Page 34 of Once Smitten, Twice Shy

I blink, confused. “Why?”

“Because you’re hot and tired.” He eases upright and offers me his hand. “And because I think we’ve done plenty for our first day.”

“I’m not tired,” I pout, slapping my hand into his.

He arches an eyebrow. “Pinkie promise?”

I scrunch my face up at him as I stand. Well, more like twenty-five percent is me standing, seventy-five percent is his gentle tug that gets me upright. “I might be slightly fatigued,” I say loftily.

His mouth quirks up at the corner. “I’d say you’ve earned yourself a nap. I know I’ve earned mine, after that hiding-in-the-hedge ordeal you put me through.”

I shove his arm playfully. “I told you I was sorry!”

My knee gives out when it always does—when I least expect it to. I’m dropping fast, bracing to hit the ground, but Will’s faster, freakishly fast for such a big guy. In a blur of orange button-up and sun-bleached blue jeans, he’s swept me into his arms like a bride.

With our height discrepancy, I’ve never been this close to his face. So close, I can see every silvery fleck in his pale green eyes, every spiky auburn eyelash, how the tips fade to bronze and then gold.

I swallow so hard, the sound echoes in my head. “I’m okay,” I whisper.

Relief and raw embarrassment flood me in tandem. This isn’t the first time this has happened. But it’s the first time it’s happened in front of someone who doesn’t know me, and worse, whom I’m attracted to.

Will’s eyes bounce between mine. He’s breathing heavily. “You sure?”

I force a smile. “Yep.”

“Juliet, you just collapsed,” he presses.

“Yes, Will, I’m aware.” I sound snippy, and it’s because I’m feeling snippy. I don’t like being babied or fussed over. I’m the oldest sister.I’mthe one who babies and fusses over others. “I’m steady now,” I tell him. “You can put me down.”

He narrows his eyes. He does not put me down. “You swear?”

“Yes.”

He doesn’t push back, doesn’t doubt me, smoothly lowering me so I can stand. But he might have been right to. Because my knee wobbles again.

He starts to bend again. “I’m carrying you.”

“No, wait!” I clutch his arm. If he sweeps me up in his arms again, I’m going to swoon so hard I mightactuallycollapse. “Just…let me hold your arm, and you can walk me inside, okay? It’s not like I’m going to faint. It’s just my knee. It gets wobbly sometimes.”

Will frowns down at me and sighs. “All right.”

I hook my arm in his and grip tight, then turn toward the front door, Will right there with me. Holding on to his arm, I unearth my keys from my purse and slide my key into the lock. Will reaches for the door and tugs it open as soon as I pull out my key.

We take the stairs slowly, Will following my lead on our pace.

“Where are you staying?” I ask.

“A little studio apartment not too far from here. A family friend’s,” he says. “She used to live there, above her business, but now she’s got a house. It’s usually an Airbnb, but she said it’s mine as long as I need it.”

“That’s great.” I glance up.

When we get to my door, I slide my key into the lock, then turn his way and force a smile. “Well, thank you, again.”

“Thankyou,” he says. “This was…I think it was a pretty strong first day.”

My smile morphs into something genuine. “I think so, too. You know, besides the hedgerow ordeal and my damsel-in-distress bit just now. A little off the beaten path for a practice first date, but then again, that just means we’ll be all the more prepared for the curveballs that’ll come when we’re putting ourselves out there and doing the real thing, doesn’t it?”

Will’s quiet for a second, his expression almost somber. “Definitely,” he finally says. “Do you, um, live alone?”

---