Captivated Heat Read online

  Men of Iron Horse 4

  Captivated Heat

  Samantha Murphy’s life is rocked when the love of her life, Daniel Whitmore, returns after seven years. He left without a word to join the military and now he’s back. Consumed with trust issues, she wants nothing to do with him, hating that even after so long he can still stir her emotions.

  But Daniel is silently suffering with the nightmares of his past, haunted by the memories of a near fatal injury. His only salvation has been a picture of Sam, one he has kept close to his heart. And now that he’s back, he wants her.

  Emotionally shattered, Sam never fully moved on. Daniel has always been the missing piece in her life. But déjà vu sends her running to protect her heart.

  Can Daniel convince her that he’s no longer the selfish man she fears, win her trust, and prove his love for her before it’s too late?

  Genre: Contemporary

  Length: 30,576 words

  CAPTIVATED HEAT

  Men of Iron Horse 4

  Morgan Fox

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

  CAPTIVATED HEAT

  Copyright © 2015 by Morgan Fox

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-63259-550-8

  First E-book Publication: June 2015

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Captivated Heat by Morgan Fox from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Morgan Fox’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Morgan Fox’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  To all the readers who have supported me along this journey, thank you so much. Your support means more to me than words can ever express.

  To my husband for his undying love, encouragement, and support. Thank you for everything.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  About the Author

  CAPTIVATED HEAT

  Men of Iron Horse 4

  MORGAN FOX

  Copyright © 2015

  Chapter One

  Samantha Murphy stood at Jason Whitmore’s front door and wondered what the hell was so urgent that he had to pull her out of work. She never left Iron Horse. She loved that damn bar. Spent most of her time there. And had he not sounded so distraught over the phone, she might’ve told him to kiss her ass, boss or not.

  She knocked and then entered his house like she always had. She and Jason were best friends and practically family. She knew blood relatives who weren’t as close as they were.

  “Jason,” she called out. “Where the hell are you?”

  She scraped her boots over the hardwood flooring, switching directions to check out the house. She wasn’t sure why he wasn’t answering, but she didn’t have time to mess around. She was needed back at the bar. The inmates were currently running the asylum.

  She spotted the glow of light coming from the bedroom at the end of the hall. “Jason, what’s so important you couldn’t wait until after I got off work?” she asked, pressing the palm of her hand to the partially opened door as she reached it.

  When her brain registered what she was seeing, she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Every emotion she’d ever suppressed rose up from deep within her and took hold, ravaging her where she stood.

  “Daniel,” she gasped, his bruised face staring back at her.

  “Sammy,” he muttered, trying to sit up in the bed.

  He looked different. Older, bigger, stronger, and careworn. He was shirtless and covered in sweat as if he’d just woken from a nightmare. She trembled as she watched him, unable to speak. The moment was surreal.

  “Don’t you dare,” shouted Jason, snapping her from her thoughts, as he stepped from the spare bathroom to help him. “You need your rest.”

  “No. You don’t understand.” He shoved to his feet, Jason at his side. “Sammy, I need to speak with you.”

  “No, you don’t,” Jason argued. “Right now, you need rest. Sam will be here when you wake up.”

  Sam shook her head, her mind swimming with thoughts she couldn’t make sense of. The need to escape was twisting her gut. She wanted to leave. Now. “No. I won’t,” she said, backing up into the hallway. “I can’t.”

  “Sam, wait. I need your help. Daniel needs your help.”

  She shook her head uncontrollably. “I’m sorry, Jason. I can’t do this.”

  Her mouth opened to speak, but she couldn’t say a word. He was back and she couldn’t handle it. Daniel took a step toward her and instantly, she turned away and rushed down the hall to the front door.

  Jason grabbed her arm. “Sam, where are you going?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me he was back?” Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she blinked them back. The emotions were as raw as the day he’d left. She’d felt as if he’d died the day he’d abandoned her. How was she supposed to handle his surprise resurrection? “Why would you just let me walk in on him like that?
”

  “He was injured on a mission and it screwed him up. He needs us.” Jason’s gaze was filled with sympathy and she knew he was torn between helping his brother and standing at her side. She loved him enough not to make him chose.

