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The fire must’ve been burning long enough for one of my neighbors to call it in. By the time I made it into the kitchen, I heard a fire truck’s siren and saw the flash of red lights through my living room window. “Oh, thank goodness,” I sighed, feeling a huge surge of relief at knowing help was already here.
As quickly as I could, I grabbed my purse off the kitchen counter and crammed my laptop inside before heading through the living room to the door. Yanking it open, I hurried down the hallway. I must’ve been the last to notice the fire because several of my neighbors’ doors were wide open. Feeling a renewed sense of urgency, I sped up. As I neared the stairs, I tripped over my left flip-flop and stumbled. Strong arms caught me as I fell, saving me from crashing down the stairs.
“Thanks,” I gasped, tilting my head back and locking gazes with my rescuer. Although I hadn’t been close enough to see the color of the hot fireman’s eyes during the softball game, as soon as I spotted the green orbs through his mask, I knew it was him.
“I have you.” He lifted me higher and slipped his arm under my knees, cradling me against his broad chest. I twined my arms around his neck and held on as he swiftly carried me down two flights of stairs. When we made it out to the sidewalk in front, most of my neighbors were standing on the lawn. Instead of setting me down near them, he stalked over to the back of the ambulance parked behind the fire truck. A few firefighters called out to him, but he completely ignored them.
Both of the paramedics were helping my neighbors, so the hunky firefighter and I were alone as he gently lowered me onto the back bumper, then ripped his helmet and mask off. His green eyes burned with fierce concern as he kneeled down in front of me. “Do you have any shortness of breath or a headache?”
“I—”
I’d been about to assure him I was completely fine, but my breath caught in my throat and made me cough.
“Shit! You’re not okay.” He dropped his helmet and mask onto the ground before gently cupping my cheeks and tilting my head back to search my face. “Your eyes are a little red. It might be irritation from the smoke.”
“Your job is putting out the fire, Rand,” a masculine voice chided from behind my sexy firefighter. “Mine is treating the patient.”
I glanced up and offered Tyler, a paramedic friend of Ewan’s, a weak smile. Rand jumped up and stood between us, blocking Tyler’s view of me. “She needs a blanket before you can treat her.”
It was a little after eight in the morning, but the sun was already shining. There was only a light breeze in the air, and I was pretty sure it was in the sixties. “A blanket isn’t necessary. I’m not cold.”
Rand turned toward me, his green eyes raking over the pale blue cami and short set I was wearing. His gaze lingered on my nipples, which puckered at the attention. “Trust me. It’s more than necessary.”
When I followed his eyes and saw how much was on display through the thin material, I couldn’t help but agree. Besides, I wasn’t about to argue when he was staring at me like he was ready to devour me. “Okie dokie.”
Rand shifted closer as Tyler climbed into the ambulance and grabbed a gray polyester blanket. When he went to drop it around my shoulders, Rand took it from him and wrapped it around me instead. “There you go, baby. Now Tyler can look you over and make sure you’re okay.”
Rand stuck close as Tyler did his examination. He paid particular attention to my lungs, and I coughed a few times when he had me breathe deep. Once he was done, he flung his stethoscope around his neck and said, “I don’t think the smoke had the chance to do much damage before Rand got you out of the building.”
“I feel pretty good, considering how my morning has gone so far.” I smiled at both men to reassure them, but it didn’t do much to erase the concern in Rand’s eyes.
“Can you do me a solid and take Jaelyn to the hospital? I’d feel better if a doctor looked her over.”
I shook my head. “But I don’t need to go to the hospital. Tyler just said I’m okay.”
“When it comes to you, any amount of damage is too much as far as I’m concerned.” Rand looked over his shoulder at my apartment building and swore under his breath as he turned his attention back to Tyler. “I’d take her myself—”
“Captain!”
Rand held up a hand in acknowledgment when a female firefighter jogged up but didn’t pause as he continued to speak to Tyler. “But I’m going to be here for a while.”
