SuddenHeat (4 page)

Melanie blinked in the strong lights shining around the
parking lot, illuminating the increasingly steady snowfall. Police cars
surrounded the area, including a sheriff’s department SWAT mobile command
station. Lights on the police cruisers flashed red and blue, their pulsation
and flicker compounding the ache starting in her temples. Her breath puffed out
and she guessed the temperature had dropped to around thirty from the high of
fifty today. Warm for this high mountain town in November. At night she
couldn’t see the sharp outline of peaks that rose close to thirteen thousand
feet and almost surrounded the bustling mining town deep into the Arizona
mountains. She wished it was daylight, the snow-covered peaks would be a
welcome distraction and wonderful reminder that she’d escaped the mall in one
piece.

Melanie accepted yet another hug, this one from Kathleen.
Kathleen and Jake had exited the building a short time ago with other
individuals they’d been stuck with during the event. They’d waved at Melanie
and Matt but were quickly interviewed by the police before they could reunite
with friends. Melanie and Matt had rushed up to Rick and Lena as soon as
possible. Lena sat on Rick’s open truck bed with her right ankle wrapped. Lena
said no when Rick wanted her to go to the hospital, and she said she could have
it checked out tomorrow.

Tia had been hauled off in an ambulance some time ago.
Amazingly, Teddy Xavier hadn’t killed anyone. Most of his shooting had been
aimed at the ceiling. He’d shot Tia and a couple who had attempted to run from
him but all three people had fairly minor wounds.

SWAT hadn’t waited as long as she’d thought to come in and
take out him out. If Teddy had planned on committing suicide, he didn’t have
the chance. An assault team had entered and scoured the mall for him and took
him down.

Melanie thought she saw tears in Kathleen’s eyes before she
kissed Melanie’s and Lena’s cheeks and they all started chattering at once.
Lena’s petite form seemed diminished somehow by what had happened as she sat on
the tailgate of Rick’s truck. Kathleen sagged, exhaustion clear on her face.
Melanie noticed something about Kathleen and Lena. They looked and acted as
much shell-shocked as relieved to be out of the mall. Yet they all searched the
area for someone. Three someones.

“Where’s Rick?” Lena asked, wide-eyed.

Melanie swiveled to look around. “He’s over there with Matt
and Jake.”

“Jake.” Kathleen’s dreamy tone would have seemed bizarre
under the circumstances but Kathleen cleared up the mystery immediately. “I
never thought I’d say this but Jake Frasier can eat crackers in my bed anytime.”

Lena and Melanie laughed at the same time.

“Whoa,” Lena said. “That’s a turnaround.”

Kathleen winked and smiled. “Bite me.”

“No thanks. You’re not my type.” Lena scratched her nose. “I
guess that shoots the idea of an engraved frame for the wedding.” Lena’s regret
sounded tired but genuine.

“Oh no.” Kathleen’s eyes widened. “Has anyone called Danelle
and Patrick?”

Lena nodded. “Rick called them as soon as we knew you were
safe. We didn’t want to call them before that and worry them. They’re going to
kill us, though, worrying them anyway.”

“Rick didn’t want to call them?” Melanie asked.

Lena blew out a hard sigh. “He said they would hurry over
here.”

“And you argued with him, didn’t you?” Melanie injected
teasing into her words.

Lena bit her bottom lip for a second. “Yes, damn it.”

Melanie and Kathleen laughed but Kathleen leaned forward.
“We have a problem here, ladies.”

Melanie’s eyebrows winged up. “Problem? We just survived a
mall shooting. What kind of problems could we have?”

Kathleen patted Melanie’s back. “I live in Los Angeles. I
don’t have time for romance and Jake doesn’t really like me that much anyway.”
She patted Lena’s back next. “Lena wouldn’t like a long-distance relationship.
Rick is in Alaska, she lives here.”

