Last Call (Book #2 - Heat Wave Series)

by Alannah Lynne

  Already sheathed with the condom, he met her halfway. Either as desperate as she was or understanding her intense need, he picked her up, then backed her toward the closed bedroom door.

  By the time he’d taken the first step, she had her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. The next step had her back against the door and him ramming into her in a fast, solid stroke.

  “Oh, God. Yes.” This was exactly what she needed. Hard, fast, animalistic.

  His tongue plundered her mouth in a rapacious kiss as he drove into her in a relentless, pounding pace. She gripped his shoulders and dug her heels into the backs of his legs.

  In a matter of moments, the fireworks lit off in her stomach, then spread like wildfire throughout her body. She screamed his name, bit his shoulder, and rode out the storm.

  “God…” Gavin threw his head back and rammed into her so hard her teeth rattled. “…Damn.” He continued to pump into her, mumbling and cursing incoherently as his storm raged on, then peaked.

  Once it passed, he dropped his forehead to hers and, in a breathless burst, said, “I think I love you.”

  Overwhelmed by her own emotions, his declaration was more than she could handle. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so she wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face in his chest, and did both.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Gavin kicked the sheet off his feet and enjoyed the cool rush of air spreading across his heated skin. He had one arm wrapped around Sunny, the other flung over his head. They’d made love three times in the past hour, and it still wasn’t enough.

  He wondered if it would always be like this or if the constant, pulsating need would eventually cool. He could see it now: the middle of the day, the pier packed with people, and him sneaking across the yard for an afternoon quickie.

  Maybe he could convince Sunny to marry him. Then there wouldn’t be a need for anyone to sneak anywhere.

  A funny smell invaded his thoughts and had his nose twitching. It smelled like the Georgetown paper mill, but he couldn’t imagine the odor from that plant carried this far north. As the odor continued to grow stronger, he jiggled his arm to get Sunny’s attention. “Hey, you awake?”

  “Mmmm… hmmm…”

  “Is there a paper mill in Wilmington?” Damn, the stink was getting stronger by the minute. It smelled like rotten—

  “Fuck!” He jerked upright in the bed, snatching Sunny with him.

  “What’s wrong?” Her eyes were wild as she looked around, trying to figure out what caused his panic. “What’s the…” She sniffed and her eyes grew even wider.

  “Gas,” they yelled at the same time.

  Gavin didn’t know where the leak was coming from, but the odor was so strong it had to be somewhere in the building. The slightest spark would send the entire building up in an explosion, taking them with it.

  He rolled out of bed on one side, while Sunny fell out on the other. He jammed his legs into his pants and grabbed a shirt to take with him, and Sunny did the same. They ran barefoot down the hall, pulling on their shirts as they went.

  Sunny jerked to a stop and yelled, “Robby!” She turned to head back toward his room, but Gavin grabbed her hand.

  “He’s gone,” he said, dragging her behind him as he plowed through the kitchen.

  He yanked the kitchen door open, and they hit the steps running. He put his hand to the waistband of his pants and said a prayer of thanks when he found his cellphone still attached.

  “Sunny!” Robby’s panicked voice drifted up to them from around the building. As they hit the bottom step, Robby rounded the corner. When he saw Sunny and Gavin, his breath left in a burst. “Thank God you’re okay.”

  “Run to the far side of the parking lot and get behind Sunny’s car,” Gavin said while dialing 9-1-1. Neither he nor Sunny had shoes, so picking their way across the gravel driveway was slow going, even with the threat of an explosion propelling them along.

  As Gavin gave their address and the reason for the call to the emergency operator, he heard Robby say to Sunny, “I saw that truck. It was going across the bridge to the mainland as I was coming back this way. I tried to call and warn you, but my phone battery was dead.” Tears sprang to his eyes, and he turned away. As if his legs wouldn’t hold him anymore, he sank to the ground next to his truck.

