My arms go around his shoulders, and I try not to notice the press of his hard chest and abs against my side. Try not to notice how delicious he feels. “You shouldn’t come near me. You’ll get the plague too.”Little late for that warning.“And Peony will get sick.” I don’t need to give Athena yet another reason not to like me.
Plus, it won’t help him with his deadline.
He gives my body a light squeeze-hug. “I’ll take my chances.”
Of course he will.
He carries me to the bathroom. “Why have you been avoiding me for the past week?”
“I haven’t been avoiding you.” I’ve totally been avoiding him—ever since I overheard Athena’s tirade in the staff room. Every time I replayed her sharp words, they shredded me on the inside a little more. “I’ve been busy. With all the planning I’ve been doing for the grand reopening.” It’s the truth though.
He lowers me onto the closed toilet seat. “I’ll give you privacy while you do your thing.” He points to the toilet. “And I’ll help you into the bathtub once you’re done.” A slightly panicked expression crosses hisface, lifting his eyebrows. “Unless you need help with…” He waves at me and the toilet.
“No, I’m good,” I say a little too quickly. If I wasn’t feeling like hell had stomped on me and if I wasn’t mortified at the thought of him helping me with the toilet, I’d burst out laughing at his equally mortified reaction.
Garrett leaves, shutting the door behind him. With the help of the counter, I stand on shaky legs, lower my sleep shorts and panties, and do my business.
Once I’m finished, I flush and wash my hands and brush my teeth. My eyes go to the mirror, and I die a little more on the inside. I don’t look like crap. I look a hundred times worse than crap.
I don’t have the energy to fix my less than substellar appearance. All I can do is remove my sleep bonnet and fluff my hair. It will have to do. It’s not like Garrett and I are dating and I don’t want him to see the real me.
He has seen the real me plenty of times—including when I have a cold.
Knocking comes from the other side of the door. “You ready?”
“Yep. Ready.”
The door cautiously opens, and Garrett steps into the small space, his body almost bumping into mine.
He turns on the tap for the bathtub and picks up the bottle of bath salts from the counter. He unscrews the lid and sniffs the contents. “It smells like you.”
“It’s jasmine.”
He pours some into the water. The light, floral scent is barely noticeable through the congestion in my head.
He returns the bottle to the counter and strips out of his T-shirt.
I don’t say anything or question what he’s doing. I lean against the bathroom door and appreciate the delectable view of his muscled abs and chest. A girl’s gotta make the most of moments like this whenever she can…even when she feels like crap.
Especially when she feels like crap.
His shorts, socks, and boxer briefs come off next. I wasn’t expecting him to join me in the bathtub, but he won’t see me complaining orprotesting. I just watch the way his muscles stretch and contract, commit the view to memory for a rainy day. Damn, he’s fine. More than fine.
He turns off the water and helps me remove my T-shirt, a light blush spreading across his sun-kissed cheeks.
“You’ve seen me naked several times. How can you be embarrassed now?” I would giggle at how adorably-bashful the usually unflappable Marine is, but that would only hurt. Everywhere.
“’Cause those times I was planning to give you orgasms and be buried inside you. This seems…”
“Different? Intimate?” Just saying the second word feels like a caress to my soul.
He lifts his shoulders. “Yeah, something like that.”
He helps me shimmy out of the rest of my clothes, placing them next to his on the counter. I can tell he’s doing his best not to check me out, but I keep catching the accidental glances, like featherlight brushes to my skin.
He steps into the bathtub and offers his hand. I take it and join him in the water.
We sit, sloshing the water in gentle waves, my butt settling between his powerful thighs. I lean against him. Heat laps my aching muscles, and I moan in satisfaction.
