Free Cain's Law (Cowboys on the Edge Book 3) by Delilah Devlin Page A

smile at me.”
    He reached beyond her to turn off the water.
    “I don’t want to move,” she said, rubbing her cheek against his skin.
    “Bed doesn’t sound good right now?” His cock began to slide from inside her.
    She moaned.
    He kissed her shoulder. “Up.” He dried them both then picked her up and carried her to the bed. He cast a glance at his weapon, and then lay on his back.
    She scooted close and draped her arm and thigh over his body, then nuzzled his neck. In what felt like seconds, she was asleep.
    Cain liked the feel of her against him. He never again wanted to sleep with his arms empty. He kissed the top of her hair then hugged her closer. He’d give himself an hour of rest before taking another turn around the house. Nothing was more important in his life now than the woman drooling on his chest.
    Cain coughed then jerked awake in the darkness. Smoke filled his nostrils with his next inhalation.
    Fire! He shook Carina awake. “We have to get out of the house.” He pushed her off the bed and followed her to the floor.
    “Clothes.”
    They both scrambled to dress. He found his jeans and slipped them on, then tossed her a tee. He felt for his weapon and slipped it into the back of his waistband then crawled to the door and touched it. No heat. Her hand touched his thigh. “Stay close.” He reached up and twisted the handle, opening it a crack. Smoke swirled inside, but he saw no flames, although he did hear a distant crackle. “Keep quiet,” he whispered.
    Beneath the smoke that hung in a heavy cloud above them, they crawled down one side of the hallway toward the staircase.
    At the top, he looked down into the darkness. Moonlight filtered through the curtainless windows. He could see into the living room and the kitchen area. The space was clear. The fire had to be coming from the rear of the house.
    “Let’s get to the garage. Stay behind me.” He rose with his back against the wall of the staircase and pulled his pistol from the waistband of his jeans. Holding his weapon in front of him, he began the descent. Where the hell was Tank? No sirens could be heard in the distance, so he knew Tank hadn’t called in the fire. His belly tightened. Joey was near. Maybe inside the house. He worried about Tank, but the woman clutching his waistband was his priority.
    And the more he thought about where the fire was, the surer he was that Joey was funneling them toward the garage. Everything he’d needed to start the fire was right there: a can of gas, wood shavings on the floor. But Joey chose the back of the house. Unfortunately, the back door was out, likely engulfed in flames. The front? If Joey was near the garage door, he’d have a clear view of the front door, too. At the foot of the stairs, he pulled Carina close. “I need you to be brave,” he whispered in her ear.
    She nodded, her hair rubbing his cheek.
    “When we get to the mudroom, I need you to drop into the crawlspace under the house.”
    She jerked a little away. “You’re not coming with me?”
    “I have to finish this, babe. I need you safe.”
    Her grip on his jeans tightened. “And me crawling under a burning house is safe?”
    “You don’t have to go far. Once you’re under, move to the front side of the house and feel the bricks with your hands. There’s an access door. Push it out, keep close to the wall, and then run for the woods. Get somewhere safe and sit.”
    “No, you come with me.”
    Cain cupped her chin, lifting her face. He kissed her hard. “Let me do my job, Carina.”
    She wanted to argue with him, he knew, because she drew another deep breath, but he pressed a finger over her mouth. “Do as I say. If I’m worried about you, I could get us both killed.”
    He didn’t give her time to think up another argument. He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him as he darted into the kitchen. He crouched below each window and made sure Carina did the same. Inside the mudroom, he scooted aside the plywood,