Monroe, Marla - Hot and Bothered (Siren Publishing Classic) by Marla Monroe

resigned himself to having a cold upper chest and back.
    The last thing he thought about before he fell asleep was how good she felt in his arms and that she had the cutest little snore.

    * * * *

    Savanna woke up alone in bed. Dustin had done it again. He had gotten up in the night and left her alone. She sighed and rubbed her face. Oh, well. It wasn’t like they were a couple or anything. They were just screwing. Instead of letting it bother her, she climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She turned on the shower and climbed in as soon as the water warmed up. When the shower curtain suddenly pulled back, she screamed.
    “Hey, it’s just me,” Dustin said. “I brought you some coffee.”
    “God, you scared me to death!” Savanna put both hands up to her throat and chest, willing her heart to slow down to a fast trot.
    He reached out with the coffee, and she took the cup and a quick sip before he removed it again.
    “I’ll sit it out here on the counter for you. Breakfast will be ready in another fifteen minutes.” Then he was gone.
    Sheesh, he had scared the crap out of her. So he hadn’t left after all. Savanna hurried through her shower and dressed. She walked into the kitchen with her nearly empty coffee cup in hand. Dustin stood at the stove, cooking an omelet. He smiled at her and pointed to the island for her to have a seat. Savanna poured another cup of coffee and sat down.
    “Good morning. How did you sleep?” he asked.
    “Great. What about you?”
    “Good. Are you hungry?”
    Savanna nodded and took another sip of her coffee. She watched him cut the omelet in half and place a half on each plate. Then he opened the oven and pulled out a pan with toast on it. He sat a piece on each plate. He handed her one of the plates and took the other to sit across from her and began eating.
    “This is good,” Savanna said.
    “Thanks. It’s one of the few things I can cook.”
    “So no gourmet meals, huh.”
    “Nope, sorry.” He grinned at her and took a bite of toast.
    Once they were finished, he helped her wash and dry the dishes. She put them away as he finished dressing.
    “Do you have plans for today?” he asked.
    “Other than checking in with Karen, not really.”
    “I have some things I need to take care of today, but I thought we might watch some movies tonight if you want to.”
    “Yeah, that sounds like fun. I’ll cook since you made breakfast this morning,” Savanna offered.
    “Great, I’ll be back around six. How does that sound?” Dustin asked.
    “Sounds like a plan.”
    Dustin opened his arms, and she walked into them. He hugged her tight and then kissed her.
    “I’ve got to go now. I’ll see you later.”
    Savanna watched him leave. She let herself relive their night together then turned her attention to Karen and what was going on with her friend. Instead of calling her, she decided to go see her. She hadn’t returned any of her calls so far. She grabbed her purse and car keys and locked the door behind her.
    She worried about Karen all the way to her apartment. Why hadn’t she called her back? She parked next to Karen’s car, so she knew her friend was home. She knocked on the door and waited. After a few minutes, the door opened, and Karen’s blotchy, red face and swollen eyes peeked from around the door.
    “Oh, honey. Why didn’t you answer my calls? I’ve been so worried about you.” Savanna pushed past her friend and closed the door behind her.
    “Well, come on in,” Karen said sarcastically. “Make yourself at home.”
    Savanna stopped and turned around to look at Karen. “What’s going on? Why are you angry with me?”
    “I’m sorry.” Karen covered her face with her hands and started crying again.
    “Come sit down and tell me what’s wrong. There is something going on besides you and Ben breaking up, isn’t there.”
    “I don’t know what I’m going to do? Martin is threatening to fire me.” She wiped her hands on her jeans.
    “What in the