Rick and Steffy made love at the beach house and then lingered in the afterglow. Afterwards, they smooched on the porch. "I'm not giving up hope on us," Steffy promised before leaping into Rick's arms for one last round of kissing and then leaving. Safely home at Taylor's Steffy was all giddy and squeeful about being in love. She called Rick to tell him, again, that she loves him

Ridge, clad in black, called Taylor from the foyer and learned that Steffy wasn't home. He then let himself out. Brooke awoke alone and went looking for him. Alarmed, she called Rick, hoping Ridge wasn't on his way over there. "Where are you, Ridge? Where did you go?" she mused as a mysterious figure headed to the beach house. Said figure doused the porch and door in kerosene and lit a match! Elsewhere, Pam rushed back to her desk and took a message for Marcus, who seemed distracted and said something about being on a "dinner break." Coincidentally, Thorne had been out, too. He caught up with Jake, scowling, "Sooner or later Little Ricky's going to get burned."

When the smoke detector went off, Rick rushed out with the fire extinguisher and a hose and put out the not-so towering inferno. Meanwhile, Steffy had a smokin' flashback of their sexcapades just as Taylor came downstairs. Rick called the fire brigade, who found an empty can of charcoal lighter fluid. Gee, did Rick have any enemies? "If I were you, I'd be on guard," a fireman warned. Steffy told her mom to step off about Rick while a furious Rick barged into Brooke's house and told his mom Ridge had set fire to his house. "I know he did!" he insisted to a shocked Brooke, who clearly wondered if Ridge was guilty.

Back at Brooke's, Ridge finally came home — smelling like gas. Ridge trumped up excuses, claiming he'd gone to the beach house but turned back. Back at Forrester, Marcus vented about Rick to a sympathetic Pam. "I'd sure love to see him go down flames," he raged.