Free His Heart Aflame (Beach Haven Book 2) by A.J. Goode Page A

human.”
    “But this kind of mistake could have cost someone her life.”
    “I know.  But Griswold is going to look at so much more before he decides to fire you.  He’s going to look at your track record as a member of his department, as well as all of the people in this town who will vouch for the fact that you’re a good man.  He knows everything you’ve done for this community over the years.”
    “But –“
    “You’re incapable of doing the wrong thing,” Ethan said bluntly.  “You see the world in terms of black and white, good and bad, right and wrong.  You’ve never been able to see gray areas in life.”
    Sean buried his face in his hands.  He ached to tell his old friend about Maggie, and about losing control with her on the beach not too long ago.  Before tonight, he’d never made love to a woman with such wild abandon, such passion, such force .  He kept thinking back to the fear that had flashed in her eyes when he pinned her down on the wet sand.
    She told me not to stop , he told himself, over and over.
    “You don’t know me as well as you think you do,” he said now, quietly.  “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
    “Okay, dude, now you’re just scaring me.  Why don’t you come inside and stay in the guest room for the rest of tonight.  It’s after midnight, so you might as well stay.”
    “No, I . . . I need to be alone for a while.  Look, I’m sorry I bothered you so late.  Tell Tara I said I’m sorry for waking you guys up.”
    “Sean—“
    “I’ll be all right.  “I’m going to go home and take a nice hot shower and get a good night’s sleep.  Things will look better in the morning, right?”
     
    # # #
     
     
    Sean had joined the local fire department as a cadet when he was only fourteen years old. He had worked and learned the ropes all the way through high school, gaining his full certification shortly after high school graduation. He loved everything that went with being a firefighter, but even more than that, he tried to learn everything he could about fire itself.
    He knew when a smoky smell wafting on the night air was something simple, like a bonfire, and he knew when it meant trouble.
    Tonight, he smelled trouble.
    After leaving Ethan at The Seashell, he drove back out to the curve on County Road 388 where he had seen Maeve disappear into the woods like some ghostly wraith, and he parked on the side of the road, trying to remember any details.  He didn’t expect to find any further evidence there, but he hoped that being there at night might trigger some kind of memory that might help them find the missing woman.
    He remembered seeing a pale face, wide-eyed with terror. He couldn’t describe any details such as hair color or whether or not the woman was injured because it had all happened so quickly. There had only been enough time to take in those eyes and the glow of her white dress in the headlights, and then she was gone.
    There was something about her eyes that tugged at his memory. Something familiar, even though he’d be hard-pressed to even identify their color.  Muttering to himself, he rolled down the window and leaned his head back against the seat to try to conjure up any kind of mental pictures.
    It was then that he smelled smoke.
    He sat up and sniffed. Definitely smoke. Uneasily, he went down a mental checklist of possibilities. Campfires from the nearby campground? No, wrong direction. A beach bonfire? No, too far away. Wrong kind of smell for that, anyway. Another grass fire? Probably, but there was something different about the odor.
    Sean put the truck in gear and slowly started driving east, toward the smoky smell. He fumbled with his radio for a moment, but dismissed the idea until he had a better idea of what he was facing. It wouldn’t do to call in for backup if it turned out to be nothing more than an untended leaf pile.
    Within a matter a minutes, he knew it was more than a leaf pile. He could see a faint glow