Sweet Heat Rising (Thoroughbred Men Series)

by Sterling, Ginny

  Matt opened the car door for her and bowed low, “My lady?” He watched her delicately get in the vehicle, watching her legs happily swing inside of his car. He had to admit he really liked seeing her in a dress and she looked breathtaking.

  They drove to a local, small restaurant and were seated quickly in a small booth off to the side of the dining room. The lights were low, plastic grapes and vines were suspended from the ceiling to give the illusion of fields in Italy or California. The walls were painted with murals to reflect it too. Each table had a chianti bottle covered in wax from the burning candle and it set a nice, romantic, but cheesy relaxed atmosphere. Matt unfolded his napkin and placed it on his lap, and smiled at Sarah.

  Matt asked her lightly, “Have you come here before? It is nice but not quite big city and fancy. It is highly recommended from a few people I know from the office, but I have not been here yet.” According to the guys at the warehouse, this was the best place in town to take your significant other. She looked like a fairy tale princess and he would rather put her on a pedestal instead of some tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant, but as long as she was happy, he was happy.

  Sarah smiled from ear to ear. He seemed nervous for some reason and that put her at ease because usually she was the one stumbling and stammering around him, not vice versa. “I haven't been here before, usually I end up microwaving something or making something light at the house. This will be different for both of us then,” and she stopped as the waiter arrived to take their drink order.

  Matt ordered a small glass of red wine and a glass of water. Sarah ordered just water for herself. “Please, if you would like something? Help yourself... maybe you could use a glass of wine too to help you relax a bit. I know I feel a bit nervous and I’m not sure why,” he confessed.

  She smiled at him. She appreciated his candid remark. It made her feel good to know that she made him nervous too, and that it was not only her that seemed to be excited about their budding relationship. “I am good, thank you. It has been a long day and I am afraid that if I have a glass of wine or a beer, I will be asleep in no time flat. I appreciate the offer though.” He nodded in acceptance and raised his glass towards her and pointed to her water in the goblet.

  Matt was glad they had a table away from everyone so he could openly admire how beautiful she looked tonight. He felt she should be dressed like a princess every day, even if it was impractical, and all she was missing was a tiara. “A toast,” Matt said, “to new friends, new places, new faces and new love... cheers,” he said looking at her.

  Sarah smiled softly at his toast. She really admired how open and candid he was with every situation, there was no ‘games’ and she needed that in her life. She clinked her glass against his “Absolutely! To new things! Cheers!” she said and sipped on her water.

  They agreed to order two different dishes and split each with the other. They chatted amicably and easily as they ate. She mentioned to him about the camera and how she had it staged up in the vent. She had climbed up on the table at the end of the day and clipped it to the ac vent pointed towards the register. Sarah had downloaded the app and tried to sync it but it hadn't worked yet.

  Matt asked to see her phone to check it out and was able to turn it on for her. He was pleased to see nothing present in the shop. He handed her back the small, pink, slim phone and Sarah said she would check it randomly.

  She didn't really think it was going to do much because it didn't record in live stream. It was just an instantaneous snapshot of the bakery and unless you happened to open the app and catch whoever it was at the register... it was really quite useless. Her best bet was the fingerprints or the alarm system, which was soon to be installed. She hoped it would give her some sort of resolution when the police got the results of the prints.

  They finished up their meal and decided to split a slice of cheesecake. Matt took one forkful and tried to feed it to Sarah. She was game and took it as a challenge, and grabbed a forkful herself and proceeded to wave it towards Matt. He opened his mouth and she slid the fork in, he sighed in delight. “Mmm, there is nothing better than a good cheesecake,” he said in pleasure.

  Sarah made a mental note to make him try her cheesecakes she had just made for the bakery. She was curious if there was more that he liked and wanted to please him, as well as her customers. Perhaps, she would look for a few new things to try?

