Chapter 20
Roman
Palmer was not good at letting people take care of her.
I had an old family friend who was an MD come to the house to assess her and see whether she needed to go to urgent care.
Thankfully, it seemed that wasn’t warranted.
At least, not yet. I’d have to keep a close eye on her for the next twenty-four hours.
Her bandages would need changing, and I’d have to help keep her on a schedule of over-the-counter pain meds and antibiotics.
But Palmer wasn’t easily persuaded to rest.
She kept hopping out of bed like a nervous rabbit whenever she was left alone, and I’d find her trying to clean the counters in her bathroom with her damn elbows or something equally ridiculous.
It came down to me having to stay in her room, watching her from the armchair in the corner, so she didn’t make things worse than they already were.
She grumbled under her breath as she shifted lower beneath the covers, shooting me glares from her bed.
“I’m sure you have better things to do than sit there all day,” she said.
“I do.” My brows rose. “But someone won’t stop getting out of her damn bed, against doctor’s orders.”
Her cheeks reddened, and she seemed guilty.
“But you’re sick,” she shot back. “And you’re not in bed either.”
My shoulders stiffened.
The aches and weakness from the virus lingered in my muscles and my head throbbed, but after medicine and a lot of water, I was much better.
Better than she looked, at least.
My heart spasmed as the horrific scene from that morning flashed through my mind.
The sight of smoke staining the morning sky, pouring from Hearthstone Security, had been bad enough. I’d spent countless hours renovating that building with my father. It was the building where my brothers made their living. A place that brought us together.
But when I’d seen Palmer lying there in the snow—it was like the ground had been ripped out from under me.
The moment the call came on my pager, I’d sprung out of bed and raced outside.
I hadn’t expected her to be there. Or to be hurt.
I shook my head, trying to clear the images from my mind.
Palmer was going to be fine; her injuries weren’t serious. I couldn’t say the same for Hearthstone.
“I’m not the one who ran into a burning building,” I finally growled in reply.
She rolled her eyes. “Your entire career is running into burning buildings.”
“Not without training and protection.” My voice came out sharper than I intended. “That was irresponsible, going in there after a damn cat, of all things.”
Palmer flinched.
I instantly regretted my tone, but not the words. She needed to understand how dangerous that had been.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the room.
“I know it was stupid,” she eventually said, her voice soft. “But he was crying so loud in there. I could see him at first, but he got scared and ran deeper into the fire, and I just—followed him. Hailey loves him so much.”
I sighed and scrubbed a hand over my face.
“Hailey cares about you.” I leaned forward, bracing my elbows on my knees. “Do you think she wouldn’t be devastated if something happened to you?”
She looked away.
I gritted my teeth. “We both care about you, Palmer. You’ve brought life back into this place after it felt like the darkness had won, and I will forever be grateful for that.”
It pissed me off that she didn’t seem to comprehend her own worth. In such a short time, she had become so important in our lives.
Finally, she mumbled, “I guess so.”
I stood without thinking, crossing the room to her bedside. I lifted the comforter she was tucked under.
“What are you doing?” she asked, startled.
“Scoot over.”
She blinked. “What?”
I raised a brow. “You scolded me for not being in bed, so I’m gonna get in bed.”
Maybe I was still a bit fevered, but I didn’t back down. Eventually, Palmer shimmied all the way over to the other side of the bed and I slipped in. It was warm and infused with the scent of her.
I sighed, not realizing how sore I really was. I turned on my side to face Palmer. She stared at me like she had no idea who I was, and I almost laughed. “Don’t look so shocked.”
She frowned. “How could I not? You’re in my bed.”
That flush crept up her slender neck.
“You have nothing to worry about.” I fought a smile. “Except for getting sick.”
She pursed her lips.
“Now,” I said, my face softening. “Tell me why you don’t sound convinced of your importance here.”
The mood shifted back into something heavier. She stared down at her bandaged hands.
“I-I feel so useless,” she rasped. “My hands…it’ll be a week or more before I can use them properly. I-I don’t know what to do.”
There was a tinge of panic in her voice.
I shifted closer, reaching for her and pushing back a few strands of that golden-blonde hair.
“What are you talking about?” I said in a soothing tone. “You’re going to rest and recover. That’s what you’re going to do.”
She bit her lip, looking at her hands. “I can’t help with Hailey—”
“Hailey can take care of herself. Let her help you for once. As long as you’re watching her, she can be your hands.” My thumb caressed the thin, soft skin at her temple. “Let me be your hands.”
I remembered the things she confessed to me last night, every word of what she’d shared about her past. It didn’t make any sense that someone would reject such a bright human like her. It was utterly preposterous that no one had cherished the gift that she was.
“I’m—I’m only here to help you, not the other way around.”
The sadness in her voice sent a bolt of rage through me.
“You’re here because I want you, Palmer.”
She froze.
“Yes, you were hired to help me with Hailey. And you’re excellent at what you do, but—”
My hand cupped the side of her face, and I inhaled the scent of her…something earthy and warm and unmistakably her.
“You’ve become more than that.”
Her lips parted as she sucked in a breath.
“When you were lying out there in the snow…” My jaw clenched. “There are few times in my life where I’ve been that scared.”
She stared at me like she didn’t believe it.
Her breathing turned shallow. There was a question in her eyes, along with a bit of fear.
“You don’t have to earn your place here,” I murmured. “You already have one.”
Her bottom lip trembled. I brushed away a tear from her lashes.
Then, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to her forehead.
The kiss was tender and soft. It would’ve almost been innocent if it wasn’t for the fire that ignited deep in my core.
I lingered there, my lips pressed to her smooth skin. It would’ve been so easy to move lower. To brush my mouth against hers. To cover her lips with mine and see what would happen.
Her breaths ghosted over my throat, searing my skin.
What the hell was this woman doing to me?
Part of me felt like I was losing my damn mind when I was this close to her. All I wanted was more. More of her warmth. More of her softness. More of the way she looked at me like I wasn’t broken.
I pulled away abruptly.
I jerked all the way to the edge of the bed, avoiding that wide-eyed gaze because if I saw hope there—if I saw invitation—I wasn’t sure I’d stop myself.
She’d ruin me, or I’d ruin her.
The thing was…part of me wanted to let her.
It had been so long since I’d felt the need to touch someone. Since I’d wanted to be touched in return.
I turned onto my back and faced the ceiling.
“Get some sleep, Palmer.” My voice came out rough, almost choked. “I’ll still be here when you wake up.”