Blazing Hotter (Love Under Fire Book 2) Read online

  “Good news,” Big Frank said, somewhat breaking Cassie’s tense mood. “I’ve found an easier way for Frankie to get around.”

  “What do you mean, Dad?” Frankie asked. “Cassie already bought me an electric wheelchair. Well, she and the guys, with help from the insurance company, bought it. Still, I can’t see what else could be helpful.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Big Frank’s eyebrows rose high, clearing up the crow’s feet around his eyes but causing deep furrows in his forehead. “And how, exactly, do you intend to fit that electric wheelchair in Cassie’s car? If you’re playing detective tomorrow and going to the shooting range, I imagine you’ll need a van with a wheelchair lift to make your life simple. Even if they happened to buy a foldable model, I don’t think Cassie could lift something like that by herself.”

  Cassie sucked in a long breath. She hadn’t considered that problem. True, the electric chair would help Frankie be more independent, but she hadn’t made a plan to get it from one place to another. “It’s isn’t collapsible,” she said. “Thayne wanted to get a heavy duty model, in the hopes it could handle rougher terrains and Frankie could go out with him more.”

  “Like to a beach,” Frankie muttered, his face falling with utter defeat written in the thin slash his mouth made.

  Unable to help herself, she patted his arm and then left her hand resting against his. “Their wedding plans aren’t your responsibility, Frankie. They want you there more than they want it on a beach.”

  “Maybe Thayne does,” Frankie agreed. “But I can’t imagine Laura even wants me to come. I nearly killed her fiancé and now she’s had to put everything on hold because of me.”

  And how long had that particular worry been eating away at Frankie? Cassie had no idea that was his concern.

  “I talk to Laura almost every day,” she said, pressing her hand into his cheek and forcing Frankie to look at her. “Laura is not angry with you. If anything, she’s relieved that Thayne can’t fight fires anymore and is back in the ambulance as a medic. She feels guilty for liking that, but it’s easier on her knowing Thayne will never again go into a burning building, leaving her all alone if he gets himself killed.”

  “But we could have died,” Frankie protested. “All because I thought I could be a hero and defied Thayne’s orders. The kids still died, Thayne was badly injured, and I’m...”

  He closed his eyes as the alternative to looking at her since Cassie still wouldn’t release his face, but she didn’t miss the shine of moisture in his eyes before he closed them.

  “You are a hero,” she whispered, hoping he could hear her sincerity. “No one holds you responsible and your friends all miss you. Not one of them is angry, least of all Laura.”

  Big Frank crossed the room, pulling out his chair and clapping a large hand against Frankie’s other shoulder. “Son, you did what any firefighter in your position would have. You saw the kids, and you tried to get them out. That’s the whole reason we become firemen, to save people. If Thayne had seen them first, he would have led the way to those kids. Don’t think for one second you did anything wrong.”

  After a few seconds of silence, Frankie heaved a loud sigh but nodded. “Thanks, guys. I’ll try to remember that when I start having bad thoughts. Sometimes, I think I deserve this for being such a punk. If Thayne had died along with the kids...” A shudder made his entire body tremble. “Things are bad enough as it is, but I could have never forgiven myself for that.”

  Cassie had seen Frankie angry, belligerent, uncooperative, and downright juvenile in the course of their association when he didn’t want to participate in his therapy. Never had she seen this side to him. His remorse and guilt were eating him alive. He seemed to honestly believe he deserved what happened to him because he made a mistake and didn’t follow orders.

  True, he was the type of man who propositioned exotic dancers and thought nothing of it before the accident, but that didn’t make him a bad person. She needed to speak with Laura. The sooner she could let her friend know about Frankie’s guilt, the sooner Laura could speak to him and help him see that she wasn’t angry and loved him like he was part of her family.

  After a few more moments of quiet, Big Frank leaned back in his chair, assuming a business-like posture. “Enough of this. The past is the past. Don’t you want to hear how I’m able to help your transportation issue?”

