“Sucker for pain, are you?”
“You wouldn’t understand. But…speaking of pain…”
I’m selfish enough to enjoy temporary status as Everly’s lone defense against gravity. “How bad does it hurt? Scale of one to ten?”
She eases her grip and waves the question away. “Maybe a seven? Eight if we keep talking about it. I’m fine. Let’s go.” But her first step devolves into a hop. “Oh, brother.”
I sweep my gaze around the empty plaza. We’re in kind of a no-man’s land. Even if I left her and went for the car, there would still be plenty of walking involved.
“I’m fine, Knox. Just, um, let me hold on to you.”
I snuggle her closer, even as I tip my head to the sky, groaning. “Ugh, do I have to?”
She laughs, a melody that swiftly devolves into a hiss.
“Aw, man, that bad?”
Teeth clenched, she nods sharply.
“I can carry you.”
Our gazes collide. “I’ll be okay.”
That would make exactly one of us. Bad of me as it is to be thinking of kissing her while she’s hurting, I don’t believeI’llbe okay until our lips have met.
She makes it a few more step-hops before stopping against a railing. “I just need to rest a second.”
A fresh shot of north wind scoops her hair up, whipping wayward strands across her cheeks, pale but with a pinky tone heightened by the cold.
That’s it.I step in front of her. “Arms around my neck.”
“Knox…”
She squeals as I sweep her off her feet. Lifting Everly is akin to pumping baby weights at the gym.
“Knox!” Her squawk sails straight into my ear canal. “I said I can walk. Are you hard of hearing?”
“Might be after that screech.”
“Nothing more than you deserve for not following orders.”
“Orders, eh?”
She thumps a fist—quite ineffectually—at my chest.
Her breath warms the skin above my collar. “You’re slowing me down, lady. Doing it your way will land us both in the ER with frostbite.”
“Knox.”
I halt, making our noses nearly touch. “Pretty please, may I carry you to the car, your highness?” I’ll put her down if she insists.
But she releases a drama-filled sigh, looping her arms around my neck and…ahhh…resting her head to my chest. “Fine. Have it your way.”
With every step, her purse flaps against my back. When we reach the car, I aim for the passenger side.
“Hey, what are you doing? I can drive!”
A pattern is developing. I act, Everly protests, I make and win my case.
