Hot and Bothered

by Elle Kennedy

  He grabbed another condom and quickly put it on, then flipped her over onto her back and crushed her body with his. Without giving her time to react, he slid his entire length inside her. She gasped, then lifted her pelvis to draw him in deeper.

  Shaking his head, he grasped her hips to stop her from moving. “Tell me you want to be with me.”

  The command elicited an annoyed groan from her. She tried bucking up again, but he held her in place.

  “Tell me.”

  “Will—”

  “Say it. Say you want to be with me.”

  “I…” He watched her face, saw the myriad of emotions flickering in her eyes. “I…”

  Fear. Her expression shone with fear. Damn it. She still thought she would lose him if she gave in. After everything that had just happened, she still believed he would be like all the other assholes in her life and leave her.

  “Say it,” he pleaded.

  She swallowed, then stared up at him with regret. “I can’t,” she whispered.

  Before he could reply, she wiggled out from underneath him, leaving his cock and his heart aching for her.

  “I can’t,” she repeated, and then hurried out of the bedroom.

  A second later, he heard the bathroom door in the hallway slam shut.

  MACKENZIE SANK down on the closed toilet seat, burying her face in her hands and trying unbelievably hard not to cry. The voices in her head screamed at her to go back to the bedroom, but she couldn’t do it. Couldn’t face Will, couldn’t stand to see the love and frustration in his eyes.

  Tonight had been a mistake. She shouldn’t have given in to her desire. She should’ve tried harder to resist him.

  Say you want to be with me.

  The sound of his smoky voice filled her mind, bringing tears to her eyes. Outside, the storm continued to wail, making it difficult to hear anything but the rain against the window and the wind rocking the house. But she could imagine what was going on in the bedroom. Will gathering his clothes, zipping up his jeans. His Windbreaker rustling as he slid it over his powerful shoulders.

  She’d hurt him by refusing to say what he wanted. But although the idea of causing Will pain made the tears fall faster, she couldn’t give him what he wanted.

  He didn’t understand. He claimed to, but how could he? So far, he’d only seen what she’d allowed him to see. He’d never been with her when a vision of death came, and no matter how many times he insisted it wouldn’t bother him, she knew it would.

  Dan had said the same thing, and look what happened with him.

  The memory of that night two weeks ago flooded her brain. Someone from town, an elderly man named Colin Garber, had died that night. Burned to death in his bed after his house had caught fire.

  And across town, Mac had been in bed with Dan, asleep after a slightly bland lovemaking session. Only to be woken up by images of fire and pain. She could smell the smoke, feel the heat of the flames as they’d devoured poor Mr. Garber. She hadn’t been able to make it to the bathroom, and, mortified, she’d thrown up at the side of the bed. It was a common physical reaction to a violent vision, the nausea, the shortness of breath, the uncontrollable sobs.

  It had been too much for Dan. He’d broken things off that night.

  No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t believe it would be any different with Will. Oh, he might pretend it didn’t freak him out, stick it out for a week, a month, maybe even a year. But eventually he’d get sick of it. Of her, and the visions, and the constant chaos.

  Better to put a stop to this now, before…before what? Before she lost her best friend?

  She laughed humorlessly. After tonight, she’d probably lost him anyway.

  The sound of footsteps in the hall confirmed that devastating thought. Lifting her head, she listened, waited for him to approach the bathroom door, but he didn’t. A creak sounded, indicating he’d passed the noisy fourth step on the staircase. Then a few seconds of silence, finally followed by the front door shutting.

  Tears poured down Mackenzie’s cheeks. He’d left. Not that she was surprised. She’d all but thrown him out.

  But it still hurt.

  Legs shaking, she rose and approached the sink. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, taking in the sight of her red-rimmed eyes, wet cheeks and tousled hair.

  “Congrats,” she mumbled to herself. “You officially drove away the one man who’s always—”

  Pain exploded in her temples.

  Then the vision came.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Oh my God, Will, have you ever seen a more glorious kitchen?”

