[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
reasons to not trust Strike Sullivan had gleaned that much from
how little he knew of Rafe s background and yet, here they were,
lovers, sharing the same bed if only for the night. He d been the
first to invite Sullivan over, too. If it hadn t been for his duty to
Belle, Sullivan would have accepted. Not for the sex, though that
had been phenomenal. For the company. It was enough for Rafe to
just be there.
With Rafe s firm ass nestled against him, Sullivan got hard
again. The sticky come that glued them together certainly didn t
help lessening his arousal. The smart thing would have been to get
up and clean off, maybe even jerk off to get it out of his system,
but he couldn t drag himself away from Rafe s long lines, not with
how perfectly they fit together or how delicious he smelled. He
coiled his arm around Rafe s waist, buried his nose in the back of
his neck, and marveled at how content he felt.
He dozed in the place between sleep and wakefulness, familiar
ground when you were in the middle of a war zone. Rafe shifted
once, but it was only to burrow more onto his stomach, prompting
Sullivan to adjust his position to accommodate him. Gone was the
mesmerizing scent of his nape. The trade-off was getting to better
see Rafe s outline, the way his hair stood on end where he d been
lying on it, the lax muscles in his shoulder and back. Completely at
peace.
A concept Sullivan was starting to understand.
The niggle that something was wrong came with a flash at the
corner of his eye. Sullivan turned his head automatically, searching
for whatever could have caught his attention, but the room was too
dark to see anything far away. The small window at the front was
only a fainter void than its surroundings, the earth too far in its
124
CANCER: PENNY CANDLES
nightly rotation to allow stars to glimmer through the glass. He
watched it for a moment, then sighed and rested his head again.
He was tired. He should really get some sleep. Rafe clearly
wasn t going anywhere before dawn, and his senses were going
haywire from exhaustion.
His eyes never made it to closing before he heard the soft thud.
This time, he tensed as he pushed onto an elbow. Chadwick s
silence had always put him on edge, but he d grown accustomed to
the lack of noise over the past ten days. Though it had been like
trekking across the country, he d expected their version of
civilization would at least be louder than the vast emptiness of the
open countryside. He d been wrong. Once the town settled in for
the night, that was it. Nothing budged until the sun cracked over
the horizon to start a new day.
Another thump echoed through the walls. Carefully, Sullivan
eased away from Rafe, unwilling to wake him. He scooted down
the bed and climbed over the footboard, taking his time with each
deliberate motion. Floorboards creaked under his weight. His head
shot around toward Rafe, and he held his breath to see if the other
man would stir.
A full minute passed. Sullivan exhaled without a sound.
Both thuds had come from the same portion of the outer wall,
the one farthest from the house. If they had been on the other side,
he might have assumed Belle had come outside for something, but
the opposite end of the garage emptied onto open field. There
weren t even any houses in that direction, just the road stretching
away from Chadwick and onto the next small town. An animal of
some kind, scrounging for food? Perhaps. He was probably
overreacting, but his gut told him to check it out.
He found his pants crumpled on the floor. The fabric rustled as
125
CANCER: PENNY CANDLES
he dressed, but Rafe gave no indication of waking. Sullivan didn t
bother with shoes. Out and in. He only needed to confirm that
nothing was amiss before climbing back into bed.
The instant he opened the door, he knew something was wrong.
Between the rising heat and the lack of good ventilation, the
room over the garage was always warm. Sullivan didn t really
mind since most of his time was spent elsewhere anyway. But the
blast that rolled through the entranceway eclipsed the temperature
of the apartment by a good twenty degrees. His exposed skin
crisped in unnatural response, and the hair on his chest threatened
to stand on end. He even felt it wrapping around his body, an effect
that was heightened when he ventured onto the top stair.
Outside of the fauna decorating his room, he could better
distinguish the smells of the garage. There was more than the usual
fumes he associated with the enclosed space. Now, sulfur tinged
the air, along with far deadlier smoke.
His stomach plummeted. He recognized those aromas far too
well.
He had to duck his head to see past the stairs and below, but the
instant he did, he found the source. Flames licked up the far wall.
They spread the entire depth of the garage and by his best guess,
already reached his waist.
Sullivan didn t stop to think. His body was trained to react on
reflex.
Rafe!
