Page 29 of Emi's Hero

George sighed. “Why do I feel like you’re not telling me the truth?”

Her lips twitched. “Because I’m not.”

His brow creased. “You looked terrified when I came through the door. Are you afraid of me?”

Again, she shook her head, unable to meet his gaze.

He touched a finger to her chin and tilted her head up so that she was looking into his eyes.

“Do you want me to leave?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I want you to stay.”

“I can do that,” he said. “But what had you spooked?”

Emi’s lips twisted. “The door.”

George’s brows rose up his forehead. “The door?”

She glanced over his shoulder at the offending door. “As it opened...” she shivered. “I don’t know... I thought it was him. I didn’t react that way when Kalea came in.”

“Oh, Emi.” George pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on her head, his hands rubbing up and down on her back. “You have PTSD,” he whispered against her ear. “It can flare up at any time over the most seemingly inconsequential events. I know. I’ve struggled with it for many years.”

Emi leaned back in his arms and stared up into his eyes. “I thought PTSD was only what military men and women had after a bad wartime experience.”

George shook his head. “Post-traumatic Stress Disorder can happen to anyone who has had a traumatic experience.”

“Like me,” she said.

“And here I am, holding you,” George said, his arms loose around her back. “Do you want me to let you go?”

Her gaze remained locked with his. “No.” Then she dared to lean her cheek against this chest. The solid wall of muscles grounded her. The rapid beat of his heart reassured her that he was still there and had the strength and training to keep her safe and to help her save Sara.

But it was the steady and rapid beat of his heart that captured her attention and took her mind off the flashback.

He held her in his arms for a long time.

Emi didn’t want to move. Though her legs were weak, she didn’t want the moment to end. Her trembling subsided as his body heat warmed her.

“You need to rest,” George said, his breath stirring tendrils of her hair.

Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt.

Stay with me.

She wanted to say the words but didn’t.

“Do you want me to stay?” he asked, echoing her thoughts.

“I don’t want to be a bother,” she said without lifting her cheek from his chest.

He chuckled, the sound rumbling through him. He tipped her chin up and stared down at her, his blue eyes dancing. “That was a yes or no question.”

The warmth in his smile and the way his arm still held her close gave her the courage to say, “Yes, please.”

He nodded. “Okay, then. Let’s get you back into bed.”

She didn’t want to move, afraid that when she did, it would break the spell he’d cast over her, and his arms would fall away.

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