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  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 sitt
ing 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.”

  “Aw, do we have to clean now?”

  “Yes, we do. If I’m going to stay here some nights, I need to make sure nothing is going to jump out the fridge and eat me.”

  A grin spread across his face. “Really?” He put the duffel bag on the floor and walked over to her.

  “Yes, really.” He let his fingers intertwine with hers and tried to draw her to him. She resisted. “Nick, we’re here to clean. We can play after we’re done.”

  He dropped her hands. “All right, you win. You know I have two bedrooms.”

  She wondered what he was suggesting. “Okay, and that means?”

  He raised his brow. “Nothing at all. I’m letting you know the layout of the place. I have a dishwasher, but I use the laundry room down the hall. No hookup for a washer and dryer in the suite.”

  “Yeah, it is nice and has more room than my place but I’m not moving in on you. I’ll stay a night or two, but that’s it.”

  He held his hands up. “No pressure. I’ll get the cleaning stuff.”

  Lincoln wanted to giggle. He was so cute when he tried to be subtle. She took off her sweater and rolled up the sleeves of her blouse. They had a lot of work ahead of them.

  They cleaned Nick’s bedroom last. He switched the clothes around in the laundry room and while those loads dried; they ran to the local discount store to purchase new sheets for his bed and personal items for her to keep at his apartment.

  Finally done with everything for the night, they ordered pizza and relaxed in the bedroom. Unlike at her apartment, Nick kept the television in the bedroom, and once their bellies were full of pizza, they immediately fell asleep.

  Lincoln awoke disoriented. The t-shirt Nick had given her to sleep in was hiked up around her waist. His arm curled over her with his hand cupping her breast with his thumb over her nipple.

  He stirred when she moved indicating he was awake also. Nick shifted his hips until his erection pressed against her behind. Her arousal was instantaneous as always when he touched her. His thumb eased a slow circle around her nipple, causing her to moan.

  He rolled her over, his knee easing between her thighs. She inhaled to smell the musky male scent of him and not her perfume scented bath soap he’d been using at her place. She felt his heartbeat against her chest. Sliding a hand between them, she stroked him. Her eyes closed as her fingers caressed him. He groaned in her ear setting off high volts of electricity to race through her body.

  She now realized no man other than Nick would ever make love to her again. Her body craved for him and his skillful touch.

  His lips traveled up her neck. His tongue licked at the corners of her mouth. When he kissed her, it sent spirals of ecstasy through her like always. Her body arched and withered against his erection, seeking it, and needing it inside her. He used a free hand to pull the t-shirt over her head to attack her sensitive nipples with his wet tongue and warm mouth.

  Nick’s breathing was heavy as he discarded his pajama bottoms without releasing her breast from his mouth. She arched her pelvis as he thrust his hips forward to sink inside her warmth. Lincoln moaned and pulled his head from her chest to meet her lips for a passionate kiss. As he rocked against her slowly, she nibbled his earlobe to keep from screaming out. Her body quaked, and Nick slowed so that they would reach the pinnacle of their lovemaking together.

  He rolled off her but kept her pinned to his side. “I love you,” he whispered in a raspy voice.

  Lincoln draped her arm around his waist. “I love you too.” She felt her smile spread knowing she meant it. She wasn’t sure when it happened or how it happened, but she had fallen head over heels in love with Nick Barona.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Nick dropped Lincoln off at work and stopped by the firehouse before going to her place to start painting. He needed to get his toolbox out of his locker and since he was in the area, he wouldn’t have to make a second trip.

  He saw Jon outside washing engine 30. “Hey, Jon.”

  “Nick. What brings you by?” Jon asked looking over his shoulder at Nick.

  “I need to grab something from my locker. So how was the bachelor party?”

  “Eh, it was okay, but you were missed. I heard you had the ladies falling at your feet at Regan’s party,” he said. He picked up the hose to rinse off the front of the truck.

  Nick felt the heat rush to his cheeks. “It was fun and it made Lincoln happy.”

  “That took balls, man. There is no way I would have done that,” Jon said as he rinsed the suds off the truck.

  “Bullshit, if Gabby asked you to do it, you would.”

  “Yeah, probably but thank God she will never ask me. I don’t have those Michael Jackson moves like you do. Gabby said you were good.”

