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She followed his direction, seeing the trees in the distance, large oaks that spread their branches in thick chunks. The canopy blocked out the sunrise, keeping it from blinding them. Beneath the trees, birds could be heard, annoyingly chipper at the start of a new day.
“That’s about as far as we should go,” he told her. “Especially for your first time.”
His even tone, with no loss of breath at all, rankled, and she pushed faster. “I’m… good,” she choked out.
“Wait, Celia—”
She hated the way the hairs on the back of her neck responded to him saying her name. “A little farther!” Her heartbeat drowned out his words, no longer keeping time with her pace, but thumping in a way that ran down her legs. It was difficult to remember any silly dreams when her body was struggling for breath.
Trenton called out to her again, but the words were lost to the pounding in her ears. She realized what she was doing, and her pace faltered just as a crack in the sidewalk caught the toe of her shoe. He reached for her, his hands only managing to knock her to the side, not to stop her fall altogether.
Her knees took the brunt of the concrete, and her hands crashed down into the grass and dirt beside it. The ache in both areas was immediate, and Celia began to inwardly curse her stupidity. More than one counselor had warned her about her tendency to take things to extremes.
Trenton dropped down beside her as she rolled over to her butt. His hands began a journey around her limbs. “How badly are you hurt?”
She shook her head, unable to find the words while his fingers barely skimmed over her skin.
He took her wrists, turning her palms up to inspect. “These will ache, but it looks like there’s just a scratch, unlike your knees.”
She swallowed before turning her eyes to her legs. It was as if the bleeding scrapes were waiting for more attention before the pain increased. Her head pounded as blood dripped along the curve of her bent knee and below.
“I’m sorry,” she said, keeping her eyes on the wounds.
“It was an accident,” Trenton said. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.”
“I wasn’t listening, and I messed up your run. This might even make you late to work. I’m so sorry. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll—”
“Celia!”
Her eyes snapped up to his. They felt hot and gritty as they met with a steady green.
“I’m not mad.” He reached out, cupping her cheek. “I’m just upset you got hurt. This was my fault. I should have remembered how uneven the sidewalk was in the park.”
She shook her head, the action pushing his hand away. “It’s not.”
His lips quirked into more of a half smile, not that blinding brightness from before. “What a pair we are. Both taking the blame for something that was an accident.”
Celia let out a hiccup of a laugh. She was a mess, that was all. To avoid the thought, she pushed to her feet.
“You don’t have to get up yet,” he said, his hands hovering in front of her as if she’d topple over at any moment. “Give yourself another minute.”
“I’m fine.” Her knees throbbed, likely calling her a liar in their own way. She didn’t look down at them, not that avoidance helped much. The increase in pressure caused her to wince.
“See, you’re not fine,” Trenton said. His arm circled her back, and the next thing she knew her world tilted as his other arm found its way beneath her knees.
Her body stiffened in his grasp, her mind going blank.
“Don’t worry, I won’t drop you,” Trenton said, already striding back the way they had come. “But hold on, just in case.”
Her left hand curled over his shoulder and around his neck as if it didn’t belong to her at all.
“We’ll be home in no time,” he said, and continued to carry her as if she didn’t weigh a thing.
Chapter 12
TrentonliftedCeliaintohis arms, surprised by how delicate her shoulder felt beneath his hand. She’d looked small in his coat the other night. Since then, she’d mostly been in jeans and a shirt, and she hadn’t looked lost like that again. He’d carried her to bed the other night, and it hadn’t been a hardship. Despite being average height, she’d been lighter than he’d expected.
Tension stiffened her limbs, and he held her a little closer for reassurance. “Don’t worry. I won’t drop you.” He started walking, wanting to bandage her up as soon as possible. “But hold on, just in case.”
