Page 24 of Grim

Her nurse brain took over. The wound was clean but stressed. The swelling was minimal. He’d been favoring the arm without realizing it. He was running on adrenaline and stubbornness.

She cleaned the cut gently, and his breath hitched, quiet, controlled, but there. Sophia pretended not to notice.

“You’re good at this,” he said quietly.

“I’m a nurse,” she replied. “I’m good at a lot of things.” She wasn’t used to being seen for more than what she could do for others. The way he said it felt different.

His eyes flicked up to hers. Something warm and dangerous passed between them.

She swallowed and focused on the wound, applying the adhesive with practiced precision. “This will hold better than the bandage. But you need to stop tearing it open.”

“Not tearing it open on purpose.”

“Your lifestyle tears it open,” she said, glancing at him. “Try not to get into any fights today.”

He smirked, barely, but it was there. “No promises.”

She rolled her eyes, but her chest tightened at the sight of that almost-smile. When she finished, she smoothed the last butterfly closure into place and stepped back.

“There,” she said softly. “Good as new.”

Grim looked at his arm, then at her. “Thank you.”

It wasn’t gruff. It wasn’t forced. It was real.

And it hit her harder than she expected.

Sophia cleared her throat, suddenly aware of how close they were. “Okay. Now I’m going to bed before I fall over.” She moved toward the kitchen. “I need to get some sleep. There’s stew in the crockpot if you’re hungry.”

Grim stiffened. “I’m not…”

“It’s fine,” she said, waving a hand. “Eat if you want. Or don’t. I’m too tired to argue.”

Sophia paused at her bedroom door, aware of him behind her in the quiet. Her fingers rested on the knob before she realized she’d stopped. She turned back toward him, the moment holding steady between them.

“Lock the door behind you. Or don’t. Whatever.”

She hesitated, then added, “Since you’re staying, hang on.”

Sophia crossed the small hallway and pulled open the linen closet. She grabbed two blankets, the soft ones she saved for guests, and a pair of pillows that still smelled faintly of lavender detergent. Her hands shook only a little as she carried them back into the living room.

She should’ve been nervous with a man like him in her house. Letting someone into her space wasn’t something she did. But he didn’t feel like a threat. He felt like a choice she wasn’t ready to admit she was making.

Anyone else, she would’ve been more cautious. But something in her recognized him, the steadiness, the restraint, the way he took up space without trying to. He felt like danger pointed outward, not inward. Like a storm she could stand beside without getting struck.

She set everything on the couch, smoothing the blanket once, twice, like the motion steadied her. “This’ll be more comfortable than trying to sleep sitting up,” she murmured. “Make yourself at home.”

She didn’t look at him when she said it, couldn’t, because the weight of him in her house, in her space, felt too big and too close and too safe all at once.

Sophia stepped back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Good night, Maddox.”

His name tasted like a risk. One she wasn’t sure she should take, but one she couldn’t seem to stop reaching for.

Only then did she retreat to her bedroom, closing the door gently behind her.

Chapter 7

Grim