Page 30

I pushed a chair out from the wall a couple feet so I could get behind it, then knelt low so I could hoist it.

It was heavier than anticipated, and I strained against the weight, trying to awkwardly balance it.

Elena rushed forward. “Here, let me help you.”

“Not necessary.”

“Sure, it is.” She scrambled around, grabbed hold of the front legs, and started to maneuver backward through the doorway.

Only she took two steps backward and her heel must have caught on something because she suddenly tripped.

A hard thud reverberated through the air as her ass hit the hard ground.

A pained cry erupted.

“Elena!” Her name ripped off my tongue, and the chair banged against the floor as I dropped it like a rock.

I catapulted myself over the top to get to her.

Panic sped through my veins as I crouched beside her where she was halfway sitting up. Her eyes pinched closed and her teeth ground tight.

“Shit, Elena, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

She shook her head. “I don’t have time to be hurt.”

Without giving me any warning, she jumped onto her feet.

The second she did, another yelp burst out of her, and her hands darted out to my shoulders as she took the weight off her right leg.

Fingers digging in, she tried to balance on one foot.

“Crap. I think I pulled my hamstring,” she whimpered.

Worry cinching down, I stared up at her face from where I was knelt in front of her, trying to gauge how bad it was.

“Take a deep breath.” My voice was all coaxing and soft. Like it might be able to ply the pain right out of her.

“Easy for you to say when I just had the breath knocked out of me.” It was a wispy wheeze, but I figured words were a good sign.

“Can you put weight on your leg?” I chanced.

She blinked, tongue swiping out over her pink, glossy lips. “I’m not sure.”

Probably a bad move, yeah, but my hand was moving on its own accord. Smoothing up the back of her thigh and under her skirt until I was softly squeezing her hamstring.

Every element of myself demanded that I soothe her.

She whimpered again, but that time it was softer, and those warm eyes struck with something that looked like fire as she clung to me.

I couldn’t do anything but peer up at her as I massaged. The connection that we shared that kept trying to turn into something that it couldn’t flamed in the space between us.

“Right here?” My words were rough.

“Yeah.”

I rubbed and kneaded it until the tension finally began to drain.

Though I couldn’t seem to let go, pretending like being this close to her could be any semblance of right.