Page 14 of Training the Heart

“Shitis right, let me see,” he says. The heat from his warm body and the fresh clean scent of leather, spice, and something else? Citrus? Rose? I cling to it as he inspects my head. A strong finger tilts my chin up and he looks into my eyes. My lady bits come alive with his touch and this proximity. “Just checking to see that you’re not concussed,” he says, looking at my injury.

His emerald eyes meet mine, making me feel sort of all tingly and jelly-like. I watch as they drift to my mouth. His throat bobs as he swallows.

Concussed? No.

Turned on? Check.

My jaw falls slack as his warm, large fingers press gently across my forehead until I wince when he hits the spot I smacked. “You might end up with a good bruise there but I think you’re okay.”

“Wouldn’t be my first,” I say nervously.What the hell is wrong with me?

His dark eyes assess me. “I don’t really think you should go back to your place alone on account of you might take yourself out somehow on the way back, so just … sit,” he says, gesturing to the living room.

I stand there for a beat too long and don’t respond, because the muscles in his arms when he points across the room are just …

Wade’s gaze finds mine.

“Ivy, sit,” he commands.

I blink, then move to the spot on the couch he’s pointing to.Yes, sir.Who am I to argue with bossy Wade Ashby?

He disappears for less than five minutes and returns in well-worn jeans, a long-sleeved black Henley that clings to every tempting inch of the body I forever can’t unsee, and a black Tennessee Titans baseball hat he curves the brim on with both hands as he walks. He looks totally together and relaxed. The polar opposite of me.

He bends down when he makes his way over to me, smelling even better now with some sort of aftershave. Wade has the kind of scent you just want to lean into and inhale deep.

“Still alright? Don’t feel nauseous or anything?” he asks, lightly skimming his fingers across my forehead again. “You don’t have a goose egg, that’s a good sign.”

His eyes hold mine in place. The deep green gives way to little flecks of brown that are only noticeable when he’s this close to me.

He blinks and it breaks my trance.

“Sorry about all this.” I smile sheepishly as he stands and nods toward the door, his jaw tense again.

“I’ll grab my tool bag from my truck on the way out. Let’s go.”

I do as he says, this time making sure to actually pull the door open before I decide to walk through it.

CHAPTER SIX

Ivy

“On!” I yell from my kitchen to Wade at the back of the house as whatever he did just turned my power back on.

Simultaneous beeping commences as my house comes alive. All I can think of is getting this man out of here and collecting myself a little before I go to dinner.

“All set, then,” he says as he enters the living room. “Something blew the breaker to your kitchen, and whatever you were doing back there, you must have shut the entire panel right down. The cabin is old, so try not to have too much plugged in and running at the same time.”

“Thank you,” I say. “I did have the washer and dryer running at lunch and a space heater, maybe I didn’t notice before I came back to the barn that it went out. I didn’t mean to … I mean, I’m sorry I barged into your house. I didn’t expect you to not be decent,” I say, trying to sound as professional as possible.

Wade raises an eyebrow as he packs his tools back up in his tool bag.

“I should expect it. I didn’t nickname you Trouble for nothing,Trouble.” He drops his gaze quickly but not before I see them.

The hint of dimples. Twice in one day.

“What’s twice in one day?” he asks, his face already back to expressionless.

Fuck my life. I said that out loud?

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