Up In Flames (18 page)

In fact, he was smelling funny right now. There was a definite odor of smoke in the air. For a second, he wondered if he was having a seizure. “Do you smell smoke, Jules?"

She made a little noise, still catching her breath. She paused, then uttered, one, frightened word. “Yes."

No.

Her fear brought him back to reality with a resounding crack on the head. And made him realize he wasn't imagining the smell at all. “Stay here, baby."

He jumped off the couch and ran to the nearest window, not caring he was nude. Tearing open the blinds, he stuck his head out the window and easily found what he was looking for.

A shed on fire. Jules’ shed.

Awash in his own feelings of rage and mounting fear, he turned to her. She stood away from the window, as if afraid she'd feel the hot lick of the flames. The expression on her face could have killed him. The one which showed how very scared she was. His heart sank as he threw his pants back on.

Already on his cell phone, he reached for her, tucked her under his free arm. He took a deep breath, caressing her the whole while. “I never told you. There was another note. I got one, too.” He quickly made the 911 call and gave the operator the details.

"This isn't just a prank anymore, is it?” she then asked, pale as ashes.

He shook his head and gathered her in even more tightly, thankful for the sound of sirens in the distance.

She was so still in his arms. And as he held her, he knew the emotion gripping his heart was not merely lust, but something much deeper. Something which would keep him up every night, tormented by the image of her sweet face, until he made her his.

And until he knew, without a doubt, that she was safe.

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"You did what?"

For the second time that afternoon, Jules told Claire about how she and Shane had been sleeping together for the past week. On a strictly casual basis, of course. Claire had come over to help Jules strip the dated cow wallpaper and borders throughout the house, and she'd decided to crack open a bottle of Chardonnay, needing to feel a little buzz. But before they'd downed the first glass, Jules had surprised her sister and spilled the beans.

She left out the tiny detail of a potential serial arsonist setting their dad's old tool shed ablaze.

She still hadn't quite processed that information, and wasn't really willing to either. It was much more convenient to try to forget it. Besides, Claire would be beside herself with worry.

It was much easier tackling the news of her corrupting the boarder. Then again, maybe the boarder was corrupting her. She wasn't sure anymore.

With a tight grin, Jules attacked another section of border with her wallpaper scraper, anxious to rid the place of all the dancing cows. As she scraped, she tried to forget her fear, tried to forget how stressed she was about not putting too much pressure on her relationship with Shane. “It's true. And it's been ... amazing. He's amazing."

"I still can't believe it,” said Claire. She was gripping the stem of her wineglass so hard Jules worried she'd shatter it. “I figured I lost my free babysitter when you stopped calling, but I had no idea it was because of your rampaging sex life."

"Well, I don't know if I'd call it rampaging.” But then Jules paled a little thinking of all the times, of all the ways, she and Shane had christened the various rooms and surfaces in the old house. They were already all over each other, but the fire had made them extra unwilling to leave the circle of each other's arms. It was intense, and she was trying so hard to make it the opposite for both their sakes. “It's good. No pressure. No agonizing over what the future will bring. Just sex."

There was a knock and Jules rushed to the door. Mr. Mitchell's grandson Gary stood outside, looking shy as ever, holding a covered dish. “Hey, Gary. How's it going?"

Claire chose that moment to join her in the hallway, still incredulous. “Are you sure it's just casual sex with you and Shane?"

Gary turned as red as the beets their mother used to preserve. “Um. My grandparents sent me over with some cookies for you. To wish you well with the renovations."

Jules glared at her sister, then smiled at the young man. “Please don't mind her. She's disturbed. Thanks for the cookies.” She lifted the tea towel off the dish. “Mmm, chocolate chip. The best kind."

He was also holding a toolbox, and was clutching it for all it was worth. “I thought you might want some help around here."

"Oh, thanks. It's okay, though. Shane's been helping me with all the little, odd jobs. But do you want to come in for a lemonade?"

He was off like a flash, and peddling his bike down the gravel path before she knew it.

"Look what you've done,” she said, slapping Claire's hand as she reached for a cookie. “You scared the poor boy with your sex talk. And anyway, what's my sex life to you? Maybe it has just been sex. And maybe it's been fabulous!” She smiled, nodding her head a little too enthusiastically.

