He’d done that a lot before, since she could drop off to sleep with no effort at all, and be snoring without him even closing his eyes.
Then her hair would be tangled, spilled all over the pillow. Now it was too short for that, but mussed from his hands nonetheless. She’d pulled the quilt over her, one delicate shoulder exposed, tempting him.
He could crawl in there with her. Wake her up the way he did so often before. Erin always loved sleepy sex.
Once hadn’t been near enough to sate the need she’d rekindled earlier. He dropped the towel, crawled in under the quilt with her.
Her eyes opened as soon as he did, startled at first, drawing back and then relaxing.
“Sorry. I’m not used to anyone being in bed with me.”
He smiled, but the words only emphasized that for all of the times together that he could remember, she only remembered what happened today.
“Let me go clean up, too, and then—”
“Not yet,” he said, nibbling her shoulder, already hard for her.
“But I’m—”
He cut off their conversation with a kiss, quickly rolling her onto her back and covering her completely. Her arms came around him, and she arched up into him, clearly on the same page.
“Was it always like this? Like we couldn’t get enough?” she asked breathlessly, stroking his back.
“Especially at first, yeah. Pretty much all we did was have sex,” he said with a laugh, looking down into her face.
“I find that easy to believe.”
She pushed on his chest, rolling him onto his back as she came over him and took him deep, as if she couldn’t wait. The eagerness and desire in her face satisfied him as nothing else ever had. Erin had always been good in bed, but she’d never been this open with him. She liked to be in control, and he didn’t mind that one bit, except that it had always put distance between them.
There was no distance now as she rocked her hips, scraping her nails over his chest and making him share some pretty graphic thoughts with her as she did so.
“Come here.” He tugged on her hand until she collapsed over him, seeking his kiss, but he went lower, sucking her nipples, making her frantic as she rode him.
Causing Erin to lose control was the most erotic thing he’d ever experienced, chanting his name and pulling him along with her on the current. When they were done, they showered again, and ran out the hot water.
Bo was exhausted when they made their way back to the bed, falling into it, and he curled around her. He hadn’t been sleeping long when he heard his beeper, buzzing on the dresser.
“I have to check that.”
He slid from the warm cocoon of her body and grabbed his phone, calling in.
“What’s wrong?”
Erin pushed up on one elbow, the blanket slipping down to reveal her breasts. Bo swallowed hard, trying not to look. She was so hot, and all he wanted was to go back to bed and ignore the rest of the world.
“They need me at a fire. I have to go.”
“Now?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.”
“Can I come with you?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I need to close everything else out when I’m there, and I don’t think I can do that when you’re around. Especially looking like that.”
She took a second as if to absorb the information and nodded, blowing him a kiss.
“Okay. Make sure you come back.”
Bo stood transfixed for a second as she relaxed into the pillows. It was like going back in time. She might not remember, but that was what they both said when they went to work. Never goodbye. Always “Make sure you come back.” Because they knew that in their profession, there was always a chance they wouldn’t.
He kissed her quickly and then tore himself from the room, hurrying down to his truck.
Fifteen minutes later, he approached the scene, showing his badge as he made his way past the barricade at the end of the street. His mind clicked over to work.
It was a bad one. Three structures, at least. Several stations were on hand, and a few volunteer units. He counted two ambulances, and then saw the coroner’s van just past them.
“Damn,” he bit out under his breath, grabbing his stuff and exiting the truck, making notes as soon as he did. They were still putting out the fire. It would be hours, perhaps days, before he could get inside to do a real assessment. But the chief met him out near the street.
“Myers. Glad you’re here.”
“What can I do? I can’t investigate yet.”
“Won’t be sure until you take a look, but from what we can tell, it started at four to six different points, simultaneously.”
“A timer and a fuse, all set to ignite at the same time?”
“Yep. Seems like the same guy who set the fire on Riley and Joe.”
“It’s been a while. And this one is bigger. Residences, not a warehouse. So that’s different. Casualties?”
“One. Three of our guys hurt, but they’ll be okay. Weird accidents again—Mitchell said he fell through the floor when all of it was solid, and then there was a spot where it busted through, but he saw it too late. It’s like the place was booby-trapped for them when they went in. Accidents happen, but not this many, not all at once. Something’s off.”
Bo felt a chill settle at the base of his spine.
Is that what had happened to Erin and Joe? Had it been a trap?
“So we might have some maniac rigging fires to lure us in, and then he sets up traps inside the buildings? Makes it look like an accident.”
The chief was grim. “I’ll get you in as soon as I can. You can talk to my guys as soon as medical clears them.”
“Thanks. Let me know any further developments.”
The chief went back to his team, and Bo stayed to watch, studying the fire and the crowd, taking notes. He’d head to the hospital after this, talk to the men who were hurt. See what they could remember.
If they had a serial arsonist on their hands—and one who was targeting firefighters—this was a much bigger problem than he’d anticipated. And Erin’s memory of events could be even more important than she knew.
He couldn’t leave the scene now; he was going to need to talk to anyone who’d witnessed the event, get pictures gawkers might have taken with their phones, or ones from traffic and security cameras. He’d start amassing information that he’d add to the case file in his office.
Bo focused on his work, and that’s all that consumed his attention. It was a relief of sorts.
Here, he knew what he was doing. He was, as much as he could be, in control of the situation. He knew what to ask, what to do, and he was very good at it. Confusion was behind him, with Erin, and for now, he left it there.
KIT WAS HAVING a bad morning, and that was an understatement.
Erin was remaining tight-lipped and distant, stewing in her own amnesiac juices. She’d been like that for the past few days. She’d come in for the morning and worked on abusing more plants before she lit out with barely a goodbye. Something was going on, but Erin wasn’t about to tell Kit what. In addition, her other part-timer hadn’t shown up today, having had to go to the hospital because her daughter had