Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz

issues.”
    “Right,” Chloe said.
    “How did you meet him?”
    “I took one of his classes. I thought it would be useful in my work.”
    “What, exactly, does he teach?”
    “Criminal psychology.”
    “Learn anything?”
    “Mostly what I learned is that psychologists look for explanations and motives. Me, I’m just a PI. I look for bad psi.”
    He took the on- ramp onto I-5, heading toward downtown. The freeway was nearly empty at this hour. The lights of the city’s high-rise buildings, including the one in which he lived, glittered in the night.
    “You really thought that Monroe’s serial monogamy habit and his commitment issues were good features?” he asked after a while.
    “Are you kidding? I was almost convinced that he was Mr. Perfect. When I gave him The Talk, he looked downright thrilled. Then, again, men often seem happy enough at first. I’ve never been able to figure out why they change their minds. Aunt Phyllis says it’s just the way men are.”
    “I’m probably going to regret asking this, but what is The Talk?”
    “That’s when I explain about my commitment issues. I make it clear that any relationship I enter into is likely to be short-term and that there are no strings attached. I make sure that the other person knows that he is free to dump me on a moment’s notice without feeling any guilt.” She frowned a little. “But for some reason I’m usually the one who ends up doing the dumping.”
    “You’re a real romantic, aren’t you?” he said flatly.
    “I can’t afford to be a romantic, Mr. Winters. Not with my talent.”
    He shot her a quick, searching look. “What does your talent have to do with it?”
    “It’s hard to explain,” she said. She leaned her head against the back of the seat, folded her arms. “It doesn’t matter now, anyway.”
    “Why not?”
    “The serial monogamy thing got old. I moved into a new phase about a year ago. I admit that I toyed with the idea of going back to serial monogamy for a time with Fletcher, but I finally realized it just wouldn’t work.”
    “And what comes after serial monogamy?”
    “Celibacy.”
    He felt blindsided again. “Celibacy?”
    “There’s a kind of freedom in the celibate lifestyle.”
    “Yeah? I hadn’t heard that.”

11
    HE PARKED ON THE STREET IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING THAT housed Harper Investigations. Chloe got out before he could open the door. Energy crackled in the air around her. It kept his senses aroused and on edge.
    She reached into one of the trench coat pockets and pulled out her keys. An odd looking gadget came out with the keys and fell to the sidewalk. There was a muffled clank of metal. He picked up the small high-tech device and held it to the streetlight.
    “I’m not even going to ask,” he said, handing it back to her, “because it looks like a very fancy lock pick and is probably highly illegal.”
    “It was a birthday gift.”
    “Another ex-boyfriend?”
    “No, my cousin Abe.”
    “Your family gives interesting gifts.”
    She opened the door and stepped into the tiny lobby. He followed her inside and shut the door. Together they started up the stairs. Chloe gripped the banister tightly, half hauling herself up the steps. When he took her other arm she did not protest.
    He knew immediately that the physical contact was a mistake. It intensified the sexual urgency that was heating his blood, stirring things deep inside him. He got a sudden vision of taking her right there on the stairs. Not a hallucination, he realized, more like an almost overpowering need.
    They paused on the second floor so that she could rest.
    “This is embarrassing,” she muttered. “Didn’t realize I was so out of shape.”
    “You’re exhausted,” he said. “Monroe is a big man. How far did you drag him?”
    “He was in the living room when I arrived.”
    He’d seen enough of the house to know that she’d exerted a lot of effort to get Monroe all the way into the front hall. And then there was