Love Me if You Dare Read Free

been warned that by reinjuring the joint, she could end up with permanent problems, which would make doing her job impossible. Something she refused to contemplate.
    Police work was all she knew. All she’d ever wanted to do. She came from a family of cops. Dysfunctional cops who couldn’t keep their marriages or families together, so being an officer defined them.
    It defined her.
    “Well, you’re officially on medical leave until you’re cleared to return. Go home and get some rest,” the captain said.
    She bit the inside of her cheek, knowing better than to argue. “I will.”
    “Good. Take care of yourself.”
    She nodded.
    “And this time, lie low. ”
    THE DAILY POST
    THE BACHELOR BLOG
    Our latest bachelor quit his day job for love. Sam Cooper’s heart is spoken for, ladies. But luckily, there’s a new heroic bachelor in the city. Rafe Mancuso stepped in and saved one of New York City’s finest, getting injured in the process. I can hear you all swooning now.
    Amanda Stevens, features editor at the Daily Post, was there live covering the Lancasterauction. She asked the hostage negotiator how it felt to save a damsel in distress. Mr. Mancuso, not realizing he’d been stabbed, answered from the heart—“Just doing my job. With the added perk of rescuing a gorgeous blonde with curves to die for,” before passing out from his injuries.
    Could romance be brewing between this hero and the lady he saved? Or is the field clear for the other women of our city? Only time—and the Bachelor Blogger—will tell.

CHAPTER TWO
    R AFE WOKE UP IN A sterile-looking hospital room, hooked up to an IV. He immediately became aware of a deep pain in his chest, and memories came flooding back. The auction, the hostage situation, realizing he’d been stabbed and a swarm of uniforms on the roof.
    He blinked, but everything was still fuzzy.
    The morphine, he thought, recalling that he’d awakened disoriented and in pain a few times before. He wasn’t as out of it now and wondered how much time had passed. “You’re up!”
    He turned his head toward the sound of the familiar voice to find Sara sitting in a chair against the wall. She rose and maneuvered herself onto crutches before making her way toward the bed. Her hair hung messily around her shoulders, her face was makeup free and her exhaustion clear. So was the obvious relief in her expression.
    Suddenly another memory surfaced. Every time he’d opened his eyes, she’d been there.
    “How do you feel?” she asked, her soft gaze never leaving his.
    “Like I was stabbed.” He cracked a smile.
    She scowled at him. “Not funny. The knife nicked a pulmonary vein. They had to go in and close it up. At least, that’s what the doctor said.”
    “Surgery?” he asked.
    She nodded, her expression serious. “You needed blood,” she told him.
    He tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry.
    “Here.” She reached over and picked up a cup of ice, spoon-feeding him chips until he’d moistened his mouth.
    “I could get used to this kind of treatment.”
    “Something tells me women would line up to accommodate you.” Her lips lifted in the first smile she’d given him since he woke up.
    She placed the cup back onto the tray.
    “But they’d have to fight off your mother, and she’s one protective lady.”
    “My mother? She’s here?” he asked, shocked.
    Sara nodded. “You know the drill. The captain made sure your folks were notified when things looked serious. They drove down from upstate and are staying in a nearby hotel.”
    He closed his eyes and groaned.
    “Are you in a lot of pain?” she asked, misreading the sound.
    “I’ll live,” he said of the burning in his chest.
    “Good,” she said softly.
    But knowing his mother would be here hovering over him was enough to make a grown man cry. He loved his big, loud family, but he’d left his upstate New York hometown so he could love them from a distance.
    “What about our waiter friend? What happened to