Blazing Hotter (Love Under Fire Book 2) (23 page)

Not that he was ready to believe Sandy was innocent, not until Detective Rogers cleared her.

Rose made a noise of disapproval and rolled her eyes at the other nurse before focusing on Frankie again. “I’ll see you around. Good luck with the job interview and watch out for yourself.” She glared back at Sandy again before turning and marching down the hallway, likely upset with the younger nurse’s lack of professionalism.

If only Rose understood how much worse things with Sandy were than being unprofessional.

He bumped the joystick on the wheelchair to turn it sideways, pointing toward the door. “I’ll keep in touch, Sandy,” he said, “but I need to go now before my dad leaves me and I miss the chance at a job.”

***

L
ater that night Cassie snuggled against Frankie, curling her leg between his as deep relaxation took over. “I know you once worried about how you’d perform in the bedroom, but trust me when I say you have nothing to worry about.”

Frankie chuckled. “You aren’t sorry that we’ll never be able to do it in the regular missionary style?”

Thinking about the multiple orgasms he’d favored her with tonight, Cassie shook her head. “Definitely not. That position is boring, and the two of us together are anything but boring.”

“Agreed.”

“I can’t believe your dad got you a job interview.” Cassie’s mind was still blown about that. “Especially without talking to you about it first.”

He shrugged. “A week ago, I wouldn’t have gone if he’d asked first. Besides, it was just an interview, and the position doesn’t open up for three months.”

“But that’s perfect,” Cassie said, wanting Frankie to get excited about the possibility of working again. She had a suspicion that he was afraid to hope, just in case it didn’t happen, but right now hope was worth a whole lot. “You can get the amputation done when we come back from the island, and you’ll be healed before you start working.”

“If they hire me,” he said. “Don’t put the cart before the horse.”

“Why wouldn’t they want you?” Cassie asked, refusing to let him give up on himself so easily. “It’s a dispatcher job. Who knows more about helping people in need and sending out the right emergency services than you do? You were a fireman for goodness’ sake.”

To her relief, Frankie nodded. “That’s true. I’m qualified. Plus, their computer system is set up with voice command software, so the fact that I could only type with one hand wouldn’t slow me down that much. The supervisor over there was receptive to the idea and seemed excited they’d finally get better use out of expensive software since no one else likes it.”

“How did your dad even know about the position? It sounds like the perfect job for you, but I’m sure they didn’t advertise in the newspaper that they have voice recognition software.”

“No, they didn’t.” Frankie’s hand circled around her, cupping her against him. “I might have been too hasty to judge my dad’s new girlfriend when I decided that I didn’t like her without meeting her. She works in the mayor’s office and found out about the job. I guess she talked to the supervisor over there before mentioning it to my dad, and she put in a good word for me.”

“But then you’re sure to get the position!” Cassie couldn’t help but be happy. If Frankie had a job again, he’d be that much closer to being the man he used to be. That much closer to being able to really judge whether he wanted her because he loved her, or if she was a stepping stone on his way to something greater.

As much as she feared it might be the former, she’d rather he find out and get his life back, rather than continuing to think of himself as a crippled person just so she didn’t lose him.

“We’d better enjoy this vacation Thayne and Laura are giving us,” she said, hugging him tightly. “Things could change quickly once we get home.”

“Some things will never change,” Frankie whispered into the dimly lit room. “I’ll always love you.”

“A
nd do you Laura Lyon take this man to be your husband?” the wedding official asked.

“I do.” Laura’s eyes glowed with happiness as she stared at Thayne.

Frankie couldn’t help looking past them toward Cassie.

The warm breeze hitting them off the ocean blew her tightly curled hair across her face and made the gauzy peach dress she wore flutter like butterfly wings around her body.

The bride might be beautiful with a smile that rivaled the brightness of the sun itself, but she had nothing on his woman. The men and women had separated the last few days, and being absent from Cassie only made Frankie realize how much he really cared for her. He couldn’t wait to have her back in his bed tonight.

