Stroke of Love

by Melissa Foster

  His eyes narrowed. “Calm down,” he commanded.

  Siena clenched her chattering teeth.

  “I’m a firefighter. I can get you out, but you have to remain calm. Can you do that?”

  She nodded. A firefighter. Thank God. Hurry. Hurry.

  He didn’t seem to struggle with the door. He opened it slowly, and his powerful arm circled her shoulder. “I’ve got you. Now slide your legs over and out of the car. You sure you’re not injured?”

  She felt safer just knowing she wasn’t alone, but as she stepped from the car onto the steep incline, she slipped and reached for the first thing she could hang on to—him. She clung to the man’s thick parka as he pulled her away from the car, his arms circling her. Her legs began to shake. Or maybe they’d been shaking the whole time and she just hadn’t realized it.

  “You’re okay. I’ve got you.” His voice soothed her.

  He did have her. His body was so big, it practically consumed her. She opened her mouth to speak, but her jaw was shaking too much to form any words. She nodded again, looking down to keep the snow from her eyes.

  “I’ve gotta get you up there.” He pointed to the road. “The emergency crew should be here soon, but I want to get you into my truck and warm.”

  It was snowing so hard she could barely make out the road at the top of the hill. Her cute Burberry coat did nothing to warm her from the cold that was quickly settling into her bones. His masculine scent permeated her fear as he pressed his body against her, and the combination of being safe in his arms and his warm, earthy scent comforted her. She climbed up the bank, still within his grasp. Every time she lost her footing, he held her up.

  “You’ve got it. That’s it.”

  She clung to his encouragement like a lifeline.

  “That’s it. Take your time. I’m right here.”

  Back on the road, she focused on the headlights from his vehicle. Safe. I’m safe.

  “Let’s get you into the truck.”

  The tracks from her car were almost completely buried beneath fresh snow. If he hadn’t come along, she would probably still be down there.

  “Th-thank…you,” she managed. He’d spoken with such care, so different from the men she socialized with. They’d never brave a blizzard to rescue her. She was sick of those kinds of men. They treated her like she was stupid and easy just because she was pretty. She wanted to be loved and cherished, romanced, not taken out to dinner with the expectation of sex. She didn’t want to be wined and dined with diamonds on every finger. She wanted a man who would look at her the way her brothers looked at their girlfriends and fiancées. Her brothers would go to the ends of the earth to rescue her or their girlfriends, no matter what the risk. Romance. Yes, that’s what I want. How much more romantic could things get than being rescued by a mysterious stranger in the middle of a snowstorm? She allowed herself to fantasize about it for a moment, giving herself something to focus on besides the fact that she’d just slid fifty feet down an embankment and had nearly frozen to death. As if the accident might have almost been worth it. As if fate had a hand in it.

  The man settled Siena into the passenger seat, and she saw his eyes darken, growing more serious. Then he climbed into the driver’s seat, sighed, and cranked the heat.

  She took off her thin leather gloves and put her bare hands in front of the heater. “Ahh. That’s so much better.” Her shaking calmed to a mild tremble. “Thank you for helping me.”

  He shifted his eyes to hers. “I have to go back for my bag. I called 911, so the emergency crew should be here soon. Stay here, okay?” He climbed from the truck, leaving Siena to nod after him.

  Now that she was out of danger, reality came rushing back to her. She was supposed to be at her friend Willow’s parents’ house over an hour ago. Damn it. She needed to call Willow. She waited for her rescuer to return, thankful for the warmth. Twenty minutes later, she wondered what was taking him so long. She could probably climb down and get her phone herself instead of making him do everything for her and, she realized, she also needed to retrieve her purse. She wasn’t hurt, and now that she knew she wasn’t going to die, she wasn’t as frightened. Siena put her gloves back on and trudged through the thick snow to the edge of the road, shivering and regretting her decision. She peered over the edge of the mountain but didn’t see the guy anywhere.

  “I told you to wait in the truck.” His stern voice came from nowhere. “Visibility is near zero. If a car comes by, you could be killed.”

  She strained to see him through the falling snow.

  “I’m right here.” He climbed up over the edge of the road with a bag strapped to his back. “Don’t you get how dangerous these conditions are?” He grabbed her arm and dragged her back toward the truck.

  Too fucking sexy, even without being able to see his face, and a big-ass chip on his shoulder. Fantasy dead. Moving on. Except her heart wasn’t moving on. It hammered against her chest.

  Siena pulled her arm from his grasp. “I have to get my purse.”

  “I’ll get it.”

  “I need my phone.”

  He opened the truck door and shoved her in, then pinned her to the seat with his dark, sexy stare. “Use mine.”

  She looked down at his thick gloves, one on her thigh, one on her arm, keeping her from leaving the truck. A flash of fear shot through her. She didn’t know him, and she was no match for his strength. What if he wasn’t a firefighter at all? She took a deep breath. If he wasn’t there to help, why had he left her alone in the truck? Wouldn’t he have taken her off to some kind of rape-and-pillage shack in the woods somewhere?

  I’m being stupid. Of course he’s here to help.

  She pushed aside the thoughts and followed her gut instinct. Something in his eyes made her feel he was trustworthy, although she definitely wasn’t used to being told what to do. Siena was one of New York’s top fashion models. Men lavished her with gifts and went to great lengths to get her attention. She didn’t even like being lavished by the wealthy suitors who pursued her, but she definitely preferred that to the attitude-ridden rescuer before her. She dropped her eyes to his broad shoulders, square as the day was long, and she could almost hear the hot-man-on-the-premises warning bells go off in her head.

  There’s one hell of a body beneath that parka. She trembled again, but she couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or the thought.

  She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing his goddamn sexy eyes again. Look away. Just look away.

