Ignite: A Werebear + BBW Paranormal Romance (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 3) Read online

  * * *

  Inside the darkened, smoke-filled hotel room, Evan couldn't see any signs of Steffi's dog.

  Now more than ever, his helmet and bulky turnouts made him feel as if he were wearing medieval armor. With the SCBA mask sealed securely to his face, Evan couldn't hear much above the Darth Vader-like sound it made every time he breathed.

  His helmet and the SCBA mask cut off his peripheral vision, so he had to turn his entire head to follow the sweep of his flashlight beam as he shone it in a search pattern, taking special care to illuminate the corners and the furniture.

  Nothing.

  "Here, doggie! Nice doggie…come here, Royce," he tried, his voice muffled thanks to the mask.

  From his previous experience with house fires, Evan knew that pets often ran and hid. He bent and aimed his flashlight under the room's desk. Still nothing.

  Moving further into the room, he peered around the bulk of the portable crib that stood next to the queen-sized bed. Nope. No dog.

  The closet and bathroom doors were both closed, so that meant that the dog had to be hiding under the bed.

  Evan sighed as he sank down on his knees. This wasn't going to be fun in his bulky gear and with an air tank strapped to his back.

  When he finally levered himself down on his elbows to shine the light under the bed, he saw a scary number of dust bunnies…and a pair of eyes gleaming in the light.

  "Royce, come here," Evan ordered.

  The dog, which looked like he had a generous helping of pit bull in his ancestry, whimpered but didn't move. Evan could see Royce's sides heaving as he panted.

  Poor pup is terrified. Which meant that Royce wasn't going to come out of there on his own.

  Evan had pulled off his thick gloves earlier while helping Olivia and Steffi escape the room, and he hadn't put them back on again. He dropped to his stomach next to the bed and heard the dull clang of his tank as it hit the bedframe.

  He swept an arm under the bed and grabbed Royce's collar. The dog resisted passively as Evan dragged him out from under the bed, but he didn't growl or try to bite.

  Sorry buddy, Evan apologized silently. But you can't stay here. If the smoke doesn't get you, the fire will.

  Once he had pulled the dog free of the bed, Evan released his collar in preparation for scooping the stocky canine up in his arms.

  Royce took a cautious sniff at the back of Evan's hand, caught the mingled scents of bear and man, and promptly rolled over onto his back, exposing his belly in submission.

  Well, at least he hadn't tried to take Evan's fingers off in those powerful-looking jaws.

  A bear shifter never knew how dogs might react—sometimes, the scent of bear triggered the urge to attack, and sometimes the dogs were terrified, as this one was.

  But it was a rare dog who felt comfortable around a bear shifter. And this dog was at least partly a breed that had been created specifically to fight bears and bulls for sport.

  Satisfied that Royce wasn't going to try to tear his throat out, Evan scooped up the dog, climbed to his feet, and carefully carried him to the window.

  On the way over, he spotted a woman's purse sitting on top of the desk and grabbed that too before carrying the unresisting dog down the ladder to safety.

  Once they were safely back on the ground, Royce made a beeline for Steffi and dived behind her legs, where he stood, shaking.

  Evan pulled off his mask and followed the dog around the long bulk of the fire engine. Mark and Fred were still wielding the hoses, and it looked like they had made some headway against the flames.

  Evan planned to join them in a second with a third hose, but first, he wanted to check on Steffi and give her the purse he'd rescued from the room.

  She was sitting on the bumper of the fire engine with a blanket wrapped around her. Baby Olivia was awake and in human shape once more, perched on Steffi's lap.

  Under Dane's watchful eye, both Steffi and Olivia were wearing oxygen masks as the first step in treating smoke inhalation.

  Steffi's eyes widened at Evan's approach. When he held out her purse, she pulled down her mask and gave him a brilliant smile that lit up her whole face and made his heart skip a beat.

  She had lovely blue-gray eyes, he thought, clear as a mountain lake and fringed with dark lashes.

  "Thank you, Evan," she said, as she moved Olivia around to her hip and reached down to pat Royce's side. "I've had him since he was a puppy. I don't know what I'd do without him."

