Page 43 of Jenna's Threatened Sanctuary

“Agreed.”

Lacing their fingers, she led the way from the room then pushed through the front door. The cool wind slid against her warm cheeks but couldn’t beat down the flames of desire Calvin had ignited.

“I’ll grab the car and pull it around.”

Excitement bubbled in her chest as she watched him hurry to his truck. Dead leaves rustled under her feet as she strolled to the sidewalk. The stoplight at the intersection changed, the signal facing her now red. A black car barreled through the light, charging toward her at top speed.

Fear raced down Jenna’s spine. Time slowed, but the car didn’t. The vehicle bumped over the edge of the sidewalk, the headlights blasted her in the face, blocking the driver. Jenna leapt away from the speeding sedan, but the car struck her side. She slammed against the ground. Her head bounced off the sidewalk. Pain exploded inside her, and her world went dark.

A wide smilemade Calvin’s cheeks hurt. Something had shifted today. Jenna had kissed the hell out of him, and he wanted to see where that could lead. But more than physically. He wanted to have a real conversation and clear the air, then see if they could build a future together.

Retrieving his keys from his pocket, the roar of an engine caught his attention. His heart lodged into his throat. A car spedtoward the sidewalk. Toward Jenna. She lunged to the side, but the car’s bumper crashed into her.

His breath hitched. His heart sped. He ran toward Jenna. Sweat formed on his hairline. His limbs trembled with a fear he’d never experienced. His sneakers skittered over loose pebbles along the sidewalk. “Jenna!” The words scratched his dry throat. He couldn’t lose her, not after he’d finally gotten a chance to win her back.

The black sedan disappeared around the corner. Calvin squinted to see the license number, but it was too far.Sonofabitch!Panicked shouts from down the street called for help.

Jenna laid sprawled on the sidewalk—eyes closed, body still, blood from a gash on her head splattered on the ground around her. Dizziness swam in his head. A fist grabbed hold of his gut.

He dropped to his knees. “I’m here, Jenna. Can you hear me?” She didn’t move, but the steady rise and fall of her chest told him she was alive. He ached to gather her in his arms but moving her without knowing the scope of her injuries could be detrimental. Placing two fingers against the side of her neck he said a quick prayer.Please God. Don’t let her die.

A strong pulse beat against the pads of his fingers. He glanced around. A few pedestrians had poured out of the surrounding businesses. “Someone call 911.” Ripping off his jacket, he used the arm of the coat to press against the open wound on her head. He scanned the rest of her crumpled body. He braced his free hand on the side of her neck to keep her steady. He didn’t want her to move and cause further injury.

“Ambulance is on its way,” a man said from behind him.

“Go get Dr. Kent. He’s in the office behind me.” He yelled the order without turning to see who he yelled at. Steadying his breath, he tried to gain control of the trembling in his hands. He wouldn’t do Jenna any good if he couldn’t stop the fuckingtremors from taking over his entire body. Minutes ticked by, each second with more excruciating torment than the last.

The wail of sirens split the air, the stressing call growing louder by the second. The crowd parted and a police cruiser screeched to a stop on the curb, an ambulance pulling in behind it. Emergency workers jumped from the cab, one rushing toward him and the other rounding the back of the large vehicle.

An EMT in the blue uniform, red hair pulled back in a practical ponytail jogged to Jenna’s side. Her stern face softened as she crouched beside them.

“She was hit by a car,” Calvin said, struggling to keep his voice steady. “Sustained quite a bit of blood loss from the wound on the side of her head. Her pulse is strong and breathing steady.”

Fingers brushed against his hand. He locked his gaze on Jenna. Slowly, she inched her hand over his, covering his knuckles. The rapid palpitations of his heart made his head spin. “Jenna?”

Her long lashes fluttered until her beautiful, blue eyes lit through the darkening sky. “Calvin?”

Emotions welled in his throat, pushing his breath back down to his lungs and making it hard to breathe. “I’m right here, baby. Everything’s okay.”

“Please, don’t leave me.” Her words hitched in her throat before her eyes drifted closed and the muscles in her hand went limp.

The icy prongs of terror tore into his flesh.

Calvin moved to the side, giving the paramedic room to do her job. But he wouldn’t leave Jenna. Not now. Not ever. But first, he needed to make sure she made it out of this alive.

19

The constantbeep, beep, beepof a nerve-grinding machine penetrated the fog of medicine keeping Jenna in a cocoon of comfort. But the louder the beeping grew, the more insistent some unknown force became, urging her to open her eyes and escape the darkness of her mind.

Pressure squeezed her hand. Gravity held down her eyelids. She fought to lift them. Harsh light attacked her retinas, but she resisted the urge to close her eyes again. She turned her head, and the muscles in her neck screamed.

Calvin inched forward onto the edge of his seat. “Hey, sleepy head. Stay calm. Don’t move too much. Do you want some water?”

She nodded. Spikes of pain beat against her skull.

Calvin grabbed a cup from beside the hospital bed and placed a straw to her lips.

The room-temperature water slid down her dry throat. She coughed, burning her esophagus, and took another sip with her gaze glued to Calvin’s worried eyes.

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