Page 62 of Rescued Heart

Eddie hooked his arm around her shoulder. The last thing either of them needed was for the paper to hear about their deal. He steered her closer to the tower, away from listening ears. Her body shook beneath his hands, and he rubbed his palms up and down her goose-bumped skin. “Don’t do this for me. Or the team. There are other ways of raising money for the youth center.”

She leaned into his touch until she seemed to think better of it and stepped away. “If there was another way, you wouldn’t have agreed to…” she motioned between them. “Us.”

Eddie clenched his jaw and still hated the fear in her eyes. There potentially was another way, or at least that’s what Roger had said. However…“You’re still my choice.”

Her sigh made him want to wrap her up and protect her.

She ran her hands along her arms. “I used to love doing my own stunts. Loved seeing the final edited movie, knowing I’d done that. Listening to the crowd as they laughed and cried.” She shook her head. “Leo said that if we don’t get this critical shot before the police shut us down, then the movie may be postponed. If that happens, we may not have enough funds to keep going. There was a lot of red tape to get this stunt approved, and time is money in the film world. More than just me and you are depending on me not screaming for dear life when that car drops.”

She was doing this in part for him. He couldn’t let her do it alone. “Then I’ll be in the car with you. Not for the directors or for the movie. For you. Because you hate heights.”

A half laugh, half cry bubbled out of her. “I really do.”

He opened his mouth but was cut off by someone who hollered from the bottom of the platform. “We’re ready for you, Bia.”

She exhaled slowly. “Well, here goes. Pray for me.”

He could do more than pray. He matched each step with hers.

They reached the ladder to climb up. Two guys that Eddie had met a couple days ago, Jeff and Aaron, hooked Bianca’s harness to the safety line that went up the ladder and onto the platform.

She climbed four ladder rungs and then stopped. He could see her knuckles go white, even from his position on the ground.

Eddie pointed to the harness around Jeff, who remained on the ground. “Got another one of those? I want to go up with my girl.”

“Uh…” Both of the guys glanced at each other.

“You know I’m a firefighter. I know all about OSHA standards.”

Which probably wouldn’t exactly okay him going up there.

Jeff slipped out of his harness and handed it over. “I need to get to my son’s birthday party by seven. Anything that can speed this up, I’m all for.”

Eddie stepped one foot into the harness. “As soon as I get this on, Bianca, I’m racing you to the top.” Eddie hooked onto the safety line faster than it usually took him to get in his turnout gear.

He scrambled up to the same rung of the ladder, placing his feet on the outside of Bianca’s. She hadn’t moved. Her head remained pressed to a higher rung. Her legs shook the ladder.

He placed his cheek against hers. “I see you squandered your early lead to the top.”

Finally she whispered, “Is it squandering when I knew I didn’t need it to beat you?”

There was his snarky girl. Well, not his. Couldn’t be.

A shaky inhale and then, “Thanks, Eddie.”

“We got this. Reach up with your right hand first, and I’ll keep you steady. Then bring up your right foot.”

She shook her head. “Maybe I’ll go back to the ground and help the writers rewrite this scene. My character can be thrown out on the ground and watch her car with the secret codes about the jewels in it disappear. Add in a few explosions. That would totally be better.”

He had another idea. “On your mark, get set…”

Bianca let out a groan. “Not this again.” But she moved upward before he got to the “go” part. “If I win, I’m going to need another milkshake. Or five.”

A grin burst onto his face, and he tried to focus on her hands and feet on the ladder. “Told you marshmallow would grow on you.”

Or perhaps she was the one growing on him.

Bianca climbed onto the platform, and for a second was out of sight until he joined her and two other guys already on the platform.

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