Dutifully, I take up her cause and glance around. Up at the ceiling. Along the tiled walls. Down along the drain. All the while ignoring thenaked.
Jesus, save me from temptation and the boner in myjeans.
“Babe, I think you probably killed theculprit.”
Tori’s breathless, her long, thick hair a tangle of wet locks cascading down her body, one I need to explore again with my mouth. Because that fumble in my truck didn’t do my memory of her curvesjustice.
Eyes up, douchebag. Eyesup.
But the smile she gives me is a spotlight, stealing all my attention. “Really? It’sgone?”
God, she’sbeautiful.
She stares at me from underneath damp eyelashes, the grateful expression on her face making my heart thump harder against mychest.
Leaning into the shower and ignoring the spray, I wipe away the water on her cheek with my palm and desperately try to keep my hunger for this woman atbay.
I’m about to tell her that yes, the coast is clear, when I catch a glimpse of the eight-leggedsuspect.
Wow. That is a big motherfucker.She’s not gonna likethis.
“Sweetheart, don’t freakout.”
Tori goes stock still, her eyes widening as I lean closer to pluck the bastard out of the hair draped across hershoulder.
“What. The.Fuck.”
The look of terror on her face is punctuated by another shrill scream and more hopping, except she bumps into me as she’s jumping around, and I drop the damn thing. It goes scooting over her bare foot and five hot-pink toenails on its way toward thedrain.
With a pained cry, she leaps out of the shower and into myarms.
29
Ethan
At first,I think she’s laughing. Because, yeah, this whole situation is pretty crazy. I chuckle too, not caring that my clothes are drenched and I’m standing in a puddle of water the size of CanyonLake.
I lean back toward the door and peer through her dimly lit room and into the dark hallway beyond. As loud as Tori was a few minutes ago, I think the sound machines in the kids’ rooms probably kept themasleep.
After closing the bathroom door with one hand, I caress her wet hair. It’s only then that I realize she’s notlaughing.
She’scrying.
My heart seizes at the panic in her eyes and the fear fluttering her pulse at the base of herthroat.
“Darlin’? Hey, it’s okay.” She’s shivering so hard, her teethchatter.
Worse, though? She doesn’t respond. Just trembles in my arms andsniffles.
My eyes dart around the bathroom and stop on the robe tucked through a towel rod. Grabbing it with one arm, I shake it out and drape it over her slender shoulders before I set her on the edge of the counter. When I realize how threadbare the robe is, I snatch a thick towel and wrap her in it before I tuck her icy-cold body tome.
It’s a long, quiet minute before she says anything. “I’m so sorr-rr-rry.”
“No need to apologize,” I mutter softly in her ear, but the fear in her voice is still so stark, I realize I’d do anything to make her feelbetter.
With a gentle touch, I run my hand along her back. “It’s not every day a beautiful woman in distress needs me to rescue her. I like to think I bring my A-game. Ethan Carter at your service, ma’am. Rascally vermin are myspecialty.”
That earns me a laugh, and I smile against the silky, wet skin of herneck.