Before Frankie realized what was going on, lost as he was staring at Cassie, Thayne and Laura kissed and the wedding was over. The restaurant’s patrons, who had stopped eating their meals and become bonus guests to the festivities, broke into applause.

Cassie wrapped Laura into a big hug at the same time as Thayne turned toward his best man.

Thayne’s smile was every bit as wide as Laura’s. “I did it, bro. She’s my wife.”

Frankie clapped him on the shoulder in congratulations. “Who would have thought giving her homemade chicken and saving her kitten was all it took to make her fall in love?”

“That and a whole lot of persistence,” Thayne pointed out.

Frankie nodded. “Let’s just hope persistence wins out for me as well.”

“It will,” Thayne said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to thank your girlfriend for being the maid of honor and then whisk my wife off to our honeymoon hideaway.”

“Go for it,” Frankie said. “And enjoy your night. We won’t worry if we don’t hear from you for a few days.”

Laura approached Frankie with open arms, but her smile shifted to a frown and she stopped before hugging him. “You okay? You’re sweating. I think you need to sit down.”

Frankie shook his head. “I wanted to stand up for you and Thayne, literally. Don’t worry. I’m okay, my legs are just a bit tired. Congratulations, beautiful.”

A pretty blush spread up Laura’s cheeks and she launched herself into him with a tight hug, her puffy veil swirling around them both. “I’m so happy you were here, Frank. I can’t tell you what this means to me and Thayne both.”

He nodded but then made a shooing motion. “This is your day to celebrate. I’m glad I could attend, but I’m not the big story. Get out of here. I don’t want to see either one of you for a while.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Laura winked before turning to take her husband’s arm and walking across the wooden platform of the restaurant to exit onto the beach.

“Okay, they’re gone,” Cassie said, stepping across to him and pushing the control on his chair. “Sit. This has all been too much on you.”

“I’m fine,” he protested, though his legs would have wept with relief if they were able to as the pressure came off them.

“You aren’t fine. I heard about you and Thayne dancing with all the pretty girls at that beach party last night, and you still look a bit hung over. You’ve been overdoing things.”

“Who knew this chair could handle the sand as long as it was packed down?” Frankie laughed. “For the record, we didn’t dance with all the pretty girls. You and Laura weren’t there.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Cheesy.”

“But true.”

It was her turn to laugh. “Come on. Let’s get out of here so the waiters can put the tables back in order. Housekeeping was supposed to move Thayne’s stuff into Laura’s room and put my stuff in yours now that the bride and groom can sleep together. Let’s get to our home away from home.”

“They were so silly about not spending the last few days together. I had no clue we were coming to a paradise island only to be separated.”

Cassie shrugged, leading the way to the exit ramp. “Spending time away from each other helped them realize what they were getting today. They wanted tonight to be extra special.”

“It’s extra special for us too,” Frankie pointed out. “These last three days have been torture.”

“Torture, huh?” Cassie laughed. “I have to admit that you look hot in that tux, but let’s get back to the room and see how hot you are without it.”

***

A
fter a round of lovemaking and a nap, Cassie decided to test out the jetted tub in their private bungalow. Laura had kept her so busy with shopping at the island’s boutique stores, spa visits, surf lessons, and late nights talking about what she hoped the future would hold that Cassie hadn’t had a chance to relax since reaching the island.

However, keeping so busy had also kept her from worrying what might be going on back home with the murder investigation. Detective Rogers had promised to call her if they made an arrest, and so far the hotel room phone had yet to ring.

She lay back in the warm water, struggling to loosen tense muscles. Apparently it was impossible to relax even when she was an ocean away from the person trying to kill her.

As though her thoughts had summoned a call, the loud peal of a landline telephone spread throughout the bungalow. Cassie remembered a phone beside the bed as well as out in the living room. Frankie should be able to reach it, but she didn’t want to take any chances.

Rising from the water, Cassie wrapped one of the fluffy McCallister Paradise robes around her body and raced for the bedroom, sliding on the wet tiles beneath her feet.

Frankie had managed to roll over and answer the phone but had his back turned to her.