The sex had been fabulous. Shane was a generous, inventive lover. All week, he hadn't ceased to amaze her with the ways he could make her come. There'd been one languorous, luscious evening when he had stroked and suckled at her nipples for almost an hour before he touched her anywhere else. Her orgasm had been so mind-blowing she'd almost needed time to recuperate. He seemed to love her body, and couldn't get enough of it. And she couldn't get enough of him.

Despite the fact their bodies played so well together, though, Jules found her favorite part of making love with Shane was the sweet talk in between their fevered kisses. When he told her how beautiful she was, how she was always on his mind, and how he loved coming home to her.

And the stress of the fire and the letters has somehow infused their lovemaking with a desperation, a solemnity, she'd never felt before. She wasn't sure how an affair could be casual and so life changing at the same time, but it was how it felt. Especially in light of how he was protecting her. She didn't even mind that the property was crawling with police anymore. Not when it eased his mind to have them there.

Despite her best intentions, it made Jules realize she hoped for a future with him, even though she knew it wasn't in the cards. He'd said so. So she'd made up her mind to just enjoy herself as much as possible. Her new mantra was “Keep it casual,” and she tried to repeat it to herself every day. But lately, she hadn't been saying it much at all. The words just sounded hollow.

She didn't dare admit it to Claire, or Shane, but she was starting to think “casual” was a very tedious word.

Claire put down her wineglass, making a definite clatter on the kitchen counter. “Well, yay!” She hugged Jules. “I'm happy for you, then! Maybe we will see some baby cousins soon."

"Hang on a sec, Claire. Don't get too excited. Like I said, Shane and I have made a conscious decision to keep this ... casual. No commitments. No fuss.” She proceeded to peel a dancing cow off one section of wall, but it was sticking. She used her scraper to pick at the remaining bits of glue, giving it a bit more elbow grease than was necessary.

Her sister peered through narrowed eyes. “Right. I've just never known you to be a casual sort of girl. You've always been a part of a couple.” She frowned at the way Jules was attacking the glue on the wall. “Uh, go easy there, girl. It's a scraper, not a jackhammer. You're doing it too hard. You're going to bring the whole wall down if you continue at that rate."

Jules just stared at the wall, her lips thin with determination. “Don't be silly."

Claire put her hand over Jules’ hand and took the scraper away. Under her elder sister's gaze, she felt her face crumple a little. It was so hard trying to reign in the emotions just below her surface. And she hadn't even told Claire about the threats yet.

"Are you sure this casual thing is working for you?"

Jules took a deep breath and smiled, even though she didn't feel like smiling. “Of course. There's a first time for everything. Look, I'm not ready for the heartache a relationship could bring, and Shane doesn't want a relationship, period. This approach could be very good for us. Refreshing. You know, liberating."

"Well, considering you almost put your hand through the wall Juliet, I'd say that's the biggest crock of..."

Claire's words were cut off as Shane pushed through the door to the house and into the kitchen. “Shane. You're early.” Jules looked at him.

He was still in uniform. He walked over to the counter and leaned on it. Jules took in his appearance and saw he was rattled. But when he turned, her heart leapt into her throat. His face was red, badly scraped on one side. His eyes darted towards the women. “Jules, could I please have some water?"

She moved to him, as a moth to a flame. She wanted to touch his face, but it looked too raw. “Oh God, you're hurt. What happened?"

Claire passed him a glass and he drank it down in one, long gulp. “There was a fire at an abandoned building. A big one. Tom Blanchard was injured. I don't think he'll be coming back to work.” As he spoke, his face grew ashen.

"Sit down,” Jules urged him, as she moved him towards a chair. Her head was reeling with images of the flirty Tom Blanchard with the silver hair, strutting his stuff for the women at the auction. He'd been a fixture at the fire department for years. Had saved hundreds of people. And now he'd been hurt. “Tell me what happened."

"I'd rather not talk about it just yet, if you don't mind."

Jules grew light-headed. “You rescued him, didn't you?"

He looked at her. “He's one of my men."

