Read Online Incandescent by Madeline Sloane - Free Book Online Page A

touch her. “If I were your dad, I …” his voice trailed
off.
    “What?”
    “I wouldn’t be able to do this,” he replied,
touching his lips to her soft cheek. He closed his eyes and inhaled
the flowery scent of her perfume. Flinching, Anna leaned against
the front door.
    “I have my key ready now.” She waved it
before turning to unlock the door. She paused after opening it,
unsure what to say. “Thank you for seeing me home, Rand.”
    “My pleasure.” He walked away, into the
darkness.
    Half a block away, Aaron watched the car
surge down the street, its powerful engine revving in between gear
changes. He exited the truck, tucking his handgun in the back of
his jeans.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Thirteen
     
    Anna was in the bathroom, splashing cold
water on her face when the doorbell buzzed. She jumped in alarm. At
night, the horrible sound seemed twice as loud.
    Rand had returned. She didn’t want to hurt
his feelings, but she did not intend to let him in the house.
Whatever she felt in high school had been a childish crush.
    She blotted water from her cheeks and slung
the towel on the bathroom knob, before approaching the front door.
She could see his outline through the opaque glass. She cracked
open the door. “I’m sorry Rand. It’s getting late.”
    “That’s nice. I’m not Rand.”
    Anna swung open the door. “What do you
want?”
    “May I come in?” Aaron’s towering silhouette
filled the doorway.
    She glared at him. “What? More
questions?”
    He waited, silent and still for her
invitation.
    Anna waved her right hand in an offhand
welcoming gesture. She closed the door when he entered. Her
nostrils flared as she caught his familiar scent of smoke and
spice. It lingered still on her pillow, transferred the night
before from her imprinted skin as she tossed, turned and alternated
between hugging and punching it.
    “Are you alone? Is your roommate home?” he
asked, his green eyes scanning the room.
    “Gretchen’s at her boyfriend’s.”
    Aaron moved closer. “I wanted to apologize
for last night.”
    Anna stiffened. He humiliated her, rejected
her and he thought a flimsy apology sufficed?
    He glanced at the heavy bag on the floor by
the sofa. “Where have you been?”
    “Where I go and what I do is not your
concern.”
    “Whose concern is it? Officer Murphy’s?” He
advanced.
    “No. Rand is just a friend,” she retorted,
her neck and cheeks flushing.
    “Right. You kiss all your acquaintances or
just me and Rand?”
    “You’re not my friend, Marshal Tahir,” she
said retreating, her back against a door.
    Her jasmine perfume made him rethink his
concept of the afterlife. “You’re right about that.”
    Aaron zeroed in on Anna’s mouth, capturing
it. A whimper bubbled from her lips and he greedily swallowed it.
Swamped by the intensity of his kiss, her knees buckled and she
clutched at him for support.
    “I want to hold you all night,” he said. He
circled her wrists and lifted her arms around his neck. “Come to my
motel.” He swept feverish kisses down her shoulder.
    God she wanted to, but she wasn’t eager for
another rejection. The last thing she wanted was a guy who ran hot
and cold. “That’s not a good idea,” she said.
    “Yes it is,” he argued, his mouth against her
cheek. “It’s a great idea.”
    She ripped her mouth from his, turning her
head to the side. “No,” she said, her voice ragged in torment.
“This is not going to happen.”
    Aaron backed away. “I’m sorry,” he said. “For
last night and now for tonight. It won’t happen again.” The
reserved and distant Marshal Tahir was back.
    She couldn’t bear his penetrating gaze, so
she bowed her head trying to control her breathing. She focused on
the one thing that dampened the burning in her chest. “What’s going
on with the investigation? Have you found the source of the
fire?”
    Aaron crossed his arms, and his face
shuttered. “Yes. Candles. I’m afraid your local chief