  “Jesus, Sunny…” Robby rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands. “I thought you were dead.” He grabbed the ends of his hair between his fingers and pulled. “I thought you were both dead."

  It seemed to take every ounce of control he had to keep from falling to pieces in front of them, so Gavin walked away to give him some privacy. Gavin also needed a little space to glue his shit back together.

  He’d never been as scared as when he realized the rotten egg smell wasn’t a paper mill. He could never forgive himself if something happened to Sunny. Of course, he would’ve been dead, too, which would have totally sucked ass. But if something happened to her, he would've spent all eternity exacting revenge on Max.

  Gavin heard the sirens of the fire trucks at the same time the first wave of volunteer firefighters arrived. Within moments, the parking lot and street were filled with men and equipment, and the source of the leak was shut off.

  “What the hell, Sunny?” the fire chief asked as he approached, his face a mask of fury. “Someone tried to blow you up. Literally.”

  “Yeah, Gary,” Sunny said, running a hand over her forehead. “We figured that out.”

  “What was the incendiary device and why didn’t it work?” Gavin asked, wanting… no, needing answers. Since the building was a crime scene, the fire chief wouldn’t let them in until the sheriff’s crime scene unit processed everything.

  “A match stuck through a lit cigarette placed close to the open gas line.” He shook his head like he couldn’t believe it. “It looks like a leaky sink saved your ass. There’s two drops of water on the cigarette, just enough to keep it from burning down to the match and triggering the explosion.”

  Hearing the details sent a ball of fury ripping through Gavin. Trembling with the force of his anger, he stepped away from the noise and confusion, grabbed his phone, and dialed Max’s number. The ringing stopped on the fourth ring, but Max didn’t speak.

  “What’s the matter, Max? Afraid a ghost is calling you?”

  Max took a deep breath, then said, “After what you and my daughter did, I didn’t expect to hear from you again.”

  Gavin gripped the phone so hard the case cracked. “Really? Is that why you didn’t think you’d hear from me? Or was it because you sent someone to kill me and I should be dead by now?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Max’s voice was like cold steel edged with fear.

  As fucked up as it was, Gavin found himself almost feeling sorry for Max. It was entirely possible that after this all shook out, Max would lose everything he worked for his entire life. And, in the process, end up in prison a broken, lonely man.

  “Miguel Ortego. Does the name ring a bell?” He probably shouldn’t warn Max, but he couldn’t stop himself. “And before you lie to me… I have proof you called him last night. I know his job qualifications, and there’s a witness who can place him in Anticue tonight.” A slight exaggeration, but Gavin was confident the authorities would find enough evidence to tie Max to this attempted arson. Shit, attempted murder. “I thought you might want to warn Cynthia and Callie, so they aren’t caught off-guard when the police show up and haul your ass off to jail, you motherfucking, cocksucking son of a bitch.”

  He disconnected the call and turned to find Sunny behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, rested her cheek on his chest, and melted into him. “I’m so sorry. This is a million times worse than what Ed did, and that wasn’t even personal against me. I can’t imagine how much this must hurt.”

  Apparently she’d come to the same conclusion as him. While Max wouldn’t mind getting rid of Sunny, hi
s focus had switched from her to Gavin. With Gavin dead, the sale of the fishing pier would be dead, too. Callie would be stuck at home, and Max would have a clear road to proceed with his plans. At this point, Sunny and Robby would be collateral damage.

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close as possible. “I could care less about being betrayed.” That wasn’t exactly true. It did hurt that Max actually tried to kill him, but his biggest concern was Sunny. “Thank God you’re okay.”

  A shudder wracked his body, and his knees nearly buckled. “I’m calling my friend Marty and having him put twenty-four hour surveillance on you. I don’t think there'll be any more incidents, but I’m not taking any chances.”

  Speaking of taking chances… He needed to call Callie and warn her. He couldn’t imagine Max doing anything to harm a hair on her head, but he never would've believed Max capable of something like this, either. He couldn’t take the chance of leaving Callie in the dark and unprotected.

