Smoldering Desire (Hellfire Series Book 3)

by Elle James

  “After seeing this, I’d feel better making sure you’re safe.” Rider refused to take no for an answer.

  Selena’s jaw tightened. “I can take care of myself.”

  “I know you can. But I’d feel better knowing everything’s okay at your apartment.” He sighed. “If it makes you feel better, you can drive over there by yourself. But I’ll jog along and be there before you, cutting through the streets. Or take my bike and follow along behind.”

  Selena shook her head, frowning. “Don’t be ridiculous. Get in the car.”

  They both climbed into her vehicle and drove the two and a half blocks to Selena’s apartment over Lola Engel’s garage.

  The moment the headlights shone on the apartment over the garage, Selena gasped.

  Rider’s jaw hardened. On the garage and on the stairs leading up to her apartment were the words, Go BACK to Mexico Whore.

  Another car pulled in behind Selena’s, and Rider turned to see Lola jump out of her MG Midget.

  “Holy shit! Who did that?” Lola asked.

  “Probably the same person who spray-painted the front of Rider’s garage,” Selena muttered.

  Lola turned to Rider. “Somebody tagged you, too?”

  Rider nodded. “I don’t like this.” He tipped his head toward the stairs. “Let’s go look and make sure nothing’s damaged inside.”

  Selena led the way up the stairs, followed by Rider and then Lola.

  After Selena unlocked the door and pushed it inward, Rider stepped around her into the room and switched on the light.

  Inside, the area was as neat as a pin. It didn’t take long for Rider to inspect the studio apartment where the bedroom, living room, and kitchen were all one big room. The only separate room was the bathroom. He turned to Selena. “Anything out of place?” he asked.

  Selena shook her head. “No, everything looks just as I left it a couple hours ago.”

  Lola whistled. “Wow, I don’t think I’ve seen this place this neat, since—well, since forever.” She tipped her head toward Selena. “How did the cookies go over?”

  Selena’s cheeks reddened.

  Rider chuckled. “They were great. Did you help Selena make them?”

  Lola held up her hands. “Oh, Lord no. My talents don’t run in the baking world. Now ask me what shoe goes with any kind of outfit, and I’m your girl.”

  Selena grimaced at her landlady. “Well it looks as though all the damage is relegated to the exterior of the building. None inside.”

  Rider shook his head slowly. “Still, I don’t feel comfortable with you staying here alone. What if the artist returns?”

  “I can fend off a man armed with a can a spray paint.”

  Rider hiked his eyebrows. “What if he’s armed with more than paint?”

  Lola smiled. “She’s welcome to stay with me in the big house. I wouldn’t mind having the company.”

  Rider glanced at Selena. He wasn’t convinced she’d be any safer with Lola. But considering his garage had been as damaged as Selena’s apartment, he didn’t feel confident that staying with him would be any safer.

  Selena shook her head. “I’ll be all right in the apartment. Again, it was just spray paint.”

  Rider frowned. “I don’t know. It was a pretty threatening statement. Paint now, but who know what comes later?”

  Lola slipped an arm around Selena’s shoulders. “Don’t borrow trouble, Rider.” She squeezed Selena’s shoulders and smiled up at Rider. “She’ll be all right at my place. And I have an HK-40 that I’m licensed to carry concealed.”

  A chill raced down Rider’s spine. “And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

  Lola’s lips twisted. “I know how to use it. I’ve taken it to the range on multiple occasions. I’m a crack shot, actually.”

  Rider gazed into Selena’s eyes. “Selena?”

  Selena nodded. “Okay. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll stay at Lola’s house.”

  Lola laughed. “Well, your enthusiasm makes me feel all warm inside.”

  Selena grimaced and smiled up at Lola. “No, really, thank you for the offer. I just prefer to be independent. I do appreciate staying with you—just for tonight, though.”

  Lola squeezed her shoulders again and let go. “Well then, that’s settled. What do you want me to carry over that you’ll need tonight?”

  “I can manage that. Just need my PJs and toothbrush. I can shower in the morning,” Selena said.

