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She shifted, lifting her head to meet his face. Her smile lit up the room. She glowed like he’d just given her the world.
“They’ve been waiting. Your team is worried about you. I’ll go get them.”
When she moved to get down, he tightened his arms. She wasn’t going anywhere.
“Let me down,” she said with a delightful laugh. “I promise I’ll come back. I’m not leaving you.”
Her words pierced his soul. I’m not leaving you. Ever? Would she promise? Would she stay with him forever?
“iOye.” Laredo stepped around the curtain.
“Just what you’d expect,” Jared said. “Secluded in here with a pretty woman.” The guys filed into the small space, one by one.
“She doesn’t look like a nurse,” Cooper teased. “Some guys will do anything to hook up with a nurse. Even make up an excuse as stupid as I got shot.”
“Let go of your woman and tell us how you’re doing.”
“Can’t you see for yourself, Jared? Looks to me like he’s doing just fine,” Laredo said and clapped Jared on the back.
“All right, you clowns. I am fine.”
“I take it you’ve conceded to staying at the hospital overnight.” Jared sent Cassie a cunning grin.
“Cap coaxed her into getting you to stay,” Cooper said with a nod in Cassie’s direction. “He also said you needed rest
Having Cassie in bed with him wasn’t the best concept of him getting rest. All sorts of ideas popped into his head—and were immediately crushed. This was a hospital. That fact shot his lust-filled ideas all to hell. He hated hospitals. Although, he would definitely sleep better knowing she was with him.
The nurse came in chasing everyone out and moved him to a room on the fourth floor. Cassie had disappeared to the ladies’ room and now he waited for her to return.
I’m not leaving you.
The statement was as alien to him as little green men.
How could he consider a life with her when he knew he’d cause her pain? He was a firefighter. His career choice would never change. How could he subject her to the terror and panic his job would trigger? Was it worth the heartache of knowing she might leave him?
Tonight, he’d found out his life could end in an instant. Every minute counted and he shouldn’t waste a single one. His time with Cassie was precious. His gut told him to enjoy his moments with her. Life held no guarantees.
A soft rustle alerted him of Cassie’s presence. He opened his eyes.
“Hi.”
Long blonde hair, like silk in his fingers. Green sparkling eyes that smoldered warmth. A face he’d never tire of seeing.
“Hi, beautiful.”
She pulled a chair close to the bed and hung her sweater and purse on the back. She seemed calmer, more in control.
Her tortured smile sliced his gut.
How could he squander one second on might and if? He’d gone too far, become too invested.
“I wish we were home,” Mike said taking her hand. “I want to spend the night with you.”
“I told you. I’m not going anywhere.”
Those words again, scraping his already raw heart. His wall of self-preservation crumbled.
“In that case, why don’t you crawl up here with me?”
