Playing With Fire (24 page)

Fred’s eyes widened and he drew in a shocked breath.

“I mean to my place.”

He sought to reassure the clearly concerned EMT expert.

“I can watch her as closely as anyone can, Fred. Since she
refuses to go to a hospital, someone needs to be with her 24/7. Don’t forget,
in addition to being a cop, I spent six years in the Rangers. I got more than a
little experience dealing with trauma victims.”

Fred gave him an admiring nod. “I know you did, Nate.
Besides, you’re the only one she’s let within five feet of her. I’m not sure
you’re ever gonna be able to pry her hands loose.”

Both men looked down at Erin’s tense fingers gripping Nate’s
arm. Nate felt a rush of gratitude. Fred was right. Erin was clinging to him as
tightly as he was to her.

“Okay, little spitfire, what do you think? Can you make it
up that hill?”

Before she could respond, he scooped her up his arms.

“No, I can walk, Nate. Put me down.”

“I’m sure you can. Executive decision, sweetheart. One of
the advantages of outweighing you by a hundred pounds, and being a foot
taller.”

He sent one of the rookies up the hill with his keys and
told him to crank on the heat in his Z.

When they got to the crest of the hill he carefully arranged
her in the passenger seat of his car. The heat was already filling the car. One
of the firefighters stood beside the door and handed Nate a stack of blankets.

“Take care of her, Nate. She means a lot to all of us.”

“Yeah, Mike. I will. Hey, let me handle this with Chief
Halloran, if you don’t mind. Tell him I’ll call him when I get her settled.”

“Sure thing, Nate.”

Dan and Matthew Porter joined him a couple of feet away from
his car.

“Any ideas, Matt?”

“Other than that someone wanted to make damn sure that
little pistol didn’t shoot bullets or anything else ever again?”

Nate gave him a level stare.

“Find out, Matt. I want a preliminary within the hour and a
full report by 6 o’clock tonight. You can be damned sure that both Chiefs —
Roberts and Halloran — will be as eager for your report as I am. Got it?”

“Got it, sir.”

As he pulled away from the scene, Erin asked in a small
voice, “Where are we going, Nate?”

“To my place.”

Nate turned down Pike Drive, heading toward his cabin.

After they’d gone a couple of miles in silence, Nate called
Connor and gave him an update. He downplayed the seriousness of the accident
and didn’t mention how unlikely it was that there was anything accidental about
it. When he casually mentioned that he was taking Erin to his cabin, he heard
Connor whistle.

“Wow, Nate. That’s almost as big a deal as the fact I’m
about to have a son.”

“Where are we going, Nate?”

“Remember, Erin, I said that we are going to my cabin.”

Nate watched her as closely as he could while keeping an eye
on the road. She was shivering, which was a good sign. It meant her body was
capable of shaking off the cold. But hypothermia was still a concern.

“Erin, I don’t know how much you California girls know about
hypothermia, but you’re right on the edge. Do you understand?”

“We… we studied it. I haven’t taken seen… any cases.”

“The important thing is to get you out of those wet clothes
and get you warm and dry.”

“I can take care of myself, Nate.”

Her voice was slower, not as confrontational. He hoped it
meant she understood the seriousness of the situation, and not that the cold
was affecting her speech. He was relieved that they were at the turnoff to his
private road. Pulling up in front of the imposing log and glass structure, he
moved quickly to the passenger side. Erin had the door open and was trying to
hoist herself out of the car, seemingly unaware of the blankets wrapped around
her.

Ignoring her attempts to stand, he yanked one of the blankets
over her head, and sweeping her up in his arms, dashed through the pelting rain
into the house. He’d spent the night at the cabin and the banked coals in the
huge stone fireplace threw off a modicum of warmth. As soon as he got her out
of her wet clothes, he would begin to actively warm her body.

She fought against his grip.

“Nate, put me down. I can walk, really I can.”

“I wish that was true, Erin. But it’s not.”