He flat-handed the door open, uncaring of what hinges might
break. The lamp had gone out during the night, and though he d
been in the dark for several minutes already, his eyes had yet to
adjust. He made it to the bed on spatial memory alone, but Rafe
was already waking up, his mumbled What s going on? guiding
126
CANCER: PENNY CANDLES
Sullivan the rest of the way.
We have to get out of here. Sullivan grabbed the blankets,
knocking against Rafe s leg in his haste. The garage is on fire.
The announcement woke Rafe up the rest of the way. A fire?
How? Where?
Downstairs. And I have no idea. His foot nudged against
something soft, and he scooped it up at the same time he grabbed
Rafe s wrist. You can get dressed outside. Right now, we have to
get out of here.
Rafe followed without question. The heat was even stronger
when they came out on the stairs, and a new scent had joined the
smoke.
Did Belle tip a lamp? Rafe asked.
They leapt down the last few risers. The concrete floor was
already getting hot. He would need his shoes if he didn t want to
burn his feet.
The house is on the other side. Go get Belle out, and then start
hauling some water.
When Sullivan turned to go back up, Rafe caught his arm.
Where are you going?
I ll be right back. Sullivan pried him off, using strength when
Rafe tightened his grip. I need my shoes, or I m not going to be
any good putting the fire out.
The light from the fire cast eerie shadows across Rafe s face,
highlighting his displeasure. You better be down here by the time
I get Belle out, or I swear I m coming up after you.
Sudden joy at the ferocity of Rafe s intent pierced through him.
I promise.
With the vow firm between them, they whirled in opposite
directions. Sullivan hoped Belle hadn t locked up. He wanted them
127
CANCER: PENNY CANDLES
both out to safety as soon as possible.
His shoes were harder to find, though light from the fire now
flickered through the window. He discovered them beneath the
table, along with his shirt, pulled them on in record time, and
dashed for the stairs again.
The night offered no respite from the heat. Sullivan surveyed
the wall for a moment. Sparks danced like fireflies into the sky,
fading as they cooled, but a cracked cement path stopped most of
the flames from going anywhere but up. Water from the well [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl ocenkijessi.opx.pl
reasons to not trust Strike Sullivan had gleaned that much from
how little he knew of Rafe s background and yet, here they were,
lovers, sharing the same bed if only for the night. He d been the
first to invite Sullivan over, too. If it hadn t been for his duty to
Belle, Sullivan would have accepted. Not for the sex, though that
had been phenomenal. For the company. It was enough for Rafe to
just be there.
With Rafe s firm ass nestled against him, Sullivan got hard
again. The sticky come that glued them together certainly didn t
help lessening his arousal. The smart thing would have been to get
up and clean off, maybe even jerk off to get it out of his system,
but he couldn t drag himself away from Rafe s long lines, not with
how perfectly they fit together or how delicious he smelled. He
coiled his arm around Rafe s waist, buried his nose in the back of
his neck, and marveled at how content he felt.
He dozed in the place between sleep and wakefulness, familiar
ground when you were in the middle of a war zone. Rafe shifted
once, but it was only to burrow more onto his stomach, prompting
Sullivan to adjust his position to accommodate him. Gone was the
mesmerizing scent of his nape. The trade-off was getting to better
see Rafe s outline, the way his hair stood on end where he d been
lying on it, the lax muscles in his shoulder and back. Completely at
peace.
A concept Sullivan was starting to understand.
The niggle that something was wrong came with a flash at the
corner of his eye. Sullivan turned his head automatically, searching
for whatever could have caught his attention, but the room was too
dark to see anything far away. The small window at the front was
only a fainter void than its surroundings, the earth too far in its
124
CANCER: PENNY CANDLES
nightly rotation to allow stars to glimmer through the glass. He
watched it for a moment, then sighed and rested his head again.
He was tired. He should really get some sleep. Rafe clearly
wasn t going anywhere before dawn, and his senses were going
haywire from exhaustion.
His eyes never made it to closing before he heard the soft thud.
This time, he tensed as he pushed onto an elbow. Chadwick s
silence had always put him on edge, but he d grown accustomed to
the lack of noise over the past ten days. Though it had been like
trekking across the country, he d expected their version of
civilization would at least be louder than the vast emptiness of the
open countryside. He d been wrong. Once the town settled in for
the night, that was it. Nothing budged until the sun cracked over
the horizon to start a new day.
