Captivated Heat

by Morgan Fox

  “What are you doing here?” she finally asked, breaking the kiss.

  “I’m meeting with Luke.” He kept her locked in his arms as she stiffened. “I’m asking questions. I’m getting insight into what he went through to become a detective. You and I talked about this.”

  Nerves welled in her throat. “I know. I can’t help it.” She lightly kissed him. “He and Layla just arrived.”

  Before she could pull away, he asked, “Get off early tonight. Come home with me.”

  She smiled, a bit of unease slipping away. “I can’t. Jason’s away and I need to be here.”

  He stuck out his lower lip to pout. “But I need you.”

  She laughed as he crushed against her, kissing and nipping at her playfully. “Stop,” she begged as he found the ticklish spot on her neck. When he finally freed her, she was breathless and hot. “Go and talk with Luke. The night will be over before you know it and I’ll be home to tend to your needs.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  She stood and pulled him up. “I figured you would.”

  * * * *

  “How do you do it?” Sam mumbled, her heart lodged in her throat as she watched Luke and Daniel talking.

  “Do what?” Layla asked.

  Sam hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud, her mind working overtime. “How do you and Brynn do it? How do you get up each day, kiss your man, and send him off to—” She couldn’t finish her thought. The idea of losing Daniel after she’d just gotten him back rubbed her raw. That fear was always so close to the surface.

  “You can’t think that way, Sam. Trust that he’ll keep himself safe, that he won’t do something stupid.” Layla reached over and took Sam’s hand. “Trust that his objective is to come home to you.”

  “Besides,” Brynn added, “he could get hit by a bus crossing the street. If you assume the worst, the worst will happen. So stop doing that.”

  “I know. I know,” she said, chewing on the inside of her mouth. “I can’t help it. I’m so rattled. Knowing that he’s already been shot … it’s fucking with my head.”

  “I can only imagine what that must’ve been like for him,” Layla replied, her eyes filled with sympathy. “But this might be a good fit for a man like Daniel.”

  It would be. Sam knew that much. He was attracted to that lifestyle. Respected authority and liked danger. He rode dirt bikes, motorcycles, loved guns and combat. He wasn’t the kind of man to sit behind a desk, no matter what the job entailed. She had to come to terms with it, had to accept that Daniel was a grown man and could handle himself. She had to trust that he would be safe and come home to her.

  “It’s kind of hot,” Brynn said, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Think of how bad ass he’ll be, your own personal superhero, all tough as nails on the outside fighting crime and soft as silk on the inside.”

  Sam grinned, glancing back to see Daniel looking at her. Her cheeks heated as she saw need ignite in his eyes. How long had he been watching her?

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” she told Brynn, her focus on Daniel. “I think I can work on it. It will just take time getting used to.”

  “Exactly,” Layla said. “I honestly don’t think about it anymore. It’s just his job and a part of our everyday lives. It’s normal to us. It will be for you, too.”

  Sam hoped so.

  * * * *

  The bouquet of flowers Daniel held practically covered his entire upper body. When he’d told the florist of his plans to sweep the love of his life off her feet and make her see that he was the man for her, she melted, literally sighing. He hadn’t realized what a romantic he’d become. Bullets and sand had been his life, not flowers and romance. But even so, he liked the way things were headed, liked that his life had direction, promise. He hadn’t felt he possessed that seven years ago. Time had made all the difference.

  To get on the right path, he’d taken every appointment with his psychiatrist seriously, never missing one appointment, and dove headfirst into the horrors within his mind. It sucked in the beginning, talking about the friends he’d lost and the betrayal that led to him getting shot.

  Immediately following his first appointment, he’d gone into hiding, but after so much needed reflection and a few days of missing Sam, he’d dusted himself off and decided it was best to come out swinging instead of sulking. He wasn’t a wussy. He was a fighter and Sam needed him just as badly as he needed her. He couldn’t afford to be selfish and he wouldn’t any longer.

