Page 60 of Falling for a Grumpy Hero

“Yep. Well, Rodrigo, but I think Eliza might’ve been on the call too, holding her husband at knife point to try to get the man to apologize.”

She smiled. “I think you and Rodrigo have more in common than you’d like to admit.”

I rolled my eyes, striding into her office and halfway around her desk before I noticed the email chain open on her computer. I frowned and squinted at it, genuinely confused about what I was looking at. “Why are you messaging a dozen of my neighbors?”

Her eyelashes batted as she lifted her gaze to mine. “I was invited to help with the block party this weekend.”

“Are you serious right now?” I didn’t know why I’d asked.

Obviously, she was serious. No one was going to joke about the tedious task of helping with a neighborhood party happening somewhere you didn’t even live. What I realized, however, was that having her in my life was going to mean stepping into the sun a lot more often than I was used to.

I held her gaze and shrugged, intent on not betraying the stab of panic that sliced through me at the thought of facing so many people, so often. “What am I supposed to do while you go to the party?”

She frowned. “Oh, you’re coming with me whether you like it or not. Your neighbors are good people and they’d all love the opportunity to get to know you better.”

Our gazes locked in a silent battle of wills, but instead of annoyance over being told what to do, all I felt was a bolt of attraction. Tension suddenly hummed to life in the air between us and I knew she felt it too. Her lips parted, her nostrils flaring before she gave her head a firm but small shake and very deliberately turned back to her computer.

She cleared her throat. “I’ll let you know if there’s anything you can do to help with the arrangements, but I have it handled for now.”

The words did little to dispel the tension, but I nodded and rolled my head from side to side in an attempt to ease the tightness in my muscles. I turned and left her office. I had been right this morning. This tension was going to drive me insane.

All day long, I kept stealing those glances, torn between the urge to grab her hand and drag her home, and the knowledge that there was still a ton of work to be done. In the end, we both stayed late, her working on sketches for Heritage House and me catching up on plans for some of our other projects.

Lila and I ended up being the only people left in the office, which I suspected was a choice we’d both made. Jared was the only other person around for the longest time, but when he finally, finally headed out, throwing his hand up in a wave as he passed my office, I stood.

I’d never been the most patient guy and I was done waiting. The anticipation wasn’t going to make this sweeter. It was just going to make it rougher.

Marching directly to her office, I grabbed her hand and hauled her into my arms, guiding her back into my office with me. I slammed the door behind us and hit the button next to it to close the blinds.

Lila moved willingly with me, a knowing smirk on her lips as her gaze met mine. “So, now that you have me in here, what are you planning to do with me?”

31

LILA

“So, now that you have me in here, what are you planning to do with me?” I asked even though I had an extremely good idea of why he suddenly looked so agitated.

My heart was beating so wildly that I could hear blood rushing in my ears. Ford seemed almost manic and I was loving it. It didn’t hurt that he looked like a fever dream, with his shirt sleeves rolled up and a faint scowl that really shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was.

“What am I planning to do with you? Anything I want, Lila. Isn’t that the beauty of this?” Those deep blue eyes were absolutely smoldering as they locked on mine, his cheeks flushed, and his strong jaw tight. “Unless you have any objections?”

“None,” I just about squeaked as he crossed to me from the door and pulled me to him. His hand was warm on my back, the other brushing a lock of hair away from my cheek.

His touch was gentle enough, but his kiss sure wasn’t. It was like all the pent-up frustration and weeks of holding back were pouring out of him. But then it deepened and slowed, like he was trying to memorize my taste.

We hadn’t spoken about it, but I had stayed at the office later to spend more time with him, especially after that teasing exchange this morning about anticipation. I’d also lost myself in my designs for Eliza, but I could’ve gone to do those at home.

I simply hadn’t wanted to leave without him, so when he didn’t call it a day, neither did I. Borderline frantic, his strong hands slid down to my thighs and he picked me up against him only to set me down on his desk a moment later.

He stepped between my knees, pushing them apart with his hips as if I belonged entirely to him. A thrill shot down my spine. Ben had never been a particularly commanding lover, nor had he ever gotten even a tiny bit rough with me.

This, however, was urgent. It was raw and aching, and I couldn’t get enough. Throughout the day, I’d caught Ford looking at me like he was seconds away from devouring my mouth, and now that he was finally doing it, he didn’t disappoint.

His lips were hungry and insistent, his body hard all over, and his movements sure and almost stern. It was very different from the way he’d been last night, so gentle and almost loving, like he’d been pleading with his body for me to give him a chance.

Warmth flooded through me, drenching my panties and making my clothes feel way too hot. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him back, as fervent and demanding as I wanted to be. I had never let loose like this before, sliding my ass forward and angling my hips to grind against him.

Ford responded by pressing harder into me, leaning closer and breathing against my lips like he’d been drowning for years and had finally remembered he could come up for air. Wild and uninhibited had never been an apt description of my sexual encounters, but with him, I felt safe to explore. I felt like he was strong enough to handle whatever I sent his way without breaking stride, and he proved it when he shoved my dress as far up as it could go, yanking the fabric from between us and murmuring encouragement between kisses.