  Nick laughed. “Your wife is kind. Michael probably turned over in his grave with embarrassed at my imitation of him. Anyhow, was Anthony at the bachelor party?”

  “Yeah, he was there but he didn’t stay long. Why are you asking?”

  Nick scratched his head. “No reason, just wondering.”

  Jon turned off the hose and stared at Nick. “You’re not just asking, what’s going on?”

  He hesitated. “Lincoln saw a man standing outside her bedroom window later that night. She wouldn’t let me chase him down. Yesterday I found footprints under the bedroom window.”

  “Wait, you think Ant is stalking Lincoln?”

  “I’m not accusing him of stalking her but watching me when I come and go. I need you to take a look at his shoes, Jon. If he has mud on his shoes, then it was him. If not then her apartment manager should be informed a stalker is lurking around at night.”

  “This is stupid, Nick. Why would he do that? He knows that you are with Lincoln. He doesn’t like it, but there is nothing he can do about it.”

  “Jon, please just do it. Lincoln is scared to stay at home. I return to work in a few days and if Ant is the one watching her, then she needs to know in order to get a restraining order against him. If it’s not him, I’m breaking her lease and moving her in with me.”

  Jon picked up a sponge and began to wash the fenders of the truck. “You can check for yourself. Ant is in the break room. I don’t want any more to do with this mess than I have to.”

  “Cool, I’ll look for myself.” Nick walked into the break room. He stopped to talk to Gordon who was making lunch. Anthony was seated at the table reading the newspaper and pretending not to notice he was there.

  “Hey Nicky, good to see you dude,” Gordon said, shaking Nick’s hand.

  Nick sniffed around the stove. “Gordon, wha’cha got cooking?”

  “Lasagna. I hope to finish it before we get a call. Stick around and join us for lunch.”

  “I’d like to stick around but I have some painting to do. I’m painting my girlfriend’s apartment for her.” He saw Anthony’s head shrink into his shoulder, but he didn’t make any type of remark.

  Gordon cleared his throat and bent his brow. “Oh, well okay, in that case it was good se
eing you. I’m going to miss you around here.”

  “You’ll see me during shift changes. Plus, I was thinking about taking some ballroom dance classes. Lincoln mentioned she wanted to do something different and I told her you were the best at ballroom dancing.” Again he shifted his eyes in Anthony’s direction for any reaction.

  It worked. Anthony pushed away from the table. Nick took a glance at his shoes and his heart raced. He had to wait to approach him. If he did it now, he for sure would be back in jail.

  Gordon nudged him on the arm. “Hey, are you trying to ruffle Anthony’s feathers?”

  “Nope, I just wanted him to get up from the table.” He slapped Gordon on the arm. “I’ll be in touch about those dance lessons, man,” he said as he walked away.

  He went to his locker and got his tool box. Walking to the bay doors, he saw Anthony and Jon standing outside. With Anthony standing directly in the sunlight, he got a better look at his shoes. As he suspected dry mud was on his shoes.

  He cleared his throat and kept walking towards them. “Jon, you got the truck shining like new money. I wanna take a picture to tease my crew. Gotta show them what we are up against. Do you mind?”

  Jon nodded. “Be my guest.”

  Jon stepped out of the way, but Anthony remained where he was standing. Nick took his phone and angled it to get the truck and Anthony’s shoes in focus. He snapped the photo and placed the phone back in his pocket. “Have a great day. Even you, Ant,” he smirked, as he saluted them.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Nick cleared most of the furniture from the living room and removed the pictures from the walls. He covered the carpet with heavy plastic before opening a can of eggshell-white paint. As he poured the thick paint in the pan, his thoughts shifted on how to reveal to Lincoln that Anthony and not a stranger was watching her apartment at night.

  He clicked the remote to turn on the CD player. Sensual R&B music drifted from the speakers. He stroked the paint brush down the wall wondering if this was the type of music, he should play to initiate intimacy with Lincoln. He shook the notion from his head. He had been with Lincoln enough to know she didn’t require music to get in the mood. His touch did that for her. She loved when he placed kisses on her neck and behind her ears. The mere feel of his hands on her body made her melt. Nope, they didn’t need music to start a fire burning. The passion they shared in each other did that.