Free I Am Yours (Heartbeat #3) by Faith Sullivan Page B

bullshit.”
    “But if our theory is correct, it would explain a lot.” He wants to debate the topic with me, but I’m not in the mood.
    “Yeah, but I’m not willing to put much stock in it yet, okay?” I’m visibly annoyed, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why I’m frustrated. I’m nowhere near being over Adam, and thankfully Brian backs off.
    “All right, fine.” He seems disappointed in me for some reason, and it bugs the hell out of me. “We won’t approach her now. But if things proceed in the direction they’re heading, we’re going to have to let her in on things eventually.”
    “Whatever, Brian. Wait and see what happens when they all return to their ordinary lives. Katie doesn’t exactly live near Adam. She’s about two hours away, right?” I know I’m fooling myself in thinking that distance will keep them apart, but I can’t resist clinging to anything that might be a hindrance to their relationship.
    “Something like that. She’s definitely not close by. They’re gonna have to make an effort to see each other, especially when he goes back to work.” He turns the air conditioning back a notch when he notices the goose bumps forming on my arms. It’s nice that I didn’t have to ask. He was observant enough to notice I was cold.
    “If he goes back to work…I don’t know. It doesn’t look good.” I mentally chastise myself again for pulling the trigger with Talbot. Driving under the influence is not a forgivable sin when it comes to operating an ambulance. Talbot’s playing things cool, hoping that no one finds out the truth about Adam’s sobriety during the accident. Talbot likes him and wants to keep him on, but Adam might be too much of a risk.
    “You did what you thought was right. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Brian reaches across the console to give my hand a quick squeeze. His fingers feel nice against mine, but his touch doesn’t linger. It’s over before I can comprehend that it even happened.
    “But I’m going to miss him as a partner.” I fumble through my thoughts, saying the first thing that comes to mind. It’s weird talking to Brian about Adam, especially after he caused the jolt of electricity that just went through my body. It’s like my subconscious is trying to send Brian the message that my heart still belongs to Adam and to back off. The last thing I want to do is send Brian mixed signals. He just broke up with his long-time girlfriend slash fiancée, and I basically handed Adam over to Katie without a fight. The two of us are in no position to even be considering anyone else at this point. It’d be too confusing.
    “I think I did a number on his ribs though. He won’t be lifting any stretchers any time soon.” He opens and closes his fist. “But I had to make it look convincing.”
    “The less I know about what you did, the better.” I hate the thought of Adam being in pain. I wish we didn’t have to take such drastic measures in order to pull this off.
    “Do you think Katie might actually be good for him? That she might somehow get him back on track?” There’s a tinge of optimism there that I’d be silly to overlook. Of course he wants what’s best for his brother, whether I’m it or not.
    “Anything’s possible.” But she’d have to be a magician to transform the Adam I know into the type of guy she thinks he is.
    “He wasn’t always such a douchebag, you know.” He glances briefly in the rearview mirror before passing a slow moving RV. “That accident really screwed him up. And to think that his mental anguish is still ongoing makes me want to solve this puzzle more than anything.”
    “You and me both.” I nod emphatically to show my support. “What was he like…before?”
    “Well, sorry to disappoint you, but he wasn’t built like he is now. He didn’t hit the gym at all. He was as skinny as a rail and not exactly confident with the ladies if you catch my drift.” He gives me a wink, and I