  Frankie cleared his throat before looking at his dad. “Sure. What’s the deal?”

  “I have a van coming here right now, complete with a wheelchair lift. Not to mention, my buddy’s bringing all the stuff he has around the house. There’s a shower chair, a raised toilet seat with handles around it, and even a desktop that is cut to fit across the arms of your wheelchair so you can carry things around with you more easily. I thought that might be a better way to keep the gun when you’re in the house, rather than trying to keep it in a holster.” Big Frank looked at Frankie’s hands and then shrugged. “It’ll be an issue enough pulling the trigger if you have to shoot it, let alone getting it out from around your waist.”

  “I don’t understand,” Frankie said. “Who’s bringing all this stuff, and why would they give it to me?”

  “Well, he’s not exactly giving it to us.” Big Frank grinned. “But three thousand dollars for all of that seems like a good deal. I’m sure the lift on the van is worth more than that.”

  Frankie shook his head. “No. Call him back. I don’t have that kind of money.”

  “But I do,” his dad insisted. “Your mom and I had a fund we’ve been putting money into for the last ten years, saving up to go on a great vacation for our fortieth wedding anniversary. She agrees we should use part of the money to buy you this van.”

  Cassie held her breath, watching Frankie closely. How would he react to that news? It was bad enough for him to think of his parents divorcing. Now, they were divvying up their anniversary fund and buying him a car. That couldn’t feel good.

  Frankie’s upper lip curled slightly, but he gave no other outward sign of his discomfort. “You’re sure this is what you want to do with that money?”

  Big Frank nodded. “To be fair, we’re giving your sister three thousand as well to help pay down some bills, and then Mom and I are splitting the rest in the divorce settlement. We’ve been talking about what to do with that money, and when Chief Sterling over at your old station told me about the chair, Mom and I agreed you needed the van.”

  It sounded like a good deal to Cassie. True, Frankie would never be able to drive it himself, but whether he was with her, Thayne, or someone else, it would make his life easier. He could go wherever he wanted to now, pain free because he would no longer have to step out of his wheelchair to get into a vehicle.

  “Why does your friend have this stuff?” she asked.

  “It was for his mom,” Big Frank explained. “Unfortunately, she passed away a few months ago, and he hasn’t known what to do with it. He’s more than happy to help my family.”

  “Sounds like we lucked out.” Cassie squeezed Frankie’s forearm. “This is a good thing.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “It’ll be easier to take care of the cripple now.”

  ***

  Frankie was grateful when his dad finally left. The white van his friend brought over wasn’t stylish by any means, but serviceable and in good shape. Frankie hated to be bitter about the entire situation, but at odd moments it felt like he’d never get his life back. The van was just another reminder that he would always be dependent on others to get him places.

  Cassie was right, though. It was a good thing. When his power chair came in tomorrow, they could pick it and travel with ease using the van. The real reason Frankie had stayed in the car earlier while Cassie talked to the florist was he knew getting in and out would be a pain. With the van, he would no longer sit on the sidelines, letting Cassie do everything.

  Speaking of Cassie... Frankie tried not to stare, but she sure looked sexy in her skimpy black tank top and short gray fabric short
s she wore as pajamas. She sat on the bed next to him, rubbing blueberry-scented lotion into her sexy-as-sin legs. Frankie was afraid his father didn’t quite know what he was talking about when he claimed the two of them should share the bed.

  True, from a logistical standpoint it made sense. They could both be comfortable through the night. If an intruder broke in they would be together to handle it. Plus, Frankie’s gun was on the bedside table within easy access of his left hand. However, he worried how difficult it was going to be to fall asleep sporting a raging hard on.

  As though she sensed him watching, Cassie glanced over. “Everything okay? Are you uncomfortable? Do you need me to reposition your back or anything?”

  Frankie shook his head, hoping she wouldn’t notice his cotton pajama bottoms now sported a tent. “I’m good, but maybe I should turn on my side to face the door. Keep applying your lotion. I can turn over by myself.”