There was no quest for glory in his words, just the expression of his duty as he felt it. But he'd been hurt, too, doing his duty. Jules stared at the horrible, red lines down his cheek. Her stomach pitched, not with her usual queasiness over blood, but with something else. Something which pulled and tugged at her insides, the same feeling she'd had when she first saw Shane. Only it had only grown in force and intensity. Each time they'd made love, it had grown. Each time he'd looked at her with tenderness, it had ballooned. And now, seeing him like this, it was threatening to overtake her sanity.

Claire spoke. “We should take you to the hospital."

"Nah, I'll be okay. The paramedics checked me out. It'll heal, but I've been told to take some time off.” He looked up at Claire. “Your husband was there, by the way.” When he saw her eyes widen, he was quick to reassure her. “Don't worry. He happened to be driving by and lent a hand to the paramedics. He's a good guy."

As Claire's eyes began to well up, Todd drove up and parked in the driveway. She saw him through the window and made a dash to the door. Jules and Shane watched quietly as the couple embraced, came in, and whispered fervent words of comfort to each other. Jules stood still, feeling Shane's eyes suddenly on her, burning into her.

She was trying very hard to fight the urge to be sick. Sick with worry. Sick from trying to not grasp Shane to her and hug the life out of him.

Claire and Todd came back into the kitchen, hands tightly clasped. Todd patted Shane on the back. “This guy's a hero. Tom was trapped in that building. Shane ran into those flames and dragged him out. It was incredible. I've never seen anything like it. Shane, man, it's amazing you got out of there with just a few scrapes. They need to give you the key to the goddamned city for what you did today."

Shane smiled a little at Todd's words in silent thanks, but Jules felt his eyes travel back to her face. Right now, he'd be seeing how pale she was, how she was shaking. He'd know how much she wanted to pull him towards her. He'd know she was quickly losing it.

She continued looking at him, but couldn't look him in the eye. Since he'd walked in the door, calmer than any normal person ought to be, all she could look at was the red patch of pain streaking across his face. She could see it was burning him, but he was trying to ignore it. And now, upon hearing Todd's words, all she could see was the image of Shane running into a fiery building. It was his job, his calling. She'd always known it. So why did it bother her now? Why was the bile rising up in her throat now, at the thought of him jeopardizing his life to save another human being?

Shane reached for her hand, understanding the turmoil in her. “Jules."

She flinched, eyes flashing at him. “Do you need anything? You know, first aid stuff. Bandages, ointments? Anything? I could run to the drugstore."

His eyes sought to comfort her, knowing her pain better than anyone. “I'm fine. Really. I'll be okay. Promise."

"Okay then.” She looked nervously around the room, not letting her gaze settle anywhere near Shane. The tremors were about to claim her, and there was no way she would let him see that. She forced a measure of calm into her dry voice. “I'm just going to get some air."

Without wasting another second, Jules bolted from the house and dashed into a nearby cornfield. Hiding amongst the tall stalks, she knelt and felt the first vicious convulsion spasm through her body. The wracking sobs would not be held at bay any longer. As she struggled to keep her weeping silent, she let the horrible pain take her. Consume her.

She knew without a doubt, despite her best intentions and declarations to the contrary, she'd fallen in love with Shane Gaskill.

It took her the better part of an hour to compose herself.

By the time she emerged from the cornfield and meandered back to the house, Claire and Todd were on their way out. She ran into them in the driveway. Thankfully, Claire did not berate or lecture her. Instead, she just pulled Jules close and hugged her hard.

Claire looked deeply into her sister's eyes and spoke. “Shane told us what's been happening."

"Oh, Claire."

"Come stay with us. Shane can come, too."

"No. You have children. I won't do that."

"Juliet..."

"No, Claire, please. We have police here. We'll be fine."

Claire glared at her, as if she hadn't spoken her last word on the topic. “Well then, let me just say this about your whole
casual
arrangement. A man who wants a casual relationship with a woman does not pay for her new roof. A man who wants casual would not turn your house into a barracks. And there's nothing casual in the way Shane looks at you.” She exhaled. “Anyway, you, Juliet Rose Baker, are not a casual girl. And there's nothing wrong with that.” She kissed her and joined Todd at the car. They both got into Claire's car and drove away.