Cross My Heart (Heroes of Seaside Point Book 2)
Page 1
Cross My Heart (Heroes of Seaside Point, Book 2)
Title Page
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
EPILOGUE
Cross My Heart
Heroes of Seaside Point, Book 2
By
Mia Dymond
dpgroup.org
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2014 Mia Dymond
Published on Smashwords
Cover photo: Wrangel|Dreamstime.com
Cover by Dara England
* * *
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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CHAPTER ONE
Oh my God, I’ve killed him.
With a softball in her throat and her heart pounding like bongo drums, Dr. Verity Thomas rushed toward the dark-haired Adonis, sprawled out cold on his back, bare-chested with his magnificent pectorals on display.
Undeterred by the sweet, sweet eye candy stuck to her living room carpet, she straddled his trim waist and braced her knees against the floor.
“Travis!”
With authority in her voice, she gave his left cheek a firm slap, the stubble on the surface rough beneath her palm. She waited several seconds, encouraged as his chest expanded to push air through his lungs.
Things were looking up. She hadn’t killed him after all.
Although the rise and fall of his chest kept her nerves from shaking out of control, the nasty red lump that now rose on the left side of his forehead was definitely cause for alarm.
His failure to respond prompted her to swat the other cheek.
“Wake up!”
After several more seconds without movement, medical training pushed her to move her fingers over the raised lump.
“Ow!”
She drew back her hand as a pitiful moan left his lips and his eyes flickered open. He moved them from left to right and then blinked several times as if attempting to focus. Relieved, she released a pent-up breath on a huff and sat back on his hips.
“I’m so sorry.”
“What happened?”
“You don’t remember?”
“I’m pretty sure you nailed me with your cell phone.”
She didn’t know whether to be encouraged or discouraged about his lack of amnesia. On one hand, she was very, very glad she hadn’t caused a major brain injury, but on the other, it wouldn’t have been totally awful for him not to remember she’d clocked him.
“I did,” she mumbled.
“Why?”
She paused at the validity of his question. Why? He had every right to ask, considering he now lay injured beneath her. Yet, even guilt couldn’t push her to explain.
“Why were you eavesdropping on my phone call?” she countered.
“Your high-pitched screech was hard to miss, Doc.”
His low, husky drawl caused tingles in several particular parts of her body, his gentle tease threatening to melt her bones into a puddle. Even in pain, the sexy paramedic/fireman had a distinct knack for distraction.
“Wrong number,” she said finally.
She knew him well enough to know he questioned her explanation but also knew he wouldn’t push. Wouldn’t matter anyway. A secret was a secret in her book.
Damn phone call.
“You need ice.” She raised a hand and moved her index finger horizontally and then vertically in front of his face, satisfied when his eyes followed appropriately. “Are you dizzy?”
“No, I’ve just got a headache from hell.”
“How long have you had it?”
“Since I woke up.”
She frowned. “From the injury or from sleep?”
“Sleep.”
Her mind flashed back to last night’s celebration – the one laced with a heavy dose of alcohol. With Travis’ sister, Vanessa, now married to Dane Wright, his childhood friend and co-worker, and his second sister, Annessa, safely in Sheriff Casey McIntyre’s hands, she and Travis could now concentrate on their relationship – the one they’d kept secret for over a year now. The same covert association they’d worked overtime to conceal at Vanessa’s wedding two weeks ago. She released a hard breath and silently repeated a familiar rant, this time with emphasis.
Damn phone call!
Little by little, her nerves loosened as she caught the sparkle in the depths of his emerald green gaze. “I’m going to the kitchen for an ice pack. Stay put.”
On the verge of throwing an academy-award-winning temper tantrum, she stood and stomped into the kitchen and flung open the freezer. How in Heaven’s name had he found her?
She wasn’t naïve enough to think her past wouldn’t eventually find her, but why now? Three years ago, she took pains to make absolutely sure he was safely tucked in prison to deal with his demons. Then, in an effort to completely erase his presence from her life, she scoured the medical opportunities, ecstatic when she found the perfect escape. In less than a heartbeat, she arranged to assume Dr. Foster’s practice, packed her bags, and moved to Seaside Point. So far, practicing as a small-town physician provided appropriate camouflage, but now her security was severely compromised.
She prided herself on being a level-headed, think-before-you-act individual. Hard to believe she’d ever fallen prey to a very smooth-talking man with extremely exaggerated charm.
