Flash and Fire by Marie Ferrarella Page B

she drove, squeaking through one yellow light that turned red at the intersection, Pierce managed to keep up and followed her all the way home. And when she pulled into her driveway several minutes later, he drove his car right up next to hers. He was out of his car first.
    Amanda glared at him.
    “What’s the matter, lost your way? I mean, more than usual?”
    He liked the way lightning flashed in her eyes when she was angry. She was going to be one hell of a bed partner, he mused, all fire and smoke in his hands. He could almost feel her now.
    Anticipation had him smiling as he rounded the hood of her car. Pierce opened her door for her before she had the chance.
    “No, I know my way around very well.” The way he looked at her left no doubt about his meaning. “But you looked like you had a lot of groceries to handle.”
    She gave him what she hoped was a particularly scathing look. It did no good. He was still there, still looking at her with eyes that shimmered a liquid blue, like a clear lagoon. But lagoons hid reefs beneath their waters, and she wasn’t about to run the risk of being dashed up against one of them.
    “That’s not all I have to handle.” She meant the remark to be off-putting. It obviously wasn’t.
    As her legs swung out, Amanda saw the lazy way his eyes traveled up the length of her limbs, saw the look of hot approval.
    Yes, he was trouble, she thought even as a shiver ran up her spine.
    She ignored the hand he offered. “I don’t need your help, Alexander.” Turning her back on him, she circumvented the front of the car and went to the passenger’s side. Christopher raised his arms to her urgently. “I have a housekeeper, remember?”
    “Yes, but she has her hands filled with Christopher, remember?”
    She heard the mocking note in his voice. He would remember her saying that.
    Deliberately ignoring Pierce, she started to unfasten Christopher from his seat and discovered that the boy had already taken care of one of the harnesses by him self. It was completely off his shoulder and lay in his lap.
    Christopher laughed as if he could read his mother’s mind and was very pleased with himself.
    “Regular little Houdini, isn’t he?” Pierce remarked. “He gets that from his mother, I see.”
    Amanda fisted her hands at her waist. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
    His eyes laughed at her. “You were trying to lose me when you drove out of the parking lot.”
    “Only because it’s against the law to run you over.”
    He laughed again. It occurred to Pierce that women didn’t usually make him laugh.
    The front door opened behind them. Carla emerged from the house, sneezing. Amanda almost breathed a sigh of relief. Reinforcements.
    Maybe if she continued to ignore him, Alexander would finally give up and leave. It was certainly worth a try. She turned toward Carla.
    “How’s your sinus attack doing?”
    Christopher’s high-pitched squeal announced his displeasure at being neglected, and Amanda lifted him out of the car seat. She set him down on the ground.
    “Better,” Carla answered.
    It certainly didn’t sound any better, Amanda thought. Carla sniffled into a handkerchief, then shoved it into the deep pocket of her robe. Her eyes grew wide as she looked from Amanda to Pierce. First doubt, then an almost disbelieving recognition passed over her face.
    Carla blushed. If it was him, he was even better-looking in person. A lot more rugged.
    She pointed at Pierce as if the very act verified his existence and identity. “Hey, you’re—“
    “An uninvited pest,” Amanda ended the sentence for her. She thrust a bag of groceries at the younger woman.
    But Carla apparently wanted to hang around for the view. Rather than taking the bag into the house, she held the grocery sack against her chest, staring in wonder at Pierce.
    Amanda stopped short of throwing up her hands. Instead, she turned to face the source of her irritation. She didn’t know exactly what his game was, or