Page 42 of Some Like It Hot

Her mouth tightened.

“Larke—donewhat?” His voice turned low, carried a fine edge of worry.

“Jumped over me. Tried to protect me. You should have kept running.”

He made a funny noise, like a huff or a laugh, and she shot a look at him. “What?”

He wasn’t smiling. “You think I’d just leave you lying there in the dirt while some crazy man shot at you? Who do you think I am?”

She swallowed, looked back at the road. “I know who you are. A hero.”

He was shaking his head.

“But I can’t love another hero, Riley.” The truth issued from her so softly, she almost didn’t hear her own admission, but, “I can’t love another man who…who isn’t afraid to die.”

He said nothing, and for a long moment, she heard nothing but the shards of her heart jangling inside.

“Larke,” he said softly. “I’m as terrified as the next guy of dying.”

She closed her mouth, shot him a look. He was staring at her, wide-eyed. Shaking his head.

“Then—why do you run into danger?”

“Because I don’t think. Because I’m reckless, impulsive, and in that moment, I…I don’t think about the fear. I just react. That’s why…I’m not a hero. Because a hero sees the danger and does it anyway. I don’t. I just…do. There’s a difference. Believe me. I’m sitting here trying to keep myself from freaking out. Because I know how close we just came to ending up in that lake.”

“Freeman wasn’t afraid to die.”

“Yeah well, I’m not Freeman. I thought we’d established that. I’m not a soldier. I’m not my father. I’m just a guy who likes to live large, play large, and occasionally I end up doing the right thing.”

“Like throwing yourself over me to protect me from bullets with your body.”

“Yeah. Like that. Sometimes.” A tiny smile lifted then from the side of his mouth. “Now let’s touch on the other part of your sentence.”

She frowned.

“The fact you are in love with me?” He winked. “About time, sheesh.”

Her eyes widened. “What—that’s not—”

“Look out!”

Orion’s Ranger had slowed in front of her and she stomped the brakes. Riley caught himself on the dash with a bloodied hand.

“Sorry!”

Orion eased around a crater-sized pothole.

She took a breath.

“Want to talk about it?”

“No!” she snapped. “Listen. I’m not—” She sighed. “I’m not in love with you.”

“But you want to be.”

She glanced at him. He winked at her.

“Riley—”

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