Read Her Forever Hero (Unexpected Heroes) for Free Online

he opened a can and boiled some water. Big freaking deal.
    “You didn’t need to do this,” she said, her throat tight. She accepted the tray, though, and didn’t waste any time pouring her tea and adding a dollop of honey before she took ravenous mouthfuls of her soup.
    “I wanted to do it,” Cam told her before sitting back down.
    “Thank you,” she mumbled.
    “What was that? I didn’t quite hear you,” Cam said, and she sent him another withering look.
    “I said, ‘Thank you!’ ” But she sounded anything but thankful.
    “You always have had a difficult time thanking people,” Cam told her.
    “That’s because most people do things for selfish reasons, not because they’re truly selfless,” she said, then frowned when she realized her sandwich was gone.
    “Want another one?”
    “No . . .” But she drew out the no . His attentiveness was sapping her will.
    Cam laughed and climbed off the couch, grabbed her plate, then disappeared again. She could have tried to stop him, but the food was giving her some much-needed energy, and she hadn’t eaten in . . . hell, it had to be two full days now.
    He returned as she was pouring a second cup of tea. He set the sandwich on her tray and sat back down. “Feeling better? Do you need any medicine? I can make a pharmacy run.”
    “I am feeling a little better. And for real, thank you,” she said as she sipped her tea and then began nibbling on the second sandwich.
    “Medicine?” he repeated.
    “I wouldn’t mind some NyQuil,” she practically whispered. “It’s on the kitchen counter.” She had no doubt she was going to have to repay his kindness, but it was so nice to have someone taking care of her, even if only for a little while. A truce was acceptable under the circumstances.
    Cam jumped up again and retrieved the capsules, along with some water to wash it down. When she finished her meal, he set the tray on her coffee table before giving her a look that made her instantly nervous.
    “We still need to chat, but since you’re sick, and slightly stinky at the moment . . .” he said with a chuckle.
    “I do not stink!” she snarled.
    “Okay, I made that up, but I’m sure now that you have a little energy, you would love a hot bath.”
    Oh, that did sound like heaven, but it was far too much effort. “I’m fine,” she told him, although it pained her to say it.
    “You forget that I know you, Grace. We may have been apart most of the last ten years, but before that we were inseparable.”
    “That was a very long time ago, Cam. People change.”
    “Yes, but not that much, and if I remember correctly, you can sit in a tub until your entire body is a mass of wrinkles—if you have a good book.”
    With that, he leapt up again, and soon her ears pricked up at the heavenly sound of running water. Her slight food buzz was already diminishing, and she wasn’t at all sure she’d have the energy to get up, undress, and bathe, but even though he had retracted his “stinky” comment, she felt disgusting. The cold had left her either shivering or stewing in her own juices, and washing off the sweat sounded better than a million dollars right now.
    Ten minutes later Cam came back in the room. “Okay, up you go,” he said, and then her cover was being flung aside, and before she knew what he intended, his arms went beneath her and he was lifting her up, holding her securely against his solid chest.
    “Mmm, I remember this,” he whispered.
    Grace felt her chest restrict. Yeah, she remembered it too well herself. He marched into her room, then to the bathroom, and only stopped when he reached the tub. He set her down on the side. “Need help undressing?”
    “No! I’ve got this,” she told him.
    The adrenaline from being pressed up against him had given her back her lost energy, and she felt her cheeks grow hot at the thought of him stripping her clothes away.
    “It’s not like I haven’t seen it before,” he reminded her softly,