He headed to his bedroom carrying her in his arms. The
bedroom was nearly as big as the great room. It had a fireplace of its own,
floor to ceiling windows, and was anchored by a large four-poster king-sized
bed. He parked her in an overstuffed chair and squatted down in front of her.
Nate was relieved to see that Erin’s lips weren’t as blue as they’d been, and
she had a little color in her cheeks. He hoped to hell he had done the right
thing bringing her here. As if he had a choice. The only way he could have
gotten her to the hospital was to drug her, which seemed unfair given how
incredibly vulnerable she was.

“Listen to me, Erin. You have a potentially dangerous
condition. The only reason I didn’t insist you go to the hospital is because
you were equally adamant. But that means you chose
me
over the hospital.
Agreed?”

When she nodded, he continued, “Okay. My house, my rules.
This is not an empty threat. If you don’t want to do the things I tell you, we
will turn around now and head for St. Francis.”

She shook her head. Her eyes were wide, frightened.

“No, please, Nate. I’ll do what you say.”

“Good girl. Okay, first we’re going to get you out of those
wet things, dry you off and get you in front of the fire.”

She nodded.

“I… I can’t stop shivering.”

“I know, honey. That’s a good sign for now. But it’ll stop
once we get you warm.”

As he talked, he rummaged through drawers and laughed.

“Everything I have is six sizes too big, but they’ll have to
work.”

He stripped off the wet blankets covering her — along with
her wet sneakers and socks.

“Nate?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“I… I don’t want you to see me without any clothes. Please
don’t look at me.”

He chuckled as he tossed a dry blanket over her.

“Hell, what’s the fun of that? Tell you what. We’ll be as
modest as we can. Don’t know if they told you in firefighter school but the
best way to treat someone going from mild to moderate hypothermia s is to put
her naked body next to a bigger, hotter one. Also naked, of course.”

Erin managed a small smile and tugged the blanket tighter
across her body.

“No, they didn’t tell us about that one.”

“Okay then, we’ll save that one for another time.”

Nate reached under the blanket and pulled off her damp jeans
and panties, tossing them on the floor next to her wet shoes and socks. She
gave a little squeak and plastered the blanket against her bare legs.

Nate chuckled.

“I can see this is going to be a challenge. Honey, you take
off your wet t-shirt if you don’t want me to. I’m happy to help with the bra.”

He added, “Hey, I’m glad to see I can make you blush. That’s
a good sign.”

As he talked, he reached into the pile of clothes he’d found
in his drawer and handed her a long sleeved t-shirt.

“This will be a dress for you.”

He grinned when she awkwardly held the blanket against her
breasts and struggled to get the t-shirt over her head.

“Here, let me help you put it on. I promise I won’t peek.”

He helped pull the t-shirt over her head and arms. Before
she could resist he slid his hands under the blanket and slipped a pair of
flannel sweats up over her bare legs and bottom, and added wool socks to the
mix. Taking the blanket away, he handed her a heavy cableknit sweater to put
over the t-shirt.

“There, almost done. Even though you look like a little kid
dressing up in big man clothes, at least you’re dry, and will soon be warm.”

He got to his feet and reached down to pick her up. When she
protested, he shook his head.

“Uh uh, darlin’. Remember: my house, my rules.”

He winked at her. “Besides, if you stand up, your pants will
fall down. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but we’ll also save that for
later.”

Erin flushed and rewarded him with a tentative smile.

He grabbed a wool throw from the back of the chair and
wrapped it around her shoulders.

“Better, darlin’?”

When she nodded, he scooped her up in his arms and headed
for the great room. Depositing her in a huge overstuffed chair in front of the
fireplace he tucked another wool blanket around her.

“Okay, that’s the first step. We’re going to have to do
something about your damp hair but we’ll wait until we get you warm.

“Now that I have you outfitted like Paul Bunyan’s wife — or
maybe his daughter, since you look all of five years old — you can watch me do
my lumberjack routine and get a fire going in this fireplace.”

Erin pulled the blankets tightly around herself and watched
him work. Crouched in front of the fireplace he looked big and strong. The taut
muscles in his back and arms flexed as he arranged huge logs and smaller ones
into a skillfully woven peak. His movements were strong, competent. Clearly he
was at home in this rustic setting. Within minutes, a fire blazed in the enormous
stone fireplace.

