"No, we wouldn't," he agreed. "Now, are you going to let me help you out?" He stretched out his arm.
10
LEAH
I stared at his hand,totally not wondering how it would feel between my legs, his fingers sliding inside me.
"Turn around."
"I can't help you with my back turned," he said. He was starting to look irritated.
"Close your eyes then," I insisted. "You don't need to see you to help me."
He stared at me for a moment. Drew back his hand and pushed his sleeve up to his elbow. Before I could say anything, he plunged his hand into the bath, down between my legs and pulled out the plug.
"Now, are you going to sit there and get cold, or are you going to let me help you?" He straightened up and shook water and bubbles off his arm.
"That was a dick move." I watched the water turn in increasingly rapid circles as it disappeared down the drain.
"What can I say, I'm a dick." He shrugged and offered his hand again.
"Just remember you said it." I grabbed his hand and levered myself to my feet before carefully stepping over the side of the bath and onto the floor. I snatched a towel from the rack andwrapped it around myself before he could get too much of an eyeful.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" He took a couple of steps back and leaned against the wall, his half-lidded eyes on me. Yeah, he'd seen plenty. And he seemed to like what he saw.
"Is that something you want to admit?" I dried my hair with another towel and wrapped it around my head.
He grinned. "I have no problem in that department, honey."
"If you say so." I stepped past him out of the bathroom. "Thanks for helping me." My joints still ached, but they'd be better tomorrow. Sleeping during a flare-up was often almost impossible. Every time I rolled over, my body screamed at me. I didn't want to rely on Tylenol, but some days I had no choice.
While I dressed quickly in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, I heard him rustling around in the kitchen, opening cabinets and pulling things out. Walking carefully and gingerly, I stepped out to see what he was doing.
"You don't have much," he said over his shoulder.
"I've been meaning to stock up." That was today's plan before the flare-up had other ideas.
"I'll bring you some things for dinner, then I need to get back to the Frosty Brew." He closed the cabinet in front of him and stalked towards the door.
"I can manage," I said.
He stopped with his hand on the doorknob and looked back. "How?" His gaze travelled down my body to my swollen feet. "They still hurt."
I glanced down. "Yeah, but?—"
He cut me off. "Then lie down. Or sit down. Stream a romcom or two, read a book. I won't be long."
I wanted to argue, but all of that sounded too good. Everything except the bit where he'd want something in return at some point.
"What's Riley going to say?" I asked.
"Why would he say anything?" Connor asked. Yet, he didn't seem surprised by the question.
"He seemed to think I was hoping to choke on his cock," I said as I lowered myself onto the couch. "He also seemed to want me to leave town. I don't want to cause trouble between you."
Although, if there was trouble between them, they'd be the cause of it, not me. I was an innocent bystander.
"He needs to get to know you," Connor said. "He'll realise you're not leaving. Don't worry about gettingbetweenus. When that happens, it'll be completely consensual." He smiled slowly, very sure that would happen. Certain, like he was of everything else.
