Page 9 of Falling for a Grumpy Hero

“Come on,” I said. “You’re coming with me.”

She glanced at the injury as if she hadn’t even noticed it before. “I’m fine. Really. It’s just a scrape.”

“It could have debris in it.” I offered her my hand and tried to ignore the fact that I felt heat in my chest as she placed her palm against mine. “You’ll need to clean it properly when you get home or it might get infected.”

I carefully pulled her up but let go of her as soon as she was on her feet.

I took a step back, aware of all the honking now happening around us.

Cars were taking turns avoiding the scene as they drove around us and her bicycle, but it was getting darker by the second.

All it would take was one distracted driver to turn this minor incident into something major.

After tucking her binder under one arm, I bent over again and grabbed the bike, picking it up and carrying it to my truck. I didn’t look back as I called to her over my shoulder. “Just get in, Lila.”

“No, I’m fine. Really. If you’ll give me back my bike, I can get home. I’m not far from here.” I ignored her and set the bicycle on the bed of the truck, turning to tell her—once again—to get in, when she suddenly squealed.

My heart lurched. For a moment, I thought she’d had a stab of pain somewhere she hadn’t felt before. That maybe she’d broken a bone or?—

“You must be Rook.” She dropped to her haunches right there on the sidewalk and my panic receded. She was fine. It seemed she was just excited to meet my dog. “Oh, you are gorgeous. Hi, boy. I’m Lila. I’m working with Ford these days. I’m sure he’s told you absolutely nothing about me.”

She glanced back up into my eyes, her face suddenly beaming with freaking sunshine again. “Okay, I’ll come.”

Not needing any further prompting to get in my truck, she walked over with Rook and climbed in, but turned in her seat as soon as he jumped into the back. My dog was normally suspicious of strangers, wary of even the people he knew, but he allowed Lila to dote on him like a freaking puppy.

“What’s your address?” I gritted out. “Just watch him, alright? He’s a vicious, anti-social, all-business service dog who served in the Middle East. So?—”

“There’s no way,” she cooed, completely focused on him as she rattled off the address of her apartment.

She scratched him behind the ears and smiled as she bent her head closer to his.

“You’re such a good boy, aren’t you? You’re the best boy.

I don’t doubt that you served, but you’re definitely not vicious or anti-social. ”

He leaned into her touches like I never scratched him at all— traitor —his tongue even lolling out as he rested his head against her seat. She finally glanced at me when I found a gap in the oncoming traffic and merged into it.

“You’ll want to make a left up there.” She nodded at the next traffic light. “My building is at the end of the block near the water. It’s really not far. I would’ve made it, but I’m always happy to spend some time with such a beautiful guy.”

Shock rippled through me in ice cold waves . She thinks I’m beautiful? Ruggedly handsome, maybe, but beautiful?

As my eyes narrowed and I arched an eyebrow, I glanced at her only to find that she’d turned back to my dog and had clearly been talking about him . She smiled softly and ruffled his ears. “You are just gorgeous. Do you know that? And so sweet.”

I nearly snorted out loud. Rook was not sweet, but he obviously had her fooled. I shook myself out of the unnecessary state of shock, not quite sure why I felt a little disappointed about the fact that she hadn’t been talking about me, but I was back to being tempted to ask her about her sketches.

Before I’d decided whether it was appropriate or even if I really wanted to know anything else about her personal life, she straightened on the seat beside me. “That’s it right over there. Thank you so, so much for the ride.”

Flicking on my turn signal, I made my way across the street toward her building. How the hell is she affording a place in such a modern building in Oceanfront?

But again, I didn’t ask. I simply stopped and climbed out to help her get her bike out of the back.

As I set it down, she smiled at me. The ambient light coming out of the buildings around us and from the streetlights above was enough to illuminate her face.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but I almost thought I saw something akin to fondness in her eyes.

Nah, that’s impossible.

“Bring that binder from school to work with you on Monday,” I said more harshly than I’d intended.

That didn’t seem to bother her, though. Her eyes widened in surprise, but when she smiled at me again, the sight of it rewired something in my brain. I just wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

“I’ll do that. Thanks again, Ford. For everything.”

I gave her a sharp nod and turned to get back into my truck, but I didn’t leave until she was safely in her building. Rook whined as she disappeared from sight, reminding me that I still had a bone to pick with him.

“Why are you being so weird, huh?” I asked as I eased onto the street. “What’s wrong with you? You hate people. That’s like, our thing, Rook, so what the hell were you doing with her?”

Another sound, something between a bark, a growl, and a whine, escaped him, and it was almost like I could hear him say, “I could ask you the same thing, Ford.”

And the worst thing of all? He really wasn’t wrong.