Page 45 of Desperate Temptations

Chapter Forty-Two

Cain almost lost his sanity when he watched her pull her gun and point it at Martinez. Thankfully, he got off several shots, taking out as many men as he saw. He took a breath when he could see the place swarming with officers. They took care of the rest.

When the smoke cleared, he saw an officer talking to Jessa. She let the man take the gun out of her hands, but she sat frozen, even shrinking from him when he tried to touch her.

Cain ran down the steps and the few yards separating them, needing to get to her. He ignored the shouts about not shooting him and didn’t care. He slid, dropping his bag, and crouched by her chair. He was afraid to touch her. Her face was devoid of emotion. She hardly had any color on her face, and what color he could see was a light shade of gray. Her pupils were huge. He knew what shock looked like, and she needed to be taken care of.

“Someone get me a fucking blanket, now!” he yelled. He captured one of her hands, which lay limply in her lap, and squeezed. “Baby, it’s me ... Cain.” When she didn’t respond, he curved his hand over her neck, getting in her face, trying to get her to focus on him. “Jessa, come on. I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere. Everything’s going to be okay.”

When the paramedics arrived, they tried to touch her to get her vitals, but she cringed from them, making an injured animal sound deep in her throat, pushing herself closer to Cain, her movements erratic.

Growling under his breath, he stood, gathered her and the blanket up in his arms, and carried her out of the building and into the sunlight. He walked to a crumbling wall against the building and sat down with her in his arms.

He held her tightly against his chest, murmuring love words, words of encouragement, stroking her hair and her back. Cain breathed a sigh of relief when she slowly started to come around and began to respond.

Jessa tilted her head back and looked at his face intently. She raised a hand to his cheek and ran her fingertips over his whiskers.

“Cain?”

He closed his eyes, relieved.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

He heard her hold back a sob and looked around, confused.

“Where are we?”

“We’re outside a building. Aubrey brought you here, do you remember?” Cain continued to swallow the rage that rushed through him, reminding himself she needed him to stay calm.

Chapter Forty-Three

Jessa still felt like she was moving through a thick pool of molasses. It was hard for her to talk or shift. Concentrating on Cain’s voice was helping. She looked up when a man came to stand beside them. She couldn’t help flinching, but settled when Cain tucked her tighter against his chest.

Her eyes narrowed. Did she know him? She tensed when she decided he didn’t look familiar.

“How’s she doing?”

Cain lightly rubbed her stomach, his other arm holding her tight against him.

“She’s going to be fine. She’s strong and she has me.”

“Should I call the paramedics over here...”

Jessa moaned deep in her throat, her eyes frantic, but glued to Cain’s.

“No!” she whispered.

Cain held her, making gentle sounds and using words he hoped would settle her.

“It’s okay, Sweetheart. No one is going to touch you besides me.”

She focused on his face, still a little lost, but at least she was trying to understand what was going on around her.

“Promise?” she asked.

“Absolutely. I’m here, and I won’t let anyone touch you.”

Quinton cleared his throat, distinctly uncomfortable.

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