Page 72 of Too Hot

“Good job.” Brianna pulled her keys from her purse and unlocked her vehicle. “I didn’t know you were working today.”

“I’m not. I was at the firehouse, talking with the Captain, when the alarm went off, and I came along.” He stepped closer. “I was worried about you.”

Brianna grinned. “I’m fine, especially when I realized there was no fire. I won’t say I wasn’t scared, because I was.”

“God, I want to hold you, but…” He gestured to gear he wore. “Are we still good for tonight?”

“Yes. See you later.”

Rafe leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. “I won’t be so gentle later.” He turned and walked away.

A very effective way to take her mind off the alarm this afternoon, she thought. Brianna’s skin tingled her entire drive home.

* * * *

“No!”

Brianna’s scream brought Rafe out of a sound sleep. He turned to see her head thrashing against the pillow, her face full of fear.

“Rafe…No!”

Her arms flew from side to side. Rafe sat up and captured her arms so she wouldn’t hurt herself. “Brianna.” No response. “Wake up, Brianna.” This time, he put more force behind his words.

Her eyes popped open. Fear filled them, then she blinked. “Rafe?” He released her arms. Her hands went to his face. “You’re here. You’re okay.” She was breathing heavy, as if she’d run a race.

“I’m fine, sweetheart.” He shifted on the mattress and pulled her against him. “Bad dream?”

“The worst.” A shudder went through her body.

“Want to tell me about it?” Brianna stayed silent. He began to worry.

She didn’t answer right away, just kept hugging him tight. When she finally spoke, her voice was no more than a whisper. “There was a fire, and you rushed inside, only to be trapped. I watched the building burn with you inside it.”

Oh, God. Her worst nightmare. Rafe tightened his hold on her. “It was a bad dream, probably brought on by today’s events.”

“Yes. But I can’t shake it. Rafe, I don’t want to lose you.”

He wanted to reassure her she wouldn’t lose him, but he didn’t make promises he couldn’t keep. While he did everything to be safe, something could happen, something no one could predict.

“I really want to promise you I’ll be fine, but I can’t. I follow the rules when I fight fires. I don’t take chances.” She snuggled closer, letting out a long, shuddering breath, then relaxed in his embrace. “You mean a lot to me, Brianna, and I don’t want to lose you either.”

She snuggled closer to him and kissed his chin. “Then we’re on the same page.”

“We are.”

Brianna closed her eyes, but Rafe couldn’t get back to sleep. Was he being selfish by keeping Brianna in his life? He didn’t want her to have nightmares about fires or him being stuck in one. But this was his job. More than that. His vocation.

He wasn’t sure how to resolve this issue or if there even was a resolution. Maybe on Monday, he’d talk to the chief about it.

* * * *

Brianna woke in Rafe’s arms. Last night’s nightmare flashed in her mind. She tilted her head to look at Rafe. His eyes were closed, his face relaxed.

He didn’t dismiss her nightmare or her fear. The other thing was he didn’t make a promise that he couldn’t keep. Her parents used to tell her that another fire like the theirs couldn’t happen again. That was a lie. There was no way to know for sure.

Rafe had held her and done his best to comfort her, and that had gone a long way. She knew the nightmare had been triggered by what happened at school. It wasn’t Rafe’s fault.

He shifted in his sleep.

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