  Sam radiated a strength that he clung to, desired. But it wasn’t just that. She was a shining star, always had been, and she made him a better man. Without her, he most likely would still be consumed by grief and fear, and crippled by nightmares.

  Besides the chance to clear his cluttered head of all the anguish caused during his military stent, he’d had a chance to figure out a career path that suited him, and would make him proud when he told people what he did. A job that he wouldn’t shy away from, feeling lesser and unworthy. This one boosted his chest and curled his lips into an inerasable grin.

  Sam was the cherry on top, the best part of each day and the wonder of his nights. She completed him and he would work hard for the rest of his life to make her see just how special she was to him.

  When the headlight of her motorcycle flashed up at him as she pulled into her drive way, a smile stretched wide across his face. He’d missed her and even though it had only been a few hours since he’d seen her, he couldn’t stop the rush of excitement that grew in his chest.

  She got off the bike and tugged off her helmet, looking at him. “You’re going to be flat broke if you keep spending all your money on flowers for me.”

  He moved toward her, his advancement slow and steady. “You’ll be pleased to learn that I didn’t pay full price, but rather got a hefty discount because I couldn’t stop telling the florist just how much I—”

  She pressed her fingers to his lips. “You should never tell a woman that you bought her flowers at a discount price. You’re supposed to tell her that she’s worth everything and more.” She frowned. “Now all I see are cheap flowers.”

  His mouth hung open. “I hadn’t thought about that. Thanks for the tip. I’ll be sure to avoid that conversation when I give them to the hot chick over at the diner on Main Street.”

  Sam patted his chest. “You do that.”

  He grinned, studying her evil eye as she stepped around him and headed for the front door. “Why didn’t you just go inside?”

  “I was waiting for you,” he said plainly.

  She shoved open the door and froze in her tracks. “Daniel,” she whispered breathlessly, covering her mouth with her hand.

  “Go in,” he encouraged.

  As he followed her into the house, he smiled, proud of the romantic masterpiece he’d created. He’d placed candles strategically around the house and covered the floor with red rose petals. The faint sounds of smooth jazz played in the background and the dining room table had trays of fresh fruit and cheese with chilled bottles of beer ready to be served.

  She faced him. “You turned my house into a love shack.”

  “It gets better,” he said, placing the flowers he held on the table as a centerpiece. “I’ve got chicken wings in the oven.”

  She laughed and he loved that she had a playful sense of humor. “Fantastic. I’m starving.”

  He moved to collect her into his arms. “I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” Brushing the backs of his knuckles over her cheek, he said softly, “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t let me back into your life.”

  “You could’ve just said thanks, you know.” He should know that she wasn’t a girl who wanted fancy things or needed anything more than to be with him. But he’d wanted to give her more. He always had. When she added, “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” he smiled.

  He weaved his fingers into her hair until his hand supported the back of her head, cradling her face
so enduringly. “Are you kidding? I owe you the moon, woman.”

  Grinning, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Daniel, you could thank me with a beer and some great sex instead.”

  He laughed. “I love the way that mind of yours works.” He pulled her against him, kissing her until they were both panting and the only thing left covering their bodies was air.

  Chapter Ten

  When the afternoon sun crept into her room from her open door, Sam cracked her eyes open. She’d been sleeping well until that blasted ray of light pierced her eyelids like a laser burning a hole into her mind. She groaned with annoyance. Reaching out to the side, she didn’t feel Daniel or the warmth from his body that would’ve been left on the sheets had he just gotten up.

  Glancing at the clock, she frowned, wondering where he’d gone and why he hadn’t woke her before he left. She snaked her phone from the nightstand and looked to see if he’d left her a message. He hadn’t. Then she dialed his number, hoping he was close by and could come back to wake her up properly.

