From Winter's Ashes: Girl Next Door Crime Romance Series - Book Two Read Free Page B

sudden bout of self-consciousness. She didn’t even know the guy. Yes, she was lonely, but she wasn’t desperate. So it didn’t matter what she looked like, she assured herself. It didn’t even matter what he looked like. He was her hero. She owed him her deepest gratitude. And even though Shelby’s high praise of his appearance chimed back through Joselyn’s ears, what intrigued her were the feelings her rescuer had stirred when he’d held her. Had he felt it too? Was that why he’d stayed? More likely he’d recognized her and was looking for a reward.
    Calm down, Joss. You survived a fire. You can do this.
    A gentle knock put an end to her internal pep talk. Aiming to soothe the raspy sound of her newly acquired smoker’s lung, she cleared her throat. “Come in.” Sadly, a guttural cough spewed forth, turning her voice box into something akin to a trash compactor. Lovely.
    The doorway was set back and wasn’t well lit, but she saw wide shoulders tapering to a strong, trim waist, and a value pack of thick muscles all wrapped around well over six feet of hard man.
    “Hey, Joss.” The nickname floating on the waves of that deeply resonant voice felt like a warm, callused hand grazing her skin. The room might be a little chilly, but it was the familiar caress of that rumbly baritone that gave her goose bumps.
    Joselyn yanked the heart-rate monitor from her finger to silence the wild, runaway beeping and prayed she was wrong as she waited for him to step out of the shadow.

Chapter 3
    Finn Carson

    “Uhh … are you all right?” Based on her rigid posture and frozen slack-jawed expression, he wasn’t who she’d been expecting. He stepped closer to the bed and bent over to make sure she was still breathing.
    Okay, Finn. Be nice. She’s just been through a trauma.
    She gave an exaggerated blink. “ You’re the one who saw me nak—I mean, rescued me?”
    He straightened, shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “Guilty.”
    A lock of silky black hair slipped from behind her ear, swaying for a moment like a pendulum measuring the awkward pause. Even more gratifying than catching Joselyn Whyte off her guard—and her high horse—was the remarkable shade of red filling her creamy cheeks.
    Well, whaddya know, she might not be a cold-blooded reptile after all.
    Traumatized woman . He forced himself back on point. “Yeah. I was working last night, and I … found you.” Finn’s fingers skimmed the fine fluted edge of a spare poker chip in the pocket of the clothes Ryker had brought up. He’d lost last night’s game, but in light of the miraculous rescue, he supposed it might be his lucky chip.
    Her eyes remained wide and unblinking. “ You were the one I ran into, the one who held me?”
    Held her? More like carried her down a flight of crumbling stairs. Was it really so hard to believe that he could be her hero?
    “Uh, yeah, Joss. It was me. Look, are you feeling okay? Because I can call a nurse back in here. You seem a little confused.”
    And maybe it wasn’t the first time. When she’d woken in the ambulance, she’d reached out for him, grasping not only his hand but holding his eyes in hers with a vulnerability that dismantled the wall of animosity they’d built between each other over the years. Without uttering a word she’d communicated that she needed him. So he stayed. Her eyes had been a little bit glazed and wild, but he’d been sure she’d recognized him. And why wouldn’t she? They saw each other often enough—unavoidable seeing as how this snobby little nightmare was best friends with his sister, Sadie.
    But now, seeing the shock steal back the warm blush from her fair skin, returning it to that cold and flawless finely dusted snow, he knew she’d been delirious. And if nothing else, her unquestionable awareness of their mutual disdain told Finn that while she may have lapsed for a moment in the ambulance, her memory hadn’t suffered any long-term effects.
    Pity . She