UNCONTROLLED BURN by Nina Pierce Read Free Book Online Page B

before Reese’s mouth came down hard and hungry over hers. The heat of the kiss obliterated any coherent thought and no matter how bad his timing, Alex couldn’t have pulled from Reese if she’d wanted to. His hand reached up to cup her neck, his thumb grazing her chin as he changed the angle and invited her to deepen the kiss. She opened for him, the silken heat of his tongue darting in to tangle with hers. His taste, warm and familiar, sent awareness skittering over her nerves. The man certainly knew how to weaken her resolve.
    She broke the kiss, his hot breath washing over her face. “I have appointments. People are going to show up any minute.”
    Reese’s gaze dropped to her mouth before slowly dragging back to her eyes. A smile slid leisurely over his full lips. “I suppose it wouldn’t do for the tavern owner to be found in a compromising position.” He stepped away from her. “An hour. Maybe two. It’s all I’m willing to wait. I’ve obviously been remiss in showing you exactly how good we are together.”
* * *
    Hope knew she should be exhausted. The sun had risen hours ago, throwing its rays across the papers littering her coffee table. Despite her lack of sleep, the thrill of the hunt kept her poring over the internet sites and taking notes. As much as she hated to admit it, she had the adrenaline rush of the fire and Ronan Nason’s cynical comments to thank for awakening the reporter’s curiosity that had kept her up all night.
    She’d stayed at the professor’s mansion several hours after the flames had been contained and her cameraman had gone back to the studio to edit footage. Not so much to see Josh in action, though that had definitely been a thrill, but Hope had wanted to take some time to talk with the fire marshal about the recent rash of deadly fires. The man hadn’t come out and said they were all related, but his body language and what he was careful not to say, however, intimated his office believed there was an arsonist roaming the streets of South Kenton.
    Barely able to contain her eagerness to investigate, Hope had sped home and fired up her laptop before she’d even gotten out of her coat and brewed a pot of coffee. Searching police and fire department weekly logs for any reports of local fires over the last six months was child’s play. Homing in on fires where someone died took a simple flick of the wrist. It was when she expanded both her search grid and time frame that patterns began to emerge. And the picture forming as she connected the dots wasn’t only unbelievable—it was scary as hell.
    Hope grabbed the map of California from the back of the couch and spread it over the mish-mash of papers. Double-checking the facts, she highlighted the spot of the earliest fire and circled it with a red sharpie. Nausea curled in her gut and she fell back hard against the seat. How could this be?
    “Hey, babe. I’m surprised you’re up.” Josh sauntered into her living room.
    So caught up in the revelation of what she’d pieced together, Hope hadn’t heard him use his key. “Hey, you.” She stretched to accept the kiss he offered. The clean scent of soap and fresh air added to the heat spreading through her body. Her hand fisted in the damp curls of his hair as she held him, keeping him from pulling away. Josh groaned, tilted his head and deepened the kiss. Even after a year, she couldn’t get enough of him.
    Hope wanted to lose herself in everything his kiss was promising, but her head was still swimming with facts that weren’t making sense. She reluctantly broke the kiss.
    “And good morning to you.” He stood next to her, his hand on her shoulder, his knee pressed against her thigh. His smile set butterflies lose in her tummy. “After the night you had, I figured you’d be sleeping. But it looks like something else has caught your attention.” His hand swept the mess on the table.
    “Ronan made a joke of my profession last night at the tavern. He said—”
    Josh