Burned (Keeper of the Flame) Read Free Page B

reaching a little, don’t you
think?”
    His smile is dangerous. “You never know.”
    I set my hands in my lap and watch the way
the muscles on his back move through his black Henley when he
reaches for a first aid kit. I could handle getting rescued like
this more often.
    He sits in a chair and scoots it close enough
our knees are touching. He places his hand on my knee as he adjusts
in his seat, and the warmth sends tingles all the way up my
leg.
    “Do you work here?” I ask, distracting myself
from his touch.
    “No. I’m actually thinking of opening a
business. During the summers, I give tours and hikes and any kind
of recreational thing you can think of. For the tourists,
basically.” He smiles. “They like to climb those big mountains back
there to say they hiked up to fourteen thousand feet, and I take
them on the interesting trails. Anyway, if hikers go missing or
skiers get buried in an avalanche or something else, they send out
rescue missions from here and sometimes I help.”
    “Seems like you’re a good guy to have in an
emergency.”
    He holds up antiseptic. “This is going to
sting.”
    He sprays it on both palms and I grit my
teeth. Then I catch my breath when he leans in, sliding his hand
against my cheek and into my hair. “Just give it a minute and the
pain will go away.”
    With his gaze so strong and even on mine, I
can hardly feel anything. Except for calm.
    His hand tightens on my hair, sending a shock
of desire straight to my stomach. “I’m having a hard time not
kissing you right now,” he says, breath warm against my lips.
    “I’m having a hard time convincing myself you
shouldn’t.”
    He sets his hand on my thigh again. I exhale
when he slides it a little farther, glancing toward the front of
the building where James is occupied with a phone call.
    “Did you convince yourself yet?” he asks,
eyes dropping to my lips.
    “Sorry.” I clear my throat because it doesn’t
sound convincing if I can’t even get the words out. “Not this
time.”
    Logan drops his chin for a moment, then pulls
back. “Probably a good idea. I think you only need one bandage.” He
touches his fingertip to the deepest scrape. “Right here.”
    I let him put the bandage on in silence. When
he finally does speak, he says, “Shit. I’m sorry.”
    “Why?”
    “You’re here researching and I’m…” He gives a
wicked grin. “Trying to distract you.”
    “What’s life without a little fun?” I ask,
standing.
    But I was distracted. And pretty
tempted to take a detour wherever Logan wanted me to go. That isn’t
going to help me figure out where my mom is or why I’m supposed to
be here. And it definitely isn’t safe for him considering my
history with getting intimate.
    He invades my space, sliding his hands from
my shoulders all the way down my arms to grasp my hands. “I think
we should go out.”
    “Go out where?”
    “On a date. Wherever you want.”
    “The Shadow Hill Hotel.”
    I have the satisfaction of seeing his
eyebrows lift before his face relaxes into a grin. “I’m not going
to say no to that.”
    “For research,” I tell him, stepping
back.
    “Always a catch.” He gathers the items to
return them to the first aid kit. “I can handle that, though.”
    “I need to get a feel for the place. I might
be able to use it in an article.”
    “Wouldn’t hurt to look around. Tonight? I
could pick you up at six so we have some daylight before dinner in
their restaurant.”
    “Dinner?”
    “I want a date, you want research. I think
it’s a good compromise. The wine will help you relax.” He grins.
“And make you more open to the spirits.”
    “So you’re saying the hotel is haunted?”
    “Why don’t you tell me what you think when we
get there?”
    I shrug. “It’s a date. I’m at the motel over
on Blake. You know it?”
    “Yep. What room?”
    “217.”
    He follows me to the door.
    “You don’t have to walk me out.”
    “You’re not running anymore?”
    I peer