Summer Heat (Wyoming Fever Book 2)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  “Of course not!” she replied, quickly. She even stepped closer, but realized what she was doing and stepped back again.

  “What are you afraid of then?” he asked, but didn’t wait around for her answer. He nudged her elbow higher as he took the cap off of the antibiotic ointment. When he squeezed some onto his finger, he waited. But she didn’t answer him.

  “I’m waiting, Sage,” he warned, lightly dabbing the ointment onto the scrape.

  She hissed and flinched away.

  “Am I hurting you?” he asked, noticing the heightened color in her cheeks. And her irises were larger.

  “No. But…” she stepped back again. “I can’t do it.”

  He looked at her curiously. “Can’t do what?”

  She stared up at him, those big, green eyes fringed by the long lashes…and he was lost. Lost in those green depths, in the trembling of her lips and that lush mouth.

  “Sage?” he prompted, feeling the need to just lean down and kiss her. To feel those soft lips against his, to taste her and finally find out what it would feel like to have her soft curves pressed against his body.

  “I’m fine,” she whispered and rushed out of the bathroom.

  When Arik stepped out of the bathroom as well, he found her standing in the hallway, one hand pressed against the wall as she breathed deeply, her eyes closed.

  Interesting, he thought.

  But he wasn’t going to act on that silent signal unless she gave him a more obvious sign that she was interested. He wasn’t the kind of man who would pressure a woman.

  “Here,” he said, handing her the tube of antibiotic cream. “Be sure to put this on several times a day. I don’t like the look of that scrape.” He stepped around her, heading back into the main room. “I’ll go rescue your vacuum cleaner, then I’ll get out of your hair.”

  “Arik?” she called out, stopping his momentum.

  He turned, then watched as her hands fluttered slightly. Relenting, he turned to fully face her. “What’s up, honey?” he prompted, seeing the indecision in her eyes.

  She shrugged with one shoulder and he could tell that she was about to ask him something important, but she wanted it to come off as casual.

  “I was just…wondering…if maybe you…I don’t know,” she sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. She stared down at her pink boots for a moment, then took a deep breath and continued. “Would you like to stay for dinner? I mean…I could order a pizza. I know I’m not a very good cook. I’m trying. And I know that you eat everything just because you’re really nice. So, I won’t cook. If you’d like to stay, I’d order pizza and…well, we could just…watch a movie?”

  “I could eat pizza,” he replied. “Depends on the movie.”

  She seemed…relieved, he thought. Relieved about what? First a trembling response to his nearness, and now an almost desperate plea for him to stay? Part of that was sexual, it had to be. The other part…it wasn’t sexual. She was hiding something. Something important.

  Something that scared her.

  Damn it, she was hiding something!

  “What kind of movie do you prefer?”

  He chuckled. “How about a mystery?” he offered, just to see her reaction.

  She did more of that lip biting thing and he almost groaned as yet another stab of lust hit him.

  “What if I looked for a comedy? Or an action movie? Isn’t there another one of those car chase movies out now?”

  He suspected that she was talking about the “Fast and Furious” series, but he doubted she was truly interested in those films. Which reinforced his suspicion that something was going on. Something that she didn’t want to tell him about, but that terrified the bejeezus out of her.

  “Yeah. We could watch one of those if you’d like.”

  He moved a bit closer and watched her blush again. Damn, he’d definitely been missing something here. But still, she was scared. Better to figure out the mystery now, then work on the other issue later.

  “How about if we find a comedy to watch?” he offered.

  She smiled slightly, then nodded. “That could be fun.”

  He nodded and backed away while she moved into the family room, glancing over her shoulder. To make sure he followed? Or to make sure he wasn’t too close? Both?

  “Why don’t you relax and I’ll order the pizza?” she offered. “What toppings do you like?”

  “I’m an extra cheese and sausage kinda guy. But I like just about everything,” he replied. He watched as she sat at her computer and started typing. A moment later, she stopped and peered out the windows. The sky had darkened over the past twenty minutes and she nervously went to the windows to pull the blinds. What the hell was going on?

