He caught the falling woman around the waist with one arm and helped the other person steady the tumbling coffee cart with his free hand. He registered the searing pain as his arm snagged the edge of the cart, and hot coffee spilled over his forearm.
“Oh, my goodness! I’m so sorry.” The young woman pushing the cart snatched up the remaining carafes, trying to keep them from falling to the floor with the other two.
Donovan jerked his arm back and grimaced. “It’s okay.”
She rushed off and pushed through the door into what he assumed was the ladies’ room.
He turned to the woman in his embrace. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, but her trembling body told a different story. He instinctively pulled her closer. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.” She released a deep sigh and moved closer, burying her head in his chest. The way she clung to him stirred something deep inside him. I was just keeping her from being knocked down, he quickly told himself.
“I guess I wasn’t watching where I was going,” she finally said.
Adrenaline still pumped through his veins, his heart hadn’t returned to a normal pace and the pain in his arm was increasing. Yet none of it erased the strange feelings evoked by holding this woman in his arms.
Pushing them aside, he rationalized that they were probably due to the excitement of the evening—the birth of his first godchild—and pure exhaustion.
Nothing more.
Chapter 2
Simona tried to steady her emotions. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn’t even heard the cart approaching. The collision had nearly given her a heart attack. Slowly she wrapped her arms around the man’s waist. “Thank...thank you.”
He tightened his arms around her and caressed her back. “Anytime. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Her heart continued to race from being scared out of her wits and, even more alarming, from the overwhelming sense of security she gained from being in her rescuer’s arms.
She heard footsteps behind them and glanced around his shoulder to see the volunteer returning with a wad of paper towels and one of the hospital’s security officers close behind.
“Ms. Andrews, are you okay?” the security guard asked, narrowing his gaze at the man holding Simona.
She lifted her head and stepped out of the man’s embrace, rubbing her hip where the cart had hit her. “Yes. Thanks to him.” She glanced up to find her rescuer watching her intently, concern etched in his features. She immediately moved her hand away from her hip.
“What happened?”
Tearing her gaze away from his intense stare, she turned toward the guard. “Um...just a little accident. I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t see the cart.” Simona glanced down at the hospital volunteer trying to mop up the mess. “Maybe you should call maintenance to clean that up.”
“Yeah, probably,” the woman mumbled, clearly embarrassed.
The guard asked, “Are you hurt?”
Simona shook her head. “I’m okay.”
“Are you sure? There’s blood on your top.”
She looked down at her top, held it out and frowned. “I don’t know how...” She shifted her gaze to the man standing next to her. “Oh, my goodness! You’re bleeding.”
He tried to wave her off, but she moved in front of him, lifted his arm and examined the wound below his rolled-up shirtsleeve, which was stained with coffee. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. You’ve got a nasty cut and a burn. I need to get you inside to emergency.”
“Really. It’s just a little cut,” he protested, withdrawing his arm. “Nothing that requires a three-hour wait in emergency.”
Simona reached for his uninjured arm and pulled him in the direction of the emergency room, leaving the guard to deal with the cleanup.
As soon as they got to the entrance, his steps slowed. “You’re wearing scrubs. Are you a doctor?”
“No. An emergency room nurse.” She led him past a half-full waiting room to the back.
“Simona, what are you still doing here? I thought you were off,” a nurse said as they entered a treatment room.
“I am. Is there a doctor available? I think he’s going to need stitches.” Simona usually assisted the doctor with the minor procedure, but with the way her hands were shaking she’d probably do more harm than good.