Heat of Passion (9 page)

“First things first, I want you go home.”

She faltered. “What?”

“You said you have an exam to prepare for.” Her father’s gaze was determined. “Go home and focus on that, honey. And while you’re taking care of yourself, the rest of us are going to clean up and do the dishes and figure out exactly how we’re going to make it up you. Got it?”

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Elle Kennedy

She couldn’t help but smile. “Got it.”

She was still smiling as she left her father’s house and headed for her car. Although she was still a bit stunned over what just happened, she wasn’t about to complain. For some reason, her family had come to their senses tonight.

No, not for some reason. Because of Carson.

Carson had gotten through to Caroline last night. Instead of letting Holly go clean up another one of her sister’s messes, he’d forced Caroline to deal with it herself. And the tough-love approach had worked. Holly had been babying them all for so long, and thanks to Carson, she wouldn’t be doing that any longer. How could she have ever thought he was selfish?

I know you want to be with me…we’d both be a lot better off if you’d just admit it.

The memory of Carson’s parting words made her heart squeeze, reminding her again of just how much of a moron she was. He was right. She
did
want to be with him. She’d walked away from him that first night at the club because she’d been scared of the intense desire he’d evoked inside her. And she’d walked away from him yesterday because that intense desire had somehow transformed into something a little too close to love, and that had scared her more.

But she wasn’t scared anymore. Steve might have broken her heart, but Carson had put the pieces back together.

So maybe it was time to quit acting like an idiot and give him what he wanted. What
she
wanted.

Starting the car, Holly reversed out of the driveway, knowing exactly what she needed to do.

Carson wasn’t picking up his phone. Holly left him three voice mails, but by the next day, he still hadn’t called back. She would have driven over to his apartment, but she was ashamed that she didn’t even know where he lived. She’d tried so hard to keep him at a distance, to keep things on her own turf, that she hadn’t bothered to find out his address.

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By the time the early evening rolled around, she was getting frustrated. She needed to see him, damn it! Apologize for asking him to leave, for calling him selfish, when all he’d tried to do was show her that it was time to quit letting her family take advantage of her.

There was only one other way she could think to find him, so just after six, she got into her car and drove across the bridge to Coronado. At John and Shelby Garrett’s wedding, she’d overheard that the bride ran a bakery and coffee shop near the Navy base, so Holly headed in that direction. She found the place quickly—the name, Shelby’s Bakery Café, helped narrow it down—and ten minutes later she’d parked her car at the curb out front.

The bell over the door jingled as she stepped inside. A few elderly women sat at a small table by the window, sipping coffee, but the gorgeous blonde from the wedding was nowhere in sight. Holly drifted through the doorway that separated the café from the bakery, and found Shelby Garrett standing behind the counter, blowing her nose with a crumpled tissue.

It was obvious the other woman was upset, and Holly was about to back away when Shelby caught sight of her.

With a strained smile, Shelby said, “Can I help you?”

“You’re Shelby, right?”

The blonde nodded.

Holly offered a smile of her own. “I’m Holly Lawson. I work for the company that catered your wedding.”

A spark of recognition filled Shelby’s blue eyes. Holly couldn’t help but notice how pretty the woman was. She looked like she belonged in an advertisement for surfing gear or something, all California girl good looks.

“Is this about the check we wrote?” Shelby asked with a sigh. “Johnny swore he put the right date on it, but he tends to accidentally postdate his checks all the time.”

“No, as far as I know, everything is fine.” Holly moved closer to the counter, discreetly pretending not to notice the other woman’s red-rimmed eyes and blotchy www.samhainpublishing.com 63

Elle Kennedy

cheeks. She hoped there wasn’t trouble in paradise already. The couple she’d seen at the wedding had looked so disgustingly in love, it would be a shame if they’d somehow lost that lovin’ feeling.

“I’m actually here about something else. Well, some
one
.” She swallowed, absently glancing at the cakes sitting in the refrigerated glass cases next to the counter. “Carson Scott. He’s your husband’s friend, right?”

