She struggled to breathe with the crook of his elbow cutting off her air. Clawing at his forearm, terror overran her. The realization that Walt had been behind everything. Not Penny. Not one of Todd’s exes.
“You weren’t supposed to be here tonight, Caitleen. I was just going to teach you a lesson. Have you watch your precious bakery burn down while your stupid boyfriend attempted to put it out.”
Kate’s body started to tingle and she grew dangerously lightheaded.
“But you are here and it’s going to cost you. Just like it cost my wife. I probably could’ve saved her. She was always leaving her silly candles burning at night. But it was just such an easy solution. If she was dead, she could hardly leave me, now could she?”
His hold on her tightened, cutting off the little air she was getting.
“Sorry, Caitleen, I was really hoping you were different. But you’re just a slut like the rest of them.”
She struggled, dug her nails deep enough to draw blood. But her energy was fading.
Then it was too late.
Chapter Fourteen
Todd disconnected the call and swore beneath his breath. Okay maybe it was the middle of the night and she hated his guts, but Kate should damn well be picking up the phone.
He regretted volunteering to come in tonight, or he’d be on his way over to her house right now to warn her about Walt Chapman.
Todd had called his brother, waking him out of bed, after receiving the cryptic text about Walt. Had gotten the full scoop on the record Mr. Chapman had—apparently under a different name and almost fifteen years ago.
Stalking. Domestic violence. Destruction of property. The list went on and contained just about everything besides murder. Which right now, Todd was really itching to look back into that file about the house fire his wife had died in.
A call came in over the loudspeaker, tearing him from his frustration and unease. Once he heard the location and the nature of the call, he sprinted to gear up, adrenaline and rage running through him.
There was a possible fire at Kate’s shop and he had no doubt who was behind it. The only thing he was grateful for was the bastard had struck while she was asleep and not while she’d been at work.
When the engine pulled to a stop outside her shop a few minutes later, he could see smoke inside and the hint of flames coming from the back of the shop.
They quickly read the situation, and Tony called out, “Doesn’t look too bad yet. Whoever called it in must’ve spotted it early.”
Todd nodded, moving to grab the booster line off the truck. Regardless, the smoke damage inside would still mean Kate could be closed down for a bit. Insurance claims filed. His gut clenched with regret for the struggle ahead for her. Had she heard about the fire yet? Was she on her way in?
He glanced up as a deputy pulled up, sirens wailing, but his attention slid beyond the squad car and focused on the parked Ford Escort in its headlights. His blood chilled and every muscle in his body went taut.
“I’m going in,” he shouted, dropping the hose and reaching for his mask. “I think Kate’s inside.”
The burning in her throat woke her. Kate struggled to pull herself up and coughed as she sucked in a lungful of smoke.
Relief that she was still alive surged through her, followed by panic as she struggled to rise to her feet. The bakery was so thick with smoke she couldn’t even tell where the door was.
She tried to hold her breath, her head pounding as she took an uneven step toward where she hoped the doorway was. Dizziness assailed her and she wavered.
Her knees buckled and she swayed on her feet. It had to be a hallucination when what looked like a fireman broke the smoke. But when she started to fall, the arms that caught her were real enough.
Kate was vaguely aware of being slung over her rescuer’s shoulder and rushed outside, passing by another fireman who rushed past them with a hose.
Then she was on the ground, coughing hacking breaths of clean air and trying to stop her lungs from burning. A group of people swarmed around her and someone placed a plastic mask of her mouth.
She sucked in the oxygen eagerly, clutching the heavy sleeve of the firefighter’s jacket. Even with his mask on, she sensed it was Todd. And then he pulled off the mask and confirmed it.
“You’re going to be all right, doll, stay with me. Just keep breathing,” he said thickly, his eyes full of concern and fear.
Kate listened to the sounds around them. The sound of water from the hoses hitting the roof of her shop, the footsteps pounding, men yelling.
Suddenly she stiffened and tugged at her mask.
“Walt,” she croaked. “It was—”
“We’re on it and Tyson’s trying to hunt him down right now.” Todd smoothed her hair back off her face. “Try and relax, Kate. Please, baby doll. Everything’s going to be fine.”
If she wasn’t so weak she probably would have started laughing. How could everything possibly be fine?
Sirens sounded and she closed her eyes as she saw an ambulance show up. Somewhere in her head was a happy place and she was going to try like hell to find it.
Kate pushed aside the breakfast a nurse had brought her a half hour ago, giving up on trying to eat. Her throat was still a bit sore from the smoke inhalation, and she wasn’t hungry. Couldn’t begin to pretend she had the desire to eat.
Though she’d protested, the hospital had decided to keep her overnight for observation. She felt about eighty times better than she had last night. Well, physically.
Her heart twisted and she closed her eyes, twisting the sheet that covered her lap. It was hard to believe how everything had changed in twenty-four hours. She’d gone from having a busy, fabulous bakery and spending her nights with Todd, to having an arsoned bakery and being, once again, alone now that she’d booted the man she loved out of her bed. She wasn’t sure which bothered her more.
