Danger and Desire: A Romantic Suspense Anthology

by Kimberly Kincaid

  “Regardless,” Chloe continued, “Wyatt is nothing like Travis.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “So? What’s stopping you two from taking things to the next level?”

  Nadine sighed, not sure why Chloe was so caught up in the thought of her and Wyatt getting together. Wyatt definitely wasn’t caught up in the same thought. “The fact that he hasn’t given me the slightest hint that he wants any such thing. Is that reason enough for you?”

  “I bet you wouldn’t even notice if he did drop a hint. Anything he did would fly right over your head since you’re so busy talking down on yourself.”

  “You don’t know that.” She always looked forward to chatting with Wyatt online. He made her feel comfortable, joked, and… flirted a little. Or, at least, she thought it was flirting. But whenever she tried to reciprocate in any way, he never seemed to act on it.

  Like it flew right over his head.

  She knew she’d never hear the end of it if she ever shared that with Chloe. Chloe would start planning the wedding before they got off the phone.

  “It wouldn’t kill you to ask more personal questions. Find out if he wants to get together for real. In person. Where kissing and canoodling might happen.”

  That brought out a smile. “Canoodling? Really, Chlo?”

  “Would you prefer I say, ‘get naked and have hot sex on the kitchen table’?”

  She thought of Wyatt’s big, strong body. Big enough to make her—five-foot-ten and definitely not small-boned—feel feminine and girly. The picture of him spreading her out on the table and crawling on top of her—

  “No,” she choked out. “Canoodling is fine.”

  She left the papers she’d been filing as she talked and walked into her bedroom. It was Monday afternoon, which meant her weekly trip to the Fresh Market—her only regular outing from the house. Being around people wasn’t easy. But delicious produce and fresh flowers were worth dragging out her rusty interpersonal skills. Surrounding herself with fresh and pretty soothed her soul.

  And no matter what her best friend believed, Nadine did see the importance of a little balance in her life. Something to make her smile in the middle of so much work and solitude. That balance just wasn’t people.

  “There won’t ever be any canoodling if you don’t express interest.”

  Nadine rolled her eyes and glanced at her long brown hair in the mirror, tucked up in its messy bun, as usual. No need to fix it or add makeup to her face for the occasion—another reason why she liked the weekly trip to the Fresh Market. No one cared what she looked like.

  “I’ll tell you what. If Wyatt ever mentions anything about us getting together for a date or something in the future, I’ll accept. I know Wyoming is the next state over, but it’s still the next state over. Plus, you know his work for Linear Tactical takes him all over the place. Not exactly conducive to dating.”

  “Can I remind you that Shane worked for Linear Tactical, yet he’s here with me every night? So, it can happen.”

  Nadine rubbed her fingers across her forehead. “I’m open to it. Okay? Is that enough?”

  “Sigh. I guess so. Just talk to him the next time you have a chance. See if there’s something there between you two.”

  “Sigh,” Nadine mimicked. “I guess so, too.”

  Chloe laughed, and they said their goodbyes. Nadine changed into a loose, flowy blouse and jeans. Being around people was easier when her legs were covered, and the mild weather today would allow for that.

  Flowers would cheer the place up a little. Not that her little house wasn’t comfortable and cute, but fresh flowers on her desk and next to her bed always made her feel good. They made working long hours easier to deal with, too.

  Although fresh flowers wouldn’t make her any less lonely, would they?

  Damn Chloe. Making her question things she would rather not spend time thinking about at all.

  She wasn’t lonely; she was alone. There was a difference. This was her choice. It was the way she liked it.

  Damn it.

  She pushed all those thoughts away as she wandered from one vendor to another at the Fresh Market. There was so much lush, colorful produce to choose from. The scent of so many different flowers to breathe in. This made her happy. This was enough.

  Or… at least, she could fool herself into believing it was for a little while.

  The tote bags over both shoulders were full an hour into the trip, and she still hadn’t picked up the flowers. She headed over to the booth that had become her favorite and grinned when the vendor recognized her.

  “I think I’ll go with a dozen of the pink roses and two dozen daisies.” A little over-the-top, but she was going to treat herself. She reached over to pay the vendor.

  “Roses and daisies, huh? That’s an unusual combination.” The man’s voice was muffled and slightly behind her as she grabbed the large bouquets from the vendor.

  “I don’t plan on putting them together.”

  “Are you sure? Sometimes the most unlikely pair make the most striking combination.”

  She stiffened and turned, unable to process what she was hearing. Who she was hearing. But that deep baritone was unmistakable.

  As were the ruggedly handsome face and broad shoulders she found as she completed her turn.

  As if her conversation with Chloe had conjured him, Wyatt Highfield was here.

  Chapter 2

  “Wyatt?”

  He was a bastard, and he knew it.

  There were literally traces of blood on his hands, which he thrust into his pockets at the sight of Nadine MacFarlane’s surprised smile as she stood in front of him, arms full of bags and fruits and flowers.

  And somehow looking sexy and attractive as hell.

  He gave her what he hoped was a charming smile, hiding the ache from the bruise that covered his torso and arms after having his car run off the road. Thankfully, none were on his face, which would have immediately led to questions.

