Page 33 of Hard Knock Hero

Her chest rose and fell. I didn’t want to wake her, but I couldn’t leave her here either. So I scooped her up and laid her on her bed, lifting the covers over her to tuck her in. I took my own place on the floor at the foot of her bed. I got back to sleep pretty quick, but my dreams—those had my pulse racing for the rest of the night.

The next time I opened my eyes, sunlight had infused the room with a soft glow. I blinked, inhaling as I came fully awake.

Then I noticed Jessi.

She was peering down at me over the edge of her mattress. Her eyes widened, as if she hadn’t meant to get caught watching me.

I tucked an arm behind my head. “Enjoying the view?”

“Just seeing if you were awake yet.”

“I’m awake.”

Her hair fell around her face, and she pushed it back. “I see that.”

“Hmmm.” My eyes wanted to move to her lips. It took a lot of effort to keep them steady as I returned her gaze.

“You must’ve carried me to my bed.” Her cheeks were turning pink in that way I liked so much. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” I lifted my hand, offering it to her. She was lying on her stomach, and she stretched out her own arm to twine our fingers together.

“You feel good,” she said softly. Like I’d said to her last night.

Something strange was happening in my chest. Like I couldn’t get enough air. Maybe it was the altitude.

This was nothing like my typical morning after. Usually, if I went home with a woman, I’d wake up naked beside her and we might indulge in some more fun before I took off. Jessi and I hadn’t removed one stitch of clothing, nothing more than we’d intended to sleep in, yet this felt more intimate than every other encounter I’d ever had.

And I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to keep lying here on the cold floor, just like this, holding her hand and staring up at her.

I didn’t know what was wrong with me.

“Can I make you some coffee?” I asked. I’d gotten to know her kitchen yesterday while making food for the charity dinner. But I still wanted her permission.

“Okay,” she said, voice husky. Her dark blue eyes strayed over me. Lingered on my lips.

Oh, wow. My body was getting ideas that it had no business having.

Coffee. Breakfast. Focus on that.

I slid my hand away from hers, ignoring the shower of sparks that ignited across my skin at that friction, and rolled away. I kept my back to her as I tugged on my jeans. First stop was the bathroom. When I emerged, she was still lying stomach-down on the bed, feet near her pillow and her head at the end.

“I’ll be right down,” she said.

“I’ll see you then.”

Jessi smiled. “You will.”

And there it was again. The too-tight sensation in my ribcage. The uneven thrumming of my heart.

I felt fuckinggiddy.

Something had shifted overnight, between last evening and the early hours of the morning. I didn’t know what was happening between us. But I liked it.

Downstairs, the lower ambient temperature of the air hit me like a splash of cool water. I’d been right. The heater kept the upstairs a bit too toasty, the down a little chilly. The building needed better insulation. Maybe Jessi could complain to Sawyer Rigsby about it. Or I could…

No, I probably wouldn’t be here long enough to fix anything big like that. But if I had time before leaving, I’d see what else I could do. Wouldn’t hurt.

In the dining room, the large front window was covered over with brown plywood, but the remaining glass showed that a fresh layer of snow had fallen overnight. The world looked blank. New. Full of possibility.

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