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I took a step back as he grinned.
“Yes, actually. You can.”
He leapt forward in a blur and grabbed my arm. I screamed and tried to yank it back, but his grip was unbreakable. He was incredibly strong.
Before I knew what was happening, he pulled me to the ground and handcuffed my wrist to the heavy desk.
“What are you doing?” I asked him as I stared at the metal chain in shock.
He just shrugged, like I wasn’t even worth an explanation. “You know too much, Chloe.” Without another word, he left and ran downstairs. A few minutes later, I started to smell the smoke.
My eyes are watering, but I’m forcing them open so I can keep an eye on the approaching flames. They start to spread along the cheap carpet as I kick the desk leg again and again, each strike gets weaker and weaker.
I’m just about to give up when I hear a siren in the distance.
Yes!
But the building is already in flames. It’s going to take the firemen at least a few minutes to get here, park, set-up, and then come in. And I don’t have a few minutes. By the time they get here, if they even enter the building, I’ll be nothing but a pile of ash.
A pile of ash that accomplished nothing in her life. That was tossed out of her house by her alcoholic mother and her druggie boyfriend. That never finished school. That has no friends. That has never had a boyfriend. Never been loved. Never even been kissed.
I’m going to die a virgin, having never felt the warm skin of a man pressed against mine or felt the loving protective feel of strong arms wrapped around me.
I’m going to die lonely and afraid. Which is pretty fitting after all, considering that’s how I spent most of my life.
The flames reach the open door and start burning the wooden frame. I have seconds before they reach me, maybe a minute if I’m lucky.
I know I’m going to die. It hits me hard, and just as I’m about to wallow in my own self-pity, I hear thundering footsteps.
My back straightens and I force my eyes back open as I try to call out. The words don’t come out thanks to the thick smoke that is filling my lungs. All I can do is hope and pray that the brave firemen get here in time.
The flames burst through the drywall and spread into the room. I wince when I feel the intense heat. My skin is slick with sweat, but it’s doing nothing to cool me off.
The footsteps get louder and then I see him. He’s massive. So big that his muscles strain against the big baggy firefighter uniform hung on his giant frame. His thick coat molds to his round biceps and is pulled tight against his enormous chest.
He’s not wearing a helmet and I swallow hard when I see his face. It’s hard with rough edges and a mean-looking scowl that softens when he lays his sexy brown eyes on me.
A jolt of something sizzles through me as he stands in the flaming doorway and locks his territorial brown eyes on me with a heated stare.
I must look like shit. Sweaty, cheap dollar store make-up running down my face, hair a hot mess. It’s ridiculous to think of what I look like right now when death is still a very serious possibility, but I can’t help what goes through my head.
He stomps into the room on his thick powerful legs and kneels down in front of me.
“It’s you…” he says in a deep growly voice as he stares at me in awe.
There’s something about the way he’s looking at me. Like he recognizes me or like he’s seeing for the first time something he’s been searching for and never quite found. I know I’ve never seen him before. I would have remembered that. You don’t forget seeing someone like him.
His big hand is shaking as he slowly reaches out and cups my cheek. I lick my lips as an undeniable urge to kiss him rips through me. Maybe I just want to feel a man’s lips on mine before I die, or maybe the smoke is making me hallucinate, but something is pulling me toward this man. Something strong and undeniable.
My body tingles as his hungry eyes roam over it. He spots the handcuff around my wrist and it seems to snap him out of his daze.
With a grunt, he punches the thick desk leg and it explodes into splinters. He catches the falling desk and throws it across the room as I stare in shock. How the hell can he be that strong?
I kicked that leg dozens of times and didn’t even make a dent. I must have loosened it for him. But even as the thought passes through my mind, I know that it’s not true.
He scoops me up in his big arms and cradles me to his chest as he stands up. I can feel his heart pounding against my tingling body.
I’m staring up at his face as he holds me like I’ve always wanted to be held. It’s better than I’ve ever dreamed of and I know that if I die now, I’ll be dying happy.
His protective brown eyes lock onto mine and that heated gaze takes all the fear out of my body. His strong muscular arms are wrapped around me, holding me against his chest, and I know that nothing can hurt me while he’s holding me like this. He won’t let it.