  She had the night off, a surprise for him. She’d wanted to take the time to talk with him about his plans to become a cop. After he’d left Iron Horse, she’d spoken with Luke and he’d felt pretty damn confident that Daniel was leaning in that direction. He also said that Daniel would be a great detective once he got through training. She’d picked Luke’s brain for a bit, wanting to know as much as she could to help ease her mind. Not that much could. She would worry about Daniel no matter what. But she didn’t want to be a clinging, crazed, holy-shit-I’m-freaking-out girlfriend. If being a cop was what would make him happy and he loved it, then she would, too. Eventually. She would support him and love him just the same.

  Her heart thudded against her ribs as she realized just how much she did love him. She’d kicked herself a bit as she replayed their conversation from the night before, wondering if he had planned to tell her that he loved her, too. If he had, hopefully he’d tell her soon. She’d waited for what felt like forever to hear him spill those words.

  When his phone went to voice mail, she didn’t leave a message. It was strange that he hadn’t picked up. Usually, he’d answer and if he couldn’t talk, he’d tell her he’d call her right back. She shook off the notion and decided to go ahead and get up, sure he’d return her call soon enough.

  After making the bed, showering, and getting dressed, she checked her phone again. Nothing. No returned call. No text. Nothing. Again she tried to reach him, but he didn’t answer. Something didn’t feel right. The moment so much like the one she’d experienced seven years ago. With déjà vu smacking her in the face and punching her in the gut like a vacuum yanking the breath from her body, she called Jason.

  “Why on earth are you bothering me?” Jason grumbled. “I’ve told you before that I don’t want to be bothered until at least after two in the afternoon. You girls are sucking the life out of me. I need a recharge.”

  Sam rolled her eyes, dismissing his grumpy tone and jumping right to it. “Have you heard from Daniel this morning?”

  “No, why?” he asked, sounding less irritable and more serious. “Did you have a fight or something?”

  “No,” she replied directly. “When I got up this morning he was gone and he’s not answering his phone.”

  “Okay,” Jason muttered, dragging out the word.

  Sam sighed hard. “No. It’s not okay.”

  “Are you worried about him?”

  She hated to admit it but she was. She couldn’t shake the unsettling feelings racing through her, the haunting past that was never far from her mind. “A little. It’s strange for him not to pick up when I call. Is he interviewing somewhere, maybe?” God, how she wanted that to be the case, even though she’d be utterly pissed at him for not telling her his plans.

  “Not that I know of.”

  Shit. That probably wasn’t it anyway. He’d promised to not keep things from her anymore and she’d believed him. She didn’t want to think that he’d lied to her.

  Why would he do that?

  Why would he need to?

  She exhaled, running a hand through her hair. “It’s probably nothing and I’m being paranoid, but if you happen to hear from him—”

  She didn’t have to say the rest to know that Jason understood what she was asking. “Don’t jump to conclusions just yet, Sam. Maybe he’s out buying you breakfast.”

  “Maybe,” she said, feeling in her heart that he wasn’t doing that either. It was something else, and no matter how she’d wished it wasn’t, she couldn’t shake the unease of his disappearance.

  “Hell, woman, now you’ve got me wondering where the hell he is. Thanks for that, by the way.”

  How easy it was to get lost in distressing memories. Even Jason appeared to not be immune. “I’ll talk to you later.” She hung up and tried Daniel’s number again. It went directly to voice mail, as if he’d turned the phone off completely.

  What the hell was that about?

  Suddenly, alarm overcame her and her pulse raced, thumbing hard at her temples. Breathing erratically, she felt lost. Slowly, the fear she’d worked hard to shove down, crawled up and she was forced to face it. She didn’t want to, damn it. Didn’t want to think of him doing God knew what with someone who wasn’t her. Didn’t want to imagine that he’d abandon her, discarding her heart like a piece of trash.

  Why couldn’t she just trust him? Why was she letting a little thing like him not answering his phone and leaving her bed bother her so much? Was it that the past seemed to be repeating itself? Had he used the flowers and candles as a way to soften the betrayal, to make him feel as if he wasn’t going to hurt her as badly as he was?

