Spark Read Free Page B

with laughter and
increased sexual tension between them. She was a vibrant woman
until she thought about the man named Joe.
    Staring back under the hood, he adjusted the last
spark plug. The car, wherever she’d gotten it from, had been worse
than he’d first assumed. Oil hadn’t been changed in so long it had
seized up the motor. The battery had crapped out, and she had been
lucky to avoid an accident, for the brake pads were
non-existent.
    The outside had been covering up a wealth of internal
issues. It now had new tires, brake pads, and he’d taken care of
the rest of the things he could until the other items arrived. If
she were leaving, he couldn’t in good conscience allow her to leave
in a subpar vehicle.
    It is a Chevy, but I’ll look past that.
    Backing away, he wiped off his hands and turned his
attention back to the sleeping woman. He wanted her in his bed. Or against the wall, on the desk. A combination of them. Anywhere so long as the end result was him balls deep inside her
pussy with her crying his name in passion. He adjusted his pants in
a meager effort to relieve pressure on his cock.
    She stirred on the cushions, her expression morphing
into something unpleasant. Her fingers clutching then splaying on
the shirt covering her. When her mouth opened to emit louder cries,
he approached, wanting to wake her from the nightmare.
    “Wake up, kitten.” He crouched beside her.
    “No!” She screamed and lurched back, eyes flying
open. Fear swirled in their depths.
    “Easy, there.” He reached out to her, breathing
easier when she grasped his hand. Her bruising grip couldn’t hide
the tremors rocking her. “You’re safe. It was just a
nightmare.”
    Her chest rose and fell with her attempt to obtain
oxygen. He didn’t try to get her to loosen her grip on him; he
could take it. Hopping on his haunches to resettle, he used his
free hand to cradle the nape of her neck. He moved his thumb along
the silken, damp skin there.
    “Deep breaths,” he advised. He demonstrated, waiting
for her to follow his lead. “That’s right,” he encouraged.
    She released him and sat upright, his shirt falling
to her lap. “Sorry. My nights have been sporadic, at best.”
    He flexed his grip on her neck when she began to move
away, keeping her in place. “When was the last time you got a good
solid night’s sleep?”
    “A few weeks.”
    She moved her arm and gasped before breathing
hard.
    “What’s wrong?” When she shook her head, he scowled
at her.
    “I have a fractured arm. I think.”
    He leaned back, blinking as shock smashed into him.
“And what, you were just going to ignore it?”
    “Yes. It’s a fracture. It’s not broken. So, it’ll
heal.”
    Was she kidding? “I’m taking you to the hospital.” He
pushed to his feet. “No arguments.” She shook her head. He
struggled to control the fury streaking through him. “Did he do
this?”
    “What?”
    Vance realized how deep his voice had been. “Did he
do this to you?”
    “No.” she grabbed his arm. “I promise. I was in such
a hurry that I fell.” She gave him a smile. “I’ll get it looked at
later.”
    “Fuck that. We’re going now.”
    She gave a vehement shake of her head. “I can’t.”
    “The fuck you can’t. You will . You need it
checked out.”
    He berated himself the entire time he escorted her
out of the garage and to the hospital’s emergency room. While she
got checked out, he leaned against the wall and waited. A few
people he knew said hi as they went by, but other than a brief
reply, he maintained his vigil over Kendria.
    “She’ll be fine,” the doc said as she was finishing
up.
    Kendria left to go to the bathroom, and he asked,
“Was there evidence of abuse?”
    Dr. Davis shook her head. “Abuse?”
    “Bruising around the fracture. Other healing
injuries?”
    “There’s a bruise deep, but I would have a hard time
contradicting the claim of falling with one of direct trauma.” Her
left hand went up.