  Will glanced around the room in bafflement. A long cedar work island, stainless steel appliances, a table, some cupboards, a small pantry. Looked like an ordinary kitchen to him. Then again, he wasn’t a chef, and the only time he used his own kitchen was to shove Chinese takeout boxes in the fridge. He didn’t even do dishes, just bought paper plates and tossed them in the trash when he finished eating.

  “It’s nice,” he said, trying to sound impressed.

  Holly Lawson’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Nice? Are you kidding me? This kitchen is twice the size of the one in my old apartment.” She shivered. “Jeez, I’m close to orgasm just looking at it.”

  The last thing he wanted to hear was the word “orgasm” coming out of his friend’s girlfriend’s mouth. Not that he didn’t like Holly. She was a great girl, but talking sex with her seemed weird.

  He watched as she dashed toward the stove and started running her fingers over the burners. She turned around, her brown hair falling into her wide-set green eyes. “Is this not the best stove ever?”

  “Yes?”

  “Yes. I swear, Will, don’t you possess a single domestic bone in that big, strong body of yours?”

  A blond head poked into the kitchen. “Are you flirting with my lieutenant?” Carson Scott demanded, glaring at his girlfriend.

  Holly shot him an innocent smile. “Of course not.”

  “So you didn’t just comment on his big, strong bod?”

  “I was just stating the obvious, Carson. He’s got a nice body.”

  Carson studied Will for a moment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “Hello, I’m in the room,” he said, waving his hand around. “Will the two of you please stop staring at my big, strong body?” He moved toward the door. “Or better yet, give me something to do, because I’m sick of standing around here doing nothing.”

  He wasn’t sure why he’d even agreed to help the couple move. He usually spent all his free time up in Hunter Ridge visiting with Mackenzie, but after what happened last weekend…

  He quickly pushed away the memory, knowing if he let the dirty images surface, he’d soon be standing in the middle of Carson and Holly’s big, glorious kitchen with a big, glorious hard-on.

  Best to focus on the anger, and not the arousal, the night had left him with. He’d been so close, so fucking close to finally getting the woman he’d dreamed about for fucking ages.

  Why was she fighting it? Even after they’d experienced the best sex of both their lives, she still wouldn’t let him love her.

  Hadn’t he proved that he would stick by her side? That he didn’t care about her visions or think she was a freak?

  But Mac had convinced herself she would lose him if she crossed the line from friendship to romance. A part of him didn’t blame her, given her past relationships. But all those men she’d dated, well, they were cowards. What kind of man walked away from a woman he cared about because she had a few gruesome visions? As a SEAL, Will had seen his share of gruesome. Hell, the images he encountered on the job were probably far nastier than the ones Mackenzie saw in her head. And still she foolishly believed he was like all the others, that her visions were too tough a pill for him to swallow. She’d deluded herself into it so deeply that she’d had the nerve to ask him to leave—after he’d proven he could turn her on like nobody’s fucking business.

  And he had no c
lue how to change her mind. Hot sex hadn’t done it, so really, what fucking more could he do?

  “You can help Garrett bring in the boxes from the truck,” Carson said, interrupting Will’s thoughts.

  “No,” Holly protested. “I need Will to help me and Shelby unpack the kitchen boxes. You help Garrett.”

  Will was wary as Carson nodded and hurried off, leaving him alone with Holly. The barely restrained smile on her face told him she was up to something, and when Shelby Garrett walked into the kitchen a second later with a smile of her own, Will knew exactly what was going on. These infuriating females had cooked up another matchmaking scheme.

  “Sit,” Holly ordered, pointing to one of the tall stools by the island.

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “No.”

  Shelby marched up to him, curled her fingers over his arm and dragged him to the stool. Her blue eyes twinkled as she forced him to sit. “Come on, just hear us out.”

  Hear them out? No, thank you. For the past six months, the two women had tried setting him up with a half dozen of their friends, and no matter how hard he fought their constant interference, they couldn’t accept that he wasn’t interested in being set up.