  Not only would that put him in a better position to see if anyone entered the room, he would be able to face away from her and thus save himself any embarrassment. Maybe it would even give him the ability to regain control of his desperate horniness.

  “It was nice of your dad to get two television screens,” she said, the scent of blueberries still wafting from her side of the bed as the continued rocking motion let him know she’d resumed moisturizing. “I like that there’s one in the living room, especially for the front door camera, but I love that he set the bigger TV up in here. If we hear any noises in the night, we don’t have to leave the safety of the room to check it out.”

  “Yeah. He’s a regular Santa Claus today.” Frankie tried not to let his frustration come out in his voice, but it was hard to stay calm about the situation. “I wonder if he took money from Mom’s anniversary trip fund to pay for those too?”

  Cassie let out an audible sigh, and then the warmth of her body pressed against his back and her arm circled around his chest. “I knew you were upset about the money. Want to talk about it?”

  “Not really.” The bigger problem was her touching him at the moment. Shit, it’d been a long time since he had a woman’s body close to his. The fact that it was Cassie’s sexy curves made the situation more exciting but also more difficult.

  Her hand rubbed against his pecs, making the blueberry scent intensify. “It’s not entirely the money, I’m sure. It’s probably hard to think about your parents splitting up, but sometimes it really is for the best. They both seem to be moving on, and your dad looks happy. I bet it’s the same for your mom. When my parents split, I thought the world would end, but the man my mom found now is her true soul mate. Maybe it’ll be the same for your folks.”

  “I said I don’t want to talk about it.”

  He was glad things worked out for her mom, but his mom was such a fragile person. If she’d lost her faith in God to the point she was willing to defy what she believed His laws to be and actually get a divorce, Frankie could only imagine what sort of mess she’d get herself into. All because he was a horrible son, getting himself injured and not working hard enough to get better. Now, she felt abandoned by her god. At least, that was Frankie’s assumption. There was no other answer. Someone didn’t suddenly turn away from everything they believed in for no reason.

  Then again, his mom hadn’t answered her phone when he tried to call, so maybe she was out with the new boyfriend, sinning away but finding happiness. He hoped so.

  Maybe it wasn’t Cassie’s intention, but thinking about his mom helped shut down his overactive libido. That was one good thing about his parents’ divorce. It was hard to get excited by Cassie’s innocent touches while picturing his mom.

  Despite the gravity of his parents’ situation, that made him chuckle. Thinking of a mom could always kill an erection.

  “What’s funny?” Cassie asked, sounding totally lost. She laid her cheek against his, and suddenly his mom was the last thing on his mind. “Sometimes you’re a mystery, Mr. Hernandez. You have more mood changes than anyone I know.”

  Yep, he definitely wasn’t going to survive this night. Being strictly friends with the most wonderful woman he knew wasn’t working for him.

  “If you want to know the truth,” he said, tilting his head so that his lips nearly brushed her cheek, “I’m thinking how nice it would be to kiss you.”

  Cassie pulled her head back slightly, though she didn’t stop cuddling against his back or take her hand from his chest. “I told you, Frank, we’re just friends.”

  “Are we?” He reached back, running his thumb against Cassie’s lower lip. Although scar tissue diminished the sensation in his fingers, he tenderly traced the pink skin, gratified when she didn’t pull away.

  The tremble that transferred from her body to his told him that she wasn’t immune to the heat building between them.

  Her lips puckered slightly, whispering a kiss across the pad of his thumb. Unfortunately, she pulled completely away before Frankie could do anything more. “Let’s not complicate this, okay?” she said, moving to her side of the bed. “We have a lot to worry about right now without us... Well, you know, kissing or even something more.”

  It was hard to be disappointed when she so obviously felt something for him. He’d let it go for now, but once they caught the asshole trying to scare her all bets were off.