  “He needs you. He needs his family.” She put her hands up to block Jason from grabbing her again. “I’m not his family. He made that perfectly clear when he chose the military over me all those years ago.”

  She stepped back, her lower lip quivering. As much as she wanted to be there for Jason, she couldn’t. Daniel had destroyed a piece of her and it had never healed. Seeing him again was practically killing her.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, unable to keep the tears from rolling down her face. “I’m so sorry.”

  She fled as quickly as she could, her body numb with the knowledge that Daniel had returned. The only man to ever win her heart with the promise that he’d love her forever.

  Damn liar.

  * * * *

  “This tastes like shit!” Samantha hissed, frowning as the bitter flavor of home-brewed coffee touched her tongue. These days nothing tasted good. Nothing felt right. The pit in her stomach grew and it had everything to do with Daniel Whitmore. For months she’d avoided him. She wasn’t ready to face the demons he brought up, didn’t want to tear open the emotional wound that never fully closed.

  These days she spent most of her free time alone. Normally, she’d hang out with Jason. But that wasn’t about to happen since he was Daniel’s older brother and they were staying together.

  Why couldn’t he just stay away? My life was fine until he came back.

  Seven full years had gone by since the night Daniel had abandoned her, and even though she wanted to move on, she couldn’t. He was the one who had captured her heart, the one who filled her mind with so much longing. But that hadn’t been true for him. He’d proven that the day he’d left her bed to join the military. Worse still, he’d never spoken a word to her of his plans. Night after night, he’d had plenty of opportunity, but the coward hadn’t thought her important enough to discuss his future with her. She was just the fuck before he left, one final hurrah before departing. Maybe that was what really hurt, being used and discarded so easily. She’d been a fool to think he’d really cared for her, loved her, and she’d be damned to ever let that happen again.

  She was crushed when Jason had called to tell her that Daniel had joined the Marines. Shit, Jason had been just as pissed. The bastard hadn’t even told his own family that he was leaving, until it was too late to discuss anything anyway. Daniel had apparently made up his mind months before and didn’t want anyone to influence his decision to leave. It was his need. His fucking selfish need that had broken her heart and ruined everything.

  Asshole.

  Their time apart clearly hadn’t been enough for her. Seeing that he had returned only stirred the unsettled emotions in her heart and mind. She was pissed. Over the years, not once had another man come close to filling her heart the way Daniel had. Not once had a new found relationship evolved beyond sex. And when she fucked, she fucked hard, like she was trying to eradicate Daniel from her thoughts. He was a constant distraction, and now that he was back, she realized just how unprepared she was to handle it.

  Right now, she needed to keep her distance from him to allow her head to stay clear. As it was, she was rattled that he’d returned. A person shouldn’t feel this way after so long apart. She should be able to move on and she couldn’t. Maybe she needed to simply punch him in the face to get out some of her unresolved anger. That might help.

  Why did it bother her so much that he’d come back? Why did the idea of seeing him again tear her apart so badly? He was just another man, one who didn’t deserve a thing from her.

  The walls began to close in on her and she shot up from her kitchen table, grabbed the keys to her motorcycle, and headed out the door. The only place she might find a little escape from her overactive brain was at her favorite little coffee shop downtown. The place screamed with character and the numerous friendly faces would distract her from the one that haunted her most. It took less than five minutes to get to the shop and even less time to order her favorite cup of coffee and find a seat. The moment the warm liquid hit her lips, swirled around on her tongue, and rolled down her throat, she was in heaven. This was what she needed. This was the peace she sought.

  If only I could hide away here.

  Staring out the window, she spotted Jason’s truck pulling into the parking lot. It didn’t surprise her to see it. This was his favorite coffee shop, too, and working long nights, coffee was a must. What she hadn’t anticipated was that the person driving the truck wasn’t Jason, but Daniel.

