hour. Assisting her from the bedroom to her recliner was a journey of patience. Molly had to take three pills each morning, and each morning the process seemed to take longer.

Even so, Evie basked in her mother’s presence, in the affection that still beamed from her face. She knew Hunter felt guilty that he hadn’t been around to help. But in Evie’s view, he was missing something even more important--this precious time with their mom.

Besides, it was a relief to get a break from the gallery and all the town drama. On Friday, she’d attend the coalition meeting, announce her change of heart, and it would all be over.

But her break from the controversy didn’t last long. Brianna stopped by with a basket filled with her first stalks of rhubarb and a complete report on everything Evie had missed.

“I heard the
Los Angeles Times
is doing a story on Brad’s campaign.”

“Is that unusual? He’s running for state representative, that’s news, right?”

“Yes, but they don’t usually bother with hometowns and all that, unless there’s something of interest happening. Like his own business coalition refusing to endorse him.”

Evie buried her face in the rhubarb, inhaling the fresh tart scent that always said spring to her. “They’re going to be disappointed, then. There’s no more story. It’s all going to be settled at the meeting tomorrow. I’ve already crafted my statement. I’ve even memorized it.”

It was the right thing to do—at least, she thought it was. She’d been allowing her personal feelings to take over in the business arena. Personally, she still didn’t want anything to do with Brad. But she was the president of the coalition and she couldn’t think only of herself. She had a job to do.

In her statement to the coalition, she was going to say that she herself couldn't support Brad’s candidacy for her own reasons, but if the coalition voted to endorse him, she wouldn't fight it. It might be hard to spit the words out, but she was pretty sure she could pull it off. Brad simply didn’t matter to her anymore. She wasn’t afraid of him. She had better things to think about now.

Like Sean. And their amazing night on the cliffs.

As incredible as that experience had been, she knew it barely scratched the surface of what could happen between them. With Sean, something had clicked inside her. She felt as if she was looking at everything with new eyes—including herself. What had she been doing for the past thirteen years? Had she even been alive? Had some sort of weird holographic image of Evie McGraw been playing her part all this time?

She blinked. Brianna was waving a hand in front of her face. “If that’s how you plan to address the coalition, it should be an interesting meeting. “

“Oh. Sorry. Were you asking me something?”

Brianna let out one of her classic belly laughs. No one within a hundred foot radius could resist Brianna’s laugh. “Does this have anything to do with a certain hunky hotshot who just moved back to town?”

Evie felt her face turn as red as the rhubarb. “I have a lot on my mind,” she said with dignity. With her arms full of rhubarb stalks, she crossed to the refrigerator to put away Brianna’s gift.

“I’m sure you do. Speaking of Sean, do you have any idea why he was at the station house earlier? Word has it he met with Chief Becker for about an hour yesterday and came out looking like death warmed over.”

Evie’s stomach did a slow, queasy roll. Chief Becker was the officer who had come to this very house on that night thirteen years ago. He’d questioned her, Sean, and Brad. Did this have anything to do with that night? “Maybe it’s just routine, something he has to do for the hotshot crew.”

“He didn’t mention it to you?”

“No, which is probably a sure sign that it’s nothing important.” She shoved the rhubarb into the refrigerator and shut the door. “I don’t even know why you’re spreading gossip like this.”

“Spreading gossip?” Brianna bristled like a ginger-haired tomcat. “I’m not spreading anything. I’m asking my best friend about her new crush’s visit to the cops. Maybe I’m concerned.”

“Last I heard, you were telling me to kiss Sean.”

“Yes. Actually, I said you should fuck him. But not if he’s going back to his old bad-boy ways. People used to tell so many Marcus family stories, remember?”

“
Brianna
.”

Her friend’s vivid blue eyes widened in surprise. “You’re raising your voice. You never raise your voice. What is going on with you?”

“What’s going on with
you
? Why are always so tactless?”

