Page 42 of Arsonist’s Match (Blaze and Badge #1)

Two days later

A thena’s foot glided up Flash’s bare leg beneath the silk sheets of her enormous bed.

Toned. Silky. Delectable. This was the best way to end a day—secure in her firefighter’s arms. The next kiss was deep, brimming with affection, dipped in desire—languid perfection.

The storm had passed; the bad guys had been caught. Tonight was just for them.

“Share time,” Athena murmured, lips brushing Flash’s neck. “I long to know everything about you, always looking forward to our daily reveals.” Her fingers traced tantalizing lines and swirls across Flash’s skin, as if they could tease out every secret hidden away in her girlfriend’s vault.

Flash stretched her arm around Athena, hugging her close.

A delicate sheet clung to her glorious, bare body as she sprawled on her back.

Athena peered up in silent expectation into her contemplative face.

Would she make a joke? Quip a mundane reply, such as a favorite color or cartoon character?

Even so, Athena yearned to soak up the personal detail like nectar.

Beneath her caress, Flash became very still. “The summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school, our church youth group went to Glorietta, New Mexico. It was a wonderful trip. Everything was so beautiful, and they had fun activities for us—not just the churchy stuff.”

Athena lost herself i n the nostalgia humming through Flash’s voice and nuzzled her head into her shoulder, listening to her heartbeat along with her story.

“The highlight was the day we climbed this mountain. It was an inspiring, spiritual experience – not to mention a hell of a workout. Our youth leader had to stop halfway up. But the view from the top!”

The thrill in Flash’s tone enticed Athena to look up to inspect the expression on her face. It glowed like she was there, admiring the vista, and it warmed Athena’s heart.

“I must have stood on the summit for half an hour or more, turning slow circles, gazing out over the world—hundreds of miles, I’m sure. I was seeing through an eagle’s eyes—everything, all at once.”

“It sounds truly breathtaking,” Athena commented.

“It was.” A shadow fell over Flash’s face, and her voice shifted from appreciation to neutral narration.

“On the way down, Ashley, the pretty, popular girl I had a desperate secret crush on, slipped in some loose gravel, fell, and hurt her ankle. Of course, I immediately stopped to help her. It wasn’t swollen yet, but tender when I gently squeezed it.

‘Help me up,’ she said. ‘I think I can walk.’ But she winced and groaned when she tried to put weight on her foot.

“’It’s OK,’ I assured her. ‘I’ll help you. Just lean on me and we’ll go slow.’ I was a skinny thing back then, unable to carry her down the mountain like I could today. But I really wanted to help her, you know?”

Athena smiled. “It’s in your bones.”

Flash met her eyes, brushed a kiss to her lips, then returned her gaze to the ceiling—back in storyteller mode.

“I caught her under her arm, and she leaned on me. Tingles raced across my skin to hold her close like that, even if it was innocent and necessary. Mostly, I felt the rush of being needed, of helping, of, well, being the hero. I felt as on top of the world as I had just been atop the mountain. And Ashley seemed to appreciate my help. We weren’t close friends, but we were friendly.

It was like all my Disney fantasies come to life. ”

Flash moved a hand ov er Athena’s, where it lay across her midsection, as if securing it in place.

“Then Cody and Will shuffled down the hill behind us. ‘Hey, Ashley, what happened?’ Before I knew it, they were edging me out of the way—the big, strong boys to the rescue. Didn’t they know I had this?”

Athena’s heart sank as she predicted where the story was leading. Feeling Flash’s muscles tense, she brushed a kiss to her neck.

“’Oh, Cody, I’m so glad you’re here,’ Ashley gushed.

She beamed at him like he was the grand prize at the fair.

Wiggling away from me and toward him, she cast a friendly smile at me over her shoulder.

‘Thanks, Lisa, but the boys are here. I don’t need you anymore.

’ I was crushed. Wanted to disappear down a well somewhere.

Oh, she didn’t intend to be mean. I know she meant, ‘I don’t need your help , not me personally.

Still … crushed. From the highest peak to the lowest valley in a snap. ”

“Oh, sweetie,” Athena empathized, hugging her tighter. Entangled in emotion, words weren’t enough. Pressing in, she radiated the love swelling in her heart.

“After that, I stopped trying to be normal or fit in,” she continued.

“I went full on butch—the boy cut, how I dressed, acting the tough gal. A pariah in the church youth group, to be sure, but who cared? I started skateboarding, working out, trying to build some muscle. I decided everyone should know exactly who I was and where I stood, and I vowed never to fall for a straight girl again.”

She turned, angling a mischievous expression toward Athena. “Which is why I was overjoyed to discover you were into women. It at least gave me a chance.”

“I’m sorry she hurt your sweet, tender heart back then, but I’m glad Ashley snubbed you,” she admitted. “If not, you might not be here in bed with me, being my Prince Charming and saving me from a lonely, work-only existence. Like the song says, ‘Thank God for unanswered prayers.’”

With a sparkle in her eyes, Flash covered Athena’s mouth with hers, spicy and inviting, eliciting a passionate response.

With effortless grace, Flash flipped over Athena without breaking the kiss.

