Page 34 of Love Undercover
She was in a lot of pain but she wasn’t afraid of him.
He crouched beside her, his hand extending to touch her back, but he stopped himself before he made contact. “What hurts?”
“My ankle,” she ground out. “I twisted it a little while ago, and I might have just made it worse.”
Shit. His fault for sneaking up on her. Definitely should’ve handled that differently.
“Sit back. Let me see,” he murmured, apologetic.
Her eyes sliced to him, but she didn’t move her head, that split-second debate making his chest constrict. Then she pushed back, grimacing as she settled on her butt and stretched her leg out carefully.
The difference in size between the two ankles was obvious at a glance. “You’re sure it’s just twisted?”
Her brows scrunched. “Well, I don’t have my portable x-ray machine on me, so. . .”
The sarcasm bit harder because it came through her teeth. He pressed his lips together.
“It’s hard to tell how bad it might be with the way it’s swelled up.” He leaned forward to examine it closer. “Not discolored though. Can you wiggle your toes without pain?”
She gave them a flutter then met his gaze, a sheepishness to her expression. “Are you mad I left?”
He took a breath. No, it wasn’t anger. Worry, maybe. Spiked with something like frustration—not quite so sharp but definitely heated.
“Why would I be mad?” he asked, his voice even. The feeling still roiling in his stomach didn’t feel quite so innocuous.
“Because I ran out on you.”
Those words though. . . they burned through him. He kept his gaze on her ankle for a moment longer. “Sadie, anyone in your position would’ve done the same.” He looked at her then. “Honestly, I should’ve known. Because it’s the smart move.”
All entirely true. Whether his intentions were good or not, the smart person wouldn’t take his word for it and would try to escape. It’s what he would’ve done.
She narrowed one eye, the corner of her mouth tipping up a little bit.
He couldn’t keep that gaze though, couldn’t deny that it did bother him that she hadn’t trusted him enough. Shifting his attention, he gingerly felt along her lower calf, just above where the swelling started, checking the bone’s integrity.
“I just wish you hadn’t tortured me with the underwear task if you were planning to bolt anyway.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Tortured you?”
He gave her a wry look, lifting a brow. He wouldn’t spell it out for her, and he needed to concentrate on checking her ankle. The added distraction of her skin being soft as velvet under his palms was enough to make a slow heat spread through him.
“Oh.” She gave one nervous laugh. “Um, sorry.”
He glanced up again, watching her face as his hands moved down toward her foot.
She jerked her head back, sucking a sharp breath through her teeth when he probed around the ankle.
“We need to get back to the house and get some ice on it.” He tamped down any intensity in emotion, keeping his face clear. “You okay coming back with me?”
Their gazes locked again, and he wondered, hoped, she’d understand the question beneath his words:Do you trust me now?
She held his eyes, a determination taking shape in the honeyed depths. “I can’t walk on it.”
His heart beat a little faster, a tingle surging through his body. “You won’t have to.” He turned his back to her while staying in a crouch. “Can you climb on?”
A burst of laughter shot out of her, and he glanced at her over his shoulder.
“A piggyback ride?” Her fingers hovered over her incredulous smile.
