Read Online His Heart Aflame (Beach Haven Book 2) by A.J. Goode - Free Book Online
Authors: A.J. Goode
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extravagant jeweled tiara with a full veil.
When he closed his eyes, he saw the ghostly figure in his headlights again, a blur of white that seemed to glow like some ethereal being. Damn it, he'd looked for her! He'd gotten out of the truck and gone into the woods with his flashlight, calling out to her. Why hadn't she answered him?
Because she couldn't , a little voice murmured somewhere in the back of his mind. Her captor must have been holding her, preventing her from answering his calls.
Sean felt sick at the thought that he might have been Maeve Renault's last chance for escape. He'd let her down, left her alone with God-knows-who to do God-knows-what to her while he went home to sleep in his warm and cozy bed. He had to come forward with the information. He had to.
He could lose all of his certifications for leaving the scene and not reporting what had happened, he realized. He might even face criminal charges. He was done as a firefighter.
Done.
After waiting for the Dan Harding to finish taking pictures and collecting evidence, Sean delivered the car to the police lot and returned the tow truck to Jackson Auto. He collected his own truck and drove aimlessly around the small town, not ready to go home yet but not sure where else to go.He finally found himself sitting in the parking lot at Carrington Manor, debating whether to go in and talk to Maggie or not.
On the one hand, he hardly knew her well enough to trust her with this. On the other, he had to talk to someone , and he didn’t know who else he could turn to.
He lost track of how long he sat there. He had just decided that it was too late to bother her when a sudden tap on the window startled him.
It was Maggie. She tapped on the window again, and he opened the door.
"Everything okay?" she asked. “You’ve been sitting here for a long time.”
He shook his head.
"Want to talk about it?"
He shook his head again
"Sean, I need to tell you something—"
Sean lurched out of the truck and moved unsteadily toward the beach. He needed to be alone, away from the visions of the missing woman, away from the guilt that gnawed at him. He heard Maggie moving along behind him, but didn't stop until he reached the water's edge, where he sank to his knees and covered his face with his hands.
She knelt behind him, wrapping her arms around him and laying her cheek against his shoulder. He shrugged her away.
"You're scaring me," she whispered.
"Good!" He whirled on her, suddenly furious. "You should be scared of me! You don't know the first thing about me, do you?"
"Don't be silly, Sean, I—"
He seized her then, crushing her lips with his own. He sank one hand into her hair and held her so tightly that she couldn't escape from his kiss. His other hand stayed on her back, pulling her against him. His tongue forced her lips apart and assaulted hers, seeking out every deep recess as she struggled in his grasp.
"Did that feel 'silly'?" he demanded, breaking free of the kiss. He could hear how broken his voice sounded.
"N-no." She looked up at him with eyes that glistened with unshed tears.
"Go!" He hissed through clenched teeth. "Get away from me. You shouldn't trust me. You don't know what I've done."
Slowly, Maggie reached up to touch his face. She touched her fingers to his lips. "I'm not going anywhere," she whispered, brushing her lips against his.
He made a helpless sound and seized her again, flinging her back against the sand and pressing his weight against her. She touched his face again, and he grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head in the cool sand. And he kissed her savagely, angrily, in a way he had never kissed any other woman.
He regained control long enough to release her lips and look down at her pale face in the moonlight. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice ragged.
"Don't stop," she breathed.
Don't stop.
He held her both of her wrists with one hand and cupped the other around her face as he kissed her again, exploring every
When he closed his eyes, he saw the ghostly figure in his headlights again, a blur of white that seemed to glow like some ethereal being. Damn it, he'd looked for her! He'd gotten out of the truck and gone into the woods with his flashlight, calling out to her. Why hadn't she answered him?
Because she couldn't , a little voice murmured somewhere in the back of his mind. Her captor must have been holding her, preventing her from answering his calls.
Sean felt sick at the thought that he might have been Maeve Renault's last chance for escape. He'd let her down, left her alone with God-knows-who to do God-knows-what to her while he went home to sleep in his warm and cozy bed. He had to come forward with the information. He had to.
He could lose all of his certifications for leaving the scene and not reporting what had happened, he realized. He might even face criminal charges. He was done as a firefighter.
Done.
After waiting for the Dan Harding to finish taking pictures and collecting evidence, Sean delivered the car to the police lot and returned the tow truck to Jackson Auto. He collected his own truck and drove aimlessly around the small town, not ready to go home yet but not sure where else to go.He finally found himself sitting in the parking lot at Carrington Manor, debating whether to go in and talk to Maggie or not.
On the one hand, he hardly knew her well enough to trust her with this. On the other, he had to talk to someone , and he didn’t know who else he could turn to.
He lost track of how long he sat there. He had just decided that it was too late to bother her when a sudden tap on the window startled him.
It was Maggie. She tapped on the window again, and he opened the door.
"Everything okay?" she asked. “You’ve been sitting here for a long time.”
He shook his head.
"Want to talk about it?"
He shook his head again
"Sean, I need to tell you something—"
Sean lurched out of the truck and moved unsteadily toward the beach. He needed to be alone, away from the visions of the missing woman, away from the guilt that gnawed at him. He heard Maggie moving along behind him, but didn't stop until he reached the water's edge, where he sank to his knees and covered his face with his hands.
She knelt behind him, wrapping her arms around him and laying her cheek against his shoulder. He shrugged her away.
"You're scaring me," she whispered.
"Good!" He whirled on her, suddenly furious. "You should be scared of me! You don't know the first thing about me, do you?"
"Don't be silly, Sean, I—"
He seized her then, crushing her lips with his own. He sank one hand into her hair and held her so tightly that she couldn't escape from his kiss. His other hand stayed on her back, pulling her against him. His tongue forced her lips apart and assaulted hers, seeking out every deep recess as she struggled in his grasp.
"Did that feel 'silly'?" he demanded, breaking free of the kiss. He could hear how broken his voice sounded.
"N-no." She looked up at him with eyes that glistened with unshed tears.
"Go!" He hissed through clenched teeth. "Get away from me. You shouldn't trust me. You don't know what I've done."
Slowly, Maggie reached up to touch his face. She touched her fingers to his lips. "I'm not going anywhere," she whispered, brushing her lips against his.
He made a helpless sound and seized her again, flinging her back against the sand and pressing his weight against her. She touched his face again, and he grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head in the cool sand. And he kissed her savagely, angrily, in a way he had never kissed any other woman.
He regained control long enough to release her lips and look down at her pale face in the moonlight. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice ragged.
"Don't stop," she breathed.
Don't stop.
He held her both of her wrists with one hand and cupped the other around her face as he kissed her again, exploring every
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