Melanie saw warmth color Lena’s face as Lena stared at Matt,
Jake and Rick. Lena had briefed her and Kathleen on how Rick had rescued her as
a man had rushed the doors and knocked Lena down. Her description had been
filled with caution and admiration.

“I might reconsider that,” Lena said. “A long-distance
relationship, I mean.”

“I thought you didn’t like Rick?” Melanie asked, remembering
Lena’s coolness toward Rick at the party.

Lena’s mouth popped open and her green eyes flashed. She
waved one hand in dismissal. “I never said I didn’t like him. He’s…um…a risk
taker. I don’t want someone in my life like that. Military men aren’t for me.”
Lena flapped her hands in frustration. “And damn it he’s so…”

“Hot?” Kathleen planted her hands on her hips. “Face it,
ladies, the Frasier brothers are seriously sexy.” Kathleen’s curious gaze
landed on Melanie. “And you, my good buddy, are a goner.”

Melanie’s face flamed. “What?”

“I saw the way you looked at Matt at the party. You like him
more than a little.” She nodded at the garment around Melanie’s shoulders. “And
you’re wearing that like it’s a letter jacket from high school.”

Could she deny it? Yes. But what good would it do? Her
friends were too astute.

Melanie snuggled deeper into the jacket. Strange or not, she
felt as if Matt had his arms around her. When she’d tried to give it back to
him he’d told her to keep it on until she could grab her own coat. Good thing
she had the jacket anyway. Heavier clouds blanketed the area and the wind had
picked up. Normally the snow would lift her spirits because she liked winter
but tonight she felt somewhere between numb and jumpy.

Lena touched her shoulder. “Melanie? Are you okay?”

Melanie snapped out of it. “I’m good.” She surveyed her
friends and had an epiphany. Each was dealing in their own way with the trauma
they’d faced. Lena and Kathleen put on brave faces. Especially spunky,
assertive, take-charge Kathleen. Did the stress show on her face, or the relief
that she’d survived violence?

“Group hug,” Lena said.

Kathleen groaned, less inclined to show physical affection
to that many people. But even she came together with the other two and hugged.
Once they released each other, Melanie felt a wave of tiredness overwhelm her.

“You both had a lot to contend with.” Melanie rubbed the
back of her neck. “Hitting the sack sounds good right now.”

“I don’t think I’d sleep.” Lena’s eyes continued to appear
troubled, perhaps more than when Melanie had first seen her after escaping the
mall.

“You hid in a bathroom with a rock-hard marine, Melanie.”
Kathleen smiled. “I can think of worse ways to spend an evening.”

Kathleen’s attempt at humor worked. They all chuckled.
Melanie’s face heated at the blatant sexual thoughts rampaging through her
brain. She wondered what Matt would look like naked and her mind zipped
straight to thinking what his cock would look like erect.

God, Melanie, have you lost it?
As much as her
imagination went nuts, she didn’t think the opportunity to see him naked would
present itself in the short time Matt would be in Constitution, Arizona.

She’d kissed him too. The last thing she wanted to do,
though, was to admit to her friends that she’d experienced a full-on lip-lock
with Matt. Right now she had the feeling all of them hid something about the
evening that they didn’t want to share. Not even with their very best friends.

“Seriously.” Kathleen touched Melanie’s shoulder and pressed
gently. “You look like you don’t feel well.”

“I’m fine.” Melanie knew she wasn’t. Not really. A master a
diverting attention, she continued with, “And I’ll admit the Frasier brothers
are hot. But Matt is…well, there’s something extraordinary about him.”

Kathleen and Lena broke out in collective, knowing grins.

“See, I told you.” Kathleen winked. “We’re in trouble.”

“What are we going to do about it?” Lena frowned, a troubled
light in her eyes. “I can’t get involved with a man in the coast guard. I just
can’t.”

Melanie wanted to hear the answer, even if she understood
why. “The long-distance and military thing?”

Lena reached in her big black purse and found her black
leather gloves. She slipped into them. “Yes, and because I’m older than him.”

