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Sasha reached for the glass of water on the table, holding it to his lips, helping him drink. Relief flooded her and brought a rush of tears to her eyes. “You’re okay. You’re okay now.” She leaned down and pressed her lips against his cheek, the rough stubble of his three-day beard scraping against her skin. “God, you scared me.”
“Sasha…” His voice was nothing more than a gravelly rasp of sound. “What happened?”
“The fire,” she said softly. “You saved the dogs.”
“Fire?” His brow furrowed as if he couldn’t remember. “Is everyone okay?”
She nodded. “They’re all being taken care of. But you—you have some serious burns.”
He looked down at his bandaged arms and winced. “Yeah, I remember now.” He groaned as he tried to sit up.
She quickly stood and placed her hand on his chest, urging him to stay still. “No, don’t move.”
He looked at her, his gaze intense. “How long have I been out?”
“You were more than just out. You were in a coma for three days. The barn’s ceiling collapsed when you were still inside, and you have a bad concussion.”
“Great,” he muttered. “More scrambled eggs.”
“What?”
He shut his eyes. “Nothing. Just explains why I’m seeing two of you.”
“Only two?”
“Yeah, I think so. But...” He squinted at her, then his eyes shifted to the corner of the room. He stared like he saw something there. She looked over her shoulder, a chill racing down her spine. The corner was empty.
Her stomach twisted with dread. He’d already suffered a major brain injury. What if this knock on the head had done more irreparable damage? “You just need some more rest. Let me get the nurse to check on you.”
He caught her hand before she could turn away. “Is Ash here? I need to talk to him.”
“I think he was. I’ll go find him and get a nurse.” She stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. As she walked down the hall, her mind raced with thoughts of Donovan. She knew she couldn’t ignore her feelings. She had to talk to him about what had happened between them.
As she approached the nurse’s station, she heard someone call her name. Turning around, she saw Ash approaching from the other end of the hallway.
“Sasha, I’ve been looking for you,” he said, sounding concerned. “Is everything okay?”
She nodded. “Donovan woke up. He’s asking for you.”
Ash’s expression darkened at the mention of Donovan’s name. “Of course he is.”
Sasha frowned as guilt twinged. “Ash, I need to talk to you.”
“I’m sorry, can it wait?” he asked, his gaze locked on Donovan’s room.
The anxiety that had been tickling her senses changed to an icy fear now. She nervously glanced from him to the door and back. “What’s going on?”
Ash’s gaze stayed on the door. “I don’t trust him. He’s always been trouble.”
“I know he has a past, but he saved the dogs, Ash. He’s in the hospital because he risked his life to protect them. Not many other men would do that.”
“Listen, I know it seems like he’s a good guy under all that swagger, but I’ve known him a long time. He’s bad news, Sasha. Please, just do me a favor and stay away from him.”
Sasha’s stomach twisted at the intensity in Ash’s voice. She had known he didn’t like Donovan, but she hadn’t realized how deeply he felt about it. “Didn’t you used to be friends? What happened between you two?”
He clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing as he finally looked away from the door and focused on her face. “It’s not important. What’s important is that you stay away from him. He’ll only hurt you in the end.”
“I don’t believe that. Donovan has been nothing but kind to me.”
