Page 44 of Sizzling Desire

“Grace!” The name tears from my throat again, desperate, frantic. Too much fire. Too much chaos.

She has to be here. She has to be.

Then I see her.

She’s sitting on the edge of an ambulance, wrapped in a blanket, an oxygen mask covering half her face, her dark hair tangled, soot streaked across one cheek.

But she’s alive.

Relief slams into me so hard I almost drop to my knees. “Grace!”

Her head jerks up at my voice. Those green eyes lock onto mine, and for a moment, the whole damn world stops.

Then she pulls the mask down. “Kane?” Her voice is rough, and it hits me like a fist to the gut. As she looks at me, something in her expression—shock, anger, vulnerability—hits me just as deep.

I cross the space between us in three strides, shoving past a medic. “Are you hurt?” I don’t give a damn about modesty. I reach for her, my hands finding her shoulders before I even realize what I’m doing, my thumbs brushing over her collarbone, needing to know she’s real, that she’s okay.

She shakes her head. “Answer the question, Grace. Are you hurt?”

She hesitates, and that hesitation nearly kills me.

Then she exhales, shaking her head. “No. I was inside when it started. I had just come home from work. The flames were everywhere.” She swallows, her throat working around the words. “I lost everything.”

Her voice catches, and something inside me fractures.

“Miss, you really should keep that mask on a little longer since your…” the medic interrupts.

“I’m fine. Thanks. I’m good.” Grace interrupts him quickly and hands him the oxygen mask.

The shock on his face shows he wants to argue with her, but I shoot him a look that makes him take a step back. “She’s done,” I say, my voice rough.

“If you say so.” The medic wisely backs off.

I don’t think. Don’t analyze. I just pull her in.

Her body stiffens for half a second before she melts against me, her fingers curling into my jacket, gripping me like I’m the only solid thing in the world right now.

I press my lips to the top of her head, inhaling deep, the scent of smoke still clinging to her. “I’ve got you,” I murmur, my voice gravelly, firm. “You’re not alone.”

Her shoulders tremble beneath my hands, and I tighten my grip.

Minutes stretch into an eternity, but I don’t let go, and she doesn’t pull away. But reality crashes back in when Chance approaches.

“The fire is under control,” he says, his gaze flicking between us. “Captain Morgan is already on-site, but Kane, this wasn’t random. Someone wanted this place torched.”

Grace tenses in my arms, and my gut hardens. “Any casualties?” I ask, my voice flat, all business now.

Chance shakes his head. “No serious injuries reported, thank god. But the fire started in a vacant unit. No one’s living there.”

I glance down at Grace. Her hands are still gripping my jacket.

“You’re coming with me,” I say, my voice leaving no room for argument.

Grace blinks. “What?”

“You’re not staying in some hotel, and you’re sure as hell not going to Kate’s. You’re coming with me to my place.”

She pulls back, her brows drawing together. “I—Kane, I don’t?—”

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