  Matt held up another fork of the cheesecake and waved it towards Sarah. Growing bold, Sarah licked her lips slowly and watched him focus on that single movement. She leaned towards the out-held fork and licked the cheesecake playfully.

  He let out his breath in a whoosh and watched heatedly as she licked it again, getting some on the tip of her tongue and rubbing it on her upper lip. Matt groaned. He loved this sexy, playful side of her. He watched as smiled widely at him and innocently bit the cheesecake without a care in the world. “Are you a tease?” he said softly, “or is that just for me?”

  Sarah laughed and said, “Well, I have never been accused of being a tease. So I am guessing it is all for your benefit.” Her bravado was fading a bit and she felt on the spot by the hot gaze that lingered on her mouth. She felt such anticipation as he studied her lips.

  Matt was overwhelmed by the desire to lick the cheesecake off of her pink mouth. Matt gestured to the waiter and asked for the check. Looking at her, he asked, “Would you like to head anywhere else? A movie? Go for a walk?” Matt wanted to ask if she wanted to go to his place, finish the night together with breakfast in bed the next morning, but thought that would be hugely inappropriate - and smiled. One can always hope?

  Sarah said she was good with either suggestion. Neither of them ready for their date to end. Matt paid the bill, stood, and held out his hand. She delicately placed her hand in his and stood. She watched as he dropped a kiss on her nose and whispered, “Our night isn't over yet, Cinderella,” and wrapped his arm around her waist escorting her out of the restaurant.

  They drove by the bakery and she checked her app again. Nothing. Matt drove through town, got on the highway and headed towards the theater a few exits up the road. She watched as he parked, hopped out and ran over to her door. He held it open while she stepped out and he again placed his arm around her waist. Sarah sighed. It felt so good to have him there and to just hold her. They walked up, ordered their tickets and stepped inside. Just before the movie started, she check her phone again out of curiosity, frowned and put it away. Nothing.

  They watched the movie together and he laughed when she jumped in fear. In turn, she swatted at him for laughing at her. They just enjoyed being together. He had lifted the arm on the seat between them so they could sit together. Sarah adored feeling his arm around her shoulders.

  After the movie, he glanced at his watch and announced that he probably needed to be getting her back home soon due to it getting late in the evening. He still was not ready for the evening to end and had spent most of the movie watching her profile in the dim theater. She had the loveliest smile and he wanted to make her happy.

  “I know, I know” Sarah said with an embellished sigh. “I really have enjoyed tonight. Thank you so much. This was exactly what I needed,” she said gratefully. It was like he read her mind. Dinner was wonderful, the movie distracted her and let her escape from her thoughts, and now it was time to rest so she could face all the worries and fears again tomorrow.

  15

  Matt drove her home in silence. His emotions were conflicted. He felt concerned about her, and felt helpless that he could not do more for her. He wanted to make love to her. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to help where he could, but didn't want to overstep any boundaries or make any mistakes with Sarah.

  To him, she seemed to be as interested. She was magic to him and made him lose control like nothing else ever had. He could not stop thinking of her and it seemed so natural and effortless just being with her. They just ‘fit’ like two puzzle pieces.

  As he pulled up to Sarah’s condo, he n
oticed something in her yard. Sarah did too. “What is that?” she said to him, noticing several colored spots on her lawn and up the concrete pathway to the landing of the condo. Sarah wondered if her yard had been ‘papered’ by kids in town now too? At this rate, she felt she needed to buy a Powerball ticket because Karma was bound to swing her way eventually!

  “Stay here,” Matt said and got out of the car. He walked into the small yard of grass, knelt down, straightened back up and came back to the car quickly. As he got inside, he locked the doors and called the police on his cell phone.

  “What’s going on?” Sarah said panicked, and started to open the door. She felt him grab her arm aggressively to stop her. She swatted at his hand, panic setting in quickly. She knew he wasn't Josh but the way he moved, instinct took over and she tried to get away. Her buckle held her tight.