  To Evan's pleased surprise, Steffi stood, went up on tiptoes, and kissed him square on the mouth.

  When her lips made contact, it felt like being struck by lightning. A bolt of white-hot sensation shot through him. It traveled from his lips down to the soles of his feet, and he felt his cock spring to instant attention.

  Evan had kissed a lot of women. None of them had ever made him feel like this with just a quick kiss.

  His bear came alert with a rush of tingling energy that usually preceded a shapeshift.

  He felt Steffi gasp against his mouth, and he realized that she felt it too. She started to pull back, but Evan instinctively put his hand on the back of her head to stop her retreat. He leaned down and recaptured her lips.

  That same glorious feeling coursed through him. He deepened the kiss, and her lips parted. He took that as an invitation to explore her mouth with his tongue.

  Kissing her was amazing. It was almost better than sex.

  When he finally managed to end the kiss sometime later, he felt intoxicated, as if he'd just downed several shots of whiskey in rapid succession.

  Dane shot him an incredulous look and shook his head with a disgusted expression. Evan rolled his eyes in response and turned his attention back to Steffi.

  "I'm—I'm so sorry," she stammered. "I don't know what came over me! I—it must have been all the stress."

  She was clutching Olivia hard. The baby squirmed in her grip and let out a protesting wail. Steffi instantly loosened her grip.

  "Oh God," she moaned, her face twisted in anguish. "I'm such a mess. I'm so sorry."

  "No need to apologize," Evan said honestly. "I really don't mind being kissed by a beautiful woman in her nightie."

  And I can't wait to do it again. His whole body was throbbing with need, and he was glad that his bulky turnout gear concealed the evidence of just how much she had turned him on.

  Instead of his comments reassuring her, she looked incredulous, then even more distressed.

  Trying to forestall further apologies, Evan said, "Hey, I didn't have a chance to really introduce myself before, but I'm Evan Swanson.”

  Steffi's lips—her very kissable lips—parted in surprise. "Any relation to Patrick Swanson?" she asked, her expression suddenly wary.

  "He was—is—our cousin," Dane interjected. "And we've all been looking forward to meeting little Olivia."

  He grinned down at the baby, who stared back up at him, then returned a smile that displayed four small white teeth.

  "Why did you decide to stay in this dump?" Evan demanded, suddenly irrationally angry that both Steffi and Olivia had come close to losing their lives tonight.

  "Hey!" he heard Andy Schlumbacher protest from somewhere nearby.

  Evan ignored him and focused on Steffi. "Did my mom or Aunt Margaret say anything to make you feel unwelcome?"

  "No," Steffi responded with equal heat. "I just didn't want to commit to being trapped in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of people I'd never met before! I figured that if things didn't go smoothly, at least I'd be in town."

  She looked around, taking in the scene, and her shoulders slumped. "It seemed like a good idea at the time, anyway."

  Evan's sudden burst of anger faded as quickly as it had appeared. He could understand why Steffi might have felt shy about showing up at the ranch and finding herself the center of the Swanson clan's attention.

  Hell, even he found being surrounded by his family uncomfortable at first, whenever he came home from one of his e
xtended assignments out in the field. And he'd known all of his relatives for all of his life.

  "Look," he heard himself saying. "Why don't you stay at my place? I promise it's clean and quiet, and it's close to the ranch house, but not too close, if you know what I mean."

  Steffi's dark, arched brows rose in surprise. "It's nice of you to offer," she said. "But—"

  Evan was abruptly desperate that she not turn him down. "I have guest rooms. A suite with its own bathroom. You'd have your privacy. And I have wireless!"

  Dane snorted, and Evan felt his face grow hot, aware that he had probably sounded like a complete dork. Smooth. Real smooth, Dr. Swanson.

  He never invited women to his home on the Grizzly Creek Ranch. The only people who had ever stayed there were paying guests during the hunting and fishing seasons.

  But Steffi's not really just another woman. She's Patrick's sister-in-law. And I want her to stay somewhere in my vicinity…the closer the better.

