She’d missed her aunt so much while she’d been away, but it felt important to her to know what she wanted. Also, it was nice to be far away from people who had already judged her before getting to know her.
Not tonight. She doesn’t get to invade my thoughts tonight.
Climbing into the shower, she winced and released a gasp.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m okay.” She couldn’t believe James was right outside the bathroom door. She didn’t even have any pajamas, and they hadn’t thought this through. The lasagna his mother made was amazing, though. She’d have to ask for the recipe so she’d be able to treat her aunt.
Tilting her head back, she relished the feel of the water against her face and body. It felt good. There were some stings as it grazed her cuts, but other than that, she was more than happy.
She used his soap, washing all over her body. Thinking about James had her pussy going slick and her nipples pebbling. What would it be like to have his mouth on her body, licking and sucking at her?
Get your head out of the dirty. It’s not going to happen.
If he couldn’t ask her to prom all those years ago, then there was no chance he was wishing for more with her now. She was on her own. Which she was more than happy about. She could handle everything on her own. After surviving the city, nothing seemed scary anymore.
She finished washing her hair and reached for a towel. For a split second, she completely forgot about her ankle. As she put pressure on her leg, she screamed, tumbling in the slick water, falling out of the tub and pulling the shower curtain down with her.
The door was open within seconds and only the shower curtain offered her any kind of modesty.
“What happened? Are you okay?” he asked, running his hands over her body.
“I’m fine. I really am.” She was naked. The shower curtain wasn’t designed to keep her body safe. The fabric pressed against her front and in clear view, he’d be able to see her breasts.
They paused.
“I forgot about my ankle and I hurt myself. I didn’t mean to.” She winced. “I kind of feel like I suck at the moment.”
“You don’t suck.”
“I feel like I do.”
“There is no way you can suck,” he said.
His voice sounded hoarse. She noticed his gaze lingered on her breasts and she licked her lips, liking his eyes on her.
“James.”
James grabbed