Healing Love (Love to the Extreme) (11 page)

Instead, he pressed them against her forehead. She clenched her eyes closed against the rush of disappointment that hit her.

“As long as I’m around, you’ll never make that walk alone,” he whispered against her skin, and then pulled back.

She couldn’t stop a surprised gasp. Not only from his words, but how safe and protected they made her feel.

As their gazes locked, the air between them sparked. She could lose herself in those gray eyes. She could lose herself in him. He was the first man to storm into her life who made her feel safe. That was dangerous. She couldn’t rely on someone else for that feeling. She needed to find it for herself.

She looked away, intentionally breaking the moment. “I-I need to get home.” She slipped inside and Lance gently closed the door. When he just stood there, she rolled down her window. “I’m not leaving until you get into your car.”

A crooked smile curved his mouth. “Always my guardian angel, aren’t you?”

“Just returning the favor. You made sure I got to my car safely, I’m doing the same.”

“You don’t have to watch over me, Kelsey.”

“The same goes for you, too, you know. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it a long time.”

“
I’m
going to take care of you. Nothing’s going to happen to you while I’m around.”

Again that sense of security enveloped her, and she believed him. But as much as she liked the idea of Lance watching over her, he wouldn’t always be there. Her goal was to go back home. Allowing someone to take care of her defeated the purpose of being here.

“Go to your car,” she said.

“Good night, Kelsey.” There was an unmistakable huskiness to his words.

“Good night, Lance.”

She watched him stride across the gravel to his Jeep. When he climbed in, he turned on the engine, the headlights popping to life. He started to back up then stopped and flashed his lights once. Understanding his message, a small smile played at her lips. She backed up the car and headed to the road, Lance tailing her in his vehicle.

And again she felt safe.

Chapter Five

“Oh. My. God.” Ella stared down at the bags of groceries in her hands.

She hadn’t.

Quickly, she lowered the bags to the ground then patted her pockets. Groaning, she threw her head back.

She had.

What else could go wrong today?

It’d been one of
those
mornings. First, she’d forgotten to put coffee grounds in the coffeemaker, so after she’d taken her shower she’d returned to a pot of hot water. During her shower, she’d used shaving cream to wash her hair. To top off that terrible start, she’d gone to the store for a specific thing, but failed to purchase it and had to go back in—twice.
Now
she’d locked her keys in the trunk.

Ella glanced toward the windows in her living room, but there was no use even trying. She checked to make sure the windows were locked at least three times a day. No reason to break the window either. Her keys would still be in the trunk, and she’d have to clean up broken glass. Thank God she’d been mindful enough to slip her phone in the back pocket of her jeans before she’d grabbed the grocery bags.

She tugged her phone out and tapped the internet search app. After typing in “wrecker services in Cheney, KS”, she hit call on the first one that popped up. A dispatcher answered and Ella left her information and hung up.

Twenty minutes. Not too bad of a wait.

She plopped down on the top step of her porch and cupped her chin in her palm. She blamed Lance for her absentmindedness today. The man had dominated her dreams last night in a way that made it clear what she wanted.

She wanted to indulge in that man’s attention, his touch. And why shouldn’t she? After everything she’d been through, just feeling an attraction was a huge milestone for her. She should just go with it.

Her body might be the one thing that would stop her though.

She placed her hand on her stomach, tracing the rigid, scarred skin beneath. She’d never been insecure about her appearance, until this lovely addition. She hadn’t worn a two piece in years. Since she hated looking at it, she couldn’t imagine a man finding it appealing.

A wrecker pulled up, thankfully bringing her out of the morose thoughts. She rose and dusted off her butt, but stopped as a man who looked vaguely familiar climbed out of the truck. A baseball cap covered his hair and shadowed his face, but she’d know that tattooed arm anywhere, and her heart skipped a beat.

Lance.

He turned and started his way up her walk then lifted his head. His gray eyes rounded. “Kelsey?”

“You look as shocked as I feel.”

“You are the last person I expected to see. I thought you lived in Wichita.”

“No, I drive in. You have a wrecker business?”

