“Excuse me,” she said softly. Gage turned slowly. Her eyes were wide, the dark hazel irises glittering in the overhead light. She pursed her lips, and Gage was so focused on her tongue at the edge of her lip that he felt like he might die.
“Yes?” he asked, striving to stand still and breathe.
“I … it’s just, I don’t know where I am. I don’t really want to go back through that door. I almost got badly hurt when everyone went running through there. I just want to find my way out. Can you help me?”
Gage felt like someone had punched him in the chest. No, worse. Something had reached into him, grabbed his heart, and ripped it straight out. She was looking up at him with such big, wide eyes that he couldn’t look away.
She looked so innocent, so lost. He couldn’t just walk away. It would be beyond cruelty. He was already a sucker for protecting the weak … he couldn’t stand to see innocents getting hurt. Even if he didn’t have the mate bond feelings for her, he’d be powerless to resist.
“Okay,” he said, gesturing to a nearby hallway. “Just down here.”
He moved to the side so he could walk with her. She tried to take a step and stumbled badly. He reached out and steadied her, careful to hold her forearm gently and not make too much contact. If he touched her too much, he’d sweep her into his arms and charge off into the forest to claim her right now.
He looked down at her leg, trying to assess the damage. Even though she still held on to him, she laughed softly and waved a hand at him.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “It’s nothing. Just a little twist.”
“But you’re hurt,” he protested. The idea of her in pain was intolerable.
“Seriously, it’s fine,” she assured him. “I’m a nurse. I know how to take care of things like this. Once you get me out to the street, I’ll get a cab, and I’ll have my foot up and on ice within half an hour … depending on cabs, of course.”
Gage sighed. He was struggling with himself. He knew what he had to do, what he would do for anyone in need. The trouble was he wanted to do it far too badly. He couldn’t tell if his motivation was legitimate.
It didn’t matter. He couldn’t send an injured woman onto the street in the middle of the night. It was exactly the sort of situation dirtbags lingered around to take advantage of. It was far too dangerous, and if she hobbled all the way home without treating it, she could do herself more damage.
“What we’re going to do, right now, is take you up to the office. I’ll get you comfortable, we’ll put some ice on that ankle, and I’ll organize a ride home for you, okay?”
“Don’t be silly,” she laughed. “You don’t have to go to all that trouble for me. Just get me to the doors, and I can manage.”
Gage was silent for a second. His emotions were creating a terrible storm inside him. Her scent was driving him crazy. The urge to throw her over his shoulder and disappear into the woods was only getting stronger every second he spent with her.
“I’m terribly sorry … Miss?”
“Rylee,” she said. “Rylee Fowler. And you are?”
“Gage,” he answered. “Gage Navarro. The trouble here, Miss Fowler … ”
“Please, call me Rylee.”
“Okay, Rylee. The trouble here is that if you hobble all the way home like this, you could hurt yourself worse, and I fear for your safety. If you are clearly injured, and you are alone this late at night … I just don’t like to think what might happen.”
“Okay,” she said, a small smile growing on her lips. “That’s very nice of you.”
“No problem,” he said. “Would you like me to pick you up again?”
She giggled, and the sound cascaded through Gage’s nervous system, giving him chills down his spine. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.
“It’s okay,” she said, hobbling along beside him as they navigated the hall. “But if that’s meant to be a threat, it’s a poor one. Being swept up into your arms is one of the top ten things to happen to me lately.”
Gage’s heart beat just a little faster. They were almost to the office now, and his mind was swirling with thoughts and words he couldn’t link together. He was so aware of her hand on his arm that it was burning him.
“Top ten, huh?” he asked, amazed by how cool his voice came out. “Should I be insulted?”
Rylee laughed, letting go of him for a second as he unlocked the door and helped her inside.
“Honestly,” she said, grinning, “it could have been top five if I’d gotten a kiss.”
Gage held in a groan. He was lucky his breath came out evenly and didn’t betray the fact it felt like he’d just been punched in the solar plexus.