Page 18 of Burn With Me

“Well, that’s a shame. I wouldn’t have complained,” he said as he held open my door and his hand to help me up.

I didn’t bother to retort to the obvious sexual joke, and I ignored his hand and swung myself up into the truck with ease. I caught the hint of humor in his eyes as he removed his hand but kept standing there with his hand on the door as if trying to figure me out. I had a feeling that Mister West wasn’t used to a woman like me.

“So, you’re saying there won’t be any complaining about a bumpy ride ruining your hair? Or saying that you’ll look like you’ve been kidnapped by a redneck?”

I had to laugh. That was a strange visual, and I honestly didn’t think anyone would ever say either one of those things with this man behind the wheel.

“Do I look like a girl that complains about my hair?”

Asher’s eyes traveled down my body to the strappy little heels I was wearing before returning to my face. “Actually, yes, but then you open your mouth, and it all flies away.”

“Now, that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.” I gave him a smile, and it was a real one, something that usually only Beck got out of me.

“Books and covers…I guess I just learned my lesson,” Asher said as he closed my door and walked around his truck.

He got in the driver’s side, and the already warm vehicle notched up a couple more degrees as he looked over. I realized I was now inside a space smaller than a prison cell with this man who did all sorts of weird things to my body. I was officially his prisoner wherever he decided to take me, which excited and terrified me.

Asher started the truck, the diesel roaring to life with a growl.

“Did you always want to be a firefighter?” I asked as we pulled out of the parking lot.

His body language was relaxed, but his eyes told a different story. They held a dead and pained stare I recognized all too well.

“I had a family incident when I was younger, and it sort of changed me forever. I wanted to be a firefighter from that day on,” he said but didn’t elaborate any further. I wanted to push to know if he had lived through the same pain I had, but I held my tongue.

“What about you? What made you want to go through the fire academy and put up with knuckleheads like me to become an investigator?”

I looked out the window to the beach, and the water glistened in the late-day sun. My Dad’s face flashed in my mind. The sound of him calling my name would never leave me. Maybe that was why I’d accepted my mother’s death a little easier. It wasn’t that I loved her any less, but I didn’t have to see her screaming face or hear her yelling my name. My hand clenched the little clutch tighter in my lap.

“I lost my parents to a house fire, and ever since, I was hooked. If you ask my best friend, she’d say that I’m obsessed, but I just felt the need to find answers for myself and help other people find closure.”

“I’m really sorry,” Asher said. His voice was soft and sounded genuine without all the teasing or flirtatiousness.

I glanced over at him, and his eyes held understanding. Most pitied me or were even terrified when I told them my theory about my parents being murdered. I got the feeling Asher would believe me and wouldn’t run screaming.

“That is one thing you never get used to in this line of work. Seeing people lose everything…their homes, belongings, and sometimes loved ones. Seeing their tear-stained cheeks and listening to their pained wails sticks with me,” he said.

I stared at the side of his face, and I couldn’t tell if he was talking about himself or if he was truly that empathetic.

We ended up sitting in silence the rest of the way to the restaurant, with just the radio playing an assortment of songs. It wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, but a shadow had descended on the earlier teasing mood. As Asher slowed and flicked on his turn signal, I knew exactly where we were heading. I stared up at the massive boat that had been turned into a floating restaurant. It was one of the hardest places to get a seat in the state.

“You weren’t kidding about going someplace on the water,” I said as we parked.

Getting out of the truck, I wandered to the driver’s side and took a deep breath of the salty air.

“I’ll take it you’ve never been?”

I shook my head no.

“Most of my meals consist of whatever I can grab through a drive-thru or whatever my roommate decides to make.” I lifted my shoulder and let it drop.

“Well, you’re in for a treat. This place has the best food. Normally, I’d say that it would be impossible to get in, but there is always a table or two for those who know the owner.”

He gave me one of those sly smiles that just reaffirmed why this guy had to be a player. That meant I should already be coming up with all the reasons to tell Beck why I decided not to work with him.

“It will be nice not to have to eat noodles out of styrofoam,” I said and then almost choked on my saliva as Asher whipped the white T-shirt he’d been wearing off over his head. I was left staring at his muscled back and had to snap my mouth closed as he turned toward me.

“Is that so? What spot is your go-to?” he asked as he pulled out a dress shirt from the back seat like magic. It was as if he was moving in slow motion, my mind making a movie of his too-sexy smile and how he swung the shirt around his shoulders. I could hear the cologne commercial music in my head. All he needed was the tall leggy model walking up and hooking her arm through his to complete the look.