Burned (22 page)

She put her arms around his neck. “Not a chance. I’m the only woman you’ll strip for ever again. You got that, mister?”

He smiled. “I got it.”  He leaned down and kissed her, drawing the crowd around them into it.

Lynette pushed Regan on the arm. “What is wrong with your sister?  Go out there and get her little fast behind. She has lost her mind completely.”

Regan patted her mother’s hand. “Mom, that’s Nick she is kissing.”

“Oh my goodness, if they keep that up, I’m going to be a grandmother again.”

“Mom, are you okay with Lincoln being with Nick?  She wants your approval.”

“Lincoln doesn’t need my approval, Regan. You and Orlando trust him with her and it’s obvious he does something for her.”

“Then do me a favor and tell her. Tell them both they have your blessing.”

“Regan, I gave her my blessing with Anthony and I didn’t approve. I had a feeling he would hurt her and he did. I don’t want her to go through that again.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “We can’t predict the future, Mom. However, Nick doesn’t have the baggage Anthony has and will devote his energy to her.”

Carter joined the group. “Carter, what do you think about your little sister dating a White man? You’ve covered stories concerning this haven’t you?”

Carter chuckled. “Really, you want me to think about stories I’ve covered after how many drinks?  Personally, I think Lincoln will handle it okay. Let her control her life and be with whomever she wants.”

Lincoln came off the dance floor with Nick in tow. “We’re going to call it a night. Nick is having a hard time keeping the women at bay.”

Regan hugged him. “Thanks, Nick. I’ll never forget you for making my party a success.”

His dimples creased. “It was fun. And I’m available for birthdays, baby showers, and whatever else Lincoln needs me for,” he teased.

Lynette took his hand. “Nick, look after my daughter and treat her right. Don’t make me come back here and hunt you down. The only reason I haven’t gone after Anthony is because they won’t let me out of their sight.”

“Ms. Hathaway, I will take care of Lincoln until I draw my last breath. If anything, she’ll call you to complain that I’m too affectionate.”

“That’s enough. You’ll be able to grill Nick after the wedding.”  Lincoln pried her mother’s fingers from around Nick’s hand. “Remember the limo will be here to take you all home at 2:00am. You have one hour so don’t miss it,” she instructed.

Later that night Lincoln was awakened from a sound sleep. The heavy rain and the loud thunderstorm created a cold wind that drifted in through the open window. She turned over in bed and pulled the covers over her shoulder trying to get back to sleep.

Her body was shivering and she sat up and looked at Nick sleeping peacefully. He had showered off the oil and no longer glistened. She got out of bed and went to the window to close it. She jumped back when she saw a man’s figure outside. Her heart rate increased wildly, and her heart beat hard against the walls of her chest.

Covering her chest with her hand, she dared herself to peek again—he was still there when she did. There was no way he could see inside the bedroom from the distance he was standing or through the closed blinds and dark drapes covering the bedroom windows. What did the man standing in the pouring rain in dark clothing with a hoodie covering his face want?  And was he purposely stalking her apartment?

Frightened, she ran back to the bed and shook Nick awake. He opened his eyes slowly. “W-what’s wrong?”

“Nick, there is a man outside looking in the window.”

She sensed the firefighter in him kick as he jumped up. “What window?”

She pointed her finger. “That one; he is standing by your truck.”  She kept her voice low.

Nick tossed the cover aside and got out of bed. He didn’t open the drapes but peeped through the side of the blinds as the wind blew open the drapes. He didn’t see anyone. “There is no one out there, Lincoln.”

Lincoln was on her knees on the bed shaking. “I swear he was there.”

He came back to the bed and started to put on his shoes. “I’ll go outside and take a look around.”

She held onto his forearm. “No the heck you’re not!”

“Baby, what do you want me to do?  If you’re scared there’s a guy creeping around outside, I have to look.”

“Just close and lock the window. Maybe he heard your voice and left.”

“Okay. I’ll lock the bedroom window and then check the front door and windows out in the front room. Will you be okay until I get back?”

She crawled off the bed. “I’m going with you.”

After assuring her the house was secured, they returned to bed. She cuddled close to him. “I’ve never been scared here before.”