“Idiot,” she mumbled as she unburied the ice pack from beneath a package of green beans.
She briefly entertained the idea of letting Travis in on the secret; his role as a natural protector proved he wouldn’t hesitate to help. There was just one problem with that option – including him may very well put him in danger.
Verity slammed closed the freezer door, closing the thought of telling him, as well. No need to panic yet. It was just a phone call. A minor inconvenience. Determined not to let her guard down, she headed back to the living room.
She found him halfway upright against the sofa pillows when she returned. “I remember telling you not to move.”
“You did.” He winced when she sat next to him and pressed the cold remedy to the protruding lump. “Remind me never to dial your number by mistake.”
“I’m so sorry,” she told him again, ignoring his subtle push for information. “I’m not usually such a good shot.”
“You have a pr
etty good arm. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve taken pointers from Annessa.”
“Annessa has thrown things at you?”
“Oh yeah.” He chuckled and then moaned. “Both twins have taken shots at me but Annessa’s aim is the best.”
She grinned, not surprised by his confession. Since Travis had raised his sisters after their parents’ death, both women had given him grief. Yet, no one could ever dispute the solid bond between the three of them. He loved his twin sisters with every fiber of his being and they reciprocated. Even though they took every opportunity to annoy him – on purpose.
“Have you warned Casey?”
“No need. Sheriff McIntyre has experienced it firsthand.”
She raised an eyebrow. Perhaps he exaggerated. Annessa didn’t strike her as violent.
“Pepper spray,” he explained.
She nodded as she remembered his sister’s most recent predicament. Witnessing a murder tended to make one a little jumpy.
“I seem to recall that might have been your fault.”
“My fault?”
“Yes. She called you for help and you sent Casey without telling her. He’s like a panther, all quiet and sneaky – I probably would’ve sprayed him too.”
He simply shrugged in response.
She lifted the ice pack, relieved to see the bump had begun to shrink. “Do you want to have an x-ray?”
“How exactly would we explain my injury?”
“I have an x-ray machine in my office.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“When do you go back on duty?”
“What time is it?”
“Nine o’clock a.m.”
“I’m late.”
“Oh geez, Travis!” She jumped from the sofa, tossed the ice pack to the floor, and headed for the bedroom. “Did you bring a uniform? Do I need to call someone?” She stopped in mid-step and turned to face him, her eyes widening in realization. “Will someone come looking for you?”
With a grin, he stood and closed the distance between them.
“Relax,” he told her as he placed his hand to her cheek. “I have a uniform at the station and Dane is covering for me until I get there.” His thumb began a gentle caress of her cheekbone. “No one knows to look for me here.”
“You must be crazy to go along with this charade.”
“No, you’re crazy. I just follow along.”
“You really do have a head injury.”
“If you say so. You’re the doctor, after all.”
She couldn’t stop the grin that split her lips. As usual, he managed to take a tense moment and turn it to gentle conversation.
“And don’t you forget that. Take it easy today.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He moved his hands to both sides of her face and urged her close until his warm breath caressed her lips as he spoke. “Lucky for me, you make house calls.”
A shiver of sweet desire crossed her spine as he placed his lips against hers in a soft, warm massage, erasing every single worry over the morning’s events from her brain. She moved her hands to the hard planes of his chest, her fingers tracing the indentions of muscle that covered a very soft and compassionate heart beneath. Through his skin, she felt the force of his heartbeat, strong and rapid, full of determination and drive to protect and serve.
With one soft peck, he lifted his lips. “I need to go.”
“Yes, you do,” she agreed while the sight of his v-cut obliques stole her breath and caused her nerves to hum.
“I’ll call you later.”
She gave a half-hearted nod of agreement, amused when he headed toward the door.
“Um, Travis?”
“Yeah?”
“You should probably put on a shirt.”
He turned and gave her a gin over his shoulder that made her want to strip him the rest of the way naked. Shirt be damned.
“Probably.”
Although she really didn’t want to cover the hardened planes of his muscles, she quickly went to the bedroom for his shirt before she changed her mind.
When she returned, she reluctantly handed him the clothing and sighed. Such a shame to have to hide those impressive attributes.
“Thanks.” He tucked the tails into the waistband of his jeans and a wave of disappointment rolled over her as he began to fasten the buttons. “What’s on your agenda today?”
She was pleased when he left several buttons open. “Lunch with Lexi and the twins.”
