Page 72 of Heart of Thorns

Thorne walks over and tells the clerk something. She comes strolling over to me within a minute with a size eight.

He thanks her and grabs the box from her hands.

“Sit,” he tells me.

I take a seat, and he bends down below.

“How did you know what size I needed?” I ask, curious.

After slipping my Converse off, he peers at me with those warm, honey eyes. “Because I pay attention, kitten.”

Well, shit.

Cat’s gotmytongue.

I say nothing as he works the boot onto my foot and laces it up.

When he’s done, he grabs my hand and pulls me to stand. I wobble, because my knee is sore, but I catch my balance.

“You hurting today?” His tone brinks on the edge of worry.

I brush it off. “I’m fine.”

“I’m putting you in an ice bath later.”

I scowl. “I hate ice baths.”

He leans down and whispers in my ear, “I’m leaving you in there extra long for lying to me about being fine, too.”

I try to step on his toe with mynewboot, but he moves away at the last second.

He laughs at my expression. “I know you better than you think.”

“Oh, whatever.” I roll my eyes and turn away, only to be spun right back around.

Thorne’s forehead is burrowed, and his jaw is tense.

“What’s wrong?” My curious gaze works its way around the store.

Thorne’s hot breath fans against my face with a heavy sigh. “My father’s client.”

“Okay…”So?

A tight swallow works against Thorne’s neck. “That one whose daughter I had dissed by telling him I was in a committed relationship with someone else.”

Ah. Now it makes sense.

I latch on to Thorne’s wrists. His fingers squeeze my hips from the touch.

“That someone being me, I’m assuming?”

He nods and stands taller. His spine straightens, and every one of his muscles are stiff with stress.

I smile softly at him and attempt to calm him down. “Don’t worry. Just play along. Consider it practice.”

Confusion fixes itself onto his face, but when I get closer to him, the worry lines disappear.

I flutter my eyelashes. “Kiss me.”