  Not that him being here at the Fresh Market didn’t bring up enough questions on its own.

  He’d been on the run for three days, was out of options and more than a little desperate. Desperate enough to bring danger to Nadine’s door, despite cursing himself for it.

  “Hey, Nadine. Wow, fancy meeting you here. Small world…” Everything in him rebelled at the lies he told. Making it seem like he hadn’t come here deliberately because he’d known she’d be here.

  “Wh-what are you doing here?” Her arms holding the big bunches of flowers started to tremble slightly. “Oh my God. Did you talk to Chloe?”

  He was honestly confused. “Chloe? Chloe Westman? Shane’s wife? Should I have talked to her about something?”

  “Never mind.” Her cheeks flushed darker before she turned to the flower vendor to answer a question he had asked.

  While she did so, Wyatt’s eyes moved over the area. He seemed to be in the clear—for now, at least. The guys looking for him were looking for one man by himself, not a man shopping with a woman.

  She turned back to him, a genuine gladness in her smile. He wished he could enjoy it without guilt weighing him down.

  “Do you mind if I walk with you for a few minutes?” he asked.

  “Sure. That would be nice.” She rubbed her cheek along the soft petal of the roses wrapped in paper. He didn’t think it was possible to be jealous of a plant, but damn, how he wished it were him rubbing his fingers along her soft skin instead of those petals.

  Damn if he didn’t wish he were here for any reason except the real one.

  “Can I carry something? It looks like you’ve got your hands full.” Before she could answer, he grabbed one of the bags full of vegetables and the bunch of daisies. He flung the bag over his shoulder—knowing it would help disguise his six and kept the flowers near his face to make it more difficult to see him from the side. Plus, Nadine provided a lovely source of camouflage.

  “Thanks.” She took a few steps. “Um, are you in
town on business?”

  He smiled, then steered them toward another booth when he caught sight of the guys following him two aisles down.

  “I’m here for a… meeting, but my car broke down.” Neither were technically lies, if you were willing to call his tires and windshield being shot out broken down. “I’m waiting for my replacement vehicle, so I figured I would walk around the market for a little while.”

  She stared at him for a moment. “You really didn’t talk to Chloe? It’s okay to tell me if you did. I won’t tell her. I know she’s scary.”

  He didn’t tend to think of Shane’s wife as scary, but she was definitely protective of Nadine. And yes, he did know her. Talked to her every once in a while due to that protectiveness.

  Another something he really didn’t want to bring up right now. That might send Nadine running for the hills.

  “I haven’t talked to Chloe in weeks, I promise.” Again, the truth. Despite everything, he wanted to lie to her as little as possible. “Why do you keep wondering about that?”

  “I… She… We were… Forget it. How have you been?” As she blurted out the words, Nadine’s pretty face turned the exact same shade as the pink roses she held, and he cursed the fact that he didn’t have time to coax her into telling him what was causing the blush.

  “Busy. I’ve missed being able to talk to you over the past few days. Have you been okay?” He fell in step beside her, moving from one booth to another. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Guy One. He’d split off from his friend, each looking for him separately.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Lots of work—the usual. But otherwise, mostly quiet.”

  “Quiet sounds really nice.”

  He stepped closer to make them seem more like a couple to the men following and felt like shit when she gave him a shy smile. “Yeah, your life must be filled with excitement. I’m sometimes surprised you have time to talk to me.”

  “I find the time for people who matter.” That, at least, wasn’t a lie. Their little online courtship was the sweetest, nicest thing in his life.

  And now he was using her.

  Her cheeks went pink again as he called himself every foul name he’d ever heard during his years as an Army Green Beret—plus a few more creative ones.

  As Guy Two cut way too close, Wyatt grabbed Nadine’s arm gently, trailing his fingers along the skin at her elbow and pointed to a batch of flowers in a large bucket on the ground. They both bent down to look at it.

  “Seeing you here has made my day,” he said. That was the absolute fucking truth. It had been hell staying away from her all these months, even if he knew it was to give her time to heal. “It’s almost worth having the car issues since we ended up spending time face-to-face. What a great surprise.”

  But it wasn’t a surprise. He knew she’d be here, right at this very moment. Knew she went to the market every Monday afternoon. Knew she’d be able to provide the instant cover he needed to get out of this situation alive.

  Guy Two passed behind them, and Wyatt stood back up, his fingers still on her arm. That wasn’t necessary for subterfuge, he just wanted the touch of her skin under his hand as long as possible.

  How many times had he looked at the video of her? Studied the pictures of her in reports and trailed his fingers along them, wishing he could touch her actual skin?

  Yet another thing he wouldn’t confess right now.

  “So, what did you buy today?” He took note of the entrance and exit straight ahead. There was another exit directly behind them, then one positioned in the center of a long row of booths. All of them emptied onto busy streets, which didn’t work in his favor. Anybody intending to corner him in the market could easily blend into traffic after they did what they came to do.

  Kill him. Grab the computer drive.

  Nadine strolled alongside him, pointing out her favorite booths and what she usually liked to buy there. He only partly listened while memories of the past three days assaulted him. Meeting with his contact, an old friend named Bryce, who’d been a valuable informant over the years about various topics. Then realizing Bryce was wounded, fatally so.