  Lola gave Rider a direct glance. “You don’t have to wait for us, if you need to get home.”

  “If it’s all the same to you,” Rider crossed his arms over his chest, “I’d like to see that both of you make it over to your house just fine.”

  Lola shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  A moment later, Selena, PJs and toothbrush in hand, followed Lola over to her house. Rider saw them to the door and inside.

  “If you want to check the house over to make sure there’s no bogeyman under the beds, you’re welcome to.” Lola stepped aside and allowed Rider to enter the house.

  He made a quick search of the entire house, looking in closets and under beds, just as Lola had suggested. When he returned, Lola was grinning and Selena frowning.

  “The coast is clear,” Rider said.

  “Why, thank you,” Lola said. “It appears chivalry is not dead.”

  When he turned to leave, Selena touched his arm. “Are you going to be all right going back to your garage? Maybe you should stay the night at the ranch.”

  Rider shook his head. “It was just paint.” He cupped her face with one hand. “Besides, I have a Glock 9MM pistol under my pillow I sleep with every night. And I know how to use it,” he said, glancing over Selena’s shoulder to Lola with a grin.

  Lola returned his grin. She winked and turned away. “I’ll leave you two to your goodbyes.”

  Selena hurriedly said, “Oh, that’s all right. Um, we have nothing to say.”

  “Uh huh.” Lola gave them a smirky grin. “I can see that.” She turned and left the room, anyway.

  “Thank you for bidding on me at the auction,” Rider said.

  Selena smiled up at him. “I didn’t do anything. I just spent your money.”

  “Well, I owe you dinner for saving me from Mrs. Cleyburne’s clutches.” He stared down into her eyes. “So, tomorrow night?”

  Selena’s eyes widened. “You really don’t have to.”

  “Yes, I do.” Rider bent and brushed his lips across hers. “Really, I do.” Then he stepped back.

  Before she could form any thoughts in her scrambled brain, he crossed to the door.

  “Close the door and lock it behind me.” He left Lola’s house, pulling the door closed with a soft click. He waited until he heard the snick of the lock behind him before he left. Then he walked the two and a half blocks back to his garage apartment, wondering what had made him kiss Selena. But more importantly, wondering why he was so glad he had.

  Once he was back at his apartment, Rider wandered from room to room, taking note of the few possessions he still retained after his divorce. He had a loveseat his ex-wife couldn’t stand. A small dinette table he had found at a yard sale, and a sofa table behind the love seat that he’d also found at a yard sale.

  On that sofa table was a photograph from his childhood that he’d kept with him all this time. It was a picture his mother had taken when he, his brothers, his sister Lily, Kinsey Phillips, and Selena had all gone on a horseback ride, carrying a picnic with them. They’d headed out to the creek and played in the water, and then rode like the wind back to the house when it had started getting dark.

  That day was one of his happiest memories, and he’d carried that photograph with him everywhere he’d gone. At one point, his ex-wife had him put it away in his nightstand because it didn’t match their décor. Well, it didn’t match his décor anywhere, but it matched what was in his heart. He’d missed his family. He’d missed his friends. He’d missed Hellfire. But now that he was
home, it was apparent that someone did not want him there and would rather that he went back to Dallas.

  The first couple of months he’d been home, he’d spent time setting up his business and building a clientele of people whose cars he’d fixed. Word of mouth had spread the news that he was in business and was pretty decent at fixing engines and changing tires. Now that he was established, and the dust had settled with his divorce, he found himself with more time on his hands. He had spent some of that time watching the market, trading stock and looking for good sales and better buys.

  Lately, he’d found himself restless. Wanting more. Was he lonely? Had pulling Selena out of the fight the day before brought back old memories to haunt him? If so, why did he bother chasing them? He couldn’t recapture his youth or the fun they’d had as children. Selena was a grown woman now with a path of her own that didn’t coincide with his. If he was smart, he would cancel their dinner date for the next night.

  But he wasn’t smart. He wanted that time with Selena. He knew she’d be leaving soon, and he’d miss her when she was gone. But he wanted that time with her now.

