Page 59 of Protective Love

I shake my head, place the jug of flowers back down and then reach over to wrap my arms around him, giving him a tight squeeze as a tear trickles down my cheek.

"You did a good job. I really do love them," I tell him.

His arms wrap around my back and he pulls me impossibly closer to him.

When I pull away from him, wiping at my eyes to rid the tears that were threatening to fall, he frowns.

"They're happy tears, right?"

"Yes," I reply, laughing at his worried expression.

"Okay good, because I'd hate to have to hurt myself for making you cry."

I shake my head, laughing at how ridiculous he can be sometimes.

"So, what's on the roster for today?"

"Well, considering you're adamant that you're progressing well and seem to want to try walking, I thought we'd give it a go. So we're going to walk around your room, but you're going to allow me to help support you."

He smirks at me.

"I like when you get a little bossy," he says, pushing himself to sit up properly. "It's very sexy."

I look down to hide the fact that I'm blushing.

"If you can, swing your legs off the bed," I instruct him.

Slowly, he moves so that his legs are over the side of the bed and his feet are planted firmly on the ground.

"Okay, that's good. Now, you can either have me as support, or I can get you a pair of crutches for you to use."

"I'd much rather use you, darling."

My gaze flicks up, my eyes meeting his, and my stomach swirls with butterflies when I see the heated, hungry look in his icy blue eyes.

"Are you flirting with me?" I ask, stepping towards him.

His knees bump against my hips and he places his hands on either side of my body.

"Of course I am."

I laugh at him and pull his hands away from my waist.

"Enough of that. We need to concentrate. Now, I'm going to put my hands under your arms and I need you to hold onto either my shoulders, or the top of my arms, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

He does as instructed and easily moves to stand up, barely putting any weight on me at all.

"I'm here to offer you support," I tell him, looking up at him and desperately trying not to notice how close we are now that he's standing up. "Lean on me if you need to, Jaylen."

He sighs, but I feel a slight amount of pressure on my shoulders and I smile up at him, grateful that he's not trying to do this without any support.

"Okay, good. Do you think you're balanced enough to take a step?"

Instead of answering, he moves one foot forward and then the other, pressing his body closer against mine.

I move back a step, creating space between us again and continue looking down at his feet so that he can't see how flushed I am in this moment.