  Matt released her immediately at the panicked movements, thinking he might have hurt her. He was trying to make sure she didn't leave the car and head up to the door. “Sarah just please stay in the car! - Yes, police? I think there has been a break in at my girlfriend’s home.” He held his hand up at her for her to give him a second while he talked to the station on the phone.

  Sarah hesitated and comprehended what she just heard him say over the phone. “What?” Sarah screeched, and looked around wildly. What was in the yard? How did he know that someone had broken in? She could not see much in the darkness and the lamplight from the front porch was a bit blinding and cast shadows all over the front of her small place.

  Matt spoke with the police, gave the address and hung up the phone. His face was grim. He did not like the fact that this was too much, too coincidental with her problems at the bakery and the tires. He had a pretty good suspicion of a couple of people that could be blamed, just had nothing to prove it.

  He was not a detective or a police officer, but it was not rocket science to put two and two together. “Sarah, honey, your door is cracked open and I think that spot on the lawn is clothing. I am not sure if it’s yours or not but your front door is definitely open right now,” he said quietly. His mind racing as they waited for the police to arrive.

  Sarah was stunned. “Oh my God,” she said breathlessly. “Can we leave or pull down the road? I’m scared, Matt.” She felt herself slide down in the seat a bit, as if to hide. Did she need to put in a restraining order against Josh again? She had not heard from him in years and thought for sure things had moved on for both of them. She was terrified and felt herself shaking.

  Matt started the car, pulled down the street, turned the car around so he could watch the condo and shut the car off again. He unbuckled and scooted closer to Sarah, who mimicked him. She unbuckled and met him in the middle. He felt her tremor of fear and wanted to save his princess.

  Sarah could feel herself losing control and felt such despair. “I just cannot believe this! My store, my car, and now my house?” she said shakily and started to cry. She felt like such a baby crying again but this was simply too much!

  Matt held her gently until the police arrived. He exited the car with his hands clear where they could be seen as the police headed up to the small unit. They searched her house and came back out, took photos and walked over to the car where Sarah sat in the car, doors locked.

  Matt rapped on the glass, opened the door and held out his hand to Sarah, as the officer asked her to step out of the car. “Ma’am, we are going to need some information from you and need you to walk through the house to see if anything is missing,” Sarah nodded silently, as she fought back tears.

  As she walked up towards the condo, she saw the detective picking up the pink item that was in the yard. “Oh my gosh, how humiliating!” Sarah whispered. The detective was picking up her panties out of the grass of her condo. Why were they in the yard? She continued up to the door slowly, without a word and dreading each step. Her little place she worked so long and hard for!

  She pushed open the front door and gasped. Her things were thrown everywhere! Clothing was strewn, her couch had massive rips in it and the cotton batting was sticking out. Plants knocked over and dirt on the floor, the back glass doorway was shattered, the shower was running in her bathroom and her bed had been slashed. The drawers of her dresser had been emptied everywhere. Her feather pillow had been shredded and down was still floating in the air. This had not happened long ago, she was lucky she was not home!

  Sarah gagged heavily and clutched at her stomach. Who would do this to her? Why would they do this to her? Was it Josh? Could he be back in town? Was he still angry with her? She had so many unanswered questions.

  Matt put a comforting arm on her shoulder and turned her towards him, embracing her. “Ma’am, do you know who did this? Do you see anything missing? Do you have someplace to stay so we can investigate?”

  Sarah was devastated. “I don't know” she replied. “Who would do this to me? I thought maybe I once knew someone who could have done this, but it’s been years…” she said, her voice breaking. She was crushed at the amount of destruction and debris littering the floor of her home. She told the officers everything. The divorce, the attack on the pier, including her restraining order she had on him years ago.

  Matt broke the embrace and pulled the officer aside whispering to him. “Can you check this set of prints and compare it to the prints they just took over at her bakery? She was just robbed and had her tires slashed too.” The officer nodded, and looked sympathetically at Sarah. “Ma’am, you need to stay somewhere else for a while until we catch this person and this gets cleaned up.”

