“What, was there a fire or something?” The corners of her mouth twitched and her gaze flew to the building where the flames reached even higher. “Oh yeah, I guess it’s okay then, I’ll allow it.” She laughed, but the laugh turned into a cough and her eyes sharpened with panic.
Fear washed over me and I held onto her shoulders.
“Is she okay?” I looked over her shoulder to the EMTs who were already focusing on someone else.
She looked at me out of the corner of narrowed eyes. “Must have been some ash. I’m good. Chill the hell out.”
Even thinking that was possible after I’d found her in the back of an ambulance was insanity.
The fine mist from the hoses made any body part not facing the charred building a hell of a lot colder. I didn’t have anything for her. I should’ve stopped for a second and brought her a coat or sweatshirt. Or a blanket, or spare shoes—anything.
Shifting to face the ambulance, I asked again. “Will she be okay?”
“She’s good. No singeing of the hair in her nose.”
Marisa mumbled under her breath, “yippee.”
“But she’ll need a shower and her clothes need to go.”
She shivered again and wrapped her arms around herself. Her lips were pale and she kept watching the flames.
My one objective had been to see that she was safe and now that I had, the list of other things she needed was getting long.
Marisa pulled her phone out of her pajama pants and sent a text. “I need to find Liv.”
“You have your phone! Why the hell did you call me from an unknown number?”
She wore a mildly pained look. “I forgot I had it.”
I held onto her shoulders and shook her. “You forgot you had your phone?”
“No need to get grumpy. I could’ve died in that fire, remember?” She pointed at the building still engulfed in flames.
“Do you think anyone died?” she whispered, looking over at me.
Her phone screen lit up and she answered. “Liv, where are you? Are you okay?”
She paused, pushing her phone tighter against her ear. The buzz of Liv’s voice was barely audible on the other end of the line.
“Outside now. LJ is here, and he’s about to get his ass kicked. He’s hovering like I’m going to drop dead at any second.”
I wasn’t hovering.
Marisa put her hand over her phone. “She said they just finished checking her out and she sounds good.”
We walked along the line of ambulances parked in the mini-triage set up on the street. A few ambulances cranked on their sirens and took off for the closest hospital.
“You shouldn’t have been in that apartment.”
“Not this again.” She rolled her eyes, still shivering and chattering. “It was all I could afford, and it was a fine place to live. Well, until…” Her gaze darted to the fire, which reflected in her eyes.
“Liv offered to pay more than half the rent. You two could’ve gotten a better place together.”
“I’m not a mooch. Just because she has money doesn’t meant I’m going to take advantage.”
“I could’ve helped.”
“Again, not a mooch. Plus, you wouldn’t be stealing lunch meat from the dining hall if you were rolling in enough extra dough to pay my rent.”
This time her stubbornness had literally almost gotten her killed.
We walked past the rows of ambulances, checking for Liv. Marisa unmuted her phone pressed against her ear. “I can hear what she’s hearing.” She sped up, rushing forward.
The back doors of an ambulance opened and a vaguely familiar big guy stepped out, holding out his hand and holding onto it was Liv, Marisa’s roommate. Then it clicked into place. Ford. Liv’s maybe-boyfriend had made it here too.
Marisa dashed toward Liv and nearly tackled her like she had me. “I was so worried when you disappeared.”
“I could say the same about you.”
“Stop crying—you’ll make me cry, and then he’ll lose it again. He’s trying to get me to go back to The Brothel, but I’m not leaving you here.”
I did not lose it. “Liv can come too.”
“It’s okay. I know the football house is cramped as it is. I’m going to go with Ford.” Liv looked over her shoulder at the man.
He straightened. It wouldn’t be the first time Ford had swooped in to save Liv—at least she wasn’t drunk off her ass like she’d been at the last party she attended at The Brothel. There was no way he’d made it through the night without a puke christening from her.
Marisa shot Liv a look.
Ford stared down at her. “She’s coming with me. You can too, if you need to.”
My hackles rose. Did he think I wouldn’t take care of her? I might not’ve had a pro athlete salary to flash around and fix everything—yet—but I could still make sure she was okay. Getting Marisa to my place was my number one goal. Get her warm, showered, and into bed. To sleep. Purely for sleeping.
“I’m good. I’ll go with LJ.” Marisa eyed Liv, ducking her head. “Are you sure?”
Liv held on tighter to Ford’s arm. “I’m sure.”
“Then I’ll see you on campus? We need to figure out a more permanent living situation and what the hell we’re going to do about our stuff...” Marisa stared up at the death trap that was once her building.
“Let’s just get through the night and figure everything else out tomorrow. I need to take a shower. I reek of smoke.” Liv tugged at her t-shirt.
They said their goodbyes and I walked her back toward my car. I wanted to scoop her up in my arms away from the wet, dirty ground, but it would’ve been like trying to carry a feral cat.
Her steps were slow and heavy. The adrenaline crash was hitting her hard.
I wanted to take her hand, but instead I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and guided her through the swarm of people who’d descended to stop the blaze and take care of everyone who’d been displaced. She didn’t need any of them now—she had me.
I opened the door for her, and the fact that she let me showed me how tired she truly was. Normally, she’d rush around to the other side of the car before I got the chance to open it.
I slid into my seat, the adrenaline wearing off. “You can sleep in my bed tonight. I can take the couch.”
She yawned and rested the back of her head against the window, while looking over at me. “I can take the couch of death. After I crash, it’s going to take a marching band shooting fireworks to wake me up.”
“You need a good night’s sleep. You’re sleeping in my bed.” Saying the words out loud, a rev of desire streaked through me. The adrenaline rush of getting to her and knowing she was safe had faded, now there was a different feeling humming through my veins.
She rolled her eyes. “So bossy. I need a shower and then I can fight you on this. You need your bed. You’ve got practice tomorrow.”
“I don’t care. We’ve shared a bed before.”
Instead of fighting me, she closed her eyes.
Good it was settled. Shit, it was settled. I was sleeping next to Marisa tonight.
We got back to the townhouse, one of a row of houses just off campus in various states of repair or neglect. Ours had been one of the more popular frat houses, until the frat had been booted for too many rule violations.