Page 39 of Too Hot

“Yes, Sir.” Her voice was soft, but that sir went straight to his cock.

“Tomorrow.” Unable to resist, he kissed her again before straightening and letting her close the door. Rafe made his way to his vehicle with a big grin on his face.

* * * *

Brianna leaned against the wooden front door, trying to catch her breath. Not so much from Rafe’s kiss, but from what she’d learned. He was a fire survivor. He respected fire. A shiver racked her body. How were they even compatible?

She had a healthy fear of fire from her childhood and… What? It wasn’t like she was going to be involved in fire. This was Rafe’s job, and yes, she’d worry about him, but just like she worried about Logan and his job, for Ellie’s sake.

With a shake of her head, she checked the kitchen to make sure everything was off, then turned off the lights. In her bedroom, she got ready for bed, but she laid there awake for a long time.

She’d call Ellie on her lunch break tomorrow and see if she had time on Sunday to chat. Brianna needed to know if Ellie had any tips or tricks for dealing with Logan’s job that Brianna could use.

A beep sounded. Brianna sat up. Fire alarm? Smoke alarm? She climbed out of bed, but didn’t hear the beep again. Not that it mattered. She checked all the smoke alarms in her apartment, and the lights were green. She wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon. Curling up on the sofa, she pulled the blanket over her, listening. Fire could happen at any time, and she would be alert for it. Never again would she let down her guard.

* * * *

Rafe sat at the desk in the small alcove of his home and finished reading the latest fire report. Suspicious, but no obvious evidence of arson. He tossed the file aside. Something about it bugged him. These fires were too coincidental. Four of them. All seemingly accidental, but something nagged him. Rafe pushed away from his desk. Time to go for a run. Otherwise, he’d sit there, going over and over the same facts and not coming to a conclusion.

After putting on his running shoes, Rafe grabbed his phone and keys. Outside his front door, he did a few stretches and then started off at a light jog until he’d warmed up enough to run. He thought back to last night.

Brianna’s reaction to his story made his suspicion that her fear of fire was real. She hadn’t come out and said so, but it was there. Her wide eyes, the way her body trembled, and her shallow breathing all added up to fear.

He hadn’t pushed because it was getting late, and she had to work. He wouldn’t dismiss her concerns that his job was dangerous. It could be, but he took precautions like everyone else.

He hoped she understood that from their chat last night. He’d need to reassure her of that to lessen her worry. His phone rang, and he stopped running for a moment. “Hello.”

“Hey, Rafe, it’s Max. Did I catch you at a bad time? You sound out of breath.”

“Just taking a run. What’s up?”

“Zeke and Gabriel just finished framing the room for fire play, and I wanted you to come by tonight before we opened to look at it.”

“That was fast.” They’d only talked about it a couple weeks ago.

“Yes. I wanted to get it done since attendance at the club is down.” The frustration in Max’s voice was evident.

“From the Ward incident.”

“Yeah. I’m having all new background checks run on everyone in the club and sending out a blast email, telling everyone that the club has no tolerance for non-consent or illegal activities.”

“You think that will fix the problem?”

“There are always going to be those who think Ward is innocent. But he’s not in my book. I trust the subs, and the only one who ever lied to me was thrown out.”

“Before my time.”

“It was when I first met Sierra. I’m wondering what other precautions I need to put in place.”

Rafe began walking to cool down. “Max, you do a hell of a job weeding out those who don’t belong. And the subs know, thanks to your training efforts, to report any issues.”

“Then why do I feel I need to do more.”

“Because you’re a Dom, through and through.” Rafe wasn’t sure what else he could say. “Ward played you and the others.”

“True.”

“I think re-running the background checks will give you peace of mind. You have the cameras on the property and in reception, right?”

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