Page 106 of Loving Lies (Granton University 3)

The guys chuckled. “Well, you did good, kid.” One slugged him companionably on the shoulder. “You ever need a job, come see us.”

Jonah gawked after them as they walked away.

Tess curled her arms around one of his and rested her chin on his shoulder. “And I bet you still don’t feel as if you redeemed yourself tonight, do you?”

A small smile played across his face as he glanced at her. “Stop reading my mind, woman.”

Grinning, she kissed his cheek. “Take me home, handsome. Some very brave and gorgeous hero just told me I needed a shower.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

TESS AND JONAH didn’t actually make it back to his apartment until the wee hours of the morning. He’d been required to go to the hospital to get checked out, so they’d been forced to sit around for hours, waiting until he was released. Then, they had showered together, soaping each other’s hair three times before they gave up and decided they were just doomed to smell like smoke for a while. But after lying down for a few hours of shut eye, they were both up again, unable to sleep.

After another shower, Tess lingered in the bathroom to blow-dry her hair. Wrinkling her nose, she smelled one of her pungent locks as she strolled back into the living room where she caught sight of Jonah sitting on the couch, hanging up his cell phone.

“Well, Aubrey has a broken leg,” he announced with a heavy sigh. “The prop that fell on him busted his femur, just like mine.”

“Oh, my God.” Covering her mouth, she let out a small, horrified laugh. “And you told him to break a leg.”

Jonah groaned. “Don’t remind me. Seriously, the two of us hobbling around here for the next half a year is going to be hell, especially with the drama queen. He got a paper cut once and literally cried. With tears.”

Tess sobered immediately and winced. “Oh, boy. Poor Aubrey. But at least he wasn’t hurt any more than that. He could’ve been crushed to death. Or burned to a crisp.”

“Amen.” Wrapping his arms around her waist when she came close enough for him to touch her, he buried his face in her stomach. “All that matters is he’s alive.”

She stroked his hair as he rested his face against her.

“I’m going to go see him in a little bit, here. But I think I’m going to dig out my crutches first. My leg’s killing me.”

Tess eased out of his grip so she could sit beside him. Silently, she dug her fingers into the muscle he’d been trying to loosen when she’d walked into the room.

He groaned out a sound that told her her ministrations were the good kind of pain. Throwing his head back to rest it on the back cushion of the sofa, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his mouth.

“Thank you. That feels…God…amazing.”

“How bad did you hurt it?” she asked quietly, already knowing it wasn’t good.

He cracked open one eye to give her a why’d-you-have-to-ask-that glance. “Let’s just say my PT is going to be pissed when I see him for my next checkup.”

She bit her lip and dug a little deeper into the twisted mass of tissue. He sucked in a breath and grabbed the armrest to brace himself. “God, that’s perfect.”

Emotion rose in her throat. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, how amazed she was by all the heroism he’d shown last night, and how scared she’d been when she was sure he’d never make it out of that building alive. But it was all right there, too close to the surface. She didn’t want to cry any more, and if she said anything that was on her mind, she knew she’d lose it. So, she decide

d to keep it light.

“I decided on a major.”

He opened his beautiful brown eyes to study her. “So, you finally realized physical therapy was your calling, huh? Good.”

“Wait, how’d you know—” Her shoulder fell as she smiled and shook her head. “This is scary. Are you supposed to know me quite this well yet?”

He just smiled at her. “Couldn’t have happened fast enough for me.” Taking her hand, he played with her fingers as he looked into her eyes. “Speaking of moving fast, I was going to ask you to move in with me so we don’t have to be apart this summer, but that might not be a great idea. I think this apartment is cursed. Whoever stays here ends up with a broken leg.”

Tess caught her breath and unconsciously squeezed his hand as she gaped at him. “You mean, you…you really want me here?”

He snorted out an incredulous sound. “Of course I want you here. But—”

“But what?”

---