“Pfft.” Kathleen made a disgusted sound. “You are absolutely
old enough to be his mother.
Not.
”

Lena stuffed her hands in the pockets of her coat. “You know
how I feel about military men. Even without an age gap, it’s a no-go for me.”

“Alaska is a long way.” Melanie finished what her friend
wanted to say. “That’s a challenge.”

Lena turned troubled eyes to her friends. “You know that’s
not the half of it, so don’t even start.”

Matt looked over and caught Melanie’s gaze. Awareness jolted
through her stomach. Heat stirred and built, arousal undeniable. They’d made a
definite connection sequestered in the bathroom, and the kiss had blown her
away. Not wanting to face that attraction, she deflected.

“So if we aren’t interested in relationships with them, what
do we do? Walk away?” Melanie asked herself as much as she did her friends.

Kathleen frowned. Melanie had never seen her friend look as
puzzled as she did now. Kathleen’s russet-brown hair fell in lustrous curls to
her mid-back. She looked rumpled and confused.

Kathleen pushed one hand through her thick hair, blue eyes
serious. “A one-night stand.”

“What?” Lena sounded scandalized. But she’d always been the
more conservative of the three friends. “Are you serious?”

“Does a bear shit in the woods?” Kathleen shut up as she
gazed over at the brothers.

Jake’s tall form looked more than rough and tumble. Almost
as tall as Matt, with black hair only slightly longer than Matt’s, Jake had a
charisma that couldn’t be denied. Rick stood over six feet tall with
short-cropped black hair and green eyes. His build was similar to those of the
other two men. Muscular. Ripped. Disgustingly gorgeous in a rugged way.

“I don’t know about you.” Kathleen turned her gaze back to
Melanie and Lena. “But I need to burn off some stress.”

Before the ladies could continue their discussion, the men
walked their way. Melanie swallowed hard. Kathleen was right. Matt had made a
significant impression on her—one she didn’t want him to make. That kiss in the
bathroom hadn’t extinguished Melanie’s curiosity or need. It had only built it
higher.

Matt arrived at Melanie’s side and touched her elbow. “Can I
talk with you a moment?”

Rick approached Lena. “How’s your ankle?”

“Aches, but it’s no big deal.”

Rick frowned and lifted her off the truck tailgate and into
his arms. “I’ll take you home.”

“Really, I can walk.” Lena’s arms went around his neck.

“Don’t argue,” Rick said as he helped her into his truck.

Jake took Kathleen’s hand and walked away. “We’ll see you
later,” Jake said with a smile.

Melanie smiled into Matt’s eyes, suspicion flowing through
her. “What is this, a conspiracy?”

Matt looked world-weary and tired but he still managed to
return her grin. He slipped his fingers through hers and the warmth added to
the butterflies continuing a dance through her stomach.

“Yeah, it’s a conspiracy. I want that meal with you,” he
said. “Unless you’re tired?”

“I’m tired but I’m starving. I’d rather eat and decompress
before I go home.”

His eyes filled with understanding and concern. “You don’t
want to be home alone?”

“How did you guess?”

“It’s not every day a person witnesses a mall shooting. It
was damned scary.”

She couldn’t deny it. “When I go home I’ll probably fall
asleep right away.”

“Then let’s eat before you fall asleep.”

“I’ll drive my own car.” Her voice sounded clipped to her
own ears.

“You sure you want to? Your car is on the other side of the
mall. Reporters are stacked up there two feet deep from what I hear. I’ll drive
you to the diner and home. We can get your car in the morning.”

We can get your car in the morning.

So he planned either that they’d spend tonight together or
he’d come by her apartment and take her back to the mall?

She’d soon find out.

Quiet had surrounded Matt and Melanie as they’d driven
Matt’s SUV to the diner, and she hadn’t expected to feel as comfortable with
the silence. On the other hand, perhaps they’d become exhausted, coming down
from an overload of feelings. She wasn’t sure she knew what to think or how to
feel.

