Vivian Arend - High Passion

Erin grinned. “I’m surprised they’re here already. Anders said he had to nab something. We won’t stay if Alisha’s not up for it, but . . .” She shrugged. “I wanted to make sure she’s okay.”

Devon nodded as his tiny house filled to the brim, Anders and Xavier filing through the door with their hands full as well. “I was just about to check on her.”

“I’ll go,” Erin offered.

She was down the hall before he could answer, which was probably for the best. He herded Tripp toward the couch, forcing the man to stop staring at Xavier and causing trouble before it was time. “Pick a movie, guys. And do I still need to order pizza?”

“Of course,” Anders clicked on the TV and booted up the Internet. “I mean, even if Erin cooked, pizza never goes to waste.”

“It’s the perfect breakfast food,” Xavier pointed out. “I’ll get drinks. Who wants what?”

Tripp’s brows were buried in his hairline, and Devon jumped in. “I’ll give you a hand.”

Honestly. It was like herding cats at times, but other than Tripp’s awkwardness, it was good to see them all.

Good to know they were as concerned about Alisha as he was.

She had a family here whether she realized it or not. Now he had to figure out why that thought made him uncomfortable. Or maybe he had to admit to himself that what he was feeling was more than the concern of one team member for another. More than mere sexual interest would explain.

There were some doors that were a lot harder to open than others.

Devon joined Xavier in the kitchen and pulled glasses from the shelf because that was simpler than dealing with anything else.

She��d already been awake when the doorbell rang and conversation began in the other room. Alisha washed her face, happily noting that she only looked half like death warmed over. By the time someone knocked on Devon’s bedroom door, she’d pulled on sweats and one of Devon’s oversized sweatshirts, rolling up the sleeves so her hands weren’t buried in the excess length.

“Come on in.” Alisha scrambled in her bag for her hairbrush, looking up in time to see Erin poke her head around the corner. “Hey you.”

“Hey you, yourself. Dammit, girl, what the hell were you pulling? Hospital time? You need a vacation, you should ask Marcus for one.”

Alisha sat on the edge of the bed and went to work on her hair. “Yeah, trust me, an actual holiday would be far better than the local ER. For one thing, I tend to remember holidays.”

Erin shook her head, closing the door behind her and sitting in the chair beside the dresser. “You really okay?”

Alisha nodded. “Tired, but no more than when we’ve pulled back-to-back rescues too many days in a row. I figure one more solid sleep and I’ll be up to full speed.”

“Good, because while I don’t want you to rush it, I need you at Lifeline before I get testosterone poisoning.”

Guaranteed grin. “They are a handful, the guys.” She paused, eyed Erin closer. The urge to tease was probably a sign that she was feeling a lot better. “But there’s Lana now. Surely she helps fight the overload?”

Erin made a rude noise. “Don’t even start me on that woman.”

“Aren’t you besties yet?” Alisha clicked her tongue. “I’m so disappointed.”

Erin chuckled. “Sarcasm becomes you. You need to try it more often.”

Alisha blinked innocently. “I wasn’t being sarcastic.”

They stared at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing. When Alisha could speak again she put her brush down on the side table and twisted to face Erin. “Forget Lana. She’s not a part of the team. How do you like the new chopper?”

“It’s awesome. Anders and I have worked out the bugs, and she’s ready to roll at the next call-out.” Erin pointed in her direction. “So you get better, because I want you along, okay?”

The warmth flooding Alisha wasn’t only from her nap anymore. Having Erin express interest and caring was something special—something that hadn’t been there the previous season. Finding a place as friends as well as co-workers was so right. “I’ll do my best. Devon’s taking good care of me.”

Erin nodded. “I bet he is. He’s totally gone on you.” Alisha laughed, pausing when Erin didn’t join in. The woman raised one perfect brow, her smooth dark skin shining in the soft bedroom light. “You doubt me? You need to open your eyes. I mean, I joked about losing the bet, but you two are good together. Don’t miss the signs.”

“We’re hot together, I’ll admit that. He’s not half the pain in the ass he used to be.”

“Hate to tell you this.” Erin gave her that look again. “I don’t see Devon’s changed much. He’s still the same works his ass off, jokes about it type of guy he’s always been.”

Alisha went searching for socks so she could think about that more before she responded. Devon had shown a new face in the past days, but had she been the one ignoring the real him? Did it matter?

Lingering effects from the drugs forced her to focus on the here and now. She looked Erin in the eye. “I like him.”

“Honey, you always liked him.” Erin winked, her deep brown eyes twinkling with amusement. “You just weren’t admitting it to yourself.”

Like a lot of things. “Hey, I have a question. A pretty awkward, personal question.”

Erin smoothed her shirt and leaned back in the chair. “Ask. If I don’t want to answer, we’ll change topics to discuss the weather.”

“You ever have someone you needed to discourage? I mean, a guy.” Alisha’s cheeks heated. She and Erin had gotten closer, yes, but romantic advice was not on the list of things they’d spent time discussing, even with the change in status quo. She rushed onward. “I remembered you saying something once about there being someone . . . bossy . . . in your life and that they weren’t around anymore. That’s all.”

Erin lost her relaxed posture, leaning forward on her elbows. “You got troubles, hon? Are you in danger?” Her eyes widened. “Shit, you think you know who might have drugged you?”

The idea of Vincent being involved seemed impossible. “I’ve got troubles, but right now I have no idea how Vincent could have orchestrated something like drugging me. I’m . . . Devon knows. It’s part of the reason why I’m living here temporarily.”