  Sunny nodded to the street and eased away from him. “I’m going to talk to the arson investigator. I’ll be over there if you need me.”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him for a kiss. “What I said earlier…” He drew in a shaky breath and continued. “I do love you, Sunny. There’s no maybes or I thinks about it… I love you.”

  She pressed her palm to his cheek and searched his face. With tears glistening in her eyes, she smiled and said, “I’m glad I’m not alone in this love thing. That was a scary place to be for a while.”

  She looked to the dark pier and her smile grew. “I’m really going to like having you for a neighbor.”

  “Me too.” He kissed the top of her head and grinned. “How do you feel about afternoon quickies?”

  Epilogue

  Gavin found it hard to believe the remnants of his entire career could be reduced to a shoebox, but as he placed the photo of his grandfather and the paperweight Callie had given him for Christmas into the box, he was forced to accept the depressing truth of his previous existence. With a deep breath, he took one last look around the office to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. Nope, sad as it was, he had it all.

  He tucked the box under his arm and turned toward the door, only to be stopped short by Callie, leaning against the doorjamb, tears spilling from her eyes, her bottom lip quivering.

  “I can’t believe you’re really leaving,” she said. She sucked in a ragged breath and wiped her eyes. “I feel like I’m living in a horrible nightmare and I just can’t wake up.”

  He leaned onto the corner of his desk and smiled. “You’ve had three months to get used to the idea of my leaving. Don’t tell me you thought I’d change my mind.”

  She shrugged a shoulder and pushed off the doorframe. “No, I knew you wouldn’t. But that didn’t keep me from living in denial about the whole thing.” She stopped a few feet in front of him and bit her lip, probably in an effort to stop the quivering.

  The pain and embarrassment she suffered over the past several months had been tremendous, and Gavin couldn’t be prouder of the way she handled herself. She surprised him by demonstrating a strength and determination he never would have believed possible.

  Having Max's picture—taken while wearing an ugly orange jumpsuit with a matching set of bracelets—plastered on the front page of all the major newspapers had only been the first layer of Callie’s humiliation.

  As the Holden name gathered more and more layers of shit, she had to face friends and enemies alike, all who now knew her as the daughter of a criminal. The rumors abounded for years, but now there was evidence to support those rumors, and almost everyone in her social circle turned on Callie.

  Jen and Tiffany, however, hadn’t blamed Callie for the sins of her father, and Gavin was pleasantly surprised by their loyalty. They stood by Callie through it all, usually with a pitcher of margaritas in hand, but that's okay. They were there, and that's all that mattered.

  “What am I going to do without you here?” Callie sobbed, losing the battle with her tears. “You’ve always been here for me, and now I’m going to be all alone.”

  Gavin reached out and pulled her into a hug. “I will always be here for you, Callie. Geography doesn’t change that. I’ve been living in Anticue for the past month and still managed to talk to you just about every day, didn't I?”

  She sniffed and nodded. “Yeah, but you won’t be here in the office. Your life is in Anticue now, and I’m afraid you’ll eventually fade away.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. Besides, I’ve signed on to be a consultant for the next six months. I won’t be here all the time, but I will be here some.”

  As far as they could tell, Max hadn’t done anything else as horrific as trying to blow someone up. But there was a lot of harassment and bullying in order to convince landowners to see things his way.

  Gavin didn’t know how Cynthia and Max’s marriage would shake out, but as far as Holden Enterprises went, Max was permanently out of picture. Regardless of the legalities, and whether or not he served jail time, he was still out of a job.

  Gavin agreed to step in as temporary CEO while Cynthia and the board of directors found a permanent replacement. The new CEO started two weeks ago, and Gavin was more than happy to turn things over and get on with his life in Anticue.

  Callie took a deep breath and eased out of Gavin’s embrace. “I expected you to be here all day. I was hoping we could have lunch.”