“You’re stunning,” he whispers as he stares at me in awe. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
He leans down and kisses me softly on the mouth. The edge of his hot tongue slides through my parted lips and my whole body melts when the tip touches mine.
His lips are soft, gentle, and I lean my chin up so he can deepen the kiss. He groans into my mouth as his hands tighten on my body. I’ve never been happier. But leave it to me to ruin it… I yank my mouth away and start coughing.
My sexy savior holds me tighter and starts moving. He sprints through one burning room after another as I squeeze my eyes shut and press my face against his chest. I focus on his pounding heart and not on the flames, not on the heat, not on the broken steps that he’s leaping over.
He moves impossibly fast and before I can take another breath, we’re outside in the crisp morning air. It’s so fresh and even though my throat is burning, I choke down gulp after gulp of clean mountain air.
My eyes are watering, but I can see my coworkers in the parking lot arriving for work. I can see an ambulance approaching and firemen rushing around their truck as they set up their hoses.
“Ethan!” the oldest looking fireman shouts. “Are you fucking crazy?!?”
Ethan doesn’t answer. He’s too busy staring at my face like I’m the most gorgeous thing he’s ever seen. Nobody has ever looked at me like this before and a part of me wonders if I actually died in the fire and am now waking up in heaven.
The hoses burst to life and the firefighters begin assaulting the flames with thick streams of water as Ethan carries me to the ambulance.
“Was she inside?” the male medic asks as he rushes to the back of the ambulance. “Let me have her.”
His grip tightens on me and he snarls at the medic who’s reaching for my arm. “She’s mine.”
The man’s eyes widen and he jumps back in shock.
There’s a female medic coming from the passenger’s side.
“Her,” Ethan grunts. “You stay back. This is my girl.”
He’s as possessive as a predator hovering over his meal. The look in his eyes is so primal and savage, and I know he can’t help it. There’s something feral in the way he’s holding me in such a dominating and territorial way, but I like it. It’s turning me on to see this man go wild over me. Like one look at me has erased any shred of civilization in him and replaced it with pure primal instinct.
The male medic backs away as the female medic opens the back doors to the ambulance. She quickly grabs an oxygen tank as Ethan places me on the gurney.
“No!” he snaps when she goes to put the mask on me. “I’m doing it.”
She’s about to protest, but when she sees the seriousness on his face, she quickly hands it over.
For such a big man, he’s extremely gentle as he puts the mask on my face and wraps the string around my head.
“Just breathe,” he says softly as he kneels in front of me. He turns the tank on and it’s like ice in my burning lungs.
He stares into my eyes and breathes in and out deeply with me. I feel lightheaded with him so close, but I’m not entirely sure if it’s from the oxygen, the smoke inhalation, or from his gorgeous brown eyes that seem to be staring into my soul.
I’m more than attracted to this man. It’s running deeper.
It’s not just the lure of a physical attraction or the excitement of lust. It’s like I’m looking at my other half. Like our two cores are being pulled together and we’re both helpless to stop them.
Andy the office creep comes over to check on me. “Are you okay, blue eyes?” he asks from the entrance to the ambulance. He’s always calling me blue eyes and touching my shoulders even though I’ve repeatedly asked him not too.
Ethan whips his head around and growls at him. His eyes flash a golden color and he pulls his lips back and bares his teeth.
“Whoa,” Andy says as his face pales as white as his shirt. He backs away with his hands up.
I grin as I turn back to my savior. His muscles are flexed and he’s breathing heavily like he’s trying to keep himself under control. He looks like a wild animal, but instead of being afraid, I’m even more intrigued.
My fingers are tingling as I reach up and touch his hard face. He instantly calms down and I love that I can soothe the monster in him.
“Can I check her now?” the male medic asks.
“No!” Ethan grunts. He grabs the doors and slams them closed, leaving us alone inside the ambulance, just how I like it. “It’s okay,” he says to me in a softer voice. “I have first aid training.”
I pull off the mask and stare into his eyes as he gently checks my body.
My mind is racing as his big hands tenderly examine my neck.