“No patients today?”
“No. I’ll probably go in after lunch to catch up my charts.”
“Have fun.” He leaned to place a soft peck on her lips. “And stay out of trouble.”
Ten minutes later, Travis sat in the driver’s seat of his truck, in a halfway buttoned, white cotton dress shirt, and attempted to bang his head against the steering wheel. Why in the hell did he ever agree to keep their relationship a secret when that was the absolute last thing he wanted to do? Why did it matter if anyone knew? And really, whose business was it, anyway?
He released a hard sigh as he started the engine, shifted into gear, and drove toward the Seaside Point Fire Department. As conflicted as he felt, the answer was crystal clear. He kept the secret because Verity insisted and he respected her enough to do it – loved her enough that her reasoning didn’t really matter.
Over the course of their relationship, he’d come to realize her strength and independence and how important it was to her to hold on to those qualities. Although she practiced extreme compassion and patience with those she treated, her confidence made her, well, a little scary. When Doc Thomas issued an order, she meant business and anyone in their right mind would do well to follow it to the letter. Or else.
That’s why the morning’s phone call had bothered him. He’d been completely honest when he told her that he couldn’t help but overhear. Once he caught sound of the totally out-of-character, colorful adjectives she’d spoken, it had been impossible to tune out the call. And the tone of her voice made him very confident that she was more than sincere when she’d threatened the caller with bodily harm if she received another call.
That made him grin. Up until she decked him with the phone, he would’ve sworn she would never follow through. Now there was no doubt in his mind. She might stand only five and a half feet tall, but she had the confidence of a giant.
He parked in the Department’s lot, killed the engine, and then re-positioned the rearview mirror to examine his head. The lump had shriveled in size somewhat, but there was still no mistaking its’ presence. And even though it was near the hairline, his short haircut couldn’t even begin to disguise it. While he finished buttoning his shirt with one hand, he re-adjusted the mirror with the other, then grabbed his keys and resigned himself to the inevitable interrogation he knew waited for him inside the station - he’d just have to face the consequences.
True to his word, it didn’t take long. As soon as he climbed the stairs, he saw his friends and co-workers seated at the kitchen table. All three turned to face him.
Dane and Maverick each gave him a wide-eyed stare.
Casey simply smirked. “What the hell happened to you?”
Rather than rush into an explanation, he launched a full frontal attack. “Thanks to you and Dane, I had a little too much to drink last night and ran into a door.”
“Bedroom door?” Maverick raised an eyebrow.
“Just a door,” he growled as he pulled out a chair next to Casey, turned it around backwards, and then straddled it.
Casey cocked his head to one side. “And how was this accident my fault?”
“I was celebrating my freedom.”
Again, Maverick poked. “Alone?”
He scowled and then immediately regretted the wrinkles in his forehead.
“Freedom from what?” Dane prompted.
“My sisters.” That admission turned his frown upside down. “I love them to death, but now the Dupree twins are yours and Casey’s to manage.”
“Good for you. I don’t need specifics.”
Maverick rubbed his chin. “You must’ve run into an awfully short door.”
He groaned.
“You’re over six feet tall,” his friend continued. “You’d have to be on your knees for the knob to hit you.”
“I didn’t say I ran into the knob.”
“Oh, right. You bounced off the door.”
Casey grinned. “You need to file a report?”
“No. Don’t you have someone to arrest?”
“Not since I laid down the law to Annessa.”
Finally, an argument he could win – and a chance to turn the tables.
“Uh-huh. You know as well as I do, she lets you think you have control.”
“I agree with Travis, Casey.” Thankfully, Maverick pounced on his new prey. “It’s only a matter of time before you wave a white flag.”
“He already has.” Travis gave a wide smile of ultimate satisfaction, gladly ignoring the pain in the movement. “Tell them, Casey.”
“I put a ring on her finger last night.”
“Congratulations, man.” Dane and Casey exchanged a handshake. “Can’t say I’m surprised, though.”
Maverick repeated the gesture. “Not a surprise to any of us. Just make sure you sleep with one eye open.”
“Already prepared.” Casey looked back at Travis and squinted. “Maybe you should have Dr. Thomas look at that knot.”
He almost laughed out loud. He’d never live it down if any of his friends figured out that Dr. Thomas had actually put it there in the first place.
“I’ll take your advice into consideration, but I don’t think she’s at the clinic today.”