Free Combustible (A Boone Childress Novel) by CC Abbott Page A

the Navy, but it was very crucial to Boone. He wanted to make a great impression, to sweep her off her feet. Nothing swept a girl like a set of Navy full dress whites.
    Full dress wasn’t in his future, however, not for a date. Instead, he wore a nice jacket and a pair of dark jeans for the date, which was at a restaurant called The Pointe near Cape Hatteras. It was a bit of drive from Frisco, but the seafood was to die for, and the view from a pier that stretched two hundred feet into the Atlantic.
    When the server seated them, the sun was just setting on the far side of the island, and you could see the yellow-orange of the light on the capping white waves. It lit up Cedar’s face and hair , giving her a glow. It brought out her features and made her face even more beautiful. Funny how often she seemed to be framed by the sun.
    Boone stood behind her chair and pushed it in as she sat. She wore a strapless little black dress that pinched her narrow waist and left her tanned shoulders naked to the sun. He swallowed hard, thinking how good it would feel to kiss the soft, downy skin on the back of her neck.
    “You look fantastic,” he said after he ordered the wine. When the server asked his age, Boone flashed his military ID, and that was the end of the questioning.
    “You’r e looking pretty good yourself. Nice jacket.”
    “This old thing?” he said. “It’s just something I picked up at the thrift shop.”
    She took at sip of water . “Nice. I like a guy who knows how to handle his money.”
    The server brought the wine and uncorked the bottle. Boone took it from there, pouring them both a glass. “A toast,” he said, passing a glass to her .
    “To?”
    “The truth, and everything that comes with it.”
    “I’ll drink to that,” she said and tapped his glass before taking a sip. “Wow. That’s strong.”
    “Let the wine sit awhile before you drink the rest,” he said. “Scuppernong grapes need to air out a little, or they can overwhelm you r senses.”
    “Sort of like you.”
    “Like me?” Boone said, pretending to be offended. “How am I overwhelming?”
    “Come on, you have to know. Your soldier swagger. This firefighter hero thing. Plus you’re really smart in class.” She took a sip of wine as Boone shook his head slowly. “Seriously, all the cool girls think you’re hot and can't stop talking about you.”
    Boone felt his face go flush. “What about you? What do you think about me?”
    “Well,” she said and ran a finger around the lip of the wine glass. “I wonder why you'd be interested in a nerd like me.”
    Boone choked on the sip he was taking. “Oh please. Now you’re being coy.”
    “No, I'm not!” She fired one of the cornbread muffins the server had just set d own, and they both watched as it sailed past Boone straight into the waves below.
    The server cleared her throat. “Ready to order?”
    “Oops,” Cedar said. “I haven’t even looked at the menu.”
    “Trust me?” Boone asked.
    “You run into burning buildings,” she said, smiling, “and you ask if I trust you?”
    He took the menu from her and turned to the server. “Then we’ll start with she crab soup, followed by the spicy strawberry salad and the crab cakes. For desert—you like chocolate, right?”
    “Boy howdy,” Cedar said as a blush crept up her neck. She sat with her palms pressed together, turning her head just so.
    “For desert we’ll split the chocolate torte.”
    The server caught Boone’s eye and winked. “Excellent decision, Chief Petty Officer.”
    He knew, though, that she meant his decision to order for both of them. From Cedar’s body language, she liked a take-charge kind of guy.
    While they waited for their appetizer, they discussed the research project that Cedar was doing. Then over the salad and entrée, Boone told her of his theories about a serial arsonist at work. Unlike everyone else, she actually listened intently and found a few holes in his argument. She also split