Their morning routine was down pat. Chloe would get up, do her jog while exploring the beautiful land Nick lived on. Then they met in the kitchen where they shared coffee and had something to eat. Then they spent hours in the gym and the pool.
He hadn’t quit flirting with her, but the intensity of it had diminished. It was more fun, almost innocent. And she was enjoying it far too much. She was still speaking to her father, but not daily, and she found herself not wanting to tell him anything―not that there was much to share.
No matter how she looked at the situation, she couldn’t see Nick as the monster her father said he was. She knew people could be good at deception, but the man worked hard, smiled often through the pain, and had a kind word to say to anyone stepping through his front door. How could he have done anything to put people who relied on him in danger? The pieces just weren’t adding up.
Chloe was exhausted from having her guard up all the time and fighting the attraction she felt toward the man. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to endure this task until the end―unless she told her father to go to hell and focused strictly on Nick’s recovery.
As appealing as that sounded, she’d never once before disobeyed her dad. If she were to do it now, the consequences wouldn’t be worth the lack of stress in her life. She was torn, and it most likely wouldn’t get better anytime soon.
Sitting on the back patio, Chloe heard the door open, and her breath hitched as she felt Nick draw closer to her. She wanted to turn and watch him, but at the same time, she didn’t need for him to realize how attuned she was to his every move around her.
“Why aren’t you in your swimsuit, doc?” he asked. He was close, no more than a foot behind her. Though she was sitting and he was on his feet, she still felt as if his hot breath was cascading down her neck.
“We’re doing something different this afternoon,” she told him.
“I’m officially intrigued,” he said.
With a lot of effort, he slid down, wincing only a bit as he took too much weight on his leg before his butt reached the seat.
“I wouldn’t get too excited. I’m gonna make you hurt,” she warned him. Finally, she turned her head and felt the impact of his gaze. She wished it didn’t still affect her so much, but if anything, the attraction had only grown stronger in the past few weeks. He still made her world spin a little bit faster each time she got lost in his eyes.
“Ah, doc, you hurt me all the time,” he said with a smile. There was truth behind his statement, though, which made her wince.
“Yeah, my job isn’t always appreciated,” she said. There were times after working several weeks or months with a client where she had to take some much needed time off. Getting a patient back to full health, or thereabouts, meant hurting them along the way. There was nothing she could do about it, but it still made her feel bad.
“It’s appreciated more than you could ever know,” he said with sincerity as he reached out and laid his hand on her thigh. The spark of heat that gesture caused to rush through her made her clench her teeth together.
Maybe it had just been too long since she’d allowed herself to let go―to get lost in a man’s embrace. That had to be all this was about. The alternative was too crazy to even think about.
Chloe almost wished Nick would grow tired of her distancing herself and give up on her. If that were really the case, though, she wouldn’t feel the pang that thought caused her. Maybe Chloe was going crazy―on the way to becoming like her father―mean and bitter, with too much time on her hands to be a happy part of normal society.
Whatever was going on, she had best pull it together. Shifting in her chair, she managed to knock Nick’s hand off her leg as she stood. Strangely, she felt a loss of warmth at the removal.
“We’re going to practice some stairs,” she told him.
Already she’d set up the equipment she needed in the yard. It was a beautiful summer day, and she couldn’t force herself to go inside the hot gym with him. Maybe the fresh air would clear up her muddled brain.
It was doubtful.
Nick didn’t give her any arguments―as usual―just pushed through the new brutal tasks. And he earned even more of her respect.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Each day for Nick was exactly the same as the next as he rose, worked out, got a break, worked out some more, then without Chloe’s knowledge, pushed himself even harder when she wasn’t there.
He hadn’t wanted to rely on the wheelchair, and now it had been a week since he’d felt enough pain that he’d had to resort to using it. From the moment Chloe had come to his house, he’d also been determined to give up the crutches—and although that had only been at his home a few days, and he went to bed exhausted each night, he’d put those away as well.
It was all because of Chloe. Sure, he pushed himself as well, but he had no doubt if she hadn’t come along, he’d have injured himself further. He’d known he was being a fool, but he’d also been consumed with sorrow at losing his crew, and anger at being weak. He’d felt he’d had something to prove. Nick didn’t feel that way any longer.
It was because of Chloe and her faith in him, in the way she made him look at the world so differently. There were still things about her she was keeping from him, but he didn’t think it could be anything that would change how he felt about her. Instead of his feelings tapering off, they were only growing stronger.
He knew a lot of his appreciation was due to her help―especially with him walking without the aid of crutches, even if it were far shorter distances than he would like―but it was more than that as well. When she entered the room, he wanted to be a better person. Before she’d stepped into his life, he hadn’t even known he’d needed to change anything about himself.