  Steffi looked around again, as if searching for other options. "I guess I don't really have anywhere else to go, do I?" she asked, looking exhausted.

  Evan's heart soared at his victory, grudging as it was, then immediately sank again when she added, "But I'd really rather not move out to the ranch. Isn't there anywhere else in town that I could stay?"

  Evan shook his head. "Nope. It's mostly bed-and-breakfasts around here, and nearly everything is booked up. Salmon fishing season, you know."

  Steffi looked downcast. "Maybe there's a decent hotel in that town I passed through on the way here?"

  Shit. She wants to leave!

  Amazing kiss aside, Evan didn't know why he felt so compelled to make sure she stayed in Bearpaw Ridge, and near him, but he had to do something!

  Behind Steffi and out of her line of sight, Evan's big brother came to his rescue.

  Annabeth, Dane mouthed silently.

  Yeah. That might work! And Dane was the very best big brother. Ever.

  "You know what?" Evan said to Steffi. "I've just had an idea. Let me make a phone call."

  Chapter 5

  Steffi knew she was in trouble as soon as she spotted the large silver SUV.

  Warmed against the predawn chill by both a blanket and the lingering tingle of Evan Swanson's kiss, Steffi was sitting on a bench across the street from the hotel, watching the four firefighters work to extinguish the blaze.

  She'd be lying if she didn't admit to herself that she was mostly watching the big fireman with SWANSON, E. lettered across the back of his coat. She had never reacted to anyone like that before…for a few moments, she had forgotten about the fire, about Olivia, about everything except how much she wanted to keep kissing Evan and how much she wanted to do more.

  A lot more, and as soon as possible.

  Three out of the four firemen were big men with shoulders like those of football linebackers. She couldn't really tell what they looked like under all of their firefighting gear, but she remembered Evan's warm hazel eyes and his crooked, reassuring grin as he lifted her effortlessly to safety.

  He had saved her life…and Royce's life too. She wondered if she had acted like a complete idiot, kissing Evan like that. He hadn't looked like he objected, and he had definitely kissed her back, but still…it wasn't like her to put the moves on a guy. Especially a guy she had just met.

  And yet, there she'd been, ready and willing to climb him like a tree, if not for the baby she'd been holding.

  On her lap, swaddled in another blanket, Olivia was deeply asleep, apparently oblivious to the general commotion all around her. Royce was sprawled on the ground at Steffi's feet, watching the firemen with intent interest.

  To Steffi's surprise, neither Evan nor his brother Dane had reacted to the sight of Olivia turning into a bear cub. Not even after she and Olivia had both been rescued and Dane had disinfected and bandaged the long scratches that Olivia had inflicted on Steffi's shoulders. No questions, no comments…nothing.

  They had just proceeded as if this sort of thing happened all the time in Bearpaw Ridge.

  She wondered if they would ask her about it later…and how she was going to try to explain the unexplainable.

  Then she spotted the large SUV driving up Main Street, heading towards her. Something about it sent sudden fear shooting down every nerve like an electrical zap, and her heart began to pound.

  As the vehicle neared the bench where Steffi was sitting and slowed down, Royce sprang to his feet, a low growl rumbling in his chest.

  Steffi rose to her feet. She backed quickly away from the bench, letting the blanket drop as she clutched Olivia to her.

  The SUV came to a complete stop.

  Then several things happened in quick succession.

  Steffi saw the SUV's rear doors open. Royce stopped growling and barked once, a deep baying sound that he used whenever a stranger came to Steffi's door.

  And panic engulfed Steffi.

  Ignoring the pain of bits of gravel biting into the soles of her bare feet, she sprinted across the wide street towards the fire engine as Olivia woke up and shrieked.

  A man's voice called, "Ms. Tristan—wait! We just want to talk to you!"

  "Damn it, Roger, you were supposed to stop her from making a run for it!" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man in dark clothing scrambling out of the passenger side of the car.

  He moved to intercept her from her left side, and she heard footsteps behind her as well.

  "Help!" Steffi screamed, terror giving her feet wings.

