Fully clothed, I stepped in behind her and got to work. I didn’t let my hands or eyes linger on her body. Instead, I focused on her eyes and face. Cataloging every detail in my head. When she tilted her head back and let the rain shower’s steamy water pelt down on her, I could feel something change in the air. I’d never been so attuned to someone’s emotions as I was with her. She pressed her lips together, and when she looked at me, if I had had any doubts about Vi being mine, they would have melted away right then and there.
“I could have died today,” she said out loud, almost as if she needed to say it for herself.
“You didn’t,” I immediately responded, holding her face with both hands. “You didn’t. You’re right here. I promise you, Vi, I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Not ever again.” I had no idea where the words were coming from, but fuck, they felt good. Right.
Tears mixed with the water, and I pulled her into me. Hugging her tightly, stroking the back of her head as she sobbed into my chest.
“It’s okay. Shhh, everything is okay.”
“What if you hadn’t been there? What if?—”
“Shh,” I soothed. “Playing the what-if game never helps.” I tried to ignore how fucking good she felt in my arms. This was not the time to get hard. Not that I could have done that with the way her body wracked with sobs.
I held her tightly, and she held on to me like I was her lifeline, one I was more than happy to be for the rest of our lives. Slowly, she calmed down, but I didn’t let her go because I was a selfish bastard. My clothes were soaked through, and I could feel her nude body pressed against mine, clinging to me for comfort.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered once her breathing settled.
“Nothing to be sorry about.” I lifted her chin with the tip of my fingers. “Let me wash and condition your hair, and we’ll get out of here.” She nodded, and I got to work.
Once I was done, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped her up with the towel, then carefully lifted her onto the counter.
“Let me comb out your hair,” I offered.
“What about you?” she asked, holding on to the front of the towel. I reached behind me and grabbed a robe, covering her body with it, tightening the belt around her sweet waist.
“What about me?” I asked, picking up a comb.
“Logan, you’re dripping wet,” she pointed out, looking at me like I’d lost it. And in a way, I had.
“I’ll get dressed after you’re taken care of.”
“No. I can brush my— ow!” she cried when she tried to take the comb out of my hands. “How do I hurt this much?” she whispered with defeat I didn’t like hearing in her voice.
“Hey, we’re only human,” I encouraged.
“I don’t know if that’s true about you. You were like a superhero out there. My very own Superman.” I ignored the compliment and shook my head.
“It was a stressful situation you were in, and your body tensed up. Now the muscles have to contract back out and relax.”
“I guess you’re right,” she sighed. I couldn’t stop staring at her. Thankfully, she’d shut her eyes, and I was free to do just that as I carefully combed out her hair. “You’re good at this. You could have been a hair stylist.”
“My mom taught me.” I shrugged, and that made her eyes open with surprise.
“Your mom taught you how to brush out women’s hair?”
“Any long hair.” I smiled, enjoying how relaxed she started to look. “She had a salon when I was younger and worked crazy hours to accommodate her clients. I was the oldest and have a little sister,” I shared. “I helped get her ready in the mornings before school so my mom could sleep in a little more.”
“That was sweet. Always taking care of people. Is that what made you want to be a cop?”
“No.” I cleared my throat. “When I’d just left for college, my mom’s salon was broken into when she and two of her employees were there.”
“Oh, Logan.” Her hand moved to the center of my chest, and even through the soaked material, I could feel her warmth and softness burn through me. “What happened?”
“They got roughed up by some punks and the salon was trashed. She had insurance, and everything was fixed up, but I hated the fear I saw in my mom’s eyes going to the place she had literally built from the ground up. That was when I changed my major, and the moment I graduated, I joined the academy.”
“Wow,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry that happened to her. Bad things happen all the time, don’t they?”
“Wrong time, wrong place. Shit happens, but we don’t let it define us,” I said because I could see where the wheels in her head were spinning towards.