A rosy blush swept over Shelby’s cheeks. “A friend of both of ours, actually.” Holly could sense there was a whole story behind that one sentence, but this probably wasn’t the best time to pry. Instead, she moistened her lips and said, “I’m trying to get in touch with him, but he’s not answering his phone. I was hoping maybe you could give me his address.” She quickly pressed on. “I swear, I’m not a crazy stalker or anything. Carson and I…have been seeing each other, I guess. I just needed to talk to him.”

“I’m afraid his address isn’t going to help you right now,” Shelby answered. “The team left for an assignment last night. I have no idea where they are, or when they’ll be back.”

Shelby had barely finished her last sentence when a few tears slid down her cheeks again. Looking embarrassed, she swiped at them with the sleeve of her green V-neck shirt. “I’m sorry. I know, it’s pathetic, huh? I shouldn’t get this hysterical over John being away. It’s what he does. I knew that when I married him.” She blinked a few times, her lashes spiky with wetness. “But it still sucks, you know? Never knowing if he’s okay, making coffee and baking cakes while he’s God-knows-where, possibly getting shot at.” With a shaky breath, Shelby raised her tissue and blew her nose again.

Her words brought a spark of alarm to Holly’s gut. Getting shot at? She’d been so focused on herself ever since she’d met Carson that she hadn’t given much thought to what the life of a SEAL was like. God, was he in danger right now? The idea sent her pulse racing.

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“Shit, I scared you, didn’t I?” Shelby blurted out. She tossed her tissue in the wastebasket behind her and quickly rounded the counter. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to freak you out.”

Holly swallowed again. “I’m not freaked out. Though I am kinda worried now.” Shelby offered a mild smile. “Goes with the territory. Do you want a cup of coffee?” What she wanted was to hear Carson’s voice and make sure he wasn’t dead, but she found herself nodding. “Sure.”

The blonde poured two cups of coffee, then led Holly into the café, where the women sat down. “So, how long have you been seeing Carson?” Shelby asked, looking curious.

“A week and a half, but we met about a month ago. At your bachelorette party, actually.”

Shelby’s delicate brows soared north. “Seriously?”

“You look surprised.”

“Well, I am. Carson doesn’t usually stay with one woman for long.” Shelby shot her an apologetic look. “No offense to you or anything.”

“None taken.” Holly sipped the hot coffee. “He told me all about it.” Again Shelby’s cheeks flushed. “He did? Damn, that’s awkward then.” Holly blinked. “It is?”

“Well, most women wouldn’t enjoy having coffee with someone their boyfriend has slept with.”

Holly choked mid-sip. “You slept with Carson? Does your husband know?” The other woman let out a slow laugh. “Uh, yeah, he knows. He was there.” After a beat, Holly burst out laughing too. Figured. Carson had told her he’d led a pretty racy life, so she really wasn’t surprised to find out he’d had a threesome with his best friend and best friend’s now-wife. Oddly enough, she wasn’t angry, or even jealous.

She’d never been the type of woman who cared about her lovers’ pasts, and the fact that Carson had chosen to leave his causal lifestyle for
her
was kind of flattering.

“God, I’m an idiot,” Holly suddenly burst out.

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Elle Kennedy

Shelby laughed again. “Um, okay. Care to elaborate?” Although she didn’t know Shelby at all, Holly couldn’t help but spill everything, from her first encounter with Carson to the fight they’d had two nights ago. “He was just trying to help,” she finished, “and I called him selfish and asked him to leave.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll come back,” Shelby said. “Trust me, if Carson wants a relationship with you, he’ll fight for it. He never gives up. It’s actually very annoying.” Holly gave a brief smile. “Let’s hope he still wants a relationship when he gets back.” Her smile faded, a quivery breath leaving her throat. “Because of he doesn’t, I’ll kick myself for the rest of my life for letting him get away.” 66

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Two weeks. He’d been gone for two weeks. And Holly was beginning to grow more than a little worried. She’d called Shelby every day since her visit to the café, and the other woman hadn’t been able to provide her with any details. Apparently someone from the base had called Shelby to tell her John had been in radio contact and should be heading home soon, but other than that, Holly had no clue if Carson was okay. She hoped he was, because if he didn’t come home in one piece, she was going to have a nervous breakdown.

