Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Chapter 601

Roseanne Cole clung to the man like a child holding onto a tree for dear life. In this moment, she was the koala, and Owen Reynolds was her sturdy eucalyptus. "I'm so, so sorry, I didn't mean to- that dog scared the living daylights out of me..." she stammered, trying to find her footing and disentangle herself from him.

But-

His hands remained firmly on her waist, the warmth from his grip penetrating even the thickest layers of her winter coat, sending a rush of heat throughout her body.

A blush spread across Roseanne's cheeks, blooming into a deep crimson that even tinted the tips of her ears a delicate pink.

"Pro-Professor..." she managed, putting a bit more effort into her struggle.

Yet Owen's grip was unyielding, as if his hands were clamps locked around her.

"Scared?" Owen suddenly spoke, his voice a husky whisper.

It was unclear if he was referring to the dog or the current, rather intimate, predicament.

Roseanne nodded, "A bit."

or the man, she was

the one who jumped up, aren't you?"

they might start bleeding from the sheer embarrassment: "I'm sorry, I

still would have meant taking the full brunt of the animal's charge. Despite the awkwardness, Roseanne felt

her lips were to his ear. As she spoke, her breath, warm and lightly scented,

moving her away from his body but not loosening his grip entirely, just enough to create

you sure?" he finally asked, his voice even

commotion, spirited away by the mischievous dog. Glancing down at her sock-clad foot, then at the grime-streaked stairwell, she instinctively tightened her hold around Owen's neck.

want to

the idea even as her mind

further, perhaps fearing she might actually attempt to navigate the stairs in her socks. Instead, he hoisted her up property and began the

could only gaze up at his chiseled jawline, feeling

all the way

her

a

inhaled the faint, woodsy scent