You made the right decision, she told herself. Todd had told her again and again he didn’t do relationships, he couldn’t love. So maybe it hurt now, but it would ease. It had to.
She blinked back tears, trying not to let herself drown in self pity and misery, and glanced out the hospital window at the green trees.
“Mind if I come in?”
Whipping her head back around, her lips parted in surprise as she found the very man she’d been pondering standing in the doorway. He held a bouquet of roses in his hand and her heart sped up, hope rising inside her. But just as quickly she tried to push it down.
Todd was always a charmer. He probably brought every sick friend flowers. And that’s all she was to him, would ever be.
With that painful reminder, she gave him an attempt at a smile and waved him in.
Todd stepped inside Kate’s hospital room and his gut clenched from the emotional punch of seeing her like this. She was entirely too pale, while areas of her hair and along her skull line still had spots of gray soot.
Though fortunately she didn’t look as fragile this morning. But watching her hours ago had just about killed him, kneeling over her with the oxygen mask while she lay weak and hurting on the cold cement.
“How are you?” Her hoarse voice made him wince.
“I’m fine, Kate. It’s you I’m worried about.” He set the vase of flowers down on the table next to her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I’m not sure if they told you, but Tyson picked up and arrested Walt as he tried to leave town.”
“They told me.” She nodded and he saw the flicker of pain in her eyes. Whether from trying to use her voice or thinking about what Walt had done, he wasn’t sure.
Before he could stop himself, he pulled her hand into his. Her eyes widened with surprise.
“Your shop’s not as bad as it could’ve been. The fire stayed pretty contained to your office, where Walt started it in the waste bin.” He hesitated. “I’m not going to lie, there’s some smoke damage, but you should be fine with insurance. Be back on your feet before you know it.”
“I sure hope so. This could kill my business.” She clutched his fingers, then bit her lip and looked away.
“It won’t. We’ll arrange a huge grand re-opening. You’re already the talk of the town, Kate. Everyone will be lining up to support you.”
A wan smile flickered on her mouth.
He cleared his throat, which suddenly felt too tight. “So, I ran into your parents in the hallway. Told them I’d drive you home when the hospital discharges you and take care of you.”
“You?” Kate glanced at him in surprise again, her sharp gaze searching his.
“Yeah, they’re heading back to Portland now. Said they’d call you tonight.”
Her mouth flapped open as she clearly tried to make sense of what he was saying. And since he didn’t want there to be any more doubts, and more confusion, it was time to lay it all on the table.
“I’m sorry, Kate,” he said quietly. “You were right. About me. About everything. I was bitter, trying to prove I didn’t need a woman for more than a few nights. And you were just another woman moving through the revolving door.”
Hurt flickered in her eyes and she tried to pull her hand away, but he tightened his grip. His stomach roiled and his muscles were coiled with tension. Even though it was hardly hot in the room, beads of sweat broke out on Todd’s forehead.
“But I knew when you left me last night how wrong I was. That no matter how much I didn’t want to give a woman that much power, didn’t want to fall in love, it was too late.”
Shock mingled with hope in her eyes, but he could see her fighting it, not wanting to believe. She shook her head and her mouth tightened.
“And even then, Kate, I was too damn proud to admit it. To tell you.” His voice trembled as he relived the fear from last night. “But when I realized you were inside the bakery, saw it burning, it became so clear everything I was about to lose. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
Todd watched the wall around her crack, saw that she finally believed him and her eyes shimmered blue with sudden tears. He cupped her face, brushing the moisture from the corner of her eyes.
“You have every right to tell me to go to hell, Kate, I deserve it. I thought I knew what love was, but I was wrong. You showed me what it meant to be in love. To love someone so much that thought of losing them makes you literally sick to your stomach.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks, faster than he could wipe them away, and she began to tremble. He leaned down and brushed his mouth across hers, before kissing her damp cheeks.
“I don’t want to take care of you for the next few days, Kate,” he admitted softly. “I want to take care of you forever. I want to marry you. Have kids with you. Grow old with you. I want it all, Kate.”
“Yes. Oh, yes. I love you, Todd.” Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, whispering, “And I want it all too.”
Todd blinked, surprised to find his eyes misting a bit, as relief raged through him. His chest tightened, swelled with an emotion he’d denied for too long.
He clutched the sexy woman in his arms, never wanting to let her go. Knowing he’d never be stupid enough to again. She was his sweet Kate, whom he’d known his whole life. There was no doubt anymore. No hesitation.
“I love you so much,” he murmured again against her hair and sighed when she lifted her mouth to his again for a kiss.
It was damn shame he’d fought destiny for so long, he thought, kissing her deeply. But he had plenty of years to make up for it.
About the Author
Shelli read her first romance novel when she snuck it off her mother’s bookshelf when she was eleven. One taste and she was forever hooked on romance novels. It wasn’t until many years later that she decided to pursue writing stories of her own. By then she acknowledged the voices in her head didn’t make her crazy, they made her a writer.