  Watching him collapse and take his last breath.

  But Bryce had gotten the hard drive and had given it to Wyatt before warning him that Linear Tactical was being watched. The only reason Wyatt wasn’t dead already was the question of whether he had the hard drive on him or not. The people desperate to get their hands on it couldn’t kill him before finding out whether he’d hidden it someplace.

  “You look tired. Is that rude of me to say?” Nadine bit her lip.

  “Not rude, honest.” Three days of running, looking over his shoulder, afraid to sleep more than twenty or thirty minutes at a time would do that to a man. “Work’s been busy. At least I get to hang out with you. You should’ve seen me before I found you—my mood has perked way up.”

  “That’s nice. Mine, too.”

  His chest tightened. She deserved better than these lies. Not that he wasn’t happy to see her; not that he wouldn’t have enjoyed this a lot under different circumstances.

  But he was using her to cover his ass, and she could never know that.

  This was the only place he could go—he was out of transportation and couldn’t contact anyone at Linear for backup or assistance. They’d be watching for him there. Nadine had no direct ties with Linear or to anyone involving the hard drive or the people willing to pay top dollar—or kill—to get their hands on it. And he’d known she wouldn’t turn him away outright like a stranger would.

  So long as he kept his eyes open and his reactions quick, hopefully there wouldn’t be any danger to her. She wouldn’t know danger was nearby or how close Wyatt had already come to death himself.

  Good. Nadine MacFarlane was the last person he wanted to pull into danger. She’d already been through enough. A year later, she hadn’t recovered from what he could tell. Physically? Sure.

  There were wounds that ran deeper, the kind that were invisible to the naked eye. There was a reason she never went anywhere, why she essentially secluded herself after all this time. They’d never talked about it directly in all their online chats, but he knew the fear that drove her.

  They chatted some more, sidestepping a group of kids who were ordering insanely overloaded crepes. The aroma made his mouth water. When was the last time he’d eaten more than a handful of whatever he could find at the nearest gas station or convenience store?

  “I’ve gotta say, they’re making me hungry.” He nodded toward the crepe booth.

  “I’m a sucker for the fresh scones myself,” Nadine admitted. “They’re so rich and buttery. I look forward to them all week long.”

  He was about to admit he’d never eaten a scone in his life when the appearance of Guy One and Guy Two conversing at the end of the aisle had him slipping an arm around her. They hadn’t seen him but would if they looked in this direction.

  “I’m sold. Let’s get a scone.” He took Nadine by the elbow and hustled her between booths. “Where can I find them?”

  She laughed. “Hang on a second! I’m all turned around now.”

  God, he just wanted to enjoy her laughter, not half pay attention to it as he watched to determine if he’d been seen. No. The guys kept walking.

  Still, he had to get out of there before they found him. The place was huge and full of people, but they would call in backup and have the place surrounded soon.

  “It’s this way.” Lucky for him, Nadine’s search for scones pulled him in the opposite direction of his pursuers. Wyatt glanced behind them every so often as they wove in and out of fellow shoppers.

  When he saw Guy Two cut across not a dozen feet away, he poked Nadine lightly in her side. “Better hurry up, or I might have to steal one from your bag.”

  “How did you know I had them?”

  Shit. Announcing he’d been watching her before he came over to talk probably wouldn’t go over well.

  “I can smell them. If they taste hal
f as good as they smell, I might need to buy every last crumb left in the booth.”

  “You haven’t lived until you’ve enjoyed one with fresh preserves.”

  “We might need to make a pit stop at that booth, too.”

  She laughed again and he laughed with her, wishing his laughter was sincere. Did it sound forced? She didn’t seem to think there was anything out of the ordinary, but…

  He positioned himself in line at the scone booth, careful to watch out but doing his best to look casual. Nadine stole a glance, smiling a shy smile, touchingly sweet. “It really is good to see you in person. Don’t get me wrong, I love our emails back and forth. I feel like I’ve gotten to know you over this past year. And hearing about your adventures… you keep me on the edge of my seat, I swear. You could be a writer.”

  It was nice to know the time he’d poured into the emails he’d sent her was worth it. She’d always said it was, that she looked forward to his next email right after reading the latest one, but hearing her say it was a different matter completely.

  “But seeing you in person?” Another shy smile. “It’s special.”

  Damn it. He needed a neon sign for himself: Grade-A Jackass.

  They picked up scones, and he bit into one almost immediately. “Oh, that’s good.” And not just because he was half-starved.

  “I told you so.”

  He glanced around. He didn’t see either man. As much as he liked being with her, every second they were together put her in greater danger. It would be smart to leave now and keep moving while she was still unaware of what was happening around her.

  “So, uh, my car…” he started, trying to come up with an excuse for why he had to get to the mechanic. Meanwhile, his car was in a ditch outside of town, but she couldn’t know that.

  She surprised him by stopping and turning his way. “Would you like to maybe come to my house? I could make dinner. It’ll be a treat to have you there. It’s been a long time since I’ve cooked for more than just myself, so that’ll be nice, too.”