  He supposed this was all his fault. Up until six months ago, he’d avoided forming deeper friendships with the guys on his SEAL team. Not because he was antisocial or anything. He just tended to keep to himself, and he enjoyed driving up to Hunter Ridge in his free time and hanging out with Mackenzie rather than staying near the base with the other guys.

  But after Garrett married Shelby, things had changed. Suddenly Will was forced to attend a bachelor party and a wedding. And then Carson, for some reason, decided to start inviting him to play golf and go out for drinks. Before he knew it, he was eating dinner at Shelby and Garrett’s every Wednesday night, and helping Holly and Carson move into their new Coronado bungalow.

  Whether he liked it or not, they were his friends. Though he didn’t quite understand why Shelby and Holly had decided to focus all their matchmaking attentions on him. Ryan and Matt, two other guys from his SEAL team, were also single, but he didn’t see them getting harassed.

  “Okay,” Shelby began, flipping her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. “There’s a new waitress at the restaurant where Holly works, and we think this girl is perfect for you.”

  Will rested his elbows on the cedar counter and sighed. “Really?”

  “Really,” Holly chimed in. “Her name is Lisa, she’s gorgeous, and she’s studying to become a massage therapist.”

  “A massage therapist!” Shelby echoed. “Think of all the things she could do to your body!”

  Will had to laugh.

  “Oh, and she’s a really good cook,” Holly added. “Also, she speaks three languages.”

  Shelby wiggled her eyebrows. “Dirty talk in three languages, Will. How can you pass this up?”

  Well, their pitch was pretty good, what with the massages and foreign dirty talk, but unfortunately, Will had no desire to go out with this woman. His heart would always belong to Mac.

  “It sounds…tempting,” he lied. “But I’m going to pass.”

  He was met by two identical crestfallen expressions.

  “Why?” Holly burst out.

  “You know why,” he said with a shrug.

  Shelby let out a frustrated sigh. “Ugh! Aren’t you over that woman yet?”

  “Nope. If anything, I’m more in love with her than ever. We slept together last weekend.”

  He hadn’t planned on revealing what happened between him and Mac, especially not to these two nosy women, but somehow the entire story spilled out. Fists clenched to his sides, he told them about his night with Mackenzie and the disappointing way it had ended.

  “What is the matter with her?” Holly grumbled when he was done.

  “She takes him for granted, that’s what,” Shelby answered angrily. “Seriously, Will, how are you still putting up with this? She doesn’t deserve you.”

  “Yeah, she does.”

  Shelby leaned against the counter, frowning. “You honestly think Mackenzie is worth all this heartache?”

  “Yeah, she is.”

  A short silence fell over the kitchen, finally broken by the sound of Shelby slapping her hand on the counter. “Then it’s time we do something about it.”

  Will narrowed his eyes. “We?”

  “Yes, we.” She shot him a grin. “Obviously you’re not having too much success on your own, so it’s time someone stepped in and helped you.”

  He held up a warning hand. “No fucking way. You guys are not stepping in. Mac and I will straighten this out by ourselves.”

  Holly snorted, the determined glint in her green eyes telling him exactly whose side she was on. Not his. “Shelby’s right, you need our help.”

  Sliding off the chair, he edged his way to the doorway. “The two of you are not getting involved in my love life.”

  Another snort from Holly, and a giggle from Shelby. “What love life?” they said in unison.

  He stabbed a finger in their direction. “The answer is no. I don’t need or want your help. I’m serious about this.”

  Shelby and Holly exchanged a look.

  “I’m serious,” he insisted. “I command you to put a pin in whatever scheme you two are about to cook up. Stay out of my business—that’s an order.”

  With that, he strode out of the kitchen, for all the good it did him. He could hear Shelby and Holly already whispering to one another, and if he knew those two, they’d show up at his door tomorrow morning with some hare-brained plot that would no doubt make his life miserable.

  Though how his life could get more miserable than it already was, he didn’t know.