“Vincent?” Erin frowned. “Who’s that, and what’s he been doing?”

Alisha gave a brief rundown, noting with satisfaction that Erin didn’t seem ready to run from the room, but instead her spine stiffened as if she were ready to do battle on Alisha’s behalf.

When Alisha was done, Erin nodded slowly, folding her fingers together and holding them to her lips for a moment as she considered. “I’ve had a bad relationship before, oddly enough not with the guy you heard me mention. He was . . . a different issue. As well, in a way, the solution to the first creep.”

“You had a guy get rid of the first troublemaker?”

“Him, and a restraining order.” Erin shifted position to sit on the bed beside Alisha. “Look, there are times no matter what you do, no matter how firm you are in handling a situation, you won’t be able to deal without help. It’s one of the downfalls of being a woman in today’s society.”

Alisha nodded. “Society can go suck eggs.”

“Agreed.” Erin caught her hand and squeezed it. “Thanks for telling me. I’ll keep an eye out for you, but honestly? Being involved with Devon is great front-line help. On a different topic, if you need to get your stuff out of your old apartment, well, I’ve got room to store things. Heck, you can move in with me temporarily if you’d like—I’m not keen on a permanent roomie, because I enjoy my personal space, but the offer is there if you need it.”

Alisha would be crying in a minute if she wasn’t careful. “Thank you. I just want Vincent to go away. I’m not changing my mind, so I don’t see what good it does him to hang around.”

Erin hummed. “He’s staying in Banff? How can he do that for a prolonged period of time? I thought he worked for the company your dad owns.”

“I assume he’s using the computer to work remotely.” Alisha had wondered the same thing. “I’d call my father to find out, but the last time I asked him a question about Vincent I got nowhere. Plus, I don’t need more pressure from that quarter for me to do the right thing and come to my senses.”

“To hell with that,” Erin muttered. She rose to her feet. “Come, grab something to eat and say hi to the guys—they’ve been worried sick about you.”

Alisha stood. “Thanks for the ear, Erin. I appreciate it.”

“Anytime.” She nodded. “And say the word, and we’ll take care of your apartment for you. I’ll coordinate, get the guys to add the muscle power. We’ll be done in no time.”

“I might take you up on that offer,” Alisha promised.

They stepped into the hall and down to the living room. The team swarmed Alisha. One set of muscular arms after the other surrounded her as she was passed down the line and hugged fiercely. Tripp’s teddy bear envelopment was followed by Anders’s more casual embrace. Xavier squeezed her extra hard before flipping into paramedic mode and examining her eyes.

“Ambulance chaser,” she joked, pressing a hand against his chest. “Go away.”

“Attention hog.” Xavier patted her shoulder, then gestured toward the couch. “Put your feet up. You get to cast the deciding vote for the first show of the night.”

“Hellboy marathon?”

“God, no.” Devon slipped onto the couch beside her. “How can someone so sweet and innocent like you watch that crap?”

Alisha accepted a plate of food from Tripp, leaning on the couch contentedly. “What? You want to do the Lord of the Rings again? I think you’ve got a serious crush on Legolas.”

Tripp blinked. “Well, who doesn’t?”

Anders cackled. “Or Gimli.”

Devon rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right, I’m all about the dwarves. But make it Thorin, and you’d be closer to the mark.”

That earned him a few hoots of laughter, and Alisha smiled harder and relaxed into the easy acceptance of the team as they distracted her by being themselves.

Less than twelve hours ago Vincent had threatened her. It seemed impossible, like some drug-induced hallucination. Glancing around the room, though, she couldn’t bear to think of not being a part of this. The smiles, the jokes. The honest-to-God caring.

Beside her Devon had balanced his plate in his lap so he could drape an arm around her shoulders. She snuggled in tight, allowing his body heat to comfort her like a living blanket.

The show began, conversation continuing over the soundtrack since they’d all seen the show a hundred times. Conversation and teasing were the order of the day, and her fears faded. How could anything tear her from something so powerful as the caring and commitment she’d found in Lifeline?

* * *

Devon couldn’t stay away. The last of the team had silently slipped out once they’d discovered Alisha had fallen asleep sometime during the second movie. He’d remained motionless, her head resting on his chest, with knowing glances tossed his direction, especially from Erin and Tripp, before the door clicked shut behind them.

He carried her to the bedroom, her breathing staying even and heavy, she was so out of it. Devon arranged her on the bed, pulling off her sweats, but hesitating over the sweatshirt until he decided she couldn’t possibly be comfortable sleeping in the bulky thing.

She nuzzled against him as he supported her with his body and slipped off the top, her sleep-warmed skin scalding him with the desire to consume her like a feast. Leaving the room wasn’t possible—not unless he wanted to spend his evening returning every five minutes to check on her like some crazed stalker.

So he gave in and stripped, joining her in the bed. She turned and cuddled in instantly, her strong fingers skimming over his chest. A happy noise escaped her, somewhere between a sigh and moan.

He kissed the top of her head as she eased one of her legs between his, tangling them together intimately. All of it so natural, so comfortable, they could have been lovers for years instead of weeks.

The whole thing with Vincent had shaken him more than he’d thought. Adding in Tripp’s concerns, he really didn’t know what to think, other than that he was determined to keep Alisha safe.

How to accomplish that, he had no idea. Waves of helpless frustration swamped him harder than the sexual desire he always felt in her presence. This wasn’t about wanting her, although there was no doubt that he did. It was about being there for her and not letting her down.