Blazing Hotter (Love Under Fire Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

options for my right hand. With the amount of pain it gives me, they’ve recommended amputation in an effort to improve my comfort and quality of life.”
    Startled gasps met his words. Everyone seemed in a state of shock, and Thayne’s gaze filled with sorrow, just as Frankie knew it would.
    “Hey, it’s okay,” Frankie said in an attempt to stop them from feeling sorry for him. “I agreed to the surgery. Less pain will be great.” He tried to sound confident and upbeat, to not let them see how terrified he was at the prospect of losing his hand, but it didn’t work. His voice shook and cracked on the last few words.
    Cassie’s hands massaged his shoulders and she leaned close to his ear. “I saw the recommendation in your chart. I’m so sorry.”
    “Don’t be.” He jerked his shoulders to shrug her sympathy away. If people acted like this was a horrible thing, Frankie wouldn’t be able to pretend that it wasn’t. He didn’t want to break down in front of everyone and give himself over to the yelling session he’d desperately wanted to have since hearing the news. “Anyway, I can’t use the chair. The controls are on the right side, and I won’t have a hand.”

Chapter Three
    T he week following his party, Cassie tried to keep things normal between her and Frankie. She’d kept his therapy routine the same, but his heart really didn’t seem to be into it anymore and he barely tried.
    Determined to continue with the regimen, Cassie had him in the physical therapy room, working over his leg muscles. She stretched his right leg fully before bending it back toward his chest. Although he let out a hiss of pain and squirmed slightly on the table, he offered no further complaint while she repeated the action.
    He’d definitely been acting weird since his birthday party. It was as though he couldn’t wait to get away from her each day when therapy ended. While she understood he was frustrated about the plans to amputate his right hand and a portion of his forearm, she didn’t think that was the entire problem.
    She flexed his leg again but made eye contact with him this time—something that hadn’t been happening between them the past week. “I spoke to the company and your wheelchair will be delivered tomorrow with the controls on the left side.”
    “Wonderful.” He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth while she completed another repetition of the stretch. “That muscle’s so tight by my ass that it feels like it rips all the time. Even with you doing the work of moving it, the pain isn’t improving with these stretches.”
    Apparently, the powered wheelchair was still a sore spot he didn’t want to talk about. Then again, telling her about his tight muscles was an improvement over the long silences they’d been sharing.
    Cassie shifted to the left side of Frankie’s body. “Let me massage it a bit. You have a lot of scar tissue back here, and I think that’s what gives you the tearing sensation.”
    Not that the massage was likely to help. It had been far too long. If the scar tissue was going to break down, it would have started to do so by now. It might give him a bit of relief, though.
    Frankie rolled to his side, facing away from her but giving her better access to the back of his legs. “Can I ask you a question, Cassie?”
    “I wish you would.” She used her thumbs to dig into the hardened tissues. “You’ve been pretty much silent since your birthday.”
    “We’re done, aren’t we?”
    “Almost. I want you on the stationary bike before ending the session today.”
    “That’s not what I mean.” Frankie brushed her hand away with his partially functional left hand, then struggled to a sitting position. His warm brown eyes met hers, and she didn’t like the worry she saw reflecting out of them. “I mean, there isn’t anything more you can do for me. I’m not going to walk again. Ever.”
    Cassie sighed and hopped onto the table next to him, letting her legs dangle