the metal railing.
Fuck. Liam lunged toward them with Brock beside him. The construction manager was cursing steadily.
Liam saw a pale-faced Lisa out of the corner his eye. “Stay back,” he barked.
He dropped to his knees beside Penn and grabbed her arm.
“Don’t move.” Hell. One wrong move and Manny would pull her over.
“Not…planning to,” she said through gritted teeth. The strain was clear on her face.
“Brock!” Liam yelled.
“On it.” The big man went flat on his front and reached down, trying to grab Manny.
The young photographer flailed. “Please. Please don’t let go!”
“I won’t,” Penn said. “Quit moving.”
“Manny, hold still,” Liam growled.
He tightened his grip on Penn. Damn, the panicked idiot was going to pull her over.
“Got him.” Brock twisted a hand in the back of Manny’s shirt and started pulling him up.
As Manny scrambled over the edge, Penn slid backward.
She was still holding Manny.
“You can let go now,” Liam said.
She blew out a breath, then released the young man. Then she glanced over the edge, and all the color drained from her face.
“Here.” Liam wrapped an arm around her.
She burrowed into him, clinging tight. “God.”
“You’re afraid of heights, but you dove after Manny like a superhero.”
“I couldn’t let him fall. I just reacted.”
Yes, but she’d done the opposite of what he suspected most people would do.
She’d risked her own life.
Liam’s pulse was still pounding crazily. He pulled her closer, practically into his lap. He leaned back against the concrete support pole.
His suit was covered in dust, and her hair had fallen loose and was spilling around her shoulders. He stroked a hand over it. Shit.
Her hands twisted in his shirt. She pulled in a shaky breath.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“Don’t be.”
“I’ll get a grip on it soon.” She dragged in a shuddering breath. He saw that she was calming herself. Most people would be a panicked mess.
Nearby, Manny was hyperventilating. Brock shoved the man’s head between his legs while Lisa patted his back.
“I want off this building,” Manny said. “I want my feet on the ground.”
“Okay, just breathe,” Brock said.
Liam turned his attention back to Penn when he noticed a smear of red on the concrete beside him.
He frowned. Manny appeared fine. Then he looked down and saw Penn looking at him.
“It’s okay,” she said, “I just scraped my hands.”
He grabbed her palms. She’d scraped them badly when she leaped after Manny. There were bits of grit embedded in her skin.
“These need to be cleaned. Now.”
“It’s fine, I’ll—”
“No. Brock, you have a first aid kit?”
“In the lift.”
“I’ll get it.” Liam shifted, and felt her hands tighten on him. Then he watched her steel herself and let him go.
Damn, there was a deep core of strength in this woman.
He found the red plastic box emblazoned with a white cross on it in the lift. As he was heading back, Brock and Lisa were standing on either side of a still-shaking Manny.
“We’ll get him down,” Brock said.
Liam nodded. “I’ll clean Penn’s hands, then we’ll get the lift once it comes back.”
“She saved his life,” Brock rumbled. “I hadn’t even processed what was happening, and she’d already moved.”
Liam frowned.
“Penn?” Manny’s voice wobbled. “Thank you.”
She nodded, leaning back against the pole. “Sure thing. Glad you’re okay.”
Brock met Liam’s gaze. “I need to report this to health and safety.”
“Do it. And have all the railings checked. And do a refresher for all employees about not leaning out on the railings.”
Manny held up a hand. “Lesson learned. Trust me.”
Once the lift was gone, Liam crouched beside Penn. Her eyes were closed.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
“Great. With my eyes closed, I can pretend I’m back on the ground.”
He opened the kit. “I can’t believe what you did, especially when you’re afraid of heights.”
“Not afraid, per se. Let’s go with not fond of.”
He fought a smile and pulled out some gauze and antiseptic.
“And I just did the right thing,” she said.
Liam held up her palm. She had strong, competent fingers. Her nails were short and painted with a clear gloss.
“No, I see daily that a lot of people don’t do the right thing.”
Green eyes met his. “You might be hanging out with the wrong people.”
“Undoubtedly.”
He wiped antiseptic over her scrapes and she hissed.
“Sorry.”
“Distract me,” she said.
“Are you single?” Shit, that was not what he meant to say. “I mean, is there anyone I should call?”
She eyed him. “No.”
“Family?”
“My mom lives upstate, and my sisters live with me. They’re at college. You’d be doing me a favor not to call them.”
“Ah, you don’t get on?”
“Oh, no, it isn’t that. They’d panic.