  WILL WAS GOING TO DIE.

  Mackenzie wandered around her kitchen on autopilot, brewing a cup of tea, eating but not really tasting a piece of toast. Staring at the sunlight streaming in from the window. Doing the dishes.

  All the while, her mind was somewhere else. Somewhere dark and terrifying. A place that held not even the tiniest flicker of hope. A world without Will.

  With a strangled groan, she sank into one of the chairs around the kitchen table and buried her face in her hands, a position she’d found herself in often over the past five days. She hadn’t heard from Will since he’d walked out that night, and a part of her almost wished his silence dragged on a bit longer.

  What was she supposed to say if he called?

  Did she tell him what she’d seen?

  But how could she? She’d tried warning people before when she had a vision about them, but no matter what she did, the visions always came true. She couldn’t change them. Couldn’t stop them.

  And what she’d seen… She wished like hell she could stop it.

  The gunshots. The shriek of the helicopter rotors, the heart-stopping explosion rocking the chopper.

  The smoke.

  Helicopter falling from the sky, hurtling toward the canopy of green below.

  A sob choked her throat as Will’s face flashed across her mind. The grim realization in his dark eyes when he realized his fate. When he accepted it.

  “No!” she burst out, shooting to her feet.

  It wouldn’t happen. It couldn’t happen.

  Say you want to be with me.

  Why, why hadn’t she been able to say it? She’d already crossed a line anyway and slept with her best friend, so why couldn’t she take that final step and admit what they both knew to be true?

  Because you don’t want to lose him.

  No, she definitely didn’t want that. Will was the only steady male in her life. Even after he’d joined the Navy and left town, he always came back. Weekends, holidays, any time he could get leave, he came back to Hunter Ridge. To her.

  Would he come back this time? After everything that happened last week?

  And what would she say to him if he did?

  Hey, Will, I acted like an idiot. The sex was incredible, the best of my life. And oh, you�
�re going to die.

  She paced the kitchen, her bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor, as her heart pounded against her ribs in a steady rhythm of panic. She had to tell him. Warn him. So what if he was probably furious with her? Maybe if she said something, she could change what she’d seen.

  Lifting her chin in determination, she grabbed her phone from the counter. She jumped when it started ringing in her hand.

  Hope bloomed in her chest. Quickly pressing the talk button, she lifted the phone to her ear and said, “Thank God you called!”

  There was a beat, then a soft female chuckle. “Why do I get the feeling you were expecting someone else?” came Paula Durtz’s amused voice.

  Disappointment jolted through her. “Oh. Hi, Paula. I, um…what’s up?”

  “I just wanted to see if you’re still coming into town today.”

  Town? Oh, right, she’d promised to drop off that necklace for Paula. “What time did we say again?” Mac asked.

  “Two. So are we still on?”

  She glanced at the clock hanging over the sink. It was quarter to, which meant she needed to get going. Yet the idea of leaving the house troubled her. She wasn’t in the mood for socializing, not when she couldn’t stop thinking about Will. About what it would cost her if she lost him. Actually lost him.

  But Paula was the closest thing to a friend she had in Hunter Ridge. Maybe if she talked to her, told Paula what she’d seen…? Maybe the older woman could offer some advice.

  “Yeah, we’re on,” Mac said. “I’ll meet you in the square in fifteen.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “I love it,” Paula declared fifteen minutes later, holding up the pendant to admire it. The late afternoon sun caught on the little gold heart, making it sparkle.

  Mackenzie gave a wry smile. “You hate it, and we both know it. It’s not your style at all.”

  She emphasized the last remark with a pointed look at all the jewelry currently draped over various parts of the other woman’s body. A chunky silver necklace hung around Paula’s neck, and the numerous bracelets around her wrists boasted colorful costume gems and dangling charms. Even Paula’s wedding ring, a thin silver band encrusted with little diamonds, was elaborate in comparison to the simple necklace Mac had created for her. Not that Paula’s accessories were gaudy—if anything, Mac’s necklace was just too plain.