She’s trembling when she hugs me this time, and I never want to let her go. This beautiful young woman, quaking in my arms, is surely out of my league. She’s so young and beautiful, she could have anyone she wants. But now that I’ve found her, I don’t want to let her go. And if I can be her knight in shining armor once again, then perhaps she might want to stay.
“Let’s go,” I say, scooping her up in my arms for the second time today. She looks weary and she lays her head against my chest as we leave together. I wasn’t meant to be working today so I came in my own car. Suddenly, I’m glad I was called here for this emergency. It feels like fate, my one chance to meet the woman of my dreams. And now, I’m taking her home with me.
And once we’re back at my place, I don’t think I can hold myself back for long.
Chapter Two
Ashley
I can barely breathe as Wade drives me back to his place. When this day started, I thought it would be one of the worst of my life. Waking up in a burning building felt like the end. But from the ashes, my hope has risen. Looking up at Wade, I feel like there’s really something here. I barely know him, and yet it feels like our connection is eternal. It feels like this was meant to happen. And now, I might actually get to find out what it’ll be like to make love with the man of my dreams…
I’m getting ahead of myself, probably. After all, it’s his job to save people. He didn’t run into that burning building specifically for me. And now, he’s just making sure that I’m going to be okay. Nothing more.
Except I’m not convinced that’s true. Because there was a spark between us earlier that I can’t ignore. It was evident in the way he looked at me so intently with those big blue eyes of his. It was evident in the way he made the male paramedic back away from me, and the way he held me close. And when he carried me to the car, how could I ignore the way he looked at me like I was the most important thing in the world?
Maybe I’m just seeing what I want to see because I so desperately want him to want me. I want to be his forever. But even if this is just some fantasy, what’s the harm in testing the limits of it? Maybe if I’m lucky, this handsome man will give in to me and give me one night of bliss. Now that I’m here with him, I don’t think I can discount the idea of that. And when he reaches across to the passenger seat to place his hand on my leg, I freeze, heat pooling between my legs. One touch and he’s driven me wild. I look up and meet his eyes.
“You okay?” he growls. He looks so good with one hand on the steering wheel and his gaze fixated right on me. I can barely resist him. But I just nod, feeling dazed. I shouldn’t make this into more than it is. But as his hand travels further up my thigh, I know I’m not imagining the sparks between us.
“I’m okay,” I breathe. I’m better than okay with him touching me like this. I only wish he’d never stop. But he does as the traffic lights turn green. It feels like the world has stopped since we got in the car together, but I guess it’s kept spinning.
“You must be exhausted,” he says. “It’s not far now. You can make yourself at home with me. Call your family, get some sleep, whatever you want. My home is yours now.”
I blush. I can barely believe he’s being so nice to me. He’s opening up his entire world to a stranger. Why? Is it because he feels the same way that I do? Can he feel the unstoppable chemistry between us too?
We pull up at his apartment and he takes me inside. This time, he doesn’t lift me in his arms, to my disappointment. It feels like he’s slipping away from me already. He lets me inside and I see that his apartment is classy and full of expensive things. I wonder if he has a wife who helped him pick all of this out, or whether he just has impeccable taste. Wade catches me looking and the corner of his mouth quirks in amusement.
“I live alone, in case you were wondering.”
I blush. It’s like he can see right inside my mind. But now that I know he’s single, my heart has gained wings again, fluttering in anticipation. It’s just the two of us here, alone. It feels like the possibilities of what could happen are endless.