Karen Erickson

Sometimes you run in to love. Sometimes it runs into you.

Fated, Book 3

Love at first sight? It’s so not happening for Morgan. Never mind that her two best friends, who are both up to their eyeballs in happily ever after, are playing matchmaker. She wants out of her worst blind date ever—and her “out” abruptly finds her when she’s knocked out cold walking into a door.

One look into the eyes of the beautiful woman with the gash on her head, and paramedic Evan Marshall is a goner. Professional ethics say hands off the patient. Once her stitches are out, though, he can’t resist the impulse to ask her out. As their first date flares into a white-hot affair, he feels it in his bones—she’s the one.

Evan’s everything Morgan could ever want in a man, but things are happening way too fast. She made that mistake once before and, certain this relationship is careening down the same road to heartbreak, she slams on the brakes.

To her surprise, Evan lets her go. And by the time she realizes she just let her one chance at happily ever after slip away, it could be too late…

Excerpt

“Hey.”

Morgan stopped short and lifted her head to find the very man filling her thoughts standing before her, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt. It must be his day off, or maybe he’d just come off duty. “Hi.” Pleasure filled her at seeing him again, at hearing that deliciously sexy voice.

He flicked his chin. “Back to get your staples removed?”

Her hand automatically went to the spot where said staples were. The gash had been deeper on her skull so the doctor placed five staples just above her hairline and used a butterfly bandage on her forehead. She’d pulled it off yesterday, and the wound was healing nicely. “Yeah. My appointment’s in a few minutes.”

“Does it still hurt?”

“No, not at all.” The night it happened and the next day her head had throbbed mightily.

“Good.” He smiled, and her knees wobbled. “Glad to hear it.”

Oh, God. Was this it? A bit of not-so-stimulating conversation and then he’d just walk away from her? No way could she let him get away from her again. But she wasn’t brave enough to ask him out or anything. That had never been her style no matter how much of a strong front she’d put on for everyone. Really, she was a big ol’ weenie, especially when it came to men.

Especially when it came to breathtakingly handsome and protective men.

“I want to thank you for everything you did for me that night. You were awesome.” She meant what she said but also threw it out there to stall for time. To get him to linger with her just a few more seconds.

“If they send you one of those survey letters in the mail, make sure and tell them that. The powers that be really do read those things.” He chuckled and sunk his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

Her gaze dropped to those pockets, the way the denim stretched across his thighs. She’d been too out of it that night to really check him out beyond the dazzling face, but he had a great body. Broad shoulders and chest, narrow hips, strong thighs…

Her cheeks grew hot, and she jerked her gaze back up to his, noticing his lips were curved into a slight smirk. As if he knew exactly what she was thinking. “I’ll do so. Thanks again…”

“Evan.” He thrust his hand out, and she grabbed it, her entire body tingling at the contact. “I don’t think I ever told you my name.”

Evan. Better than Earl or Eminem that was for sure. “No, you didn’t. You were a little too busy taking care of me. I’m Morgan.”

“I know.” He shook her hand, held on to it a bit too long. “I remember.”