“Excuse me?” Under normal circumstances, Brianna’s wounded expression would make her switch gears right away. But she hated the thought of people dragging Sean’s name through the mud. It wasn’t fair.

“Those stories are over thirteen years old. Do you really think they need to be brought up again?”

“But I’m not the one who—”

“Sean Marcus is here to do a job that
protects
us. Protects our community. And you’re talking about stuff that’s ancient history. Why don’t you just give him a chance? Not just you, but all of Jupiter Point?”

Brianna snatched her basket off the counter and backed toward the kitchen door. “You’ve changed, Evie. This isn’t like you.”

Evie opened her mouth to apologize and beg her friend for forgiveness. Brianna didn’t deserve to be yelled at like this. What
was
wrong with her?

But before she could say a word, Brianna broke into a wide grin. “It must be all that hot sex you’re having with Sean Marcus.”

“I’m not—who said—?”

Brianna blew her a kiss from the door. “Don’t worry, Evie. I like the new version of you. You’re like a tiger protecting your young. It’s awesome. But this is Sean Marcus we’re talking about, and I think he can take care of himself. Love you!”

“Love you, too!” Evie called after her as she waltzed out the door.

She took a deep breath and realized that she felt pretty good. It wasn’t nice to call Brianna “tactless,” and she would definitely apologize for that. But she’d made her point, and it was an important one.

She picked up her phone, fingers poised to dial Sean’s number. She had to find out what he’d spoken to Chief Becker about. But she didn’t want to bug him when he was busy. Call him or not? She went back and forth, until all the arguments on either side fell away and only one thing mattered.

Tonight she’d be back at her own place. And she wanted to see him. Desperately.

She texted quickly.
Want to come over tonight? I’m making pizza
.

What man—especially fireman—could resist pizza?

A second later he pinged her back with a big thumb’s up and an emoji of a bouquet of tulips

S
ean arrived
with a real bouquet of tulips in one hand and a six-pack of root beer in the other. A day’s worth of stubble covered his jaw and his eyes held a stormy intensity she recognized from his rebellious teenage years.

That expression vanished the second he laid eyes on her. It was replaced by one hundred percent lust. That was exactly the reaction she’d been hoping for when she put on the black slip dress that barely reached the middle of her thighs.

He dropped the bouquet on her little entryway table then set the six-pack on top of the poor tulips. Oblivious to the squished flowers, he advanced toward her like a beast arrowing in on his prey.

“Um…hi, Sean!” With every nerve in her body already on fire, she took an involuntary step back.

“Yeah,” he growled, his hot gaze sweeping up and down her body. “Hi.”

“Are you, um, hungry, because the pizza’s hot and it’s best when it’s right out of the oven and—ack!” She broke off with a squeak as he swooped her into his arms and strode down the hall.

Forget the pizza.

He pushed open a door with one foot, then stopped dead at the sight of piles of boxes. “What’s this?”

“Storage. If, by any chance, you’re looking for the bedroom, it’s across the hall.” She felt giddy and silly, like a newly opened bottle of champagne releasing bubbles into the air.

Sean swung around and crossed the hall in one long stride. He pushed open the door and they moved into her bedroom, lit only by the warm glow of her bedside lamp. The next thing Evie knew, she was flat on her back on her king-size bed with a fierce-eyed warrior braced over her. “You’re not wearing any underwear, are you?”

She giggled. “There’s only one way to find out for sure.”

“Don’t have to ask me twice.” He pushed the hem of her dress up her thighs. Instant liquid heat rushed to her sex. It was those damn hands of his, their size and power and gentleness. They made her melt just by landing on her skin.

He gazed down hungrily at her bare body. At the last minute, she’d taken off her panties just to see what it felt like. Right now, she was thinking that was one of the better decisions she’d ever made in her life.

“Good God, you’re gorgeous,” he breathed. He hooked her knees over his shoulders, making her squeak again. “I have to taste you.”

“You do?” It was a good thing she was lying down. The carnal look on his face made her feel faint.