Shelli currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her daughter. She writes various genres of romance, is a compulsive volunteer, and has been known to spontaneously burst into song.
Look for these titles by Shelli Stevens
Now Available:
Trust and Dare
Theirs to Capture
Four Play
Seattle Steam
Dangerous Grounds
Tempting Adam
Chances Are
Anybody but Justin
Luck be Delanie
Protecting Phoebe
Holding out for a Hero
Going Down
Command and Control
Flash Point
Coming Soon:
He’s afraid of losing his grip. She’s about to untie his last knot…
Command and Control
© 2010 Shelli Stevens
Holding Out for a Hero, Book 2
Megan Asher has a thriving career, looks, self-confidence to spare. It all means little without the love of her life. Trevor has returned from deployment in Afghanistan a haunted man, emotionally distant and unwilling to connect—except in bed. Then even that fragile thread snaps. Brokenhearted, she is forced to call off their wedding and, after a few months’ separation, try to move on.
With every aspect of his life spinning out of his once-legendary control, Trevor Wyatt convinces himself that Megan is better off—and safer—as far away from his demons as possible. Until he comes back to town for his brother’s wedding, and discovers Megan is dating.
Suddenly realizing what he’s thrown away, he vows to breach the fortress she’s built around her heart. They come together in a cataclysm of rekindled passion that unleashes the very demons he never wanted her to witness.
Back to square one, Megan realizes she must take the ultimate risk to slip past Trevor’s defenses. Give him control in the one place she can. The bedroom. The seductive move is one she prays will be the first step in helping heal him and their love.
Warning: This book contains a tormented military hero and the sexy woman he’s determined to win back. Mild BDSM and kink, and blow jobs of the beverage and non-beverage kind.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Command and Control:
Megan’s breath hitched at his not-so-subtle implication. Her breasts swelled beneath his gaze and a liquid heat seared through her body and gathered heavy between her legs.
Keep the control, Megan. You can’t let him see how much he affects you still.
“Perhaps you could be more specific?” She arched a brow. “And if this is legal advice, you realize I have a fee.”
He laughed, the deep, sexy sound sending a wave of shivers down her back.
“I’m not here for legal advice, Megan.”
“No? Then what are you here for? Because, in case you haven’t noticed, Trevor, I’m working. And I can’t spend my time—”
“Planning dates with a guy named Henry?”
So he’d heard that? A flush worked its way up her neck, but she kept her expression impassive.
“Why are you here, Trevor?” she asked again.
“You’ll have to tell him no.”
Megan stilled. “Excuse me?”
“Henry boy. You’ll have to tell him that you can’t have dinner with him tonight.”
This time she let out a slow, throaty laugh that had his eyes darkening further.
“And why is that?” she asked.
“Because you’re having dinner with me.”
The hell she was. Megan let the smile on her face become a bit sympathetic.
“I find it best not to go to dinner with my exes,” she murmured and pushed back her chair to stand. “Now if you’ll excuse me—”
“Because there’s so many of them? Exes?” Trevor asked, standing as well and blocking her escape from where she’d been about to slip past him. “We were together for two years and before that, I remember you saying there was no one serious.”
Annoyance sparked in her belly and it pricked her to realize she probably wasn’t hiding it from her eyes now. “This is all a bit irrelevant, Trevor. I’m not having dinne
r with you.”
He slowly made his way around her desk, and she took a few steps backward, her pulse quickening and her mouth going dry.
“Come on, angel, just admit it,” he said softly, advancing upon her. “The idea of dinner with Henry does nothing for you.”
“Henry happens to be a very nice man,” she said quickly, her back literally against the wall now.
Oh God, if he came any closer—and there, damn it he did! Their knees were nearly bumping now. She drew in a sharp breath, but it only filled her head with the scent of him. His shampoo and soap that was painfully familiar. The faint hint of his cologne. Megan had the urge to nuzzle his neck, to flick her tongue and see if he still tasted the same.
You’re crazy, Megan, get it together.
“Tell me about this Henry guy,” he commanded softly, his gaze sliding over her face, searching her eyes. “Does he wear starched suits and bowties?”
“Actually, he doesn’t.” They were just regular ties.
Her heart thumped wildly against her rib cage and the proximity of his body to hers had every tiny hair on the back of her neck lifting up in awareness. Why oh why didn’t she share an office with anyone? Most of her days were spent on the phone with clients, answering e-mails or doing paperwork, but very rarely did anyone come in.
She was alone with Trevor unless she forced him to leave. And right now—though her brain was screaming at her to throw him out on his cocky ass—her body was begging him to stay. To stop just looking at her and to touch her. Because she missed him so much. She missed being held in his arms and kissing him. Touching him. Talking…though the talking had ended long before the kissing had.
Every muscle in her body was coiled with tension. With need.
“I’ve always loved you like this, Megan.” He reached out and traced the lapel of her blazer. “But you know that, don’t you? All prim and proper in your trim little suits.”
Flash Point: Holding Out for a Hero, Book 3 Page 10