Page 14 of Between Two Thorns

“Not a damn ounce, despite my best efforts.” Rose folded her arms over her chest with a huff, hiding a shiver as her wet shirt suddenly became cold. Or maybe she just realized it. “Thank you very much.”

Sam snorted and rolled his dark eyes before he looked back at her.

Rose stuck up her chin—defiantly.

The EMT glanced over at Del, who gave a one-shouldered shrug.

“Oh, well, my apologies, ma’am.” Sam ducked his head to her before looking down at her ankle. “No fun having a drink spilled on you…though it looks like someone stuck up for you.” He murmured.

Rose followed Sam’s gaze to Del’s hand—where she noticed for the first time that one of his knuckles was split and bleeding.

The dirty blond lifted his arm, looking at the injury from slugging Chad, and shrugged. “Had worse.”

The EMT made a gesture, offering his hand to examine the younger man’s fingers, but Del just pulled his sleeve up over the cut.

Sam paused, letting it linger, as if giving Del a breath to reconsider—but then the EMT let his hand fall away.

His movements were a little more confident on her leg, holding it like it wasn’t broken and reaching back into the ambulance bay and searching through one of the cabinets.

“Looks like it’s just a bad sprain. I’m gonna wrap it and you should keep it elevated.”

Rose pouted anyway. “Does that mean no more dancing?” Her arms slipped down her chest as her shoulders slumped.

“Just gonna end up fallin’ on your ass again.” Del snorted, but his green gaze betrayed a shimmer of concern and worry that warmed his attempt at icy indifference.

Sam finished wrapping her ankle and looked up between the two of them. “You fell, too? Did you hit your head?”

“No,” Rose answered at once, and she was fighting to keep the pout off of her face. But Sam nodded and seemed to believe her.

“Does your tailbone feel bruised?”

Rose couldn’t help it. The words were out of her lips before she could bite them back. “Are you asking to see my tail or to bone?”

Her heart had one painful beat in the silence that followed her impulse, wondering if she’d stuck her newly wrapped foot in her mouth.

Rose’s heart restarted when Sam tilted his head back and laughed. Loud and rich and happy in a way that warmed her soul against the chill of the night.

Rose grinned, and she thought she even caught the edge of a smirk from Del.

Sam shook his head, setting her leg down to the side.

Rose bit her lip when he caught her eye for a beat too long.

Just long enough.

“Well, since it is your birthday,” he was still grinning as she stared at the way the gray in his beard perfectly accentuated his mouth. “I guess I can let ya get away with that, sweetheart.”

And Rose turned a brilliant red.

Warmed up from her very core, her heart beating in the most fantastic way as the blush rushed to her cheeks. And made her feel all sorts of warm and fuzzy inside.

“Well, if I’m gettin’ away with stuff.” Rose leaned back on her hands, deciding to continue being bold. “You see, there’s this birthday wish I’ve got.”

She saw the guys exchange a glance. And her pulse raced.

“A quest, if you will.”

She could see their reactions—a slight and polite raise of Sam’s eyebrows, and absolute narrowed-eye suspicion on Del’s face.

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