Free Kiss of Fire by Deborah Cooke Page A

said after a moment. “And what I read, well, let’s say that I’m skeptical. And what you just did, well—” She met his gaze, a wary twinkle in her own. “I’m long past thinking that there are perfect men out there, but what you can do is really odd.”
    She hadn’t seen anything yet.
    But she was open to him.
    Quinn walked toward Sara and felt the heat increase between them. Her eyes widened slightly and he knew she felt the firestorm, too.
    There was a trickle of perspiration on her neck and several tendrils of hair clung damply to her skin. Her lips parted when there was only the counter between them, and she looked both soft and welcoming. In this light, he could see that the hazel of her eyes was composed of a thousand shades of green and gold and brown, and that the gold was becoming dominant. He could also see the faint freckles on her nose and scattered across her chest. He wanted her, and knew he would have wanted her even without destiny on his side.
    She was his destined mate.
    They would be stronger together than apart, transformed by the firestorm the way that the forge transformed iron into steel.
    But first he had to win her trust.
    And with Sara, Quinn guessed that the truth would be the key.
    â€œThis is the firestorm.” Quinn held up his hand, his palm toward her, his fingers splayed. She raised her own hand, understanding his expectation so intuitively that he knew she was wrong about her psychic abilities. She slowly touched her hand to his, matching her fingertips to his own, and he liked that she wasn’t fearful. She was a warrior princess, exactly the kind of mate he would have chosen for himself.
    Destiny had gotten it in one.
    Their hands were an inch apart when sparks flew. He saw Sara gasp when the fire leapt back and forth between their hands; then he caught her hand within his own.
    He locked their fingers together as his blood simmered from the contact. When he felt her trembling, he put her hand upon his chest, trapping her hand against the thunder of his heart. Her eyes widened as she stared at him, but she didn’t pull away.
    â€œYou can’t evade the firestorm, Sara,” he said with quiet force. “And neither can I.”

    Sara felt as if the world had stopped.
    And then erupted into flames. She stared into the endless blue of Quinn’s eyes, feeling his heartbeat beneath her hand. She was hot, hotter than she could ever remember being, but it felt exactly right.
    The warmth between them made her want to curl up against Quinn, step into his arms, draw close to his fire. It made her want to go with him. Anywhere. Everywhere. Maybe it was what made her intuitively trust him, the way she didn’t usually trust people she’d just met. It made her want to learn everything he knew. There was a shimmer under her skin and a sizzle in her veins.
    Logically, she was sure it had to be plain old lust she was feeling, and that would be trouble enough. But she had a sense that Quinn was another order of magnitude of trouble.
    Sara was thinking she was past due for this kind of trouble. Magda had told her a thousand times that she worked too hard to enjoy life’s pleasures. Her mother’s last words to Sara had been that Sara had to stop working and start living.
    Maybe it was time Sara balanced her deficit.
    With Quinn. The air-conditioning unit whirred with sudden vigor.
    The breath of glacial air seemed to clarify Sara’s thoughts. Quinn was a dragon shape shifter who made sparks dance between their hands.
    Maybe she should start off a little slower. Keep it simple.
    Date a normal man, for example. She pulled her hand from Quinn’s grip and took a step back.
    There was a mighty rattle from overhead, a wheeze from something mechanical, and then the air conditioner died. The shop seemed suddenly very silent as the pair of them looked up.
    â€œWhat was that?” Quinn asked.
    Sara glared at the ceiling. “That