He knew how she felt. How those smooth round curves fit in his hands. Perfectly. He shouldn’t know, but he did. And he needed to know again. Quelling a shudder, he exhaled, willing the need away. As if.

“I have to agree,” Jeff murmured in approval. “Very nice.”

David gritted his teeth against the urge to tell Jeff to keep his damn eyes to his damn self, making his voice deceptively mild. “Kayla would gouge your eyes out.”

Jeff’s grin broadened. “She can’t say anything. I’ve caught her eyeing your ass.”

David rolled his eyes. “Barlow called to say they wanted to see the fourth floor,” he made himself say reasonably. “Give me a hand with this line so we can leave.”

But Jeff continued to stare at the detectives’ car. “Hey, your lady brought food. From the Deli. That’s the good stuff. Take a break, Dave. You know you want to.”

Jeff walked off and David slowly stood, watching her kick the car door closed with her foot. Your lady. She wasn’t, of course. She might have been, if things had gone differently. If I hadn’t done… whatever. But she was here. Because it’s her job, idiot.

But she’d brought food, so that was a good sign. This is the opportunity you’ve waited for. Don’t blow it like you blew it the last time.

Which he obviously had, but that recollection was more vague than the others. Squaring his shoulders, he started to walk, knowing the exact instant she saw him coming. She went still, gripping a bag in one hand and a thermos in the other, and she looked right at him. He didn’t breathe for the space of three hard beats of his heart.

And then she looked away when Jeff reached her first, taking the bag from her hands. “There’s coffee in the thermos,” he heard her say when he got close.

Jeff was already stuffing his face. “Bacon, egg, and cheese,” he mumbled. “God, I thought I was going to drop. Thank you. There’s plenty, Dave. Have some.”

“There is plenty,” she said quietly, her eyes flickering everywhere but at his face, and David felt the frustration of being an adult trapped at a junior high party.

“Any news on the girl?” he asked and she finally met his eyes. Hers were round, blue as the sky, and very serious.

“Not yet. The hearing aid should help us narrow it down, so thank you.”

“Barlow said you wanted to see the fourth floor. I can take you up from the outside, but getting around on the inside still isn’t safe, especially without boots.”

She nodded. “Got it. Is there room for both Kane and me in the bucket?”

Kane walked up, a small black bag in one hand. “Me, go up in the bucket? I don’t think so. You go up. Here’s the camera. And my field glasses.”

She took the items he shoved into her hands. “You’re not going? Why the hell not?”

Kane’s expression was one of mild embarrassment. “Heights and me… a big no.”

She gave her partner a dirty look. “Wuss,” she muttered, then looked back up at David resolutely. “Then let’s go up. You want to eat something first?”

He didn’t think he could. “No, thanks. Zell, let’s go. I need you to man the truck.”

“I could go up with her. Or not,” Jeff added when David’s eyes narrowed. With a jovial grin, Jeff wiped his hands on the bandana he kept in his pocket and passed the bag of sandwiches to the captain, who’d just joined them. “Save me one.”

Casey smiled at Olivia. “Thanks, Detective. This was really nice of you,” he said.

“Our pleasure. I figured you’d all be hungry, staying here all night. We won’t keep you here any longer than we have to.” She looked around. “Where is Sergeant Barlow?”

“He said he had some reports to write,” Casey said, “and he’d be back after noon. Two guys from Arson are in there now, gridding off each floor so they can search.”

They’d search carefully, David knew, sifting the ash, looking for anything that could lead them to the arsonist. “Barlow said we should show you what we showed him. You can see the first floor through that window.”

David led Olivia and Kane to the first-floor window. “This window was regular glass and probably blew out in the first minutes of the fire. We found the backpack and the hearing aid on the other side of that hole.” Standing behind her, he leaned so that his cheek was inches from her temple and pointed. “There, where CSU left the markers.”

“I see,” she murmured. Her shoulders stiffened, but she didn’t shrink away and he took that as a good sign. “CSU took the items already?”

“About an hour ago.” He should move. He really should. He knew he reeked from smoke and sweat. But her hair smelled like honeysuckle, just as he remembered, and he took another second to fill his head with her scent before backing away.

Kane had leaned around her other side to stick his head through the window and whistled softly. “That is one hell of a hole, Hunter.”

“Tell me about it,” David said grimly.

Olivia’s brows crunched as she strained to see around the interior walls that remained. “The gel that covered the ball,” she said. “Did you find any down here?”

“No,” David said. “And I looked. But this area is a mess. If there was any gel, it’d be mixed with ash by now. The water pushes everything together. If it’s there, the arson guys will find it while they’re sifting. It’s thicker than kindergarten paste.”

She glanced up at him then. “We need you to keep the gel and the ball to yourself. It’s important. Who else knows about it?”

“Just me and Zell,” he said. “And Barlow. And the captain.”

“And Carrie and Gabe,” Jeff added from behind them, then shrugged when Olivia turned a mild glare on him. “I didn’t know, and Dave’s catch was too good not to tell.”

“Carrie and Gabe are on our team,” David told her when she turned the mild glare from Jeff to him. “They can keep a secret.”

“So can I,” Jeff said, aggrieved. “When I know I have to.”

“Can we talk to Carrie and Gabe?” Kane asked. “We need to keep it under wraps.”

“Certainly,” Casey said. “They’re walking line. I’ll call them back to the truck.”

“I’ll talk to the other firefighters,” Kane told Olivia, “while you go up. Have fun.”

The glare she flashed Kane was a lot less mild, David thought. She was clearly annoyed and once again seemed none too happy to see him. That did not bode well.

David climbed to where the platform rested on the front end of the truck and lowered the bucket until it was two feet from the ground where she waited. There was no expression on her face, but her foot tapped impatiently. He extended his hand and after the briefest hesitation she grabbed it, not looking at him.

He hauled her up and held on until she’d steadied herself. “You have to belt in,” he said. Silently she raised her arms and he looped the ladder belt around her slim waist, trying hard not to fumble the hooks. Or lift his eyes to stare at her breasts which were throwing a shadow on his hands. He tugged to test the connection, then rose, keeping his eyes to himself, very aware of Jeff’s smirk and Kane’s watchful gaze. “You’re good.”

“Okay,” she said, her voice slightly breathless. “Take me up.”

Oh, I will, he thought. He wasn’t sure when it would be or how he would manage it, but those recollections of his were just clear enough that he knew he had to have her again. “Are you bothered by heights?”

“No.” Her attention was on the condo wall as he toggled switches, lifting them in the air. After rising ten feet, she looked up at him, surprised. “I thought it would be jumpy.”

“No, it’s pretty smooth.” They were alone now, the two of them rising in a three-by-four space. He briefly fantasized standing behind her, grabbing the rails on either side of her, caging her in. Pressing against her. Feeling her against him. But of course he couldn’t do that, so he stood at her side, contenting himself with breathing honeysuckle.

There were so many things he wanted to ask. What’s between you and Barlow? Is there someone else? And the million-dollar question-why did you leave my bed?