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“Oh my God.”
He grimaced. “Yeah. They said she fainted when she found out the mother and kids were in there.”
“She’ll feel like it’s her fault they didn’t go in.” Les’s stomach clenched.
“But she shouldn’t. While we go on the information we’re given, we don’t base it on just one person. The IC, incident commander, noted his guys asked several other neighbors on scene if anyone had witnessed activity at the house that day. None of them had.”
He took a breath. “Plus, when they got there, the fire was fully involved. The roof collapsed within seconds of them arriving. The IC wouldn’t have authorized anyone to go in to do search and rescue at that point. The boyfriend’s actually a volunteer firefighter in the next county over, though he works fulltime as a contractor.”
“Poor man,” she murmured.
“Yeah. But until we rule out arson, he’s also our prime suspect.”
Her eyes widened. “Why?”
“He knows about fires, how they burn. Plus, construction guys make the best firefighters, because they know a lot about building materials, electrical systems, that kind of thing.”
He put the photo away. “Sample data is being analyzed to verify the source details while me and the investigators in my unit collect witness statements, so for now it’s an open case. We want to find out why Jasmine and her kids were back home when they were supposed to be fishing.”
She studied him. “You’re thinking the boyfriend could have done it deliberately? Put the magazines there, instead of them falling off the dresser?”
“Or the mom did. Like a murder-suicide. Or someone else who might be revealed by the witness statements. I don’t make an official decision until I have all that information and see how it impacts my review of the fire site. Or if it gives me additional things to look at there.” He shifted his attention to her plate. “The chocolate hearts disappeared.”
“Dark chocolate is good for an upset stomach,” she replied primly.
With an assessing look, he cut her remaining egg into three bites, next to the untouched bacon. “How about this? Tell me one of your favorite Dom fantasies. If they involve me, and you eat this egg, you’ll get an extra chocolate heart.”
Setting the loaded fork on her plate, he leaned back in his chair, pulled the bag off the counter and put it beside him. The purple foil-wrapped candies tumbled toward the open mouth.
She blinked. “Who says I have any Dom fantasies?”
“That look in your eyes, the second I suggested it.”
“Maybe they’re not about you.”
“If you want the candy, you’ll do a cut and paste, kick Joe Jonas to the curb, and put me in his slot.”
He startled a laugh out of her. Though he seemed almost prescient on certain things about her, the posters on her teen bedroom wall had been hard to miss. She shot him a mock glare. “Maybe it’s about all three Jonas brothers.”
He smiled, but his gaze had a more serious light. “Tell me one, Les. If this is a road you want to go down with me, this can start the discussion. Don’t think about all the reasons you might not have time to explore it. I have a pretty demanding job, too. But when it matters, two people can do a hell of a lot with ten minutes on the phone a day. Or a weekend here and there. Being in a relationship with someone doesn’t have to add to your stress,” he pointed out. “It could increase your support network, keep you going, knowing you have a person to fall back on when you need them.”
Her experience with boyfriends was they required a lot of work and attention. Girlfriends were better for support.
“Maybe what you need is a person who expects and wants nothing from you but who and what you are,” he said, watching her expression. “I want your beautiful, flawed, honest self, at all times. That’s not what I’ll request from you; it’s what I’ll demand.”
He closed his hand around hers. “I’ll cut through the bullshit to get to it, until you believe and trust my expectations are that simple. No more, no less.”
Words were cheap, but she believed he might mean them. “So is me telling you my fantasies like Tish’s book?”
“Yeah. Safewords and protocols are important, but so is this. A Dom has to understand how to communicate with his sub in a way that maintains a connection with her in some pretty intense moments. He has to be able to bring her back to center, help her relax or respond to stimulus in ways that satisfy you both. That requires getting deeper inside.”
Picking up the fork, he leaned in. “Tell me, Les. Last time I ask. Don’t go off topic again. Stay in this one with me.”
She parted her lips to take the bite. While she chewed and thought it through, he forked up the next. By the time she had an answer, she’d eaten all three bites.
“A lot of it is simple stuff.”
“Simple works for me. Go on.” He set down the fork.
