Duty To Protect. Beth Cornelison

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СКАЧАТЬ the officer finished his questions, Riley sat next to Ginny on the couch and took her left hand in his, squeezing her fingers gently. “You doin’ okay?”

      “Yeah, just tired.” She lifted her eyes to meet his, and a corner of his sexy mouth tipped up.

      When I revived you, you missed the whole your-lips-on-mine thing.

      Two hours earlier, she’d kissed those lips, been swept away by their hypnotic lure. The memory sent a renewed shimmy of heat curling through her veins, chasing out a fraction of the chill that lingered, given that Walt Compton was most likely the person who’d tried to break into her apartment.

      But physical chemistry was no substitute for knowing what made a man tick, knowing who he was beneath the stunning smile and wide chest. Although having Riley near was comforting, Ginny reminded herself that his presence was temporary, and she needed to rely on her own strengths and coping mechanisms after today. She had to get back to her normal routine, back to work. People were counting on her.

      “I need to check on Annie,” she thought aloud. “If Walt has been this determined to come after me, what has he done about finding her? She’s in more danger than I am.”

      “You just got home from the hospital.” Riley frowned. “You’ve had problems of your own to deal with. I’m sure the other ladies that work at the women’s center have taken good care of Annie. Right now, you need to rest.”

      “The other women from the center have their hands full relocating our offices after the fire and dealing with their own clients’ needs.” Ginny pushed herself off the sofa and scanned the living room, looking for her cordless phone. “Annie is my responsibility, no matter who picked up my slack after the fire. I won’t be able to rest until I know she and her kids are safe.”

      Spotting the receiver on the side table by her reading chair, Ginny stepped over Riley’s long legs to get the phone. While she talked to one of the women from her office, confirming that Annie and her kids were doing well at the shelter, she overheard Riley thanking the policemen for their help and reminding them to keep a vigilant watch on the apartment.

      Ginny would much rather the police focused their efforts on watching the women’s shelter and tracking down Walt than on guarding her door.

      By the time she got off the phone, Riley had made them each a sandwich and had brought hers out to the coffee table on a paper plate. Motioning her back to the couch, he said, “Get off your feet. You need to rest.”

      When another knock reverberated through the room, she headed for her door, only to be sidetracked by Riley.

      “I’ll get it. You sit. Eat something.”

      She lifted an eyebrow. “You’re starting to sound like my mother.”

      Riley opened the door and sent Ginny a wry grin. Speaking of whom… he mouthed.

      “Why are there so many police cars outside? What happened?” Hannah rushed into the living room, and Ginny suppressed a sigh.

      “Standard procedure and basic questions, Mom. Nothing to worry about.”

      Riley stepped forward and motioned to Hannah. “Actually, Mrs. West, Ginny was just about to take a nap. Why don’t we leave her alone to rest? If you want to assist me, I was just about to help Ginny with some maintenance repairs.”

      Her mother divided a glance between Ginny and Riley. “You’re sure you’re all right? Can I do anything for you?”

      Ginny smiled. “Go home, and quit worrying. I’ll call if I need you.”

      “Promise?”

      “Mom—”

      Hannah raised her hands. “Okay. I can take a hint.” She walked back to the door and aimed a finger at Riley. “Take care of my girl.”

      He nodded. “You bet.”

      With her home now emptied of policemen and overprotective parents, Ginny felt the tension seep from her. She wilted like a deflated balloon against the sofa cushions.

      “You got a wrench?” Riley asked.

      She blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

      “While you unwind a little, I thought I’d tinker with your sink…or was it your dishwasher that was on the fritz?”

      She lifted the corner of her mouth in a weary grin. “The dishwasher doesn’t drain. Floods the floor when I run it.” She closed her eyes, feeling the weight of the past two days’ events crushing down on her. “If I have a wrench, it’ll be in the utility closet at the end of the hall.”

      Flopping over on her side, she tucked a throw pillow under her cheek and worked to find a comfortable position for her injured arm.

      “Holler if you need anything.” Riley leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple.

      Ginny was too worn out to respond, too tired to question why Riley’s chaste kiss caused a knee-jerk, uneasy stir in her gut. She’d analyze that incongruity later.

      Riley found and cleared the clog in Ginny’s dishwasher without much trouble. Putting the contraption back together and getting it operational again was another matter. A little over an hour after he started the repair, he was washing up and returning the tools he’d found in her closet to their rightful place.

      He’d heard suspiciously little from the living room since he left Ginny on the sofa to rest, and when he rounded the couch looking for her, he learned why. She was sacked out. Completely dead to the world.

      Dead.

      Bad analogy, Riley thought as a little shudder crept up his spine. He still had an all too clear mental image of her limp and nearly lifeless body lying in the burning office.

      Even now the blue-black shadows that marred her pale skin served as a jarring reminder of her ordeal. The thick cast on her arm stood in stark contrast to Ginny’s petite frame. Her fat, orange and white cat had curled up beside her and slept nestled against her chest much like a child’s teddy bear.

      Vulnerable came to mind as he studied her sleeping. She’d hate to be called that. That much he already knew about his seductive neighbor. She had spirit and determination and attitude in spades. And though she seemed hell-bent on doing everything for herself, never letting anyone see a hint of weakness, he still sensed something when he was around her that made him long to shield and protect her.

      Or maybe it was his own ghosts rattling their chains that made him so desperate to keep Ginny safe.

      He sat down on the edge of the coffee table and indulged in a closer inspection of her delicate features. Freckles paraded across her pert nose, and she’d long ago nibbled the lipstick off her full rose lips. An errant wisp of her white-blond hair tumbled across her sculpted cheek.

      As he watched her, a tiny pucker formed on her brow, and she shivered, goose bumps forming on her bare arms.

      Riley reached for the afghan on the back of the couch and stood to shake it out. Carefully, he draped the cover over Ginny.

      But the afghan СКАЧАТЬ