“Mmm. Look at you, already wet, and my mouth is watering.” He bent his dark head to the juncture between her thighs. She dug her hands into her goose down comforter and squeezed her eyes shut. This was one more experience she’d never had, and she intended to enjoy it to the fullest.

The first touch of his tongue to her sex made her shriek. She plastered both her hands over her mouth in shock.

He chuckled, the sound vibrating her clit. She couldn’t tell if he intended that or not, but it felt freaking amazing. “Don’t hold back for me, sweetness. You know your sounds make me crazy.”

He slowly drew the flat of his tongue across the little bundle of nerves. That kernel of pleasure felt like the source of everything good in the entire world. She moaned—or was it groaned—loudly, then grabbed a pillow and stuffed it over her face.

He reached up with one arm and pulled it away. “Don’t cheat me out of your sounds, Evie. That’s no way to treat a guy. Especially one with his mouth on your pussy.”

Ohmigod, the dirty way he talked. It made her simultaneously mortified and aroused. The aroused part definitely took over when he began circling her clit with skillful, eager sweeps of his tongue. He seemed to know exactly how much to lick, how hard and how fast, to keep her right on the edge of orgasm. He put his hand under her ass and changed the angle, eliciting another muffled shriek from her.

Fine. Why try to hide the way he made her feel? That was something the old Evie would do. Not the new Evie.

Abandoning any attempt at dignity, she pushed herself hard against his mouth.

“Please, Sean. Please, I can’t stand it! Make me come.”

“That’s right, tell me what you want. You want to come?”

“Yes.”

He lifted his head, his eyes dark, burning pools of intensity. “I want to feel you come while I’m inside you. Are you ready for that?”

“Yes—God, yes.”

“Hang on.” He released her legs so she lay splayed across the bed, and dug in his pocket. He produced a wrapped condom that he clamped between his teeth.

“Wait,” she said suddenly. The alarm in his expression almost made her laugh. “One tiny little thing.”

He froze, chest rising and falling in rapid heaves.

“Could you take your clothes off? I want to see you. I get turned on even when you’re dressed, but now I want to see everything. In the light.”

He grinned. “Not a problem.” Tossing the condom on the bed, he ripped off his t-shirt and jeans so fast, he looked like Quicksilver in the
X-Men
movies.

“Don’t move,” she begged him. “Just let me look at you for a minute.”

Playing it up, he lifted his arms overhead in a victory pose.

She let out a sigh of sheer appreciation. In the soft lamplight, the definition of his muscular chest stood out in deep grooves and sleek ridges. He had barely any hair, just a silky swirl right in the middle of his chest.

“I wish I had my camera right now.”

“So that’s why you’re into photography. For the naked men.”

She gave a soft snort. “Hardly. Just you, Sean Marcus.”

Her gaze lingered on his tattoo, then dropped lower. His erection pushed against the fabric of his black boxer briefs. “These are coming off,” he warned her, just before he pushed them down his strong thighs.

Her heart jumped into her throat as his erection sprang forth in all its thick, eager glory. Heat rushed right to her core, a liquid rush of desire that stunned her. She couldn’t take her eyes off it—she could stare at it forever…and touch it…and taste it…

But Sean was growling something, hands on his hips. “How long do you need to do this? Asking for a friend. You know, him.” He indicated his shaft with a quick gesture of his head.

She waved him on, almost speechless from the overwhelming effect of so much maleness. “I’m good,” she whispered in awe. “So, so good.”

“Glad to hear it.” Sean grabbed his condom and ripped open the wrapper, then worked it over his erection. Watching his big hands move across his own organ made her light-headed. Wild with excitement by now, she arched against him when he covered her with his body.

“I want you,” she whispered, putting his hand on her sex. “Can you feel how much?”

“Right there with you, sweetness. Believe me.” With deft fingers, he stroked her a few more times, stoking her arousal back to the peak where she’d been before, trembling on the edge of orgasm. Lashed by the urgent edge of desire, she twisted and moaned under his hands.