On Fire by Sylvia Day Page A

running a hand through his hair. “Okay. Good. When you head back to the hotel, give me a buzz and I’ll meet you there. We’ll order pizza and tear into this.”
    He was hanging up when she walked past him toward the bedroom, their eyes meeting in a long meaningful glance. She gave him a cheery smile because she didn’t want him to worry any more than he already was. He’d been even edgier than usual since they’d left the cemetery; he didn’t need any more on his plate.
    She was crying silently before she reached the bedroom. She closed the door far enough that there was no gap, but didn’t push it all the way—she didn’t want him to mistake her desire for privacy as a desire to shut him out. Then she undressed and entered the bathroom through the door in the master bedroom. Forgoing the bath, despite how tempting it looked, she got in the shower and welcomed the brief shock of cold before the heat kicked in with a vengeance.
    The tears flowed freely, mingling with the water. Darcy stood directly beneath the spray, letting it course down her face like a veil, hoping to prevent puffy eyes that would give her away. She hadn’t cried since the flight that brought her home to Dani’s dead body lying in the morgue. She knew she was due, but that didn’t make the dam burst any easier to bear.
    She felt him come in behind her and was grateful he couldn’tknow that she was falling apart. Setting her hands on the tile in front of her, she bent her head as if she was directing the strength of the spray on her neck.
    Jared’s arms embraced her and he curled around her curved back. He didn’t say anything when an unexpected sob shuddered through her.
    She tried to shake him off, feeling stupid. “I need a minute.”
    “Take all the time you need.”
    When he didn’t let go, she found her mouth curving ruefully. She turned in his arms. “You’re a menace.”
    He shrugged. “I was trained to press every advantage.”
    Her mouth quirked, her grief lifting at the gleam in his eyes. His beautiful face was stern and his sinner’s mouth unyielding. Such a hard man in so many ways, yet he could be tender. She’d like to see him with the sister he spoke of with gruff fondness and the parents he clearly admired and loved deeply.
    His hands cupped her face, his thumbs brushing at her cheeks. “I can’t imagine your pain.”
    “Good. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
    I’m still crying,
she realized when the rough pads of his fingers stroked over her face again. “You know,” she said hoarsely, “I was trying to spare you a weepy woman.”
    “Don’t. My job’s going to put enough between us as it is. We need to be brutal with the rest in order to make it.”
    “For a guy who doesn’t do relationships, you seem to have a good handle on how they work.”
    “I have a good handle on what I need.” His fierce blue gaze riveted her. “I expect that you’ll tell me what you need.”
    Her hands slid down his damp back, caressing the hard slabs of muscle bracketing his spine. Steam billowed around them, but the warmth she felt came from inside her. “I don’t know what I need. It’s been a long time since I’ve thought about it.”
    “So while I’m out tonight, think about it. Just make sure I’m in there somewhere.”
    “I’ll be wishing you were in
me
.” She reached between them and fisted his erection. “You’re a deadly weapon all by yourself. Did you know that, Deputy?”
    He snorted, his grip tightening on her hips.
    “I bet there isn’t a woman alive who’s said no to you in your life. I’m just one of the many to fall under your irascible charm.”
    “Look who’s talking. You’re a man-eater.”
    With a two-handed grip, Darcy stroked him from root to tip. Her gaze lowered to the thick column of flesh in her hands, her heartbeat quickening at the impressive length and thick network of veins that coursed along it. It was a brutal-looking instrument of pleasure, as primal as Jared’s