When they reached the diner the bright pink neon sign on the
marquee made her eyes ache. They had to search for a parking place for some
time, and she almost told him to forget it and they’d eat somewhere else. But
hell, she imagined you never told Matt to give up on anything.

Melanie stepped into the noise and winced. She seemed
hyperaware, her skin sensitive, her mouth dry and a dull ache in her temples.
Regardless, she would make the rest of this evening pleasant. She wanted to
forget, if just for a moment, her mind awhirl in a way it never had been
before. She was disconnected and feeling anything besides fear and doubt would
go a long way to healing what ailed her.

Despite the later hour, the diner’s pop music bounced off
her ears, irritating her more than it would on a normal day.
Huh. Yeah
.
In no way could this day be classified as normal. The interior lights seemed
too bright. Even the young hostess’s tomato red dress gave Melanie a headache.

When they reached the booth, Matt stepped up to help Melanie
take off her coat. With a gentle smile, he handed Melanie the coat and she
placed it in the booth. The hostess eyeballed Matt with clear interest as he
slid into the bench seat across from Melanie.

After the hostess left, Matt’s smile widened. “Hope my
helping you with the coat was all right?”

She blinked, confused. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Some women think it’s an affront when you open a door for
them or help them take off their coat. As if they can’t be feminists and accept
chivalry.”

“Not me.” She reached for the crayons sitting in the middle
of the table and started to scribble on the white butcher paper that served as
a tablecloth. “I open doors for men. It’s a polite thing to do for anyone.”

Matt’s gaze held hers and warmth spread from her face down
the rest of her body. “My kind of woman.”

A waiter appeared and took their drink orders.

After the waiter left, Melanie rubbed her temples. “You
wouldn’t happen to have an aspirin would you?”

He frowned, those dark brown eyes concerned. “No. Headache?”

“Yes. Plus other muscle aches. Probably the tension.”

Matt leaned forward, his voice low and husky. “Hey, if you’d
rather go home and get some sleep, we don’t have to be here.”

She waved one hand in dismissal. “I don’t think I want to be
home right now where I can think too much.”

“Me either. Drink plenty of water while you’re here. You
might be dehydrated too.”

“Are you sure you aren’t a doctor?”

He grinned. “No. It’s all stuff I’ve learned in the
military.”

“So…” Curiosity was eating her up from the inside out but
part of her was nervous. She grabbed a yellow crayon and started drawing happy
faces on the paper. “What exactly do you do in the marines?”

“Force Recon.”

He explained the details, which sounded dangerous as hell.
“In essence, we accomplish what’s called green operations. We go looking for
trouble.”

“Well, you found it today.” She drew long hair on one smiley
face.

“Yeah. I was hoping I wouldn’t. But I guess there’s a bright
side. Several, in fact.”

She stopped tinkering with the crayons and looked up.
“What’s that?”

“I got to spend time with you.” His gaze held hers.

Oh man.
Her stomach did a flip and a flop and not in
a bad way. “Thank you.”

“And,” he continued, “we got out alive.”

She couldn’t deny that truth. “That’s the most important
bit.”

She dared allow her gaze to tangle with his again and the
heat in her body flared. Her attraction to him was escalating. “By the way, did
I ever thank you for keeping me safe? It was your quick thinking that made sure
Tia and I were okay.”

Lines furrowed between his brows and turned him into the
serious man she’d known at the party last week. “You would have thought of the
same thing.”

“I hesitated. I wasn’t exactly thinking straight once I
heard those gunshots.”

“That’s not uncommon for civilians. It’s nothing to be
ashamed of. It’s not every day you hear gunfire.”

She rolled her shoulders, trying to loosen the muscles.
“Still…thanks anyway.”

He touched her hand as it lay on the table. He squeezed
gently and pulled back. “I’m glad I was there.”

Matt’s gentleness and modesty challenged her beliefs that
marines had steel interiors. “You know, you aren’t what I thought you were.”