  “How about if I go rescue your vacuum cleaner, then lock up my car?” He moved towards the front door and called out. “I’ll be right back.”

  Arik picked up the vacuum cleaner and set it inside the door. Looking around, he waited, listening. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was listening for, but he paused, his instincts whispering a vague warning.

  Why was Sage so nervous? When she’d first moved here, she’d been fearless! She’d been so outrageously adventurous, daring, and crazy in love with the freedom the open skies and wide open spaces that Wyoming offered. Arik had watched her, noticed her lifting her beautiful face up to the sunshine and smiling. Just…smiling! It had been stunning!

  She was still beautiful, but there was something going on. He could feel it in his bones. After years in the military and then on the police force, Arik had learned to trust his instincts. It had saved his life too many times.

  And right now, his instincts were screaming that something was very, very wrong.

  He just had to figure out what that was. Because he knew that Sage wouldn’t tell him. At least, not until she learned to trust him.

  Arik walked around the perimeter of her house, looking off in the distance as well as the house. She had all of the blinds and curtains tightly closed. There was very little light filtering through. But he noticed that she’d installed several security lights that were motion activated. He pulled his phone out and texted her, letting her know that he was out here checking things out and not to be worried when the lights came on. Her response was immediate and he could almost feel the relief in her words.

  Which meant that someone else had been out here on other nights. Someone else had triggered the motion sensors, causing the lights to come on.

  And someone had put a scorpion in her house.

  Who the hell was messing with Sage?!

  Chapter 2

  Sage woke up as the ending credits to the movie began to roll, looking around as she clutched the throw pillow against her stomach. When she spotted Arik watching her, she forced herself to relax. He was still here! She was still safe!

  Relaxing slightly, she blinked, trying to focus. “That was a great movie,” she said, smothering a yawn. “Want to watch another?”

  He leaned forward and really looked at her. The dark circles hadn’t abated; she’d only slept for about an hour. “You look worn out. Why don’t I…?”

  Her face paled and she glanced quickly out the window. It was only a flash, but Arik caught the glance.

  Sage forced her mind to start working properly. “Right. You need to head home.” She stood up and clasped her hands together, refusing to give in to the fear of staying out here alone again tonight. The sounds she’d heard all week…they were probably nothing. Nothing at all. Just her imagination.

  Besides, Arik had been very sweet to sit on the sofa several feet away from her. The extra space had allowed her to relax, a difficult challenge when a man like Arik was nearby. He was just so…big and powerful!

  “You know,” he said casually, standing up and yawning, “it’s an awfully long drive back into town. You have a spare bedroom. Any chance I could crash here tonight?” he asked. “I promise I won’t bother you.”

  Stay the night? Have his big muscles and reassuring pr
esence here all night?

  Yeah, she’d love that!

  “Absolutely!” she gushed. Was that reaction too obvious? “I mean,” she reigned in her enthusiasm, “if you’d like. I hate to think of you driving those dark roads at night. It’s…dangerous.”

  He stepped closer and, with him standing so near, she completely forgot about all of those scary night sounds. It was just him and her. His breath and the heat of his body, her breathing and..!

  “Yeah. It’s pretty dangerous out there.” He moved even closer and she hoped he couldn’t see the pulse pounding at the base of her throat. He wanted to kiss her. She could see it glowing in his eyes. And at this moment, all of her goals of being man-free shattered into dust.

  But maybe if he was here…maybe she could sleep. Or worst case, he would hear the strange sounds tonight and that would prove she wasn’t insane! Yes, she wanted Arik to stay. Her lack of desire to rely on a big, strong, tough man was wiped out in the face of sleep deprivation and bone deep fear.

