A soft hand cupped his cheek. "I'm so sorry. Lily hasn't learned not to play around people's feet yet."
Hearing her name, Lily pushed her head under Grace's arm and licked his face.
There is no danger. Just an annoying but cute little dog.
But Damon wouldn’t mind continuing the anxiety-reducing exercise by touching four things, starting with Grace.
Shoving those thoughts to the back of his mind, he pushed the dog away and sat up. When the room swam, he grabbed Grace’s arm to steady himself. "Whoa."
"Slowly now. You hit your head pretty hard." Grace crouched close enough he could smell her floral perfume despite the onions she’d been chopping a moment ago.
He looked at her lips again. More than anything in the world, he wanted to kiss them.
No. I can't.
"I'm fine." He pushed away from her but struggled to get his left leg under him. Having no sensation in his foot and an ankle that didn't bend made it difficult to find the correct placement of his prosthesis. In the rehab center, he practiced standing with only one leg, but the added weight and length of the prosthetic made it more difficult than usual.
Grace got to her feet. "Here, let me help you up."
Damon didn't want to accept her help, but he'd already made a fool of himself enough for one day. Grasping her hand, he got his good leg under him. He tried to pull himself up but nearly pulled her down on top of him instead.
"Wait." She laughed as she caught herself. "I didn't expect you to be so heavy." She widened her stance and held her hands out to him again.
"Are you saying I'm fat?" He tried to joke to dispel the frustration that swamped him.
"Not hardly." She snorted. "I just forgot how muscular you are."
Pride swelled in his chest. In rehab, he'd worked hard to rebuild muscle, well the ones he could anyway. He liked that she noticed, even though he shouldn't care.
She leaned back and gave a mighty tug, lifting him off the floor. There was enough power behind her pull that it propelled him toward her after he was on his feet. He swayed. She stepped back as he stumbled forward. He couldn’t stop his momentum until he had her pinned against the refrigerator with his hands on either side of her.
Her hands landed on his chest. Warmth seeped through his shirt, sending a surge of electricity through him.
They froze. He both heard and felt her sharp intake of breath.Hislungs seemed to have stopped working.
Her beautiful brown eyes stared up at him, trusting and inviting. Her gaze dropped to his lips as she whispered his name so softly it felt like a caress. Then she licked her lips.
He’d overcome his anxiety, but he desperately wanted to complete the final part of the exercise.
One thing you can taste.
He shifted a hand to Grace’s neck as he lowered his head. Before touching his lips to hers, he paused, trying to remember why this was a bad idea. But the urge to kiss Grace was stronger than his desire to stay away from her, and it muddled his mind.
She pushed up on her toes and pressed her lips to his, ending his contemplation. Her fingers curled into fists in his T-shirt, preventing him from pulling away. Not that he wanted to.
Comforting yet energizing warmth settled over him, making him feel calmer than he had in months and so very alive. Her hands slid over his shoulders and up to play with the hair at the nape of his neck.
He loved it when she did that.
She parted her lips as she pulled him in tighter, inviting him to deepen the kiss.
For the first time since he returned to Providence three weeks ago, he felt like he'd finally come home.
He wrapped his arms around her, gathering her to him. His brain kept telling him this was a mistake, but his heart pounded so hard it almost drowned out all reasoning.
Almost. But not quite.
Finding strength he didn't know he possessed, he released Grace and stepped back, careful not to lose his balance again.
