His Eternal Flame (Book Three): His Eternal Flame, #3

By Layla Valentine

He's always kept a torch burning for her

Will this scorching hot firefighter get a second chance at love?

 

Her:

 

I've lived my whole life in fear,

A fire took my parents from me,

And changed me forever.

I've been choosing the comfortable over what I really want,

Choosing the safe over what makes my heart pound.

Five years ago I dared to try another way

Five years ago I got my heart broken

Never again.

 

Him:

 

It's been five years since our stolen night together.

Five years since I messed up big time.

I let her go.

And she's been burning a hole in my memories ever since.

Well I've got one shot to get her back,

And I'm not going to waste it.

Because when things get hot,

I'm the only one who can save her.

 

This is the third book in the His Eternal Flame series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Layla Valentine
• Release date: Nov 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201103736

Book preview

Samantha

Hospital food, I discovered, was not very good. After a steady diet of it for the past week, I was pretty sure I’d tried every dish and didn’t think I could stomach any more of it.

But I also knew I couldn’t leave. I didn’t have a choice. I needed Dustin. Even if he didn’t know it, I wasn’t going to leave his side. My job, the conference, my apartment—none of it mattered. I just needed Dustin to wake up.

Hey there, Samantha, Delia greeted me.

Delia was Dustin’s current nurse, and she’d been present during the daytime shifts for most of the weekend.

Any change? I asked as she looked over his info.

She didn’t answer immediately, but I understood that she was looking over his charts and comparing it to his current vitals. I’d certainly learned enough over the past week to enhance my medical knowledge to an uncomfortable degree.

Dustin was in a coma. He’d inhaled so much smoke carrying me out of the hotel that he’d damaged his lungs. When we’d finally made it out, he’d been unable to get enough air, depriving his brain of oxygen long enough to cause his body to shut down.

I recalled vividly how strong his arms had been around me the entire time, how they’d never wavered until after he set me on my feet. Dustin had saved me, even though it had cost him his own wellbeing. There was no greater gift he could give me than my life.

Except for his.

I needed Dustin to come back, so badly that I’d refused to leave his bedside after the paramedics had released me. The hotel had sent over my luggage, soggy but otherwise intact. They’d also sent a huge credit to my account, and I was sure there would be more once my insurance company got involved.

For now, though, I was just grateful to have clothes to change into that didn’t reek of smoke. That left me free to remain next to Dustin in case there was any sign of change.

Part of me continued to feel guilty—after all, Dustin was in a coma because he’d come to rescue me. And since Alistair hadn’t bothered to tell Dustin what room I was in, Dustin had wasted time and likely worsened his condition looking for me.

That was what kept any guilt from taking over—the thought that Alistair was to blame. Dustin had collapsed thinking I didn’t want him anymore, thanks to that awful text.

No, I wouldn’t be able to forgive Alistair for a long time, if ever. Perhaps he’d sensed that, because other than a brief message telling me he was heading back to Philadelphia and that he’d take care of everything with work, I’d heard nothing from him.

Granted, I wasn’t much interested in what story he would concoct about me. That was for later, during the part of my life when Dustin was awake and well and able to hold my hand again.

Dustin would wake up. I knew he would, if only because I spent every waking moment willing him to open his eyes. I spoke to him constantly, urging him to come back, hoping my voice might make a difference. And even if it didn’t, it certainly made me feel more connected to him.

Which is why, once Delia left the room, I took up where I’d left off, taking Dustin’s hand in my own and squeezing it gently.

The nurse just checked your vitals and everything is still stable, which is good. There are no signs that you’re coming out of it yet, but I know you like to defy the odds.

I glanced around the room at the cards placed carefully on available