“You could spend some nights at my place, Lincoln.”

“Really, you would want me to stay the night?”

“I would like it. You shared this place with Ant. I haven’t shared my place with anyone. You would be the first woman to share my space with me.”

She dragged the blanket over her shoulder. “What about the women who frequent your apartment?  How would you explain my being there?  Shoot, I got death rays from this one woman when I stopped by that one morning. If looks could kill, I’d be dead.”

“That was Linda. She tries to lure me in with homemade cookies and her prancing around in sexy clothes, but I’m not interested in her. Besides, I love you, and no other woman can compare to you.”

She took a deep breath and let her forehead rest against his masculine chest. He’d said the words. She wasn’t expecting the words to come from him so soon. Her fingers climbed his chest and he closed his hand around them. “Nick.”

He kissed her fingertips. “You don’t have to say it back. I had to let you know how I feel. When you’re ready to say them, Lincoln, I want you to mean it.”

He turned off the light and held her tight. She felt the beating of his heart against her cheek. She closed her eyes and tried to conjure an image of Anthony. She couldn’t get a clear picture of him in her head. She tried to recall his touch. Her skin became cold. Yup, she was there. She was ready to open up to Nick and let him inside her heart.

“Nick,” she whispered against his soft skin.

“Hmm.”

“I’m sure I’m falling in love with you too.”  His heart sped up and so did hers—except her heart beat with fear. She hated the vulnerable trap she’d fallen into. The uncertainty concerning Anthony was no longer there. The new risks fell with Nick. A new relationship with a damaged heart could spell disaster.

Chapter Twenty Two

Nick worked in the kitchen making breakfast while Lincoln showered. He couldn’t get last night off his mind. As he whipped eggs together in a bowl, he tried to piece together the prowler situation she claimed to have seen outside.

He put the bowl of beaten eggs on the counter and went to the front door. Lincoln would not allow him to look around last night, but it was daylight and a prowler would not stick around for the sun to come up.

“Ugh, still raining.”

He looked behind the door and grabbed an umbrella from the holder and proceeded outside. His truck was parked where Lincoln claimed to have seen the man standing. He looked around the base of the truck. The ground was saturated with water and anything dropped by the man wouldn’t be of any use. He stood and looked for a better place the man could have left a footprint that wasn’t washed away by the rain.

Nick zoomed in on the flowerbed under the bedroom window. The gutter hung over the edge of the roof creating a dry pocket. He peeled back the tulips and wildflowers gently. “Damn.”  In plain sight was a fresh set of footprints and they were definitely male footprints.

Since there was only one visible set of footprints, he needed to find more in order to determine if a prowler was stalking the residents or just the maintenance men working on the grounds. He walked the perimeter of the flowerbed searching.

“Nick? Are you out here?”

He’d made it to the next unit when he heard her call. “Yeah.”  He cleaned the mud off his shoes in the damp grass and walked back to the apartment.

“What were you doing?” she asked pulling a sweater around her to block the chill.

“I was looking around.”

“Did you find anything?”

“Nah, there is too much water on the ground.”  He let down the umbrella and followed Lincoln inside the apartment. “Breakfast is almost done. All I have to do is cook the eggs.”

She leaned against the closed door. He felt her eyes following him. “You don’t believe me do you?”

“I wouldn’t have gone outside to look if I didn’t believe you. You should have let me look last night. I could’ve caught the guy instead of letting him get away to come back again.”

“You’re a firefighter, Nick, and he could’ve been armed. I’m sorry, it is not worth the risk.”

He smiled at her. “You do care about me?”

She playfully rolled her eyes upward. “You’ve grown on me.”

He went over to her. Her face was free of makeup and she seemed younger looking without it. He cupped her face with his hands. “I can’t believe I’m with you. I feel like I’m gonna wake up and realize this is a dream.”

“It is weird. We’ve been in the same places but with different people. And we really never talked until that day in Red Lobster.”

“Don’t laugh at me,” he said seriously. “But, I’ve always noticed you. I couldn’t get what you saw in Ant though. He’s older and kinda of goofy. Other than him being a firefighter, I didn’t get your attraction to him.”

