LITMIR.BIZ

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importantly, why was she so inexplicably drawn to him? She ripped her gaze away and pushed her hair behind her ears with shaky hands, the movement breaking the hypnotic trance he held over her.

      She pulled the oxygen from her face and dropped the tubing onto the counter but had no clue how to disconnect the IV. The thought of pulling the needle out of her arm sent bile rushing back up her throat. She forced it down again and searched the room for another solution. A pole on wheels stood in the corner. Perfect. She’d hang the IV bag from the pole and push it with her as she’d seen other patients doing.

      She scanned the floor in search of her shoes. The pang of regret only lasted a moment when she remembered shucking the dreaded pumps somewhere in her rush to escape the building. “All right, here goes.”

      Ryleigh sucked in a breath and held it as she pushed off the gurney and lowered her feet gently to the cold tile floor. The cool tile soothed the burn, but then she took her first step. Pain flared up her leg and into her hip. Her knee buckled, and she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the fall.

      Instead of hitting the floor as she’d expected, she crashed against a warm, hard body. Her eyes shot open, and she gasped, filling her lungs with a deep, rich, earthy scent.

      “Whoa, are you all right?”

      “I’m sorry.” She found herself face to face with the man of her dreams. “I…I…umm…”

      He grinned.

      Her heart skipped a beat.

      “Where are you trying to go?” He looked down at her bruised, swollen knee and his grin quickly turned to a frown. “You shouldn’t be trying to stand.”

      Heat crept up her cheeks. “I have to find my sister.” No way would she confide in this stranger, no matter how attracted she was to him.

      “Can I help you?”

      “That’s okay, thank you. I’m good.” She inhaled deeply, reluctant to leave the woodsy scent clinging to him and his strong arms surrounding her. It had been a long time since she’d had someone to lean on, someone to keep her safe.

      She took a tentative step toward the corridor. Pain burned in her feet, but it was bearable. She cautiously shifted her weight to the other foot. She could do this.

      His strong arms lifted her, cradled her against a solid wall of muscle.

      “Hey! What are you doing?”

      Dark, brooding eyes stared back at her. Dangerous eyes. “This is foolish. You’re going to hurt yourself worse.”

      “Put me down.” She tore her gaze from his.

      He dropped her back onto the gurney. “Wait here.”

      “Why would I listen to you? I don’t even know you.”

      “Look.” He shoved his hand through his hair. “Do you want to get out of here or what?”

      An image of Mia flashed through her mind. “Yeah.”

      “Then you’re going to have to trust me.”

      She lifted an eyebrow, using the skeptical glare she usually reserved for her sister. “Why would I do that?”

      His crooked smile sent her heart racing.

      “How far do you think you’re going to get with your feet all cut up? Besides, you don’t want germs from whatever might be on this floor to get in those cuts, they’ll get infected.” He held his hands pressed to her leg, an intense scowl marring his perfect features.

      “Hey. What are you doing?”

      “What? Oh, nothing. Just checking how bad your injuries are.” He glanced over his shoulder, studied the busy corridor for a moment. “Wait here, okay? I promise I’ll come right back.” He hurried into the melee of the emergency room.

      She swung her feet off the edge of the gurney. Would he come back? How long could she wait? Maybe she should let them tend to her feet before she left. She wouldn’t be any good to Mia if she couldn’t even walk.

      “Look what I found.” The nurse’s singsong voice pulled her back from the brink of indecision.

      “Mia.” Tears sprang into Ryleigh’s eyes. There was no way to contain them. A sob tore through her as the floodgates opened.

      Mia pulled her hand from the nurse’s and ran to her sister. “Ryleigh.” She threw herself into Ryleigh’s arms. “Are you all right?”

      Hugging Mia tight, Ryleigh helped her onto the gurney. The smell of smoke clung to the younger girl’s hair and clothes, burned Ryleigh’s eyes, but she only pulled her closer. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?” She held Mia at arm’s length. Torn clothes, tear streaked soot covering her face, matted hair. No injuries she could see. Oh, thank God.

      Mia collapsed back into her arms.

      Ryleigh curled protectively around her.

      “Come on, dear.” Tears filled the nurse’s eyes, but she wore a kind smile as she helped Mia move from Ryleigh’s grip. “Why don’t you sit right here next to your sister, while I clean up her feet?”

      Mia clutched tightly to Ryleigh’s hand but inched up to sit beside her, allowing the nurse room to work.

      “Where have you been?” Ryleigh brushed Mia’s hair behind her ear. “I was so scared.”

      “They brought me in the ambulance with you but took you away as soon as we got here.” Mia choked back a sob, sniffed. “They wouldn’t let me see you.”

      “It’s all right, baby.” She hugged Mia awkwardly. “You’re with me now. Everything is going to work out.” A sharp pain in her foot made her flinch.

      “I’m sorry, dear. I’m going to give you something for the pain, so I can clean these wounds.”

      Ryleigh nodded. “Thank you.”

      The nurse prepared a syringe and injected it into Ryleigh’s foot, then went to work.

      Ryleigh tried to keep her mind off the pain, occupying her attention by staring into the turmoil of the emergency room. An orderly pushed a stretcher past her cubicle. An elderly man, bleeding profusely from a head wound. Maybe he’d been caught in the earthquake. A woman stormed past, obviously angry. High heels clattered. Someone screamed. The odor of antiseptic clung to everything.

      Her gaze traveled past the stranger, at first, but shot back to him almost instantly. She held her breath. He was big, his dark hair pulled back and tied at the nape of his neck. Sort of like her stranger, but different, older, his gaze harder, more intense. Dangerous, for sure, but so much more. His eyes held something…evil, something that made her skin crawl and the sweat creep down her back. She tried to turn away, but his gaze pinned hers, and she froze.

      “Hi.” A woman dressed in a business suit entered the cubicle pushing a computer on a cart. She only blocked Ryleigh’s view for a second, but when she moved out of the way, the stranger was gone.

      Maybe the pain made her imagination run wild.

      “I have to ask you a few questions.”

      Uh…oh. The words splashed over her like ice water. Ryleigh no longer had a legal guardian, nor did she have medical insurance. “Ouch,” she screeched and pulled her foot away from the nurse.

      “You have to stay still.”

      “It hurts, though.” Ryleigh squirmed, more from fear of answering questions than pain.

      “I know, but the quicker I get it done the sooner you’ll feel better.” The nurse smiled at her.

      A small niggle of guilt tugged at Ryleigh’s conscience. “Please.” She let the tears flow freely down her face as she addressed the woman with the computer. “I’m in so much pain. Can’t you come back and ask questions later?”

      A

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