Bill was encouraging me onward, nipping at my heels and herding me down. The deafening roar of the flames swallowed his barks, thin and reedy.
I can remember passing my library and studio, which were engulfed in flames so hot, I was afraid the heat alone would cause me to combust. I pictured my books, their spines a dark forest, the vastness of their pages a fuel for the flames, ready to crackle and consume.
Passing another floor of empty rooms filled with smoke, I reached street level. I could barely remember stopping to catch my breath. My throat was burning and raw; dizziness overcame me, and then—nothing.
The door to my hospital room snicked open on quiet hinges, and I came back to the present. Cat popped her head in. She mouthed a silenthello.
Breathing shallow and fast, I widened my eyes at her, and then led her gaze to the very asleep, very giant male figure in the chair beside me. Her gaze followed mine, her brows extending upward before she tucked herself through the door and shut it behind her. She tiptoed to the right side of my bed, opposite the sleeping Nash.
“My dear,” she whispered, grabbing my face and kissing my cheeks. “I came as soon as I woke and saw the messages from the hospital.”She eyed my heartbeat on the screen, eyes widening a little.
I was still acutely aware of Nash’s hand over mine and was careful to keep my arm still as she peppered me with affection. When she pulled away, I took in her appearance.
Her hair was spun into a claw clip at the back of her head, and she was dressed in a casual sweater and jeans. Her face was bare of any makeup, her natural age showing.
She wiped the still-flowing tears from my eyes, now a mix of both cleansing tears and emotional ones. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered. She eyed Nash again, and his hand on mine.
Was shesmiling?
A breathy laugh escaped through wet tears and a stuffy nose. “What do I do with that?” I rasped, motioning to my hand.
She chuckled, tapping me on my nose before standing straight. She coughed once, with exaggerated force. The sound was abrupt. Even I jolted.
Bill sat up with a yip, throwing Nash’s hand off him. It fell motionless before the muscles engaged. Nash jolted, his other hand falling from mine. His head shook once, reorienting himself in the chair as he sat up.
“Shit,”he mumbled before wiping a hand over his face and looking up at the both of us.
I froze, unable to process simple things any longer.
His deep, flecked gaze bore into mine, then flicked to Dr. Cat beside me.
“Oh,uh.”He cleared his throat.
Bill was looking up at Nash with an adoration that was not normal for him. Bill placed one wrapped paw on his knee, andNash’s hand covered it on a reflex that seemed instinctively caring. Warmth bloomed in my chest at the sight.
“Hey, you’re awake,” he said, glancing at me once more.
I realized my mouth was gaping, and I shut it.
Cat was the first to move, reaching her hand across me. She offered a handshake. “I’m Catherine, Sybil’s guardian,” she supplied.
“Oh.” He sat forward, swiping his hands down his somewhat dirty and tattered slacks to straighten them before standing and extending his hand to her. “I’m Nash Beaumont. I live across the street from Sybil.”
It took me off-guard when he grasped the tips of her fingers and bent over me, bringing her knuckles to his lips and kissing them like a gentleman. He made it look so natural and charming, like a scene from Bridgerton, not at all awkward.
I fixated far too intently on his lips the entire time, wondering how they felt, tasted, how deft they might be.
Cat looked impressed, and I could already see her wheels whirling away in her head. “I don’t know where to begin,” she exclaimed, taking her hand back. “Thank you so much for being here.”
“It’s not a problem at all—a simple choice to make.” He looked down at me, smirking.
I was glad I could lean on the fact that speech was hard for me with my throat as raw as it was. I’d lost my ability to form a sentence.
Cat smiled. “Yes, she is quite irresistible to care for.”
I could have drowned in mortification at that comment. I offered her a murderous glare. My eyes narrowed.
The nurse came in then, and we all turned toward him. He looked up from his clipboard and smiled. “Well, hello everyone.” His high-spirited bedside manner was cutting the tension in the room. “How are we doing today?”
