Up in Flames Read Online Free Page B

shadow boy. And don’t forget I want to speak to you just as soon as you are available.”
    The door had just clicked closed when Meredith laughed again. “Shadow boy?”
    “Yes, he gave me that nickname a few years ago. We were on this three-day stakeout, and he swore I could grow a five o’clock shadow faster than he had ever seen in his life.”
    “Okay, well, let’s get you ready for a shower before someone else comes in and calls you something worse.” She chuckled as she led the way out the door.
    The halls were completely empty, leaving only the two of them. Lucas found his clothes and other items stacked on a counter outside the patient rooms. They arrived at Meredith’s little studio a quick moment later. Looking around, he had to admit that it was tiny, but very well-kept and clean.
    There was a low dresser in the living room that doubled as an entertainment center, with an old television perched on top. Meredith walked over and opened the top left drawer. “You can put your clothing in here if you’d like. The bedroom is so small I couldn’t get it in there, so I decided to leave it out here.”
    Lucas walked over and put everything in the drawer before reaching down and pulling out what he needed. He turned to his mate who was standing in the middle of the floor wringing her hands again.
    Sitting his clothing back down, he walked over to her. Spotting a couch off to his left, he grasped her hand and led her over to the couch. When he reached it, he sat and pulled her down.
    “You are acting like a scared kitten, baby. It’s not like I am going to bite you. Well, not unless you ask me really, really nicely.” He grinned at her as he wiggled his eyebrows and waited to get a response. She chuckled a bit, but still looked nervous.
    “Sweetheart, would it help if we got to know one another better?”
    Her answer of “maybe” was just barely heard even with his keen vampire hearing.
    “Okay, I’ll go first since you told me about the last eighteen months of your life last night. I have been a Texas Ranger for about eight years and a vampire for fifteen. I was with the Dallas PD before my turning. It just took me a while to figure out I could be a vampire and in law enforcement also.”
    “Do you have any siblings? Are your parents still around?” she inquired. He smiled, relieved that in the conversation department, it seemed they would do just fine. He was betting on their bedroom activities being just as enjoyable, or even more so. It was just going to take him a bit longer to woo her into bed. “No, I was an only, very spoiled child. My parents died several years before I was turned, so I am quite literally, all alone.”
    “Me too. And I am so tired of being alone. Television sucks these days, and I have maxed out my Kindle with the number of books that it will hold.” She placed her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead.
    “Never again, baby, never again. Now we’ve got each other, so neither of us will ever have to be alone again.”
    They sat there together in silence for a long time. Finally, knowing Walter would get impatient if made to wait much longer, Lucas said, “I am going to go jump in the shower. How about if I call you when I am ready and you can help wash my back. Then I need to go talk to Walter for about an hour. After that, we will have the entire day to get to know one another, or do anything you wish.”
    She gifted him with her radiant smile. “I think I like that plan.”
    He gave her another hug and a kiss on the forehead before releasing her. He longed for the day she would feel comfortable around him and he could actually kiss her. The mating pull had already started, and it was agony. He wanted her under him in the nearest bed, with him sunk so deep in her she didn’t know where he ended and she started. But that was not to be right now. As taxing as it proved, not to win her trust beforehand could easily hurt their