“I know.” But it still didn’t stop me from staring at his mouth.

He applied antiseptic, taking extra care with a couple of the cuts, and I welcomed the sting, using it to keep me grounded.

“I don’t think you need stitches.”

“That’s good.” I looked down at my hands. At least they’d quit shaking. How the hell had I let that happen? I should have known better than to take Finley so close to the construction.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” he said.

My eyes jerked to his.

“Thank me? I almost got her killed.”

His forehead puckered as he braced his hands on either side of me and leaned forward.

My breath caught.

“Morgan, that was not your fault. Steve said they were done for the day. You had no way of knowing that guy would fall. It was an accident, plain and simple.”

“It was so close,” I whispered. “She…it was so close.” Just the idea of losing—don’t go there.

He rested his forehead on mine and overwhelmed my senses. Sight, scent, touch, sound…it was all Jackson. “It was too close. But you saved her. You got her out of the way and shielded her with your own body.”

“Anyone would have done it.” My heart rate picked up again.

His head lifted as he cradled my face. “No, a lot of people would have dived the other way—to safety. You deliberately put yourself between Finley and a hundred pounds of sharp, pointy bronze. That’s extraordinary.” His gaze dropped to my lips. “You’re extraordinary.”

Not for you. NOT FOR YOU. My sense of self-preservation screamed at me to run the other way, but a craving for him raced through my veins, flipping on switches that had lain dormant for almost two years. All that adrenaline had been replaced with something far more dangerous: need.

He lowered his head—

The door burst open, and Jackson retreated.

Before I could process what had almost happened, Sam stood at the edge of the kitchen, her eyes wide.

“I can’t even leave you alone for two weeks!” she exclaimed before crossing the floor and hauling me into a hug. “Are you okay? Steve and Finley told me what happened. They’re both worried sick down there.” She grabbed ahold of my shoulders and pushed back far enough to see for herself. “Ouch.”

“It’s just a scrape, and you’re two days early!” I’d never been so happy to see her in my entire life.

“Is that a complaint?” She arched a brow.

“Never.”

“Good, because I’d hate to see what would have happened in another two days,” she teased with a shaky smile before yanking me into another hug.

“Me, too,” I whispered, locking eyes with Jackson over her shoulder.