Another thump echoed through the walls. Carefully, Sullivan
eased away from Rafe, unwilling to wake him. He scooted down
the bed and climbed over the footboard, taking his time with each
deliberate motion. Floorboards creaked under his weight. His head
shot around toward Rafe, and he held his breath to see if the other
man would stir.
A full minute passed. Sullivan exhaled without a sound.
Both thuds had come from the same portion of the outer wall,
the one farthest from the house. If they had been on the other side,
he might have assumed Belle had come outside for something, but
the opposite end of the garage emptied onto open field. There
weren t even any houses in that direction, just the road stretching
away from Chadwick and onto the next small town. An animal of
some kind, scrounging for food? Perhaps. He was probably
overreacting, but his gut told him to check it out.
He found his pants crumpled on the floor. The fabric rustled as
125
CANCER: PENNY CANDLES
he dressed, but Rafe gave no indication of waking. Sullivan didn t
bother with shoes. Out and in. He only needed to confirm that
nothing was amiss before climbing back into bed.
The instant he opened the door, he knew something was wrong.
Between the rising heat and the lack of good ventilation, the
room over the garage was always warm. Sullivan didn t really
mind since most of his time was spent elsewhere anyway. But the
blast that rolled through the entranceway eclipsed the temperature
of the apartment by a good twenty degrees. His exposed skin
crisped in unnatural response, and the hair on his chest threatened
to stand on end. He even felt it wrapping around his body, an effect
that was heightened when he ventured onto the top stair.
Outside of the fauna decorating his room, he could better
distinguish the smells of the garage. There was more than the usual
fumes he associated with the enclosed space. Now, sulfur tinged
the air, along with far deadlier smoke.
His stomach plummeted. He recognized those aromas far too
well.
He had to duck his head to see past the stairs and below, but the
instant he did, he found the source. Flames licked up the far wall.
They spread the entire depth of the garage and by his best guess,
already reached his waist.
Sullivan didn t stop to think. His body was trained to react on
reflex.
Rafe!
He flat-handed the door open, uncaring of what hinges might
break. The lamp had gone out during the night, and though he d
been in the dark for several minutes already, his eyes had yet to
adjust. He made it to the bed on spatial memory alone, but Rafe
was already waking up, his mumbled What s going on? guiding
126
CANCER: PENNY CANDLES
Sullivan the rest of the way.
We have to get out of here. Sullivan grabbed the blankets,
knocking against Rafe s leg in his haste. The garage is on fire.
The announcement woke Rafe up the rest of the way. A fire?
How? Where?
Downstairs. And I have no idea. His foot nudged against
something soft, and he scooped it up at the same time he grabbed
Rafe s wrist. You can get dressed outside. Right now, we have to
get out of here.
Rafe followed without question. The heat was even stronger
when they came out on the stairs, and a new scent had joined the
smoke.
Did Belle tip a lamp? Rafe asked.
They leapt down the last few risers. The concrete floor was
already getting hot. He would need his shoes if he didn t want to
burn his feet.
The house is on the other side. Go get Belle out, and then start
hauling some water.
When Sullivan turned to go back up, Rafe caught his arm.
Where are you going?
I ll be right back. Sullivan pried him off, using strength when
Rafe tightened his grip. I need my shoes, or I m not going to be
any good putting the fire out.
The light from the fire cast eerie shadows across Rafe s face,
highlighting his displeasure. You better be down here by the time
I get Belle out, or I swear I m coming up after you.
Sudden joy at the ferocity of Rafe s intent pierced through him.
I promise.
With the vow firm between them, they whirled in opposite
directions. Sullivan hoped Belle hadn t locked up. He wanted them
127
CANCER: PENNY CANDLES
both out to safety as soon as possible.
His shoes were harder to find, though light from the fire now
flickered through the window. He discovered them beneath the
table, along with his shirt, pulled them on in record time, and
dashed for the stairs again.
The night offered no respite from the heat. Sullivan surveyed
the wall for a moment. Sparks danced like fireflies into the sky,
fading as they cooled, but a cracked cement path stopped most of
the flames from going anywhere but up. Water from the well [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]