“Yep. That’s the reason I run late for training from time-to-time. If I’m late, it’s because I’m on a call.”

It had never crossed her mind that Lance had another job outside of the gym and fighting.

“How long have you been in the wrecker service?” she asked.

“Six years.” He glanced down at his phone. “Says here you’ve locked your keys in the car?” She didn’t miss the amusement in his voice.

“Shut up. It’s been a long morning.”

As he inspected the car, he said, “How so?”

“Did you use shaving cream to wash your hair this morning?”

A chuckle burst out of him. “Ahh. It’s been one of
those
days. Just give me a minute and I’ll have those keys free.”

He returned to his truck and retrieved a slim jim. Back at her car, he slipped it between the rubber and the window. Within seconds, a click sounded and he opened the door. The jeans stretched taut across his ass as he leaned inside.

Damn. She bit her bottom lip. Everything about Lance was nice to look at—clothed or unclothed. Last night she’d gotten a view of him without his shirt—a very distant view. But that distance hadn’t taken away from the chiseled muscles of his abs or chest, but left her longing for a close-up. That longing was back in full force.

Her trunk popped open, taking her attention away from his delectable ass to the back of her car.

“Oh, thank God! You’re a life saver.”

“Nah. Just have the equipment needed to get the job done.”

Boy, did he ever. She wanted to throttle herself for the random thought. Seriously? From his ass to his junk? Damn dirty mind and erotic fantasies.

“How much do I owe you?” she asked, just to get herself back on track.

He waved his hand. “Not taking your money.”

She gaped at him. “I have to pay you. You drove out here.”

“I told you last night I was going to take care of you, didn’t I?”

There was that protected feeling again. She was uneasier with that than she was with her attraction to the man. She could learn from Lance, but she had to protect herself and couldn’t rely on him.

“I don’t think that included car issues,” she teased, trying to lighten things.

“It included walking you to your car, so I don’t see why this is any different. In fact, I can think of a few other ways I could take care of you.”

Had he just moved closer?

Yes. Yes he had.

Her heart thumped hard against her ribs. Now, these feelings she could get on board with—
wanted
to get on board with.

“What other ways could you take care of me?” she shocked herself by asking.

In just a few steps, Lance closed the distance between them, standing directly over her so she was forced to tilt her head back to look at him. For years, she’d felt some sort of panic at having a large man tower over her. Not this time. Not now. All she felt was excitement. Desire. A thrilling throb that reminded her that she was a woman. And damn if it wasn’t a liberating feeling.

He reached for a strand of her hair and gently ran his fingers over it. Holy shit, she wanted him to kiss her, with a need so strong it was overwhelming. Her breathing hitched, and Lance’s pupils dilated in response. They stood like that, staring at each other, him caressing her hair. The air surrounding them became thick with lust, heavy and undeniable. If he kissed her, without a doubt her reaction would be the opposite of what it had been since
that
night. The thought made her giddy.

Clearing his throat, he tucked the strand behind her ear then stepped back. “I don’t know. Maybe…I could change out those shitty tires of yours.”

She blinked at his one-eighty turn. Why had he pulled away? Why wasn’t he looking at her now?

Scrambling for something to say to cover the sudden awkwardness, she blurted, “If you won’t take payment, at least let me buy you dinner.” She inwardly groaned. That hadn’t made it awkward, not at all. “I’m not hitting on you. I just like to settle my debts. Just want to buy you dinner, not go on a date.”

Good lord, shut up.
She clamped her mouth closed before she said anything else to make this even more unbearable.

“I appreciate the offer,” he said, still not meeting her gaze. “But I already have a date with a special lady tonight. Maybe a rain check.”

A stab of jealousy pierced her, but she forced a smile to cover it. “Definitely. Enjoy your date.”

He tipped his cap, backing away. “I always do.”

Another prick of jealousy hit her as he turned and hurried to the wrecker as if he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. When his engine roared to life and he pulled away from the curb with nothing more than a quick wave, she stalked to her car, grabbed her keys, and slammed the trunk closed.