At least one good thing had come from all the worrying. She’d tried so hard to distract herself that she’d ended up cooking up a storm, and she’d impressed the hell out of her teacher with her dishes. He’d told her he would give her a glowing recommendation letter to any restaurant she applied for, but at this point, Holly wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. Shelby had told her a restaurant a block from the café was up for sale, and Holly was seriously considering getting a bank loan and taking the place over herself after she finished school.

But before she made any decisions about her future, she needed Carson to come home already. She missed him. Cooking dinner for him, watching those awful action movies, having mind-blowing sex. If he didn’t come back soon, she didn’t know what she’d do.

“Holly, are you listening to me?” her sister’s voice snapped, jerking her out of her thoughts.

She absently walked around her kitchen, holding the cordless phone to her ear as she opened a few cabinets and tried to decide what she would make to eat. “Sorry, Caroline, what were you saying?”

Elle Kennedy

“The computer course Dad is taking,” Caroline said impatiently. “He wants us to go over there this weekend so he can show us all the stuff he’s learned. I know it’ll be boring, but he’s really excited about it.”

Holly tried not to laugh. Ever since that dinner two weeks ago, her family had truly been making an effort to give her space. Todd had hired himself a tutor, Kyle hadn’t locked his keys in his car once, Caroline had stopped dyeing her hair, and their father was learning how to use the computer to pay his bills online. So far, none of them had called her with any emergencies, which was a huge relief, since the only thing she was capable of concentrating on right now was Carson and when the hell he would come back to the States.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there,” she assured her sister.

“Good. I’ll see you Saturday then. Oh, and let me tell you about this guy I met at Hot Zone last night. Hol, he was
soooo
cute! He—” The phone beeped in her ear, cutting off Caroline’s sentence.

Holly’s heart skipped a beat. “Car, I’ve got to go. Someone’s trying to be buzzed up.”

She hung up before her sister could object and pressed the button that would open the lobby door. Then she tossed the phone on the counter with an excited yelp and dashed toward the front door. Carson! It had to be him.

Flinging open the door, she stepped into the hallway and glued her gaze to the elevator at the end of the hall. One second…two…three… The elevator doors swung up, and a wave of joy slammed into her. There he was, wearing khakis and a green T-shirt, his jaw covered in thick blond stubble. His blue eyes narrowed with wariness when he saw her lurking in the corridor.

He took a step forward, then stopped. “You’re not going to ask me to leave again, are you?” he called out.

“Not on your life,” she called back.

A smile filled his handsome face. “Thank God. Because I missed you like crazy.” 68

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Heat of Passion

With urgent strides, he crossed the hall and made his way toward her. He’d barely reached the door when she launched herself into his arms and wrapped her arms tightly around him. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she murmured into the crook of his neck. “You were gone so long. I was worried.”

He stroked her back with his big, warm hands and pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Don’t worry. We just extracted a CEO and led him through the jungle for ten days.

Piece of cake.”

Holly laughed, then pulled him into the apartment and closed the door behind them.

“Please tell me nobody shot at you.”

Carson shrugged. “There might have been a bullet or two aimed in our direction,” he said vaguely.

Alarm coursed into her. “Were you hit? Are you hurt?” She immediately began running her fingers over his body, searching for a hidden bandage.

Chuckling, he trapped her hands between his. “Quit doing that.”

“Why?” She stared accusingly at him. “You
were
hurt!”

“No, I wasn’t hurt,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “But if you keep touching me I’m going to come in my pants. I’ve been thinking about nothing but fucking you for two weeks now, so I’m a little on edge.”

A smile stretched across her mouth. “You’re not allowed to come in your pants. I’m pretty sex-starved too, so don’t you dare deprive me.” He smiled back, and then his expression darkened. “I didn’t come here to continue the fling, sweetheart.”

“Good, because I don’t want to.”

He faltered. “You don’t?”