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Tammy gestured to the ambulance pulling away. “Is he okay?”
“She,” Jared corrected. “Mike pulled her out.”
With Cassie taking in every detail of Mike, Jared’s words barely registered. When they did, she wanted to scream.
“Out of that?” She pointed to the car that now sizzled with steam. Her gaze locked on Mike. She swallowed a cry of horror, knowing only moments before he’d been in a burning death trap.
“I got her out before the flames engulfed the car.”
She would not cry. But God, how she wanted to hold him. Run her fingers over his face, through his hair. Assure herself that he was all right. She clasped her hands together in an iron grip to keep from reaching for him.
Mike’s gaze consumed her. To the point where her fear slowly dissipated. A budding heat grew in its place and threatened to develop into a full-blown fever. Damn. He made her hot. And he looked like something a tomcat dragged to your back door.
“Was that you we saw fall from the demolished car?” Tammy’s worried voice jolted Cassie back to reality.
“He didn’t fall,” Jared said. “He jumped.”
Cassie gaped at Jared. “Jumped?”
Mike didn’t move.
“Would you mind taking him home? He’s refusing to go to the hospital.”
Chapter 5
Cassie bent to examine Mike’s side. Burnt cloth stuck to his skin, making her want to cringe. The smell of smoke was so strong she covered her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Mike, you’re hurt.” She wanted to sob. He’d pulled a woman out of a burning car without a second thought. He acted like it was no big deal. She knew men who would take credit for anything just to get into a girl’s pants. Not Mike. He pushed it aside. Said it was his job.
Cassie shivered. Knowing Mike was the man on top of the burning SUV … she’d never been so terrified. What if … what if … The chilling thought was too horrible to contemplate. Cassie slowly breathed in. The last thing she needed was her dreadful imaginings paralyzing her.
“It’s nothing,” Mike said.
She glared at him in disbelief. “A burn is nothing to mess with. It can get infected.”
“I’ll take care of it.” He brushed her concern aside.
“How?” she demanded. His casual demeanor pissed her off. A burn was serious. Men. Maybe he didn’t want to be labeled a hero, but his refusal to go to a hospital was just stupid. Jared and Tammy had disappeared, giving Cassie time to convince Mike. She wasn’t having any luck.
“I’ll go to the clinic in the morning.” The tone of his voice revealed how much the ordeal had taken out of him. He seemed more weary than aggravated. Even though he clearly could take care of himself, he’d been injured. He needed care.
“You’re unsteady on your feet. Jared said you’ve been drinking. I promised him I’d take care of you.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
She had to handle this carefully and be sure not to injure his misplaced pride.
“But you do need a ride. And if you’re not going to the hospital, someone needs to look at your side.” As a teacher, she’d received some training from the nurse in the school clinic. Although, skinned knees and splinters from the playground were not the same thing as burns. Mike needed care. Jared said he’d been drinking. He shouldn’t drive. She inhaled a deep breath and took the plunge. “You’ll stay with me tonight. I’ll hear no argument.”
His eyes glimmered, sucking the breath out of her body. All sorts of thoughts flashed in their depths.
She could look at this as a perfect opportunity, to have him in her care, be able to touch him, spend time with him. But in all honesty, she just wanted to help him and she feared he would go home and not take care of his wound. At least not as well as he should.
After a long silence, he relented. “I’ll probably regret this.”
She wasn’t sure if he meant for her to hear. She released her breath and did a happy dance in her head.
With a grunt, Mike stood and led her to a large, shiny-black truck. He handed her a set of keys, then slid into the passenger side. Most men treated their trucks like gold and this one looked brand new. He must really be hurting if he allowed a mere female to drive his big four-wheel-drive.