  Sarah nodded.

  Matt escorted Sarah back into her room and grabbed a bag. He began picking up clothes from the floor and hallway, stuffing them into the sack. Sarah sat dumbfounded on the end of the bed staring off into space. He gathered up several items, moved to the bathroom and picked up toiletries. He reached down to turn off the shower and an officer stopped him quickly. “Don’t touch it yet. Wait, there could be prints on the handle.”

  Matt stepped back and gathered Sarah, guiding her to the front door. He gave his number to the officer and explained he was heading out with her to take her to his place. Sarah never said a word. She walked over to the car, got in and just sat there.

  Matt placed the bag of clothes in the trunk of his car and sat in the driver seat. “Princess, are you going to be okay?” He was concerned. How much a person could take before they broke down? Yes, she had her moment of tears but the silence was deafening.

  Sarah felt raw. “No, I'm not okay. My house has been ransacked and my panties were in the yard for everyone to see. That detective that picked them up? That was Jacob who used to pick on me in high school. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have him, and God knows who else, handle your panties,” she said angrily. “That was my place and my things, I work damn hard for it too” and burst out, wiping angry tears of frustration away from her eyes again.

  Matt gathered her up again and kissed her hair. “Cmon, let’s take you to my place and get you comfy... you can see how the other side lives now,” he said jokingly as he watched her wipe her red nose indelicately.

  Sarah shook her head. She would not take charity. She had started with nothing, and refused to accept the help. She could start again except this time she had her store to rely on. “You don't have to do this, I can stay at a hotel for a few or--”

  “No, you can stay with me so I know you are safe and can see you anytime I please,” he said reverently. “The last few days have been a rollercoaster of heaven and hell, I would like to spend some time with you. You are my heaven,” he said softly and kissed her knuckles lightly. “Let’s take this time to get to know each other a bit more. Unless you would prefer to go elsewhere?” he asked suddenly unsure.

  Sarah did not want to burden any of her friends and she felt safe with Matt. If it was Josh, the last thing she wanted to do was to be caught alone or to feel unsafe. She wanted to hide away.

  Matt drove towards his apartment silently. He pul
led into the light parking lot a few minutes later, pulled under a lamp and turned off the car. He went around the vehicle, opened the door for her and popped the trunk, gathering her things. “I am on the third level so there is not anyone walking around above me. My place is the far side overlooking the park area.” Sarah followed him wordlessly up the flights of stairs and as he unlocked his apartment.

  16

  Matt flipped on the lights and grimaced. He could only imagine how his sparse apartment must look to her. Sarah’s apartment had been cozy with pillows, throws, plants and knickknacks everywhere, even if demolished now. His apartment had a couch and entertainment center in the living room. No decor on the walls, nothing to make it home. It was just a place to relax and rest so far and he had not done much to change that lately.

  “Let’s give you the grand tour,” he said with a mocking flourish. “This is the television, over there is the kitchen and down the hallway is your room.” He started down the hallway, prepared to change the sheets, picking up as he moved down the hall. He wasn't a messy person, but also hadn't been home much.

  Sarah protested and said she would take the couch. It was too good of him to open up his home and he had really done a lot for her in the short amount of time she had known him. She did not want to be a burden, nor take advantage of his protective nature. She just needed to stay for a day or so and she could easily stay on the couch.

  Matt refused. “I am completely offended,” he said clutching his chest and smiled. He tried to lighten the mood. He stripped the bed and remade it with clean linens, opened the closet and got out a fresh blanket for her. “Sarah, why don't you have Tyler open up tomorrow since it is so late and maybe we can see if we hear something from the police?” he suggested quietly. He did not like the idea of her reaching out to Tyler. He was just as interested in Sarah as Matt was, the last thing Matt wanted to do was to turn her towards the competition.