She dropped her gaze and shrugged her shoulders. “The stability he gave me. I didn’t have my father around when I was growing up. My mother took care of everything and never complained about not having a man to help her. With Anthony, I felt safe and believed he would be around to help me raise our kids, if we had any.”

“I had my old man around, and there were days I wished he would’ve fallen off the face of the Earth. Baby, I know I can’t replace every part of Anthony in your heart and I won’t try. I’m just asking you let me do what I can for you.”

She caressed his face. “Starting over with you feels right in my heart, but I’m so scared.”

“Lincoln, don’t be scared.”

“You’ve only been in love with two women, Nick. Your first marriage ended in divorce and you backed away from that nurse when she wanted more. I can’t let what Anthony did to me change what I want.”

He kissed her forehead. The warmth of her skin spread across his lips. “I’m pledging my commitment to you today.”

“Nick, no, don’t do that. What we have is new and anything can happen.”

“I’m doing it and you can’t stop me. Lincoln, the missing key to my happiness has been found. Baby, you are it! Hell, I can’t think of anything but you. When I thought my career was down the tank, I didn’t care. All I cared about is how you would see me.  Would it bother you if I wasn’t a firefighter anymore? I want to be seen as more than that in your eyes.”

A smile touched her lips when he looked down at her. “I respect what you do, but it wouldn’t bother me if you had a less dangerous job.”

“Okay. If working with Orlando doesn’t pan out, I’ll explore other possibilities.  I’m good with my hands.”

“Yes you are,” she teased.

He couldn’t help but smile. “I’m good with my hands in other ways too,” he joked.  “Lincoln, just say you will be by my side if I have to make the decision to leave Station 30.”

“I’ll be by your side for whatever decision you make.”

He gathered her in his arms and hugged her tight. “Damn, I love you. You just don’t know how much.”

“I know you do. I’m asking you to be patient with me. I’m not a complicated woman and I’m not trying to string you along. I have to be sure this is right for the both of us.”

“I know it is, Lincoln. It’s in my bones and flowing through my blood. We are meant to be together for a reason.”  He moved away from her. “I’m gonna finish making breakfast, then we’ll go to Home Depot to get paint and redo this apartment. Whoever painted this place for you did a hack job.”

She raised her hand and laughed. “I’m the hack painter that did it. Give me a little praise for doing it at all!  I’m an IRS agent not a painter.”

He shook his head. “It’s a good thing I’m not just a pretty face, but handy. We’ll get this place in shape before I go back to work.”

*****

Lincoln followed Nick down the hall to his apartment. They decided to stop by his place so he could get the mail and a change of clothes. When they walked in it felt odd. She hadn’t been back here since that day she barged in on him.

“Make yourself at home,” he said tossing the keys in a bowl.

She looked around his apartment which was moderately decorated but not with a lot of flashy furniture. Nick was a bachelor who never spent much time at home and his apartment reflected that. The furniture didn’t match but was the same bland color of coffee with a dip of cream splashed in it. There were no family pictures on the walls or tables.

The recliner chair had clothes piled on it and workout equipment was scattered across the floor. She walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain. He had a lovely view overlooking the courtyard. A door led to a balcony that was big enough to fit a patio set on. Nick had a kitchen chair sitting out there.

Lincoln closed the curtain and looked around. He had plenty of living space and he was on the eighth floor. She wouldn’t have to worry about prowlers looking in windows at night if she stayed here. She shivered at the thought. Nick would be returning to work, and she would be home alone in the evenings.

She wandered to the kitchen. Her nose turned up at the odor. She opened the refrigerator and slammed the door shut. “Phew! What the heck died in there? This place is a freaking mess,” she mumbled. Going through the drawers and cabinets, she looked for a garage bag.

Nick sauntered into the kitchen. “Hey, wha’cha looking for?”

“A hazmat suit so I can clean the fridge. I thought I was a bad housekeeper, but you got me beat.”

He chuckled. “I haven’t been home in a week, Lincoln. And, yeah I’m a little sloppy but I do clean on my days off.”

“Well, get a bucket and some rags, sweetheart, we’re going to clean this place before we leave.”