  “Oh, God.” Feeling short of stable, she covered her mouth with her hand, her breath coming in heavy pants. Her gut twisted, knotting as if her organs were at war with one another. “He’s done it to me again.” Her knees buckled out from under her and she crumbled to the floor.

  Jason hadn’t known where Daniel was. He seemed to be avoiding her calls and had left before she woke. It was exactly like before. “Motherfucker,” she shouted, hating herself for trusting him.

  Why did I let this happen again? Why did I think he’d actually changed?

  Pulling herself together, she wiped her face dry and snaked her keys off the counter. She didn’t want to be home. Not now, not when the scent of him still lingered.

  She fired up her motorcycle and headed for Iron Horse. If he wanted out, fine. Fuck him. She didn’t need him. If he wanted his secrets, fine, he could have them. But he couldn’t have her. Not this time. Not ever again.

  She was done being someone’s doormat, done pretending he was different. Her focus was on her career, the new opportunity with Iron Horse, and finding a way to get over the past. Daniel Whitmore could trample someone else’s heart. She was fucking through with him. For good.

  * * * *

  Staring at the empty chairs in the waiting room, Daniel’s cell phone vibrated in his pants pocket. But just as he plucked the phone out and read two missed calls from Sam, his doctor appeared to take him back into her office. He switched off the phone and shoved it back into his pants.

  Clenching his jaw, he second-guessed himself, wondering if maybe he should’ve woken Sam before he’d left the house. Instead, he’d placed a note on his pillow. He’d planned to talk with her tonight about everything—his career, his visits to a shrink—but more importantly, he’d planned to tell her that he was in love with her and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

  As he followed the doctor into the room, he’d finally felt like he was whole again. He’d taken the steps to fix his life and that had been exactly what he needed to do. But something was wrong. Sam wasn’t with him. Not really. He should’ve already told her about his therapy sessions, but he hadn’t. Maybe that was what he would discuss with his doctor today, the embarrassment he felt over needing to see a doctor and the fear that Sam would leave him once she learned of the horrors of
his past. Why it was so damn hard for him to be completely honest with the people who were supposed to love and care for him most?

  * * * *

  Sam’s head hit the bar and the three empty bottles in front of her clinked together. The forth one sat within her grasp, half full.

  “Sam?” Jason’s voice crept over her and she groaned.

  She shushed him, rolling her head back and forth.

  “Have you heard from my brother?”

  “Nope,” she replied, staring down at her jean-covered legs, the room moving just a bit on its own. “And I don’t fucking care if I ever do.”

  Jason stepped up beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Look at me,” he said and she did. “Ah, honey. What have you done to yourself?”

  “Fuck him, Jason. He’s a bastard.” She closed her eyes briefly, the movement of the earth coming at her faster. “And I’m an idiot. I thought he’d changed. I thought he cared about me.”

  Jason’s concerned gaze had her glancing away from him. “Maybe something—”

  She shrugged off his touch. “Sure. Something happened. He fucking left me again.” She took another swig of her beer, slamming the empty bottle down hard. “He’s probably shacked up with some whore, laughing about how he fooled—”

  She clamped her mouth shut, fighting back the sting of tears. She waved her hand off as if to dismiss her thoughts. It was too hard to get passed the need she’d had for him, the promise of a future she’d craved for so long.

  “It doesn’t fucking matter. He’s gone and I’m over it.”

  Jason frowned. “Yeah, you look like it.”

  She mumbled under her breath, her words a jumbled mess of her miserable state and drunkenness. Even she didn’t understand them. She only felt them.

  “Was that supposed to mean something to me?” Jason asked, collecting the bottles and tossing them into the trash, the shattering sound making her jump. “Because all I heard was, ‘I’m in love and I’m fucking scared.’”