  “You’re right,” he said. “We have a big day tomorrow and better get to sleep.”

  “I’ll sleep on the floor,” she said, picking up her pillow.

  “Afraid I’ll jump you in the middle of the night?” Frankie shifted around and winked. “Though it sounds like a great idea, I’m sorry to disappoint you, beautiful lady. I’m sore and tired after doing so much today. I doubt I could hug you, let alone what I’d really like to do.”

  She arched a single eyebrow. “But what if I jump you?”

  Frankie chuckled. “That would be good news for me, so I think I’ll take my chances. No sleeping on the floor.”

  “Fine, but any funny business and I’m moving.”

  He shrugged. “I won’t do a thing, but you can’t blame me if you have no self-control.”

  She smiled before turning to flip the switch on her bedside lamp. After settling into the bed, her hand once again found its way to his side and she caressed his hip. “Have I told you how happy I am that you’re here?”

  He covered her hand in his. “Me too. You can always count on me, Cassie.”

  Chapter Eight

  Frankie sat in Cassie’s living room, dressed and ready for the day with his wheelchair parked in front of her television. The noise of the shower penetrated through the wall, and Frankie couldn’t help but think how nice it would be to stay in an arrangement like this. Having Cassie help him to the shower chair this morning and then her assistance in getting him dressed had been a whole lot more exciting than one of the orderlies at the rehab center.

  Of course, she couldn’t miss the way his body reacted to her, but Cassie had merely tried to hide the hint of a smile that snuck across her face and continued the process of dressing him. It was further reassurance that she saw him as a man, not a patient or a cripple. If he were honest with himself, it was the first time in a long time he’d thought of himself that way too.

  Grabbing the remote off the wheelchair tabletop that Cassie had set across the arms of his chair, Frankie browsed through the channels until finding the local news loop. It was at the end of the recorded segment, telling some story about stray animals, but it would start back over soon and Frankie could listen to the top stories. Since the accident, watching the news had become an important part of his life.

  Just as the shower water turned off, music to cue the start of the news program filled the small living room.

  “Good morning, Sayle, Washington,” said the female news anchor, looking grim. “Our top story today is still developing. A body was discovered at Kendall Park by a city employee at five-thirty this morning. The police department isn’t providing many details yet, but eyewitnesses say the victi
m is a blond female in her late twenties.”

  A cold spurt of adrenaline surged down Frankie’s veins as the image on the television changed from the news anchor to a shot of the park. With the word “Live” printed in the corner of the screen, the camera operator focused on a reporter on the scene.

  “After the two recent murders over the past week,” the male said into the camera, looking a bit more excited than he should, “police were shocked today to get called to a third body. Jerry Rider, the city employee who found the body, confirms the victim was similar in appearance to the prior women. At this time, we’re still awaiting an official statement from the police themselves, but we’ll keep you updated as the story unfolds.”

  The television returned to the woman at the news station. “Thank you, Mike. This is troubling news for all of us.”

  The camera switched angles and the news anchor focused on the new one. “In other news, the local food shelter is asking for your help.”

  Frankie punched the power button with his index finger. If they had anything new to report, they wouldn’t have rerun the same program. A third victim wasn’t something to ignore. Three bodies in less than two weeks seemed like a killer out of control. What if that person was the one who sent the flowers to Cassie? Frankie knew she was afraid the cops wouldn’t believe her, given her history with that doctor, but it seemed reckless not to at least report the threat.

  A creaking door alerted Frankie to Cassie’s exit from the bathroom, and he craned his neck, half hoping to see as much of her body as she was able to see of his.

  Unfortunately, she was fully dressed, running a towel through her short blond hair as she entered the living room, a wide smile across her face. “Good news! The company delivering your wheelchair just called. They were headed to the rehab center but agreed to come here instead. They should be here in a few minutes. I guess there’s a tutorial process they like to go over with new patients, so they didn’t want to just drop it off. You’ll be moving along better soon!”