  What bothered him was that his connection to Selena might be causing problems for her as well. Whoever had targeted him with the graffiti on the outside of his garage had also taken that graffiti to Selena’s apartment. Was somebody striking back at him for having an interest in the beautiful Hispanic woman? He could understand if Raul had sprayed the graffiti paint on his garage but didn’t believe Raul would ever paint Go Back to Mexico Whore on Selena’s apartment. Perhaps it had been Shane Fetterlein who had sprayed the graffiti both places. He had reason to attack them both after Selena and Rider had broken up the fight between Shane and Raul. Yeah, it made more sense that Shane had done the graffiti. He hoped his brother, Nash, would know who was responsible after his visit to the poker game at the community center.

  About the time that he decided to call his brother, his own cellphone rang. He glanced down at the screen to see that Nash was calling. He answered on the first ring.

  “Yo, bro. What’d ya find out?” he asked.

  “Shane Fetterlein was at the community center for most of the evening. He left maybe thirty minutes before I arrived.”

  “Would that have given him time to come by my place and spray paint my walls, and then hit Selena’s place as well?”

  “Someone painted Selena’s apartment, too?” Nash asked.

  Rider explained what they’d found on Selena’s apartment. “I was going to tell you about it. I was waiting for you to call back, once you’d talked to Shane.”

  “Wish I’d gotten hold of him. I went by his place, but he wasn’t there. And then I drove out to the Ugly Stick Saloon, because of an altercation in the parking lot.”

  “Did you have some cowboys fighting?” Rider asked.

  “No, actually, it was a couple of women fighting over one of the cowboys. Apparently, one woman won the bid, and the other one was angry about it. She picked a fight with the woman who won.” Nash chuckled.

  “Did you get in the middle of a cat fight?”

  “Are you kidding?” Nash’s tone suggested he thought Rider had lost his mind. “I called for backup. Once backup arrived, we split the two women and took them off to different holding cells. They’ll sleep it off. Hey, and what’s this I hear about Selena winning you in the cowboy auction?”

  Rider grimaced. “Good news travels fast, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes, it does in a small town,” Nash said. “I didn’t know you had a thing for Selena.”

  Rider’s chest tightened. He hadn’t known he had one for her either. “Who said I have a thing for Selena?”

  “Well, why would she bid on you if you didn’t? That’d be awkward.”

  “Look, I did as someone suggested at dinner last night. I funded the money for my bid. And I had Selena do the bidding for me. That’s it. Nothing else.”

  “Nothing, huh?” Nash chuckled again. “And you guys were laying outside, watching the stars, because there’s nothing between you, right?”

  “They’re just stars. So, sue us.”

  “Just stars, huh? Were you holding her hand to keep her from falling out of the lounge chair?” Nash laughed out loud. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”

  Rider’s hand tightened on his phone. “What secret?”

  “That you’re back on the market,” Nash said. “Don’t worry. I won’t mention it. But I’m glad to see you didn’t let your divorce turn you against women.”

  “I’m not on the market.” The thought of jumping back into the dating pool made Rider cringe.

  Nash snorted. “You mean to tell me you’re not taking Selena out on the date you promised when she bid for her cowboy?”

  “Well…” Rider hedged. “It’s not exactly a date. It’s a promise I made because she did a favor for me.”

  “Well, whatever you’re calling it,” Nash said, “Selena’s a nice girl. Don’t break her heart.”

  “Hey, Nash.” Rider hesitated. “If one of us were to fall for the daughter of someone who works for the family, you wouldn’t see anything wrong with that, would you?”

  “Ha!” Nash said. “It’s like I thought. You do have a thing for Selena.”

  “I didn’t say that,” Rider said. “But, if one of us were to fall for somebody like Selena, it’s not wrong, is it? I mean, her father works for our father. Would it be weird?”

  “Rider, did you spend too long in Dallas with those stuck-up debutantes?”

  “No, but apparently Selena thinks she doesn’t fit in our circle. That she doesn’t belong with a Grayson.”

  “Where did she get a crazy idea like that?”

  “I don’t know, but all through our lives, every time we asked Pedro and Margarita to join us at the table, they always said they’d already eaten. However, when we’d go into the kitchen, we’d find them eating their dinner there.”

