Free Heavy Metal (A Goddesses Rising Novel) (Entangled Select) by Natalie J. Damschroder Page B

few seconds, his irises darkened from golden oak to brewed tea, and she read awareness and caring.
    Oh, she was so going to fall for this guy.
    She pulled her hands free and let them hang between her knees. “I’m okay.” Except for the nausea. She thought of the road worker and had to swallow hard. “How’s the guy? The one who was trapped? Did you see?”
    Sam nodded but didn’t move away. “He probably has a broken leg. Below the knee. That’s where most of the pressure was. But he wasn’t bleeding, and his upper body wasn’t crushed. He’ll be fine.”
    “Eventually,” she mumbled. Knowing that didn’t help.
    “What’s wrong?” Sam’s hands landed on her knees. “You saved him. Or at least his leg. Don’t you see how amazing that was? Not a lot of people, goddesses or not, could have done what you did.” He smiled a little and stroked a finger across her cheek, evoking a shiver. “But you look miserable.”
    “What if—” God, she didn’t want to say it, didn’t want to see his admiration and pride turn to disappointment and disgust. But she had to talk about it. Had to know. So she could make a decision. “What if I caused it?”
    “What?” It came out with a little laugh, but he immediately shook his head. “What are you talking about? No way you caused that.”
    “I might have. I—”
    “No, hold on.” He stood in one smooth motion and stepped back, drawing her up with him as he once again checked their surroundings. “Let’s go inside and get some coffee. You look like you’re freezing.”
    Coffee didn’t warm a chill that wasn’t physical, but Riley pressed the button on the handle to lock the car and went inside, this time going first and holding the door for Sam behind her, because she was tired of following.
    “Seat yourselves, kids,” the waitress called from behind a crowded counter. “Be right with you.”
    Riley chose a corner booth away from most of the diners in the half-full place, and sighed deeply as soon as she sat. Sam positioned himself so he could see the door behind her, but his attention was clearly on her.
    “I was watching the beam,” she told him right away. Getting it over with might not help, but it wouldn’t hurt, either. “Thinking about touching…no,” she corrected, remembering how it felt to use the metal in the forklift, “tapping that much metal. What I could do then. I actually thought about—” Shame cut off the words. Sam watched her with understanding eyes, and the nausea climbed up toward her throat.
    She forced the words out fast. “I imagined saving someone trapped by equipment. And seconds later, the beam slid, knocked over the forklift, and gave me someone to save.” She covered her face to hide both from the memory and Sam’s expression, and maybe to keep her breakfast in.
    “Sorry to make you wait,” said a cheerful voice over Riley’s head. “Coffee?” A beat, then, “Hon? You okay?”
    Riley dropped her hands and nodded. “Yes, thanks. And coffee’s good.” She waited until the woman had poured and walked away without pressing them to order food.
    As soon as the waitress was out of earshot, Sam grabbed Riley’s hands and leaned over the table. “You didn’t do it, Riley. I swear it.”
    “How do you know?” Tears welled, and she tried to tug her hands away, but he’d engulfed them fully in his. She didn’t want him to let go, but didn’t deserve how good they felt.
    “Were you touching any metal?” he demanded.
    She blinked at him. “No. I don’t—no. Not directly.”
    “Have you ever done telekinesis—moved objects from a distance—when you weren’t touching metal?”
    Hope began to coat the nausea. She thought about things she’d done, testing the abilities once she understood what was happening, and slowly shook her head. Then stopped. “Wait. My boss’s chair. The one that dumped him on his ass. The metal in the shaft snapped, and I wasn’t touching it.”
    “Were you touching other