  But she already knew it was hopeless.

  Once the fire rescues had been completed, most of the onlookers initially attracted by the spectacle of the Bearpaw Ridge Inn in flames had drifted away. Evan, Dane, and the two other firemen had their backs to the street as they directed streams of water into the hotel's interior.

  There was no way that any of the firefighters could hear her over the loud rush of the water jetting from multiple hoses.

  Royce ran at her heels, barking furiously. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him veer and turn to snap at one of her pursuers.

  She was halfway across the street now, but they were gaining on her.

  What do they want with Olivia? Do they know about her shapeshifting? In her gut, she knew these were the same people who had tried to kidnap her niece a few days ago.

  One of her pursuers grabbed the back of her nightshirt.

  Steffi stumbled as its neckline abruptly tightened around her throat like a garrote. She screamed wordlessly. The sound was choked as it emerged from her throat.

  She tried to pull away from her captor with a furious lunge.

  The nightshirt stretched, and for a nightmarish instant, Steffi thought she was trapped. Then the fabric tore, and she fell forward.

  She curled instinctively, trying to protect Olivia from impact with the hard asphalt.

  And landed in Evan Swanson's arms.

  The scent of smoke surrounded her as her face pressed against the stiff material of his fireman's coat.

  "What are you people doing?" he demanded of her pursuers.

  His voice sounded…different…than it had before. Lower and deeper, and rough with fury. He was practically growling.

  A man shouted, and Steffi turned her head to see Royce, still barking and growling furiously, charge the pursuer closest to her. He was a stocky white man, somewhere in his late twenties or early thirties, with a military-looking buzz cut.

  "Abort! Abort! Abort!" a woman shouted from the SUV.

  Royce's teeth sank into the man's jeans-clad thigh.

  The man shouted angrily and swept his arm down. Something in his hand flared, and Steffi heard a loud buzzing sound punctuated with a rapid popping like machine gun fire.

  He hit Royce, and she flinched as her dog made a high, sharp cry of pain and collapsed.

  Evan's arms tightened around Steffi when she instinctively tried to go to Royce's aid.

  And Steffi's two pursuers took advantage of the temporary distrac
tion to abruptly turn tail and flee back to the SUV.

  Doors slammed, and the big vehicle lurched away from the curb with a roar of its engine and a squeal of tires.

  "What the hell just happened?" Evan demanded, staring after the retreating taillights. "What was that guy doing with a stun gun?"

  "It's Olivia! They wanted to take her!"

  * * *

  A few minutes later, Steffi saw a police car, blue lights flashing, pull up behind the fire engine.

  Evan had carried Royce's trembling body over to the sidewalk and called the police before pulling a spare T-shirt out of one of the fire engine's compartments.

  He handed Steffi the T-shirt and returned to fighting the fire.

  She pulled the T-shirt over her hopelessly torn Hello Kitty nightshirt and pulled the blanket back around her shoulders. She couldn't help casting nervous glances down the street, and her heart raced whenever she saw headlights coming towards her.

  The arrival of the police cruiser was comforting. She didn't think anyone would try anything now.

  She glanced down at Royce, who was now sprawled on top of her feet.

  Evan had told her that he didn't think the stun gun would cause any permanent damage to a dog of his size. Royce seemed to be back to normal now, thank goodness.

  "Good dog, Royce," she told him. His floppy ears perked up momentarily at the sound of her voice.

  A tall woman with dark blonde hair pulled into a tight ponytail emerged from the police car. She wore a khaki-colored uniform with a puffy, dark green jacket that had official-looking patches sewn onto the sleeves.

  She walked over to the firefighters first, and Steffi's heart inexplicably sank when she saw the newcomer smile at Evan and give him a lingering kiss before stepping back and pulling out her notepad.

  Evan grinned down at the police officer and said something that Steffi couldn't hear. But his body language—and the blonde's—told the whole story as he put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it affectionately before taking a half-step back.

  Steffi swallowed a sick feeling of disappointment as she watched the ensuing conversation between the big firefighter and the police officer standing intimately close to him.