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Her mouth went dry. She inched up his shirt, trying hard to keep the fabric from touching his wound. Trying to keep from touching the hard muscles of his stomach. She held his gaze. Intimacy wove a magic spell between them, erasing all other thoughts from her mind.
Brooke pushed through the door, breaking the moment. “Okay, I grabbed some things from the back.”
Licking her lips, Mia dropped her gaze and backed away.
“You don’t follow directions well.” Brooke clicked her tongue then peeled the shirt the rest of the way off and threw it on the ground.
Mia’s jaw dropped for a second before she snapped it closed. Not one ounce of fat could be found on Chet’s chest and stomach. Chiseled muscle and defined abs dominated his torso. She fought not to use her hand to fan herself.
“This might hurt.” Brooke took a damp cloth and dabbed at the open flesh.
Chet’s hiss of pain moved Mia right back to his side. She linked her fingers in his and set their joined hands on her lap. “Almost done. You’re okay.” She didn’t know if either of those statements were true, but if the only thing she could do to help was comfort Chet, she’d say whatever she could to ease his pain.
“The wound isn’t too deep. The bleeding has pretty much stopped, but I want to apply some pressure just to be safe.” Brooke took a long strip of white gauze and laid it against his wound, then pressed both hands against Chet’s side.
“Sonofabitch.” Squirming, Chet squeezed Mia’s hand.
“Sorry,” Brooke said, cringing. “Tell me what happened.”
Mia blinked, focusing on the most terrifying moment of her life. “Umm, I brought Otto inside and Tucker wasn’t here. I went in the back to see if he was in the storage room. The bell above the door chimed, and when I came back out a man was standing there.”
“I’m sorry I just left you,” Brooke said, her eyes round with remorse. “I should have stayed. Should have waited and made sure Tucker was here.”
“It’s not your fault,” Mia said. “Chet came. He saved me. If he hadn’t showed up, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Chet pinched together his lips. “I didn’t do anything. You saved yourself.”
Brooke tilted her head. “What did you do?”
“When Chet distracted the guy, I opened Otto’s kennel. He bit the guy’s leg. Then Chet charged.”
Admiration shone from Brooke’s eyes. “Smart thinking.” She glanced at Otto and smiled. “Good boy.”
“I tried to stop him when he ran out,” Chet said, hanging his head. “He got by me. Now he’s still out there. I missed my chance to stop him. To put an end to all of this.”
The disappointment in his voice tugged at Mia’s heart strings. “You don’t know that. He might be in custody right now.”
“I failed you, Mia,” Chet whispered. “I’m sorry.”
Mia ducked her chin and pushed into his sight line, forcing him to really see her. “You saved me. If you hadn’t distracted him, he would have hauled me out of here. Would have killed me. You saved my life.”
The sound of footsteps pounded toward them, and Tucker swung inside, his face red and heavy breaths panting from his mouth. “Paramedics are here. You okay, man? Mia?”
Otto jumped to his feet and walked to Tucker with his drooping tail wagging.
“He might need some stitches, but he’ll be fine.” Brooke continued applying pressure to the wound as she spoke.
“I don’t need stitches.”
Mia shook her head. “You need whatever the paramedics say you need so don’t be a stubborn ass.”
Her no-nonsense-tone gained a small smile from Chet. “Yes, ma’am.”
A middle-aged woman with her blonde hair pulled into a short ponytail ran inside. “All right, Chet. Let’s see what we’re working with.”
Brooke waited until the EMT dropped to a crouch beside her before moving out of the way. She placed a hand on Mia’s shoulder. “Give her some space to look him over.”
She didn’t want to let go of Chet’s hand—to sever their connection—but Brooke was right. The professional needed to do her job. “Be nice,” she told him, then let Brooke help her to her feet. Tucker came to stand on her other side, her two new friends flanking her. She crossed her arms over her middle, willing her trembling legs to keep her upright.
