Page 33 of Falling for a Grumpy Hero

Sure, I had crossed the line by kissing her, but she’d kissed me back, alright. There hadn’t been any hesitation. Maybe a few moments of shock, but zero resistance.

The only logical conclusion to draw from that fact was that she was as attracted to me as I was to her. I couldn’t let either of us indulge that attraction again. We weren’t good for each other.

More accurately, I’m no good for her.

Beads of sweat formed on my brow as I helped one of the teams dig a trench for a pipe. It occurred to me that there was only one thing for it. I couldn’t avoid my own office for the rest of my life, which meant that I simply had to tell her that we couldn’t do this. All that remained was to figure out a reason why.

For the life of me, that didn’t come as easy as the decision not to do it again, but I knew Lila would want a rock solid reason, and if I couldn’t come up with one, my plan would be dead in the water and I couldn’t have that.

I just really don’t actually know why yet. But I will. Soon. I have until Saturday to figure it out and then we can put all this absurdity behind us.

17

LILA

In search of a bathing suit that was both cute and appropriate for a barbecue at a colleague’s house that had a nice pool, I hit the mall with Addy on Saturday morning. The earthy, bitter scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air along with the low, general hum of air-conditioning, people, and activity.

Walking beside my best friend, I had a latte in my hand and I was scouring the storefront of every shop we passed in the hopes of finding a boutique that looked promising. Addy pointed at a door coming up ahead.

“You should find something in there,” she said, bringing her coffee closer to her mouth. “That’s my go-to whenever I need something special, but remind me again why you need a new suit for this? You’re just going to a work thing, aren’t you?”

I shook my head. “Jared’s barbecue is legendary. It’s an annual event that everyone has been talking about all week and this is my first time socializing with my coworkers. The newest bathing suit I have is about three years old and it’s all washed out. I won’t be comfortable, showing up in that.”

Addy gave me the side-eye as we walked into the little store she’d pointed out. “Uh-huh. I’m sure that’s what it’s about. On a completely unrelated note, is Ford going to be there?”

“I don’t know.” I blushed and ducked my face to hide behind my loose hair, murmuring my response. “I really hope not, though.”

When I finally looked up again, Addy was staring right at me, eyebrows slightly raised as she planted her hands on her hips. “What happened, Li? Don’t even try to deny it. You’re not even red right now, you’re… plum. Obviously, something happened.”

Yeah, something had happened, alright. My boss had kissed the “this is a real bad idea” right out of me and then he’d disappeared. I hadn’t seen him once since he’d silently dropped me off at my apartment after and then driven off like a furious T-Rex had been chasing him.

The kiss had been on my mind a lot, though. It’d been sudden, scorching hot, and spectacular, the kind of kiss that had the power to end wars and evoke fantasies of happily ever afters—and then it had been over.

Abruptly. Totally.

I was still struggling to accept that he’d just stopped, turned around, and walked away. Meanwhile, I’d been reduced to a vat of liquid heat that had been stuck in a blast freezer—and I still didn’t know why.

One minute, he’d been all over me, literally caging me in against that wall and kissing me as savagely and passionately as if he’d been waiting all his life to do it, and the next, he’d been in his truck, engine revving, and making me feel like I was lucky he hadn’t just left me there. Talk about hot and cold.

“Lila?” Addy prompted and I fell out of my thoughts, blinking hard and shrugging before I decided to tell her the truth.

I’d never lied to her about anything and I wouldn’t start now, especially not on account of a man who had literally been avoiding his own office ever since. “Ford kissed me last week.”

I blurted out the words before I could lose my nerve, moving on to describe the storm and the rain-soaked moments we’d shared. Addy’s eyes widened, her jaw growing slack as she listened. By the time I was done, even her cheeks were a tiny bit flushed.

“Holy hell, that sounds intense.”

“I know, right?” I sighed. “There’s only one problem. Ford Callahan is grouchy, and miserable, and he’s been acting like he’s allergic to me ever since. That’s not supposed to be my type.”

Amusement sparked to life in her eyes and her head slanted. “What is supposed to be your type, then?”

I’d been thinking about this a lot and I rattled it all off from the top of my head without skipping a beat. “I want someone who could love me and tell me so, you know?”

Leaning against a rail I hadn’t realized was on wheels, I almost fell flat on my face when it suddenly started sliding away from me. I caught my balance just in time and groaned, straightening up and shaking my head before I sent a piercing glare toward the ceiling. “Well, that’s just great. Now even the shop fittings are conspiring against me.”

She chuckled. “Nothing is conspiring against you. Hey, look at me, Lila. Ford obviously isn’t allergic to you. The kiss might’ve just caught him off-guard. What happened to how good of a heart he has? To me, that sounds like exactly your type.”

“It’s not. A good heart is one thing, but it doesn’t make up for everything else. What I need is a man of many words. Someone who will be loud and proud about loving me and who is hardcore ready to do life with me the fun way.”