Someone was there. Yanking at the door from outside. Fiercely. It didn’t budge. It was jammed too tightly. Whoever it was was really trying, but she was going to have to break the window. She scrambled back around in the tilted car, now bracing her feet against the passenger seat. She opened her mouth to call out, tell the person what she was going to do.

“I’ve got a—”

The door gave. First a couple of inches, but then her rescuer gave a mighty yank and it swung wide, with a metallic scream. God, he’s strong. For it was a man, she could see that now and—

Adam.

It had only registered when he reached in and grabbed her arm with his left hand. She used it for balance and got her upper body out. Then his right hand came down on her waist, followed by the left on her other side, hauling her out of the car. She was not small at five foot eight, nor was she a lightweight, but he lifted her as if she were a child. Whatever he’d been doing, he hadn’t become a weakling, she thought inanely.

“It’s okay,” she heard him say. “You’re out.”

“I...”

“Are you all right?”

“I...think so.”

“You’re bleeding,” he said suddenly, sharply.

She realized it hadn’t been rainwater she’d felt dripping down her face. And then Adam was touching her cheek. It was so cold out, or she was in shock, because just that touch felt almost unbearably warm. Hot even. And it sent a jolt through her that brought her back to her senses.

“The car,” she moaned, hating that she was leaning on him, but unable to quite find her footing. Even as she looked the rain was dousing the flames, but she could see how badly the car was damaged.

Adam was looking at Amanda’s head now, gently pushing her hair back to inspect. “Your father would have blown that car up himself rather than see you hurt. Look at me.” She didn’t want to look at him, not him. “Amanda, look at me. Forget who I am for a moment, you hit your head and I need to see your eyes.”

She looked up then. Odd. She didn’t remember his eyes being that dark. They were the same color as the sky, gray, stormy.

And worried.

That was sweet. She almost smiled. Then she remembered who he was.

“I’m fine,” she said, trying to pull away. And only then did she realize she was shivering. He moved then, letting go of her. Perversely, she didn’t like it. Told herself it was simply because now she was even colder.

And then a swathe of warmth came around her, and she sighed at the wonderful feel of it. She tried to draw it closer, realized it was a jacket.

Adam’s jacket.