Page 38 of Forbidden Love

And that was the strangest part.

Because for the first time in forever, she’d actually slept. Really slept. No tossing and turning. No staring at the ceiling with thoughts that wouldn’t shut up. Just deep, uninterrupted peace.

Her body had melted into the mattress like it trusted the world to spin without her watching it.

She paused in the doorway, one hand on the frame, and let herself feel it for just a second—that warm, unfamiliar afterglow of a soul that hadn’t had to fight through the night.

Brock.

His name whispered through her mind before she could stop it.

She hadn't even seen him since the fishing bet yesterday, but something about him—about the safety and ease he brought with him—had stayed with her, wrapped around her like an invisible blanket through the night.

Deb shook her head, half-laughing at herself as she finally stepped outside, slamming the door behind her. “Get it together, woman. You got shit to do.”

Deb bolted out the back door, skipping the last two steps like her heels were on fire, only to scream as alargepile of something flew past her head and smacked the ground with a heavythud.

“Shit!” a voice yelled from above.

“Deb!”

Before her heart could settle back into her chest, both Hunter and Brock jumped down from the roof, landing in front of her like twin shadows. Brock reached her first, his hands warm and strong as they gripped her shoulders, his eyes scanning her frantically.

“Were you hit?” he asked, his voice sharp with concern as he looked her over, hands brushing against her arms and sides like he needed to make sure she was whole.

She blinked, still stunned, then looked at the pile of shingles now lying pathetically beside her feet. “No,” she said breathlessly. “Just scared the absolutecrapout of me.”

“What the hell, Deb?” Hunter ran a hand through his hair, clearly flustered. “You came out of nowhere! What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m going to work,” she snapped, still trying to calm her racing heart. “What are you doing? Attempting murder by construction?”

Hunter glared, flinging a hand toward the roof. “Didn’t you hear us? We’ve been up there an hour! I swear, we could’ve woken the damn dead! Storms are coming in tonight, and we wanted to get this done before that.”

Deb crossed her arms, frowning. Truth be told, she hadn’t heard a thing. She’d been too busy running around inside like a headless chicken trying to get ready. “No,” she admitted. “I didn’t know you were up there. But yeah, thanks.”

Both men looked at her like she’d just confessed to eating drywall. It was Hunter who broke the silence. “Seriously? What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing!” Deb shot back, hand on her hip. “What’s wrong with you? Upset because you didn’t kill me? Afraid I really will talk to Mabel, and she’ll make good on her threat to turn that thing you call a dick black?”

“Wait.” Brock looked confused as he glanced between Hunter, whose face was angry, and then to Deb, who smirked. “What?”

“Not funny.” Hunter pointed at her and then looked at Brock. “Long story.”

“Actually, it’s not, but whatever,” Deb said as she tried to walk around Brock, but he stepped in her way.

“Are yousureyou weren’t hit?” he asked softly, his voice low as he looked her over.

Deb hesitated, her heart doing an entirelydifferentkind of race now. He was close—too close—and the way he was looking at her like she actually mattered made her knees feel a little too unreliable.

“I’m sure,” she managed, giving a brisk nod. “Listen, I’m already late. Thanks for fixing the roof. Really.”

She started toward her car, but paused at the edge of the yard, tossing a glance over her shoulder. “There’s sandwich stuff in the kitchen if you guys get hungry.”

“You shouldn’t leave your house unlocked,” Brock called after her, his tone more serious than before.

“I don’t.” She shot him a quick smile, though her chest ached just a little. “Hunter knows where the extra key is hidden.”

She turned away quickly, because if she looked at Brock for one more second with that worried crease between his brows, she might just melt into a puddle of feelings right there in the grass.

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