Cassie hurried toward him, wanting him to know she needed to talk to Rogers herself.

“Hey, Mom,” Frankie said. “I’m glad to hear your voice. I thought you’d never call back. Dad must have told you how to reach me?”

Cassie stopped at the end of the bed, trying not to feel defeated. Would Rogers ever call? They had to leave the island in a few more days, and Cassie didn’t know where she would go if they still hadn’t caught the killer.

Not knowing what else to do as Frankie chatted with his mother, she returned to the bathroom and slipped into the lavender-scented water.

She needed to calm down. The more she worried over something she had no control over, the more insane she would be. Rogers had everything under control. It was Cassie’s job to relax and enjoy her time on the island with her best friends.

She drifted into a trance-like state as the warm water soothed her, finally settling down, so it was a shock when the bathroom door flung open and Frankie came wheeling through.

Startled, she sat upright, gasping for breath.

“Now that’s something I like to see,” Frankie teased. “Flushed from the heat of your bath and breathing heavy. Not to mention you’re all wet.”

As her heart rate slowed, Cassie wrinkled her nose. “I’m sure you aren’t ready to do anything else to get me hot and heavy or wet, so you’ll have to be content just looking.”

“Looking works for me.”

“You seem happy,” Cassie noted, opening the drain in the tub before standing up and reaching for a dry towel. “How’s your mom?”

“She’s good. I thought the conversation would be awkward, but she’s happy about my job interview and thinks I’m on the right track. I actually think she’s even glad my dad didn’t agree to get back together when she asked. She wants to come up sometime soon so I can meet her boyfriend.”

Cassie finished drying off and rubbed lotion into her skin. “How do you feel about that?”

“I think I’m okay with it,” he said. “Especially since she’s also excited to meet my girlfriend. Feel like having dinner with my mom in a couple weeks?”

His girlfriend? Why did Frankie persist in saying that he loved her? Why did he keep pushing the issue of wanting to be a couple? Part of her had figured spending a few days apart from each other might change his mind about her. She couldn’t say she was sorry to find him every bit as passionate as he’d been last week while trying to protect her from a killer, but that only made guilt eat away at her more.

There was still a chance she was pregnant, and he didn’t even know it was a possibility. She’d totally sabotaged this relationship before it started, all because she’d assumed it could never be anything real.

“We’ll see what happens,” she finally answered, not wanting to commit to anything just yet. “I’m surprised you were able to get into your chair to come in here. I thought you’d be too exhausted to move tonight, let alone do things on your own.”

Frankie laughed, not seeming put off by her noncommittal nature to dinner with his mom. “Thayne’s not nearly as good as you are at helping me. If I wanted to make it to the bathroom while I stayed with him, I learned real quick that I’d damn well better make it there on my own. I’ve even been able to take a couple steps the past few days, and I’ve been working on the stretches you told me to do.”

Cassie couldn’t help but be impressed. For months, his progress had taken a backward slide, but now Frankie was zooming forward more quickly than she had ever guessed he could. “I’m not sure you should live at the rehab even for a few weeks once you recover from surgery,” she said. “We could get a therapist to come to the house and help you there. Even though I can’t be your therapist anymore, I could work with you in the evenings when I’m not at work.”

“Oh, yeah? Does this mean you’re saying yes to me moving in with you?” Frankie winked. “Because that sounds like a great plan.”

Crap. That had been what she was saying, but she couldn’t decide that until she knew whether or not she was pregnant. If only it wasn’t too early for a damn test, she could get all this indecision done with and the only thing she’d have to worry about would be whether Frankie changed his mind in the future. However, judging by what his parents were going through, she knew she couldn’t obsess about that. They might be together for days, they might be together for years, or they might be together forever. Nothing was certain.

What couldn’t happen was for her to go into a relationship and letting it build upon a lie. She needed to tell him what she had done and see how he reacted.

“I do want to live with you, Frank,” she admitted. “But I’m not the great person you seem to think I am.”

He snorted and rolled his eyes. “Cassie, I know you. I know you better than you know yourself. You
are
a good person.”