Brushing long brunette strands aside, Flash pushed up, gazing at Athena as if she were the most precious treasure in the galaxy.

Then her grin, t he one that tickled and thrilled Athena every time she saw it, encompassed Flash’s lips.

“Your turn. I want to hear a ridiculous, fun story—your most embarrassing moment.” After planting another kiss, Flash relaxed onto her side, arms and legs still entangled around Athena.

“Oh, you do, do you? Need a laugh at my expense?” Athena smirked.

“Just proof you aren’t perfect.”

“There’s a plethora of proof for that,” Athena confessed with a little chuckle. An embarrassing moment. Since Flash had pulled from high school, that seemed a good place for Athena to go. A sequence straight out of a sitcom played across her mind, spurring a chuckle.

“You know how my parents were—big-time socialites. Mom was hell-bent on reliving her youth through me. So, when I was sixteen, they went through their usual matchmaking routine to fix me up with their doctor friend’s son for the winter formal.

Turns out he was socially hopeless with two left feet—nice guy but couldn’t dance to save his life. ”

Flash began a torturous distraction ploy of tantalizing touches and butterfly kisses.

Athena squirmed and giggled. “Do you want to hear the story or not?”

A peck on her lips. A grin. “Yes!”

Athena quirked a brow, unconvinced, but continued.

“When the other guys shamed him into bringing me onto the dance floor, we stumbled through a few songs without incident. He began to feel more comfortable. Then it happened. He stuck a foot out where it shouldn’t be and tripped me.

Flailing to catch me, he whacked the homecoming queen in the face.

She screamed. Her date confronted mine. I didn’t end up on the floor but bumped into the couple behind me, who tumbled into the couple behind them.

The guy—in a white tux, no less—crashed, butt first, into the punch table, flipping it over on himself and everyone nearby.

Now, he was wearing a wet pink tux. The band stopped playing.

All the chaperones rushed over. People gasped, stared.

Then, uncontrolled laughter. Somebody pointed and shouted, ‘It’s Athena’s fault!

’ Having regained my balance, I g aped, wide-eyed.

‘Me?’ I squeaked. ‘How could it have been me? I’m way over here. ’”

Flash collapsed in giggles, face flushed with delight. “Well, you didn’t lie. Classic misdirect. What about your date? Did the other guy punch him?”

“No,” Athena cooed. “Doctor’s son geek spilled nonstop apologies, and the other guy took pity on him. However, we did spend the rest of the night hiding out in a corner, not to set foot on the dance floor again.”

“Did geek-guy warrant a second date?” She flashed her signature grin at Athena, eyes dancing with pleasure.

Athena returned a sardonic stare. “No.”

“Ah, poor socially awkward rich kid. No second chance. That’s OK. My teenage generosity made up for your lack of it.”

“Hey!” Athena declared in mock outrage.

“I fake-dated this gay guy for like a year to keep him from being beaten up. He was chubby, flaming, an easy target. Nobody messed with the kid ‘cause they all knew he was my boyfriend. It worked great until he found a boyfriend of his own. Gee, I haven’t seen Willard in years.”

“Willard? Couldn’t he at least go by Will so the kids wouldn’t make constant rat jokes?”

Flash shrugged. “He liked Willard.”

“You want to know what I think?” Athena asked, gliding a hand around Flash’s bare hip.

“Always.” Flash sealed it with a kiss.

“I think experiencing such a painful rejection at a pivotal age might have planted some subconscious fears about relationships, that if you ever plunged fully in, you could get crushed again. It was a way for your psyche to protect your heart, but, in doing so, it prevented you from forming a deep relationship with anyone else. What do you think?”

Flash tenderly stroked Athena’s face, gazing into her eyes with a hint of seductive mischief.

She shrugged. “Probably. But after everything we’ve been through together, I don’t think old heartaches or subconscious boobytraps will be a problem anymore.

I love you, Athena. I’m all in. No safety net.

And I promise you—I’m a much better dancer than some doctor’s geeky son. ”

Athena laughed, her heart light despite being incredibly full. “I love you, Flash. All in, no net.” Their lips met with searing heat, and Athena had no thoughts of quenching the fire that blazed in her core.

A whine. Paws scratching the side of the bed. Whine . “Arf!”

Flash rolled her eyes and her body. “Let me deal with this pesty pup, then we’ll pick up where we left off. No falling asleep without me.”

“Count on it. I’m humming like a well-oiled machine over here.”

Flash laughed, shot Athena a flirtatious glance, and slipped on her robe. As she followed Snuffles through the door, she paused and angled toward Athena. “And I think I’ll sign up to take that lieutenant’s test. It’s time.”

Flash disappeared down the hall, her footsteps echoing on the stairs.

Athena smiled as the pitter-patter faded.

One minute, maybe two. And then she’d be back, all sassy seduction, lips, and hands.

Satisfaction. Hope. Hunger. Love. They swirled through Athena as the weight of Flash’s words settled in.

Yeah, it’s time. No more running. No more walls.

Just her, Flash, and the fire they chose to walk into—together.

I hope you’ve enjoyed Arsonist’s Match.