  “Yeah, I thought that was odd,” Nash said. “Until the other night, when you got up and joined them in kitchen, and then the whole family joined them. It just seemed right.”

  Rider nodded even though his brother couldn’t see him. “The Sanchezes have been at the ranch for longer than I can remember. In fact, I think they were there when most of us were born. Hell, I remember when Selena was born, and Mrs. Sanchez brought her to the ranch. They’re like family to us. I don’t know why she’d think she doesn’t belong with us.”

  “Do you think her father had something to do with that?” Nash asked.

  “Could be,” Rider said. “But how do you undo the training of a lifetime?”

  “If Selena is the person you want, you’ll have to work hard to make her realize there can be something between you two.”

  “Again, I’m not dating Selena. I’m just asking a rhetorical question.” Rider knew his brother could see right through him, but he didn’t want to argue the point.

  “Okay then, I hope you and Selena enjoy your not-really-a-date of a date when you do have it.”

  “We’re going tomorrow night,” Rider said.

  “Ha!” Nash said. “Thought she couldn’t resist. Don’t worry. I won’t bring it up at the family dinner. Again, your secret is safe with me. But, Hellfire is a small town. Word will get out if you stay in Hellfire.”

  “Maybe we’ll go someplace besides Hellfire. Maybe we’ll go to Hole in the Wall or a county over.”

  “That might be your best bet,” Nash said. “In the meantime, I’ll let you know whatever I find out—if I ever catch up with Shane Fetterlein.”

  “Thanks, Nash,” Rider said.

  After hanging up on his brother, Rider paced the length of his apartment several times, worrying about Selena and Lola. He couldn’t settle down to sleep, and television didn’t hold his interest. Finally, he gave up, pulled on a T-shirt and headed back to Lola’s.

  CHAPTER 6

  SELENA STOOD in the doorway of Lola’s spare bedroom, staring at the queen-size bed covered in a froth of lace and r
uffles.

  “I know it’s a little girly and froufrou, but Mr. Engel and I had always hoped we’d have a little girl.” Lola shrugged. “Children were just not in the cards. And when Mr. Engel died, I didn’t have the heart to change the comforter and curtains.”

  Selena touched her landlady’s arm, her heart pinching hard in her chest. “Lola, I’m sorry for your loss. Mr. Engel seemed like a very nice man. He always smiled and had nice things to say to anybody he met on the street.”

  Lola smiled. She stared into the distance as if staring into the past. “Mr. Engel was every woman’s dream come true. Handsome, romantic, loving and considerate. I was lucky to have him for as long as I did. I miss the man,” she said. After a long pause, she drew in a deep breath and let it go. “But he’s been gone now for five years. He would’ve wanted me to move on and find a new man in my life. He knew how much love I had in my heart to give.”

  “And have you found somebody you’d like to spend your life with?” Selena asked.

  “There are a couple of guys I wouldn’t mind fooling around with. But no, I haven’t found anyone I would want to spend the rest of my life with like Mr. Engel. I don’t think that man exists.”

  “Do you believe there’s only one true mate for each individual out there?” Selena asked.

  “Mm, not necessarily,” Lola said. “But maybe, for me, Mr. Engel was the only one. I haven’t found anybody who measures up to his standard.”

  “What if the one you fall in love with doesn’t return the same love?” Selena asked.

  Lola pressed a hand to her chest. “Ah, unrequited love.” She sighed again. “Honey, sometimes you just have to go after what you want. Life is way too short to worry about the little things. Go for the big stuff. You like Rider, don’t you?” Lola winked. “It’s pretty obvious.”

  Selena’s eyebrows rose, and her mouth dropped open. “Seriously? You think I’m referring to him? And me?” She shook her head. “He just got out of a bad marriage, and I’m on my way to school in January. No, I was just wondering.”

  “Well, the room’s all yours,” said Lola. “The bathroom’s down the hall. Yell if you need anything from me. Otherwise, I’ll be sleeping with my HK-40 under my pillow and listening for any kind of noise in case something goes bump in the night.”