  His eyebrows drew together and scanned her face as intently as she had been scrutinizing his. The concern she’d seen earlier had vanished, replaced with something harder. Colder.

  “What’s your name?” His voice was gruff.

  She tugged off her hat, challenging him with a hard stare. “Siena Remington.” That’s right. The Siena Remington. Her snooty thought was wasted. By the look in his eyes, it was clear that he had no idea who Siena Remington was.

  “Well, Siena Remington, I’m Cash Ryder. Didn’t it occur to you to put chains on your tires? Or maybe to skip your evening drive altogether?” He pulled his hat off, sending his dirty-blond hair tumbling down over his forehead. It brushed his lashes, softening his look as he raked his eyes down her trembling body.

  Her heartbeat sped up again. He needed a trim and a shave, and she wished he’d put his hat back on. It was a lot easier matching his attitude when she didn’t know for sure how hot he was.

  “Or maybe you couldn’t wait to show off your new designer jacket?” He smirked.

  She pulled her hat back on, anger brewing in her belly. “It’s a rental car.” No way did she just almost die miles from home and then get rescued by a guy who looked like Chris Hemsworth and had a chip on his shoulder as big as Alec Baldwin.

  “Why are you out in this mess?” She was shivering inside the truck and he was solid as a rock outside, snow piling up on his shoulders. Of course he is. All that anger in his blood must keep him warm.

  He narrowed his eyes
again. “Visiting my brother.” He shook his head. “Didn’t you think twice when you saw the snow?”

  “I didn’t know it was going to be this bad. It wasn’t this bad in the city.” She slid from the truck to her feet and stood in front of him. Jesus, he was tall. And so damn close to her that she could feel his thighs pressing against hers.

  He shot her a look. “Where are you going?”

  “Walking.”

  He grabbed her arm. “Oh no, you’re not. I didn’t just save your ass to have you die of hypothermia or get run over by a car.” He wrapped a powerful arm around her waist and lifted her back into the truck. “Close”—he locked eyes with her—“the door.”

  “No.”

  “Do you want to die in the cold?”

  She pressed her lips together. “I’m not going to be the damsel in distress for some cocky firefighter to brag about rescuing.” She wiped the snow from her jeans where it had blown in through the open door. Damn, it was cold. And he was so damn hot, and such an ass, that she wanted to kiss him and smack him in equal measure.

  He leaned in to the truck, his face an inch from hers. His eyes darkened to nearly black, and a grin spread across his lips.

  Siena could barely breathe. She tried to blink away the heat that rolled off him in waves.

  “I’m shutting the door,” he said in a seductive tone, as if he’d said, I can’t wait to lick every inch of you.

  Her whole body shuddered, and she wished her teeth would stop chattering, though she had a feeling it was nerves more than the cold causing it. “I’ll…call…” Shit. Who can I call? “One of my brothers to get me.”

  “I already called 911, but I guess they’re overwhelmed with calls tonight.” He pressed his gorgeous mouth into a tight line, then leaned in close again. “You would make someone else come out in these conditions and risk their life when I’m already here, wouldn’t you?”

  Yes! No! Shit, how did you make me sound so selfish? She slammed her back against the seat and stared straight ahead, steeling herself for what was sure to be the ride from hell back to her apartment.

  (End of Sneak Peek)

  To continue reading, be sure to pick up the next

  LOVE IN BLOOM release:

  FLAMES OF LOVE, The Remingtons, Book Three

  Love in Bloom series, Book Twelve

  LOVE IN BLOOM

  is a contemporary romance series

  featuring several close-knit families

  Check online retailers for availability

  SNOW SISTERS

  Sisters in Love

  Sisters in Bloom

  Sisters in White

  THE BRADENS

  Lovers at Heart

  Destined for Love

  Friendship on Fire

  Sea of Love

  Bursting with Love

  Hearts at Play

  THE REMINGTONS

  Game of Love

  Stroke of Love

  Flames of Love

  Slope of Love

  Read, Write, Love

  MORE BRADENS COMING SOON

  Taken by Love

  Fated for Love

  Romancing my Love

  Flirting with Love

  Dreaming of Love

  Crashing into Love

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to my fans and friends who continue to support and inspire my writing. I enjoy writing as much as you enjoy reading, so please keep your emails and social media messages coming. I appreciate hearing from you.

  A special thank you to Russell Blake for giving me Punta Palacia, the name of Sage and Kate’s fictional world, and to Monica Hulke Abraham for taking part in a Facebook outreach contest and coming up with the perfect name for Sage’s company, Hydration Through Creation. Many thanks to Rebecca Lipman for sharing her Peace Corps experience with me. I have taken many creative liberties in the story with regard to AIA, and those changes are not a reflection of misunderstanding but rather creative need.

  The support of the members of Team Pay-It-Forward, the blogging community, Kathleen Shoop, and my sisters-at-heart, the volunteers of the World Literary Café, is endless. Thank you all. It’s great to be in the trenches with such warm and supportive friends.

  My editorial team never fails to amaze me. Tremendous gratitude goes to Kristen Weber, Penina Lopez, Jenna Bagnini, Juliette Hill, and Marlene Engel. Enormous gratitude goes to my cover designer, Natasha Brown, and my formatter, Clare Ayala, for their endless patience and expertise.

  This has been a tremendously busy year for me and my family, and I could not focus on my writing if not for their support and understanding. Thanks, guys. I love you more than chocolate (even though I’ll fight you for the Snickers bar every time). You own my heart and I adore you.

  Melissa Foster is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, and the World Literary Café. When she's not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa also hosts Aspiring Authors contests for children, and has painted and donated several murals to the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC.

  Visit Melissa on her website or chat with her on The Women’s Nest or social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups and welcomes an invitation to your event.

  Melissa’s books are available through most online retailers.

  www.MelissaFoster.com