He chuckled, but the waiter brought her hot tea and his
coffee before she could comment. After the waiter took their meal order and
left, Matt drank his black coffee. “So you prejudged me or took a first
impression and found me lacking.”

Embarrassment took hold. “Yes. I don’t usually do that.
Unless the guy is tall, dark, handsome and very sure of himself. That’s when I
get into trouble.”

His smile held no malice. “Do I sense past history I should
know about?”

Should he know about it? She sensed he wouldn’t reveal more
of himself if she didn’t reciprocate. “I told you that my father was in Vietnam
and then a cop. He just had so many damned issues he couldn’t be there for me
when I was a kid. He was often cold and unconnected.” She poured hot water over
the tea bag then dunked the bag up and down. “I shouldn’t have judged you the
way I did, especially because people tend to do it to me and I don’t like it.”

“What impressions do they get of you?”

She wrapped her hands around the teacup and took a sip.
“They hear I’m a librarian and they think I’m poor, staid and boring. Like you
said earlier, they think I’m hard to get to know.”

His eyes narrowed and the coffee mug stopped halfway to his
mouth. “First impressions mean a lot, even when we don’t want them to. People
misjudge the military too.” He sipped again then put the mug down. “I’ve met
women who get off on the fact I’ve been in dangerous situations.”

She winced. “Like Navy SEAL groupies?”

“Exactly.”

“What you do is dangerous. That can turn a woman on.”

His gaze, so dark and compelling, tangled with hers again.
“But I don’t want it to be why a woman wants me.”

Oh and she
did
want him.

Cynicism reared its head. “Come on now. You don’t get off on
women coming on to you for your looks and what you do?”

His frown said it all. “Hell no.”

“My experience with men in dangerous occupations has jaded
me, I guess.”

His eyes narrowed. “You’ve dated lots of military men?”

“None. That’s the point. I’ve avoided them for that reason.
I’ve avoided firefighters and cops too.”

“That’s extreme, isn’t it? Because your father had issues?”

She tucked her hair behind her ears and saw his gaze latch
on to the small, dangling citrine earrings she wore. His gaze caressed her and
a flare of unquenched need pulsed low in her belly. “Self-protection is like
that. It’s my way of coping.”

“But you were condemning a bunch of men based on their
occupations? That’s…” He shook his head, looking damn disappointed.

She was too. She hadn’t meant to tell him all this when she
came here but something about this guy brought everything out. She almost
defended herself, then realized she had to come clean with him. If she planned
to explore anything with Matt, she had a feeling he would learn all her secrets
before the night finished. She didn’t want to see that chagrin in his eyes
again.

“It’s one of my less than admirable traits,” she said.

His gaze lifted from his coffee mug, sharp and direct. “We
all have faults. Most of us don’t admit it.”

“What are your faults?”

He laughed, this time without a speck of genuine amusement.
“Maybe you should ask my brothers. They conveniently forget their own faults
while they’re listing mine. Jake can be sort of ADD. He’s hard to keep in one
place.”

“He’s in the army. They move around a lot, right?”

“Yeah, but that’s not what I mean. He was always one of
those kids who couldn’t sit still in class. Too damn smart. They had to put him
two grades ahead. He’s tough but he’s got this adventurous quality that used to
get him in trouble when we were kids. He joined the army when he was eighteen
because my parents said he needed a steadying influence. He’s still hyper. Rick
is…well, Rick is generous to a fault. He’s always trying to rescue people. And
he’s freaked my parents out on more than one occasion because of the risks he
takes. He’s a rescue diver and swimmer.”

“His job isn’t any safer than yours and Jake’s?”

“The Coast Guard can be very risky. But in his personal life
he’s done rock climbing, bungee jumping. Stuff like that.”

“Probably a good occupation for him then. The coast guard, I
mean.”

“Exactly.”

She fiddled with her teacup before bringing it to her lips.
“How old are you brothers?”

“I’m thirty-five. Jake is thirty-one and Rick is
twenty-nine.”

