weak…made him need her. She was the first and only woman who had ever made him think beyond the moment…beyond the physical aspect of the relationship.
He almost laughed at himself. Relationships? He didn’t do relationships. Not Joe Ripani. Even the definition of relationship was too definite for him.
And yet, on some level, his and Lisa’s time together had felt exactly like that. Definite.
Though they’d parted ways a full three weeks ago, a twinge of something like hurt sliced through him even now. It was crazy. He shouldn’t be thinking of her anymore. He should have moved on without a second thought.
But no matter how hard he tried, he would wake up in the middle of the night with images of her haunting his dreams. With the taste of her lingering on his lips, and the need for her touch a palpable longing in his loins.
His heart constricted in his chest. He hoped like hell she was safe at the clinic. If she’d been trapped at home or on the street somewhere, she would worry herself silly over those animals. He’d never known a more dedicated veterinarian. He thought of Salvage and realized that it was that damn dog that had thrown him and Lisa together. O’Shea had rescued the injured mutt from a burning building, but Joe was the one who’d taken over routine care after the animal became the firehouse mascot—not that he minded. That’s what had put him in regular contact with Lisa.
If it hadn’t been for Salvage, Joe might never have ended up with his heart turning traitor against him. He was fully accustomed to waltzing on the edge of survival in his line of work, but this dancing on the fringes of emotional commitment was foreign to him.
What would a guy like him do with a wife and family? Later, when he was chief or something, it would be okay. But what kind of life could he offer a woman right now? He dived into dangerous situations for a living. It wouldn’t be fair to any woman, and certainly not to children. He didn’t want to leave a wife and kids behind if he suffered an untimely death. And unfortunately, that possibility came with the territory in his occupation.
Like now, a little voice taunted.
Adrenaline burned through him as his boot sent pebbles clattering down the slope. Nope, this was definitely not the kind of job for a man with a family. He was better off staying unattached.
No matter how much he would love to make Lisa a permanent part of his off-duty routine, it would never work. No-strings-attached sex was not her style. She would never be satisfied with an uncommitted relationship. He knew it. She knew it. Enough said.
The moment she’d asked that dreaded question, he’d known it was over. Those seven seemingly innocuous words had filled his usually brave heart with dread.
Where do you see our relationship going?
Wedding bells had clanged in his head, and dread had pooled in his gut. He’d had to break it off then and there. She’d been hurt, but it was far less painful than it would have been had they pursued the kind of relationship she wanted.
He’d done the right thing.
He hoped again that she was safe at home or at the clinic. Though he might not want to make anything permanent with her, he still cared…a lot.
“Cap’n.”
O’Shea. Joe hesitated, something in the tone of her voice giving him pause. “I’m here. Got that patch for me?” He needed to be speaking directly with the victim—needed any details she could give him to direct him to her position.
“I got it, Cap’n, but there’s something you should know before I put her through.” O’Shea’s voice trembled on the last words.
“Time’s wasting, O’Shea.”
A beat of silence passed before she said two words that would impact Joe as nothing else could. “It’s Lisa.”
A moment of pure panic slammed into his brain. “Lisa Malloy?” he demanded, as if there was any other Lisa in his life or O’Shea’s.
“She says it’s bad, Cap’n. Real bad. I’m patching her through now.”
“Joe?”
Joe’s heart stumbled at the sound of Lisa’s voice. He blinked rapidly. At the dust, he told himself. “Yeah, I’m here,” he said with as much nonchalance as he could muster. “Tell me where you’re at so I can come rescue you.”
“I’m…I’m on the side of the garage opposite the Welton Building.”
At least he was headed in the right direction. The Welton Building, which housed a number of offices, was at his back.
“Be a little more specific if you can,” he prodded gently. He’d heard the fear in her voice. Fear, hell. She had to be scared to death. His gaze searched frantically for any sign of her car. He should have known when he’d heard gray SUV. Lisa drove an SUV and it was what he’d call silver. Somewhere in the back of his mind he’d acknowledged the possibility. But denial was a strong ally at times.
“I parked in the middle…you know, not all the way at the end, but not very close to the stairwell, either. I…I don’t know. Is that specific enough?”
“Sure…I’ll be right there,” he lied for her benefit. He couldn’t see a damn thing. Nothing but monochromatic heaps of rubble.
“It’s bad, Joe,” she murmured so softly he scarcely heard her.
“I’ve seen worse.” Another flat-out lie, he thought, moving as quickly as he dared. “Tell me what you see out your windows.”
His heart pounded so hard during the silence that followed that his head filled with the roar of blood rushing there, pushing against his eardrums.
“Piles of broken concrete,” she said, her voice not shaking quite so badly now. “There’s a support pillar lying against the hood of my car. Maybe another one on top, since the roof over the front seat is bashed in.”
A new surge of fear hit like a fist to his already tense gut. “You got plenty of room to move around in there?” he asked carefully, not wanting to give away how much that part concerned him.
“Yes…sort of. I moved to the cargo area in hopes of getting out through the rear hatch, but I didn’t have any luck kicking out the glass.”
“Is the hatch clear of debris?” That would be a stroke of fiercely needed luck.
“Partially.”
“Good. That’s the way we’ll get you out then.” He made the statement as if it were a given, but the farther he moved into this level, the dimmer that prospect looked.
The structure still moaned, and Joe knew there was a real risk of total collapse. Time was running out.
“Lisa, do me a favor, would you?” He had to pinpoint her location. Now.
“Be careful, Ripani,” she said softly, almost laughingly. “The last time I did you a favor, it turned out badly.”
She was remembering Salvage’s injuries…the way she’d healed the animal that was now part of the firehouse team. No, it wasn’t Salvage or his
