Free Texas Wildfire (Texas Heroes Book 1) by Sable Hunter Page B

till you go to sleep.”
    “Okay, suit yourself.” Makenna nestled down in the covers, turning on her side to face him. She closed her eyes—mostly—peeking at him through her lashes. This was so unreal. Last night and every other night before she’d been scared to sleep, afraid Damien would drag her out of bed to punish her for some infraction or the other. And tonight…tonight she had a real honest-to-God flesh and blood hero guarding her while she slept. Letting out a long breath, she sent up a prayer of thankfulness.
    Titan couldn’t take his eyes off of her. How amazing to have the object of his desire under his roof. He longed to crawl under the covers, put his arms around her and make her his—and that would come. Tonight, though, he would give her what she needed and that was a good night’s rest in a place where she knew no fear.
    Apparently she was more tired than she thought, because in a few minutes her eyes closed and her breathing evened out. Titan sat there for another hour, just enjoying watching her sleep.
    Also, it seemed like he was forgetting something. A lost thought kept pulling at his brain. What could it be?
    Hours later, Titan woke with a crick in his neck. He’d slept in the chair next to Makenna. His pager was set on vibrate and the rhythmic movement against his thigh caused him to open his eyes to an unbelievable sight. During the night, Makenna must’ve grown warm again, for she’d kicked the covers clean off. To make matters even more enticing, the jersey she wore had ridden up almost to her waist and he could see a passel of sweet curves and smooth skin. The panties she wore did little to conceal the treasure they covered and her legs were spread enough that he could’ve slipped his hand right where it longed to be. Damn! His cock was as hard as steel!
    For just a moment, he stood over her, wishing he had the right to claim her. The only thing that bothered him were the bruises he saw and they were still prominently visible. He vowed at that moment to protect her. Damien Wade would never lay a hand on her again. He didn’t tug down her shirt, but he did pull the sheet up and over her. And to satisfy himself, he leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”
    Only then did he look at his pager. “Hell!” he whispered. There was a wreck out on FM 32 and they needed the ‘jaws of life’ to extract some of the victims. He only took time to use the bathroom, a shower would have to wait. At least he was still dressed. Grabbing his keys, he headed out the door.
    *  *  *
    An hour and a half later, Makenna awoke to the ringing of a telephone—an insistent ringing of a telephone. Startled, she called out for Titan, but there was no answer. Thinking it could be an emergency, she got up and padded out of the room till she found a landline phone in a place that appeared to be his study. There was a neat desk and a bookshelf filled with journals of some sort. “Hello, Sloan residence.”
    “Who the hell is this?” a shrill female voice screamed in her ear.
    The caller’s attitude didn’t exactly encourage Makenna to be forthcoming with information. “Who is this?” she asked right back.
    “This is Tammie Woods. You tell that fickle son-of-a-bitch Titan Sloan that he stood me up for our date last night. I don’t put up with crap like that. If he wants to see me again, he’ll have to learn some manners. I don’t know who you are, but I hope you were worth it—because he sure as hell missed out on a hot time with me!”
    “I’ll let him know,” Makenna spoke calmly. Before she hung up, a little streak of rebellion took over. “And I was worth it, by the way.”
    “Who is this?”
    “Makenna Wade.” Makenna didn’t know why she was being so open, but she didn’t like this woman’s attitude at all.
    “Listen here, you little bitch.” Tammie’s voice dripped with venom. “Titan Sloan is mine. Our lands join. It’s a logical, foregone conclusion