“I’m thirty-two.” She supplied the information without
hesitation.

“Women hate to tell their ages.”

“Not me.” She cleared her throat. “And you managed to leave out
your faults.”

The waiter stopped by with their food before he could speak.
She took the next few moments digging into meatloaf and mashed potatoes while
Matt ate his scrambled eggs, toast and bacon with enthusiasm.

“Back to the subject,” she said. “Your faults.”

He finished chewing before answering. “Most women seem
scared as hell of me. Maybe I give off keep away vibes.”

“Well…” She was surprised that he didn’t have women crawling
all over him. “You did seem a bit frozen and maybe arrogant at the party.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Yeah? I didn’t mean to. I’m a little
shy in social situations. People think I’m mad when I’m not. I get a little
impatient with people who don’t use their brains and common sense.” His gaze
returned to hers. “My shyness was painful when I was a kid and a teen. I didn’t
have a real date until I was nineteen.”

“No way. You’re kidding.”

“Nope. It’s the truth. My stomach gets knotted up when
there’s a woman I really like that I want to ask out.”

She had to take a long drink of tea to swallow meatloaf. She
took her time asking the next question. “Like me?”

He flashed a cocky smile. “Yeah. Look, whatever our
backgrounds are, there’s one thing you have to know right up front. I think
there’s something between us.” He put his fork down and leaned forward,
lowering that deep voice to a husky liquid sin. “It’s life or death that makes
a man pay attention to what’s important. Before I went to war I didn’t have the
appreciation I do now for getting things out in the open when it really matters.
I’ve learned my lesson. There’s nothing I’d like more than to get to know you.
I don’t want this to end here.”

Taken aback by his honesty, she drew in a deep breath and
tried to find her bearings. “Wow. That was honest.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

As he gazed into his eyes, she realized the sexual tension
between them burned hot and true. More than that, she found his straightforward
attitude comforting.

“I like it,” she said. “You’re the first man I’ve met who
hasn’t danced around what he wants to say when it comes to relationships.”

She fiddled with the handle on her teacup, looking into the
liquid for a long time before she dared raise her eyes to his. Inside his eyes
she saw one thing that she knew instinctively on a gut level. If she let this
go further, if she allowed everything primitive inside her to rip free, she’d
find herself in bed with this man tonight.

Matt leaned forward a bit. “Before I leave Arizona, I’d like
to have a real date.”

“And what would that entail?”

He lifted one eyebrow. “Maybe dinner at a fine restaurant?”

“You’re leaving the day after the wedding?”

“Two days after the wedding.”

“Let’s have dinner the night before you leave then.”

“Awesome.”

Matt’s eyes held secrets but instead of running from them,
she wanted to know more. She would have to reveal everything before he’d give
up those secrets.

“Now,” he said before she could express her thoughts on his
revelation. “There’s got to be more about you.”

Hesitation entered the picture. “Tonight? You want to know
it all tonight?”

“Only if you want to tell it all tonight.”

Matt’s expression stayed light. She found she did want to
tell him more. And more.

“My life’s been interesting,” she said. “I’m an only child.
I told you about my father and my mother. My mother was born rich and she
ticked off my grandparents when she married my dad, a cop. Mom insisted they
have a luxury home but Dad rebelled. Said it didn’t make sense for a cop to
have that much money. He hid our wealth but sometimes people still found out.
Dad was…he was strong but he couldn’t take the experiences he had in the war. I
think maybe he was a cop because he always thought he had to battle an enemy.”

“He never told you what happened to him exactly in Vietnam?”

“Never. And then he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder,
kicked out of the police department and Mom had him committed. She lives with
her sister in Connecticut.”

She didn’t need to say more, since she’d already mentioned
that he died from cancer five years ago at Thanksgiving.

Matt kept his curious gaze on her, and she couldn’t evade
the sensation that he was looking for something.

“Was Afghanistan rough?” she asked the question knowing the
answer. “I mean…did anything happen to you there that could…” She shrugged.