  She was glued to the chair as her eyes drifted over him. In an instant, her heart rose up into her throat. He was even more attractive than she remembered. Damn it, he was a grown man now and he stood just a little over six feet tall. His body was so much more developed now that he was almost thirty and the way his tight jeans hugged his hips had her wishing he’d grown a third eye or had really bad acne. It wasn’t fair that he looked so good. It wasn’t fair that he was showing up at her favorite coffee shop.

  She had no doubt that Jason was to blame. He’d be the only one who could’ve tracked her down. He’d introduced her to the cafe and he was the one who knew where she would be if she wasn’t at home or at work.

  Why would he do this to me?

  As Daniel stepped inside, he quickly swept his blue gaze around the room until they locked on her. She swallowed hard as he closed the distance between them. Anger welled in her belly.

  She didn’t give him a second to say a word, before she blurted out, "What the hell are you doing here?”

  He ran his hand through his military-cut, sandy blond hair and admitted without pause, "Jason told me where I could find you."

  "Remind me to kick him in the nuts the next time I see him," she muttered.

  "You can’t keep avoiding me, Sammy."

  She scoffed, rolling her eyes at the nickname. No one but Daniel called her that. Most people called her Sam. "The hell I can’t." She stood up from the table, the chair scraping loudly over the floor and she shouldered her way past him.

  He grabbed her arm. "I want you," he told her and the second those words left his lips, she froze solid, even the air in her lungs ceased to move.

  How dare he tell her that now? He had no right to put thoughts like that in her head. Not now. Not after seven years. Frustration overwhelming her, she blinked back the tears that threated to spill and faced him. "Then you should’ve thought about that before you left me."

  His fingers slipped away. "I’m sorry."

  "You’re sorry? Are you kidding me?" She huffed out a breath and stormed away from him, fury consuming her.

  He was sorry. What a joke.

  As she approached her motorcycle, he once again reached for her, but before he could touch her, she spun back to look at him. "You’re a jackass."

  "Damn it, Sammy. I want to talk with you. I know I screwed up."

  Her jaw quivered as she stared into his eyes, eyes that had once been so familiar, a comfort unlike anything she’d ever known before. "I can’t be your crutch, Daniel. I won’t do it. I won’t be your familiar fuck."

  His mouth hung open for a moment and then closed. His expression was serious. "That’s not what I’m asking."

  "It’s not?" She narrowed her eyes on him. "You sure about that? What could be easier than finding the girl from your past to screw, to use to comfort you until you moved on again?" She clenched her jaw tight. “I wonder, will you even bother to tell me you’re leaving this time or do I get to hear it from Jason again?”

  He raised his hands in a non-threatening manner. "Look, you’re my brother’s best friend and our paths are bound to keep crossing. The least you can do is talk to me."

  Was he fucking kidding? She wanted to throttle him and she was damn close to doing it. Who did he think he was? She didn’t owe him a d
amn thing. Not today. Not ever again.

  “Fuck you, Daniel,” she spat, closing the distance between them. “You lost the privilege to talk to me and when I’m ready to give you the time of day, I’ll let you know.” She turned and headed for her motorcycle, slipped her helmet over her head, fired the bike up, and headed home. She needed a shower, a place where she could hide from the world and cry. No one would ever see her cry, especially Daniel Whitmore.

  * * * *

  Daniel’s blood boiled as he watched Sam ride away and his instincts told him to follow her. The only way they were ever going to hash out what he’d done would be for him to confront her. She was a stubborn woman, something he’d adored before he’d become the target of her anger.

  Knowing that he was about to unleash hell, he jumped into the truck and followed her back to her house. She pulled up into her driveway and he parked directly behind her so she couldn’t ride off. She yanked off her helmet and glared at him.

  “What the—”

  “I need to talk with you,” he said, cutting her off. “I owe you an explanation? Shit, babe, I owe you more than that, but I have to start with why.”

  He could see the gears working behind her eyes and he knew that telling her that he wanted to explain might be the only reason she’d give him the time of day. He’d hurt her. He knew that. He hadn’t figured just how devastating it would be to walk away from her. But it had and he craved her more now than he ever had. He didn’t deserve her, but he needed her.

  She tucked her helmet under her arm. “What could you possibly say that would make me—”