Had she completely misread that?

She was rusty, but she didn’t think she was
that
rusty. No. He had definitely wanted to kiss her as much as she’d wanted him to. Unlike her though, he didn’t want to travel down that road.

He had a date—a special one.

Whatever was going on, Lance was giving her a clear this-isn’t-happening message. And she had never felt more disappointed.

…

Sitting outside his ex-wife’s two-story brick house, Lance tightened his grip around his cell phone, trying to rein in his anger at Mitch. They’d been bugging the piss out of him all afternoon. “I already told Ralph I’m not coming. I have plans tonight.”

“You don’t get to tell us no, Black,” Mitch said. “You agreed to the terms. We expect total cooperation.”

“I agreed to fight for five grand, win or lose. That, I’ll show up for. This, you can fuck yourself.”

“Okay. We see now how this has to be.”

The line went dead. What the hell did that mean? He tossed the phone on the passenger side seat then thrust his hands in his hair.
Fuck.

Seemed some of the more prestigious members were refusing to make bets without first getting to know the fighters they were betting on. All the fighters were being rounded up for a meet-and-greet. Lance didn’t have time for that shit.

He had a date with his daughter, and he refused to break it.

He’d had this outing planned for days, not knowing his daddy-daughter date would be an excuse this afternoon to turn another woman down. Correction. Not just another woman.

Kelsey.

When she’d asked what other way he could take care of her, he’d come damn close to giving that woman a sample of the many, many ways he wanted to do it. She would’ve let him. That had been clear all over her face. Somehow he’d found the strength to pull away, and he’d needed to put distance back between them.

Kelsey was off-limits. The only thing she needed from him was protection. Though she had a badass quality, there was also a vulnerability about her the McNealys would eat alive.

And since he was responsible for the McNealys targeting her, it was his responsibility to keep her safe from them.

Damn it.
He couldn’t think about this right now. Skylar deserved his full attention.

Putting all thoughts of the woman who was driving him crazy out of his mind, Lance climbed out of his Jeep then took the steps of the huge porch two at a time. He pressed the doorbell, and a second later the door whipped open and a mass of blonde curls launched themselves into his arms. “Daddy!”

He squeezed her tight against her side. “Hey, princess. You ready for our date?”

“Yep. What’re we going to do?”

“The night’s yours.”

“Okay. Pizza first then to the arcade and then…”

Lance chuckled as his daughter rambled off a list of everything she wanted to do. He’d try and do as much of that list as he could fit in.

He glanced up to see his ex-wife, Piper. Affection warmed his heart. After the way their marriage had ended, she should’ve been one of those ex-wives who despised her ex-husband, and for a couple of years she had. But Skylar’s diagnosis had helped her move past the bitterness and anger she’d carried for him, and they’d built a solid friendship.

Losing his daughter was the worst thing that could come out of Piper learning he was involved with the McNealys again. Second to that would be losing the relationship he now had with his ex-wife.

Piper laid a hand on her daughter’s back. “Skylar, go inside and grab what you want to take to Daddy’s.”

His daughter darted inside.

“How are things?” he asked.

“Going well. Brian and I are going to paint the town red tonight.”

Brian was Piper’s husband. “Good for you two. With Gayle taking that job, I haven’t had a babysitter like I used to. I know that’s cut into your and Brian’s quality time.”

She gave a dismissive wave. “Don’t worry about it. You’re not slacking off. You’re working. I get it.”

The sad thing was if she knew who he was working to pay back, she wouldn’t be as understanding. Not with the past she had with the McNealys.

The door opened and Skylar stepped out clutching Bacon, her stuffed pink pig, to her chest. He’d bought her the toy the day she had her first chemotherapy session. She was almost five years old at the time. Over three years and a remission later, she still carried it everywhere, and loved all things pig.

His heart tightened. He loved this child more than life itself. Would do anything for her. He offered his hand, and her tiny fingers slipped into his. She
was
his purpose in life. Even knowing how the cousins would try to fuck him, he’d still go to the McNealys for that loan, because he would do
anything
for her.