Page 14 of Naomi

Naomi stumbled slightly, bracing herself against the side, and finally making the mistake of allowing her eyes to drop to the grate below.

She was looking down into the tops of trees, so far below her that they looked almost like the broccoli section at the veggie stand.

Clouds moved all around her, even below her feet.

Panic clenched her heart like a fist, and the edges of her vision went dark.

Then big, warm arms were wrapping around her, and she was being lifted.

“I’ve got you,” Gage murmured into her hair as he pulled her into his chest.

She clung to him, her eyes squeezed shut. Surely, it was worse to be held up high, too high for the sides of the bridge to hold her in.

But being anywhere but his arms seemed beyond terrifying.

“Hurry,” she whispered against his chest.

Then he was running, singing the words to the song all wrong, as if he might distract her.

She wanted to laugh, but she was too scared to take in a whole breath. Instead, she tried to focus on the delicious scent of him, and the warmth of his muscles as they bunched and flexed against her with every rhythmic step.

6

Gage

Gage moved as quickly as he dared, cradling Naomi to his chest.

He was worried about her, but since the bridge was sturdy, and he knew they would be fine, he was also able to worry about what was making Athena bark.

The big canine wasn’t one to send up a false alarm. If she was worried, there was something to worry about.

And he had to face whatever it was with a soft, frightened Terran in his arms, blurring his senses with her sweet fragrance.

At last, his feet hit solid ground.

“Thank the stars,” Naomi murmured, using one of his grandmother’s favorite phrases.

She made a move as if she was going to get down.

“Hold still,” he instructed her. “Athena, what’s wrong?”

The dog turned to him, her whole body stiff as a board and quivering.

“My apologies, Gage,” a disembodied voice said. “One of our staff was laying out your meal.”

“Oberon?” he guessed.

“Yes, sir,” the voice replied. “I will bear in mind that Athena should meet more of the staff, so that we do not trouble her further.”

Gage figured Athena would always be troubled at someone in his space unexpectedly, whether she had met them or not. But he chose to be polite. After all, this wasn’t his home.

“Thank you,” he said instead. “We’ll head in then.”

But he paused right where he was. Now that he knew all was well inside, his whole focus was on the woman in his arms.

Whatever was happening between them, he felt her fear and pain as if they were her own.

And what she felt right now was shame.

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