Page 16 of Her Filthy Grump

Why does that piss me off? I growl and shake my head. Stop. You don’t have the time or the energy to mess around with a woman. This trip is about licking your wounds and steering clear of entanglements.

When I’m satisfied I have all the supplies I need, I slip the drawer shut and return to the table. She tucks the lock of hair behind her ear and glances up at me.

Her green eyes are half-shuttered by her lashes, and her plump lips are moist like she’s recently licked them. Blood rushes through my veins and settles in my dick. That’s what I get for wishing I could see her face. Karma’s a bitch.

“Thank you so much for saving me.” Her eyes fall to the floor, and her tongue slips out from between her lips. She licks her bottom lip and then bites down on it.

Son of a bitch.“Just doing my job.” I bark out with more force than I intended. Remember your training. You’re a fireman. Fix her up and send her on her way.

“Oh.” Her eyes pop open, and her gaze darts to the wall. “Well, thank you for doing your job.”

I squat in front of her, unlace the strings of her tennis shoe, and slip it off–unicorn socks.A brief smile touches my lips. I’ve never met anyone like Layla. Don’t most girls give up the character socks by their teenage years? I slip the fabric off her foot and whistle. Her ankle is red and swollen.

“Is it bad?” She contorts her body until she can see around me.

The curve of her cheek and her perfume’s scent are hell on my libido and nearly dissuade me from my mission. “It’s going to be black and blue.” I rub the most swollen part and twist her foot in different directions. “I don’t think anything’s broken, but if the pain gets worse, or you can’t put weight on it in a couple of days, you’ll need to get X-rays.”

“I’m sure it’s fine.”

As I straighten her foot to point her toes to the ceiling, she tenses. I stop and let her foot fall back to its resting position. “I’ll wrap it for you.”

I grab the bandage and lace it around her foot and ankle. When everything’s secure, but not too tight, I cut two strips of tape and secure the end of the bandage to keep it from unraveling. “You should be good.”

“Thanks.” She presses her hands on the cushion of the chair she’s resting on and shifts her weight to sit taller. “I appreciate it. Whether it’s your job or not.”

I stand and place my hands on my hips. “Do you need some medicine?”

She nods slowly. “Yeah, I think so. It’s going to be a bear to get back into my vehicle.”

“I’ll get you a glass of water.”Do we have any crutches?I think back to all the nooks and crannies, trying to remember if I’ve seen any.

I’d gladly carry her to her vehicle, but if I do, I’ll end up taking her home and starting something I can’t afford to finish. She’s not the kind of girl you take home for a one-night stand, and I’m only here for a few months.

Chief Monroe.The muscles in my back tense.Shit.He could have walked in on us and thought something was going on.

As I wait for the tap water to get cold, I snatch a plastic cup out of the cabinet. “I hope you don’t mind plastic. We aren’t big on fine China at the station.”

“Water tastes the same in plastic or glass. It’s still water.”

Obviously, Layla and Tabitha didn’t go to the same school of thought. Tabitha would have instantly shot her nose in the air over anything that wasn’t fancy. Funny, considering, she worked as a waitress at aCheesecake Factory.

“Here you go.” I set the glass in front of her and stand back as she grasps the bottle of pills and twists open the childproof top. She shakes the bottle until two round brown tablets fall into her hand.

After she swallows them down, I shove my hands into my pockets. Now, what? I should let her rest for a couple of minutes and then make sure she gets to her car okay. What do we talk about?

“You should go.” She nods her head toward the doorway. “I’ll be fine. I’ll wait about ten minutes for the medicine to kick in and then slip out.”

My eyes narrow, and the muscles in my shoulders tense. Is she being polite, or does she want me gone? Hell, why do I care? Ten seconds ago, I wanted to get away from her.

“I’ll wait.” I pull out the chair across from hers and settle into the cushions. Once I’m ready for the long haul, I cross my arms over my chest. “So, you grew up in Meadow Bay?”

“Yes. I’ve been here all my life. I went away to San Francisco for four years of college but returned on the weekends to work and see my family. I permanently moved back a few months ago.”

“What did you study?” I’d wanted to go to college out of high school, but that was fool’s gold. My father was on his own after my gestational carrier left. There wasn’t money to afford college.

“Business and fine arts.”

“Nice.”

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