  Arik watched the emotions echo through her eyes. He caught the hesitance in accepting his offer and knew it was because she wanted to be strong. And then he saw the acceptance of his presence. Or maybe, she just wanted another person who knew how to fire a gun. He wasn’t sure. The only thing he was absolutely sure of was that he wanted to kiss her. Hell, he wanted to pull her into his arms and make love to her. And he also wanted to protect her from whatever it was that made her chew her lip like that.

  Tonight, he wanted her to get a good night’s sleep. They could talk about it in the morning when she was rested and maybe she’d tell him what was actually going on.

  “Why don’t you show me your spare bedroom?” he suggested.

  She nodded in a jerky manner, then led the way up the stairs. He liked the way she decorated her house. It was cozy and colorful. He’d gone out and gotten a couple of leather chairs and a leather sofa, the biggest television he could find, and…well, a grill. Oh, and kitchen gadgets because he liked to cook. Nothing fancy, but cooking was a good way to let his mind mull over a case, to let the facts simmer as he cut, chopped, and stirred. The movement of his hands and the preoccupation of part of his mind on a different task allowed him to think more clearly. It didn’t sound logical, but it worked every time. Besides, he enjoyed cooking. Mostly because he loved eating, but he also loved the science behind cooking.

  He also loved her ass! Arik followed her up the stairs, her cute butt right in front of him as she led the way. His palms itched just thinking about what it would be like to hold that ass in his hands, to feel her tremble as he pleasured her.

  When he groaned, Sage turned around, her eyes curious.

  “Sorry, I was just…thinking about something,” he explained. But when her eyes clouded with worry, he shook his head. “It’s nothing. I’m just worn out,” he fibbed, not wanting her to think that he needed to get home. Hell, she was letting him stay the night! Not in the bed he wanted to be in, but at this point, Arik didn’t care. He liked her. Sage was pretty, sexy, and round in all the right places, and also a really great person.

  Unfortunately, that wasn’t something he could say about the women he’d dated in the past. Not that they were mean. He simply hadn’t taken the time to really get to know any of them. They’d been fun in bed, but other than a good time, he hadn’t really been interested in getting to know them.

  Which, now that he thought about it, was a really bad character trait. He was kind of a prick.

  “Is this okay?” she asked, pushing open the door to the second bedroom. “It’s a bit…” she bit her lip, waving her hands around in a fluttery way before she finished with, “girly, I suppose. But I really loved that shade of green and I found this old bed frame at a yard sale a few weeks ago. It has beautiful lines, but the finish was all scratched up and messy, so I just…”

  He glanced down at her, his eyebrows lifted in question. “You what?”

  She waved a hand dismissively. “Sorry. I ramble when I’m nervous and…”

  “Why are you nervous?”

  Sage sighed, tucking her curly, blond hair behind her ear and looked down at the floor, the middle of his chest, the bed…anywhere but into his eyes.

  “You’re…” she paused, choosing her words with care, “a very handsome man, Arik.” She rolled her eyes, shifting on her feet. “But you know that. Of course you know that you’re gorgeously hot.” She tugged her ear, toying with her earring. “I’m sure that women throw themselves at you all the time.”

  “Not all the women,” he replied, his voice husky. She thought he was hot? That was definitely progress!

  She stopped rambling, her lips forming an “O”, her eyes wide with surprise. After a long moment where he could have sworn he could feel her heart pounding, she pulled herself together.

  “Right. We’ll…I’m not sure…I should just…” she blinked and stopped again. She pressed her lips together, glanced over at the bed and then, involuntarily, her feet backed up again. “There are clean sheets on the bed and clean towels in the bathroom. And new toothbrushes in the cabinet. Help yourself to whatever you need.” She bowed her head and stepped out of the room. “Sleep well.”

  A moment later, she disappeared into her own bedroom, which was right next to the guest room. The bathroom was right across the hall from his door and he sighed as he stepped into it. For a long moment, he stared at his reflection in the mirror, his body throbbing with desire, but also an almost painful need to simply pull her into his arms and reassure her, tell her that he would fight whatever monsters were haunting her.

