Duty To Protect. Beth Cornelison

      Megan caught Ginny’s eye and arched a brow. While Riley dealt with Hannah’s motherly gratitude, she mouthed, He’s hot!

      Ginny nodded and grinned. Cutting a glance to her mom, she signaled for Megan to take Hannah and give her and Riley some privacy. With a thumbs-up, her friend grasped the older woman’s arm and headed for the door. “Mrs. West, why don’t we go see what we can find out about Annie for Gin? Maybe grab a bite at the snack bar?”

      “Oh, sure… We’ll be back later, darling!” Hannah called as Megan tugged her out the door.

      Ginny gave her mom a wave, then turned to 4A.

      Riley.

      His silver eyes were focused on her, and his mouth curled up in a sexy grin. “Hey, 3C. How’re you feeling?”

      “Alive. Thanks to you.”

      He ducked his head and shrugged. “Just doing my job.”

      “Not from what…I hear.” She paused to swallow and take a breath. “You went beyond the call I hear. You resuscitated me.”

      He shrugged this off as well, as if saving her life was a walk in the park. “Had to. I couldn’t very well ask you out to dinner if you died on me.” He flashed a devilish smile and moved to the chair Megan had vacated.

      Ginny grinned. “If that’s an invitation, I accept…Riley.”

      “Yeah, I guess it was. So…great. Once you spring this joint, we’ll compare calendars…Ginny.”

      Her smile brightened. “You know my name.”

      “Mm-hmm. Folks at the fire scene told me.”

      An awkward silence fell between them, and Riley steepled his fingers, fidgeting. “So…you look good.”

      Ginny sputtered a laugh. She touched the plastic tubing feeding oxygen into her nose. “Oh, sure. A nasal cannula…is so attractive.”

      Riley leaned forward and wrapped his hand around her good one. His silver eyes held hers with a piercing intensity. “It is to me.”

      Everything inside Ginny went still. Something in his expression spoke of a deeper concern than the relative attractiveness of hospital equipment. A memory teased the edges of her thoughts.

      She recalled seeing that same piecing intensity when she’d come to at the fire yesterday. When she’d met his gaze, his pale gray eyes had brimmed with tears and swirled with emotion.

      And something deeper.

      Something that spoke to her soul.

      In that instant, she’d known a spiritual connection with him. She’d known in a way she couldn’t explain that he was the one who’d saved her life, breathed life back into her lungs.

      “Thank you,” she whispered.

      The corner of his mouth twitched. “Just my humble opinion. Of course, it could be you making it look so sexy.”

      She hitched up a corner of her mouth, acknowledging his compliment, but pushed on. “No. I mean…thank you for saving my life.”

      A shadow flickered across his face, but he immediately schooled his features and forced a grin. “That again? You really are easily impressed. At least it got me a date with you, huh?” He winked, but she detected an unease behind his flirtation.

      Ginny furrowed her brow. “Why does talking about it make you…uncomfortable?”

      Riley blinked and sat back a bit, clearly caught off-guard by her question. He shrugged again. “I don’t know. It’s just not that big of a deal.”

      Ginny scoffed in disagreement. “You saved a life! That’s huge!” She paused long enough to swallow and soothe the fire in her throat. “And not because…it was me. Saving any life is major. Big-time huge.”

      She stopped only long enough to pull another breath into her aching lungs, then plowed on. The passion she felt for her argument overrode the effort it took to rasp it out. “You should be proud of it. Feel good about it. Hell, you’re even…allowed to gloat a little.” Ginny quirked a little smile. “Just don’t be obnoxious about it, you know?”

      Riley shook his head, dismissal and disbelief etched in his expression. “Look, I’m glad you’re okay. That I feel good about. As for me, my part in it, I’m a firefighter, and I was just doing my job.”

      Ginny opened her mouth to press the issue but snapped it closed again. This was her first opportunity to really talk to Riley. She didn’t want to spend the time arguing the merit of his heroics or making him feel uncomfortable. Although as a counselor, she found his reluctance to accept praise and thanks for his good deed intriguing.

      She pointed at him with her left hand, narrowed her eyes and scowled playfully. “Okay, I’ll let your mysterious reasons for your modesty slide…this time. But next time…”

      He caught the finger she wagged at him and lowered it to the bed. The warmth of his hand curled intimately around hers, knocked the teasing grin from her lips and stole her breath.

      His work-roughened palm abraded her hand, made tender from heat damage equivalent to a sunburn. But she didn’t give her sore skin a second thought. Having Riley hold her hand felt ridiculously good. Such a simple thing, that touch. Yet a crackling energy and awareness snapped along her nerve endings.

      He arched an eyebrow. “Next time? Let’s hope there is no next time. One near-death experience for you is enough!”

      “Touché,” she croaked, glad the crack in her voice could be excused as the result of smoke inhalation.

      “So…have the doctors said when you can go home?”

      “Tomorrow, if my vitals remain good.” She noted that, although the topic had changed, he still held her hand. Warmth blossomed in her chest, put a grin on her lips.

      Maybe, like her mom’s constant touching, Riley’s grip on her hand was a hint that he wasn’t as unaffected by her close call or his part in saving her life as he wanted her to think. Ginny knew through her training, her experience with counseling, that body language spoke volumes.

      “I’ll be off tomorrow. I can come get you. Drive you home.”

      Ginny tightened her grip on his hand. “It’s nice of you to offer, but…not necessary. My mom or Megan can—”

      “I don’t mind. I want to help.” Riley’s eyes held the same bright intensity she’d noticed earlier. His silver gaze held her transfixed for a moment before he seemed to realize how serious he’d become and laughed it off with a shrug. “Besides, you live in my building, so it’s hardly out of the way. What are neighbors for?”

      “Okay. Tell you what…you can be my buffer.”

      “Buffer?”

      “Yeah. My mom is going to want to be here regardless, ’cause she lives to dote on her kids. Borderline smothering. I love Mom, but…hate the smothering. You can be my buffer, run interference.”

      Riley turned one palm up. “If that’s what you need, I aim to please.” He gave her fingers another gentle squeeze before he pulled away and rose from the chair. “I think I should let you rest. I’m glad you’re okay, Ginny.”

      “And I’m glad you were on duty last night. Getting mouth-to-mouth from anyone else…” She gave him a sultry smile. “…just wouldn’t have been half as much fun.”

      A smoldering heat flared in Riley’s gaze. He hesitated a moment, as if deciding whether to match her flirtation with a suggestive comment of his own.

      “Go ahead. Say it,” she prompted.

      He looked a bit surprised that she’d read his intent so easily, then grinned more broadly. “I think I’d rather show you.”