When the fire was crackling and she could feel the warmth
flooding the room, he poked his head out of the kitchen.

“We’re gonna forego coffee, sweetheart. No caffeine until
I’m sure you are past the hypothermia danger… but how about a big mug of hot
cocoa?”

Erin smiled at the thought that something so ordinary
sounded wonderful.

“Do you have marshmallows?”

“Hey, what kind of a slacker do you take me for? Of course I
have marshmallows — and my special secret ingredient. Let me get out of my wet
clothes while this heats.”

He came in carrying a large cup of heavenly-smelling cocoa.
Her mouth watered at the aroma of chocolate and cinnamon. She peeked up at him,
trying not to stare at his tall body, but she couldn’t look away. He’d stripped
off his wet clothes and wore a forest green long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of
plaid flannel lounging pants that matched hers. His blond hair was messier than
usual speaking to a quick rub with a towel, but it made him look more rugged
than ever. He stood in front of her, grinning, and she noticed that his feet
were bare. The sight of his bare feet made Erin shiver, but in an entirely
different way than from the cold. She didn’t have time to get her bearings as
he put the mug on the table, picked her up, and settled into the chair — with
her on his lap.

She squealed in surprise.

“What… what are you doing, Nate?”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“The next best thing to the ‘naked bodies snuggled up
together’ routine.”

He added, more seriously, “And what I have wanted to do
since I looked down a thirty-foot embankment and saw the car you were in
moments before hovering over the edge of the cliff.”

Erin shivered involuntarily.

Nate tucked her up against his chest and wrapped the blanket
over her legs. He handed her the mug of chocolate.

“You drink this, darlin’. It will warm you on the inside.
Meantime I’m going to do this.”

Erin started when she felt his big hand slide under her
t-shirt, against her bare skin. He rested it against her chest… his palm just
above the swell of her naked breasts.

He murmured in her ear. “It’s not what you think, baby. Feel
how warm my hand is?”

She tugged in a tiny sip of air and nodded.

“An army medic in the field taught me this. He said that
when someone is hurt or scared out of their skin, it helps to know that a big
strong man is there to hold them. I want you to know that Erin. I am big and I
am strong. And nothing and no one is going to hurt you. You got that, baby?”

Erin shivered again, then gave into the comfort of his body,
marveling at how much she liked his large hand securing her next to his strong
body.

She sipped the chocolate and moaned in delight.

Nate laughed.

“Is that sound for my culinary skills, or have you decided
you like my hand on your bare chest?”

Erin felt the heat flood her cheeks.

“Both.”

His voice was low, soft. His lips tickled her ear.

“Sometimes, honey, that little bit of restraint can be a
turn on. You’d be surprised how you can let go of your inhibitions when you
feel safe.”

When she trembled and gave a small gasp, he pulled her
closer.

“Later, I’ll show you some of the other things I learned in
the ‘field.’ Right now I want you to drink all of that hot chocolate and then
you and I are going to talk.”

Erin’s heart fluttered at the whispers of excitement
flickering over her body. He was right. She did feel safe. Warm and safe.

But the memories of the horrendous crash snagged her
thoughts. A shiver of fear shook her. Nate pulled her closer and murmured,
“Yeah, Erin, I can’t stop thinking about it either.”

Taking the cup from her hands, he pulled her up hard against
his chest. He began to massage her bare back, shoulders and neck with his
skilled fingers. Little by little she gave into the warmth and strength of him
and allowed herself to relax.

After several minutes he sat her up straighter, still
holding her on his lap.

“Honey, drink the rest of this. I want you to rest, to
relax, but I don’t want you to go to sleep. We have to make sure you don’t have
a concussion.”

“Nate?”

“Yes, Erin,”

“I’m scared. Will you hold me?”

“I know you’re scared, honey. You have reason to be. In
answer to your question, I plan to hold you for a long time to come.”

“Nate, I didn’t kill Dylan and that woman.”

Nate blew out a heavy sigh and shifted in the armchair.