Page 45 of Faking It with my Billionaire Grump

And then, a horrible tingling feeling rushes through my body as the ladder shifts beneath me. I try to readjust my weight, but it’s too late, and as my bucket goes flying, the water spilling all over the place before it hits the ground, I hear a voice yelling behind me.

“Tilly!”

But there’s nothing I can do, and I try to twist myself so I might at least land on my feet.

“Argh,” I squeal as I fall, anticipating the pain I’m going to feel.

But as the ground looms up to meet me, I suddenly slam into something a little softer—and I say a little, because as Jake catches me, I thud against his muscular body. He stumbles back with the force of my body clashing with his, but unlike me, he regains his balance and remains on his feet.

Breathlessly, we look at each other, our eyes wide with panic.

“Are you alright?” he pants.

My heart is thumping out of my chest, and I can only nod. My life didn’t quite flash before my eyes, but the fall terrified the living daylights out of me.

I expect Jake to lower me to the ground, but for a few seconds, he holds me there, gazing down at me. He’s still concerned, even though he doesn’t need to be, given the fact that he caught me. His heart is thumping in his chest; I can feel it against my arm. I can also feel the solid structure of those muscles I know he has hiding under his shirt.

As the fear dissipates, another feeling arises. Evoked by his closeness and the fact that he smells amazing—patchouli and lemon, I think—my stomach clenches. Now I’m feeling a little breathless for another reason entirely, and as I gaze up at him, our eyes seem to lock, as cliché as that sounds.

Lost in the moment, we just look at each other. And whether I want it to or not, I can feel the electricity sparking between us.

“I’m fine,” I say hurriedly, suddenly wanting to break the tension that’s building.

Slowly, Jake lowers me to the ground, and I smile nervously. “Well, that was exciting.” It’s a stupid thing to say, but I need to say something.

“I don’t remember our deal involving you injuring yourself,” he says. “Thank heavens I was here.”

“Yes. Thanks for saving me.”

He’s still looking at me like I’m an injured bird, and it’s making me feel uncomfortable.

“Jake, I’m fine. Really. I’m more bothered that I made a complete fool of myself.”

He frowns and shakes his head. “Why are you always so hard on yourself?”

His words surprise me, and I’m a little taken aback. “I’m not.”

“You are,” he argues. “It’s like you have to be perfect in everything. But you have nothing to prove to me, Tilly.”

I sigh and look down at the ground as I feel a wave of disappointment wash over me. “I’ve just made such a mess of everything. I should have my life sorted out by now, and—”

“Says who?” he interrupts.

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “But it’s a given, right? I’m nearly thirty years old. Doesn’t everyone have their life together by now?”

Jake laughs. “No. And there’s no rule that says that you should, either.”

“You have,” I counter.

“Tilly, you can’t compare yourself to everyone else. You’ve got to live your life for you. Whatever that looks like.”

I smirk up at him then. “When did you become so wise?”

He tilts his head up, pretending to think about it. “Somewhere between breakfast and lunch, I think.”

I giggle at him, and he grins back at me.

“Come on. The windows will do just fine. Let’s go for a ride.”

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