  He glanced at his watch, then eased off his desk. “Sorry, I can’t. I have a meeting with Kevin Mazze, the builder who’s going to help me with the renovations on the restaurant, in an hour and a half. Robby’s moving to ECU this weekend, and I also promised him and Sunny I’d be home early to help with that.”

  Callie took a step back and crossed her arms before averting her gaze.

  “Hey,” he said, touching her chin and turning her face so he could look her in the eyes. “I’m always a phone call away; you know that. And you and Jason are coming to Anticue next weekend, right?”

  She smiled and nodded. “We’ll be there.” Then she crinkled her nose and said, “I don’t have to go out onto the beach, though, right?”

  He laughed. A few remnants of the old Callie still lingered. “Nope, you don’t have to go out onto the beach.” He lifted the box and headed toward the door. “But be sure to wear some work clothes…” He turned to catch her shocked expression and added, “If you have any work clothes, that is. If not, wear something old that you don’t mind getting paint on. There’s a lot of work to be done.”

  “Wha…” Callie’s words died off as she yanked the strap of her purse higher on her shoulder and ran after him. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Gavin leaned into the push bar to open the stairwell door and winked. “See ya next weekend.”

  He left Callie standing at the top of the stairs, mouth hanging open, still trying to decide if he’d been teasing or not. As he jogged down the steps, he felt lighter than his mostly empty shoebox. Between getting the fishing pier ready to open and moving his grandfather to Anticue—something his Grandfather insisted on doing so he could be a part of reopening the pier—Gavin had more than a full workload ahead of him. But he’d never enjoyed life more, and the future had never been brighter than the one he and Sunny faced.

  Excerpt - Savin’ Me

  Book #1 in the Heat Wave series

  The Heat Wave series are loosely connected books that all take place in coastal locations, mostly in North and South Carolina. The characters in Book #1 are different than those in Book #2, but in Book #3 there will be a merging of the two that will continue throughout the series.

  Chapter One

  Oh man, not the strawberry… not the strawberry… Aw, shit.

  Erik Monteague clenched his jaw and steeled his defenses against the impending carnal assault. The laughing guests, jazz band, overflowing food tables—everything at the Sinclair Marketing Group open house faded into the woodwork as his field of vision narrowed down t
o ruby lips and the damn lucky strawberry about to be sucked into them.

  Her pink tongue flicked across full, luscious lips, then scooped a bead of chocolate from the bottom of the large, ripe fruit. She opened her mouth, slid the berry inside, and wrapped her lips around it.

  Good God Almighty. Erik shifted his stance and stifled a moan. “I can’t believe I’m jealous of a piece of fruit.”

  A familiar chuckle pierced his lust-filled haze, causing his pinpoint vision to snap back to wide-angle view. From the corner of his eye, he spotted his best friend, Steve Vex, making like a bartender, serving up a beer.

  “What’s up?” Steve asked, laughing.

  The smirk on Steve’s face proved the question was rhetorical, so rather than answering the jackass, Erik swiped one of the beers. “Perfect timing.”

  “Yeah, you looked like you might be overheating.” Steve tipped his bottle in her direction and hitched his chin. “I’ve never seen her before. Who is she?”

  Who is she?

  Erik stared at Steve for a moment, perplexed by the simple question. It shouldn’t have required much thought, but Erik, always a straight-shooting, tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy, found himself hedging.

  He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ward off the explosive memories of her and their night together.

  Her mouth—warm and slick—wrapped tightly around him…

  Her beneath him, bottom lip caught between her teeth in an effort to hold back her screams… Her mouth dropping open to gasp for air as she cried out her release…

  Him waking and reaching for her, only to find himself alone…

  He swallowed hard and scrubbed a hand down his face. “I don’t know who she is,” he said, somewhat truthfully. After all, just because you knew someone intimately didn’t mean you knew them.

  Steve quirked a pierced eyebrow. “Yeah, I think I’m going to have to call bullshit on that.”