Page 48 of Falling for a Grumpy Hero

I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, but he was pleasant enough that I shrugged instead of barking at him. “I’m happy to help if it’s something I can fix.”

“We should get out there,” he said, offering me a hand to pull me up from the short stool I’d been sitting on.

As much as I hated to accept it, I slapped my palm into his and allowed him to do it. Since the alternative was exacerbating my injury or risking falling flat on my face, it seemed like the best option. He let go of my hand when I was up. Grimacing, I limped after him.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t rest that leg for a minute?” he asked. “It looks like you’re struggling a little.”

I was, but mostly, I just wanted to see if Lila was up yet. “Yeah, maybe I will. I’ll see you out there in a bit.”

He nodded and jogged off, and I went back into the house to find her scarfing down her breakfast in the kitchen. She was back in her own clothes from yesterday and her hair was damp, indicating that she’d grabbed a quick shower, but she seemed relaxed and her blue eyes were as bright and happy as ever. I’d been wondering if I’d see a trace of pity there today after everything I’d told her yesterday, but nope.

“Good morning,” she said cheerfully when I walked in. “Thank you for breakfast. You didn’t have to.”

“If I didn’t cook it, you would’ve and you’ve done enough of that around here. I’m not a complete caveman.” I hesitated for a moment. “How did you sleep?”

“So well.” She let out a soft moan that didn’t help my attraction to her fade at all. “That bed is amazing. That’s all I’ll say. Thanks for letting me sleep in.”

“No problem. Do you want me to take you home when you’re done?”

Her eyes drifted toward the window. “Well, it’s Saturday and I don’t have any plans, so I’d rather stay and help if there’s anything I can do. I took a peek out the window earlier and it’s looking rough out there.”

“Yeah, they’re cutting up that downed tree as we speak. I told my neighbor we can load it into my truck when they’re done. I’ll drive it away since I won’t be of much help out there with my leg the way it is right now.”

She smiled. “I’ll help with that, then. Keep you company.”

I didn’t hate the offer, and since she really didn’t seem to be in a rush to get home, I didn’t turn it down. The two of us headed out together when she was done eating, with Rook trotting happily behind us, and we spent the rest of the day meeting my neighbors, making connections, and cleaning up the neighborhood just in time for another thunderstorm to roll in.

We hadn’t even driven the tree away yet, but when huge raindrops started pelting down, everyone scattered, resigned to continuing tomorrow—if it had cleared up by then. After a day on my feet, I winced as I sat down at the kitchen table, a searing pain shooting through me.

Shit, I really should’ve taken it easier than that.

Worry clouded Lila’s eyes as she watched me stretch the leg out slowly. I’d hoped the pain would subside when I sat down, but it didn’t, the searing simply turning into a dull throb. She sighed and pushed her hair behind her ears as she came closer.

“Can I take a look at your stitches to make sure they’re okay?” she asked quietly.

I nodded, watching without saying a word. She knelt at my feet. Her touch was gentle as she rolled up my sweats, her gaze concerned. After spending an entire day with her—again—working as a team and getting some serious good done for my neighborhood, I’d seen her cracking the tension after the storm and bringing smiles to everyone she interacted with.

She really was just pure sunshine—no matter what the weather looked like outside—and now she was tending to me as carefully and thoughtfully as if she wasn’t exhausted after the day we’d had. Something shifted deep within me as she held my sweats lightly above my knee, her gaze sweeping up and down before she lifted her eyes to mine and smiled.

“Well, the good news is that the stitches are dissolving and the cut looks okay. There doesn’t seem to be any swelling either, but it’s a little bit redder than I’d like. You should probably stay off it as much as you can for the rest of the weekend. Just to be on the safe side.”

Not even glancing at the ugly scars from the crash, she started lowering my sweats, her hand brushing the inside of my other thigh by accident. The light touch, even through the fabric, sent a jolt through me and Lila flushed. Her gaze flew up to mine, uncertainty in her eyes as her eyebrows tugged together.

“Sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“Nope, but you are killing me,” I muttered, rising at the same time she did.

Her head cocked, a pink blush warming those cheeks. I wasn’t sure if it was because she was wondering what I meant or if she just didn’t notice how close we were, but her face was only inches away from mine and she didn’t take a step back.

We were so close that the faint, sweet scent of her drifted up to me when I inhaled. I heard her swift intake of breath when she looked up and realized that I was right there. That strange electricity I’d always felt when we were this close together hummed between us again, and this time, I couldn’t fight it.

My restraint snapped. After over twenty-four hours of forced proximity, of having her in my space, wearing my clothes, and having to walk away whenever the attraction rose up, I couldn’t take it anymore. Didn’t want to.

“Fuck it,” I murmured under my breath, catching her face in my hands and bringing my mouth down on hers.

Lila gasped a second before her lips parted under mine, but she didn’t push me away. She stepped into me instead, her arms winding around my neck and pulling me closer. I kissed her like I should’ve done the first time, a real, deep kiss burning with every ounce of the raw need I’d been feeling for her for weeks.

Her softness melted me in real time, her fingers in my hair fueling the kind of fire within I hadn’t felt for years. Desperation poured out of me as the kiss turned into something deeper and I sat down, pulling her into my lap.