  Unfortunately, Sage wanted to fight those monsters herself! Damn it, that was his job! He couldn’t sit down and write a novel like Sage could! He didn’t know how! He wasn’t even slightly interested in writing a freaking book! He left the writing to the authors, the experts who knew how to weave a tale and keep someone’s attention! Arik knew how to solve mysteries! He was an expert at finding bad guys and making sure that people weren’t hurt! So, why the hell wouldn’t Sage let him do his job?!

  Every instinct screamed to go into her bedroom and demand answers. And yet, those same instincts warned him to let her do this her own way, in her own time. So, the only thing he could really do was to stay close and make sure that he was near when she needed him.

  He washed his face, found a toothbrush in the cabinet and glared at it. Why the hell did she have spare toothbrushes?! A jealous haze settled over him as he brushed his teeth. When he was finished, he went back into the bedroom and, as quietly as his jealousy would allow, closed the door and stripped off his clothes. Automatically, he set his gun on the bedside table and slipped between the cool, soft sheets. They were actually pretty nice sheets, he thought, staring up at the ceiling.

  The moon was bright tonight and it lit up the room. He thought about getting up to close the blinds, but he was too irritated.

  Sage kept spare toothbrushes! Why the hell did she have spare toothbrushes?

  Chapter 3

  Sage woke up the following morning feeling…alive! Alive and well rested! She hadn’t slept this well in…too long! There hadn’t been any noises last night. Or if there had been noises, she hadn’t noticed them.

  Was it just the fact that Arik had been less than twenty feet from her with his big, strong body and intimidating glare? Or had the person who had been tormenting her noticed his enormous pickup truck in the driveway and left her alone?

  She wasn’t even sure if it was a ‘someone’. The subtle changes from night to morning were small. Too often, she wondered if she’d just forgotten that she’d moved a potted plant or that maybe an animal had stepped on her flowers. The scorpion yesterday…that had been terrifying! But she lived in a different environment now. This wasn’t New York City and she didn’t live on the tenth floor of a brick apartment building. The worst she’d seen while living there had been rats. And yeah, those had been some huge rats! They’d probably been the rats that ate the alligators in the sewer system.
>
  So, maybe the scorpion was just…normal?

  Stretching, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and smiled at the beautiful sunshine streaming in through the windows. It was going to be a beautiful day! And not just that, because she’d actually gotten a full night’s rest, she could be productive today!! What a thrill!

  She stepped into her own bathroom and chuckled at her crazy hair and lack of makeup, relieved that Arik hadn’t seen her like this.

  Pulling off her pajamas, she stepped into the shower, closing her eyes as the warmth seeped into her bones.

  Twenty minutes later, she stepped out of her bedroom, feeling much better, and almost danced to the kitchen, her nose leading the way as she realized that there was a wonderful smell coming from the kitchen. Had Jade come over early?

  But she stopped in the doorway when she spotted Arik. He was freshly showered and almost naked! Okay, not naked, but he’d only pulled on his jeans, leaving the rest of his magnificent body bare. She drank in the rippling muscles along his back and his arms as he puttered at the stove. Her eyes moved lower, her mouth watering at his tight butt, long legs, and…bare feet. Goodness, he had sexy feet!

  Sexy feet? Mentally, Sage chided herself. The guy didn’t have a shirt on and his feet were what she thought was sexy? The reality was that the whole freaking package was sexy!

  “Have a seat,” he called over his shoulder.

  Sage jerked her gaze away from his…uh, feet…and looked up at him. His back was still to her at the moment, so how had he known she was here?

  “Breakfast is almost ready. I raided your fridge. I hope you didn’t have plans for any of the ingredients. If so, I’ll hit the grocery store and replace everything.”

  He turned slightly, sliding an enormous omelet onto a plate. He nodded towards her sun-drenched dining area. “Sit down. I’ll bring this to you.”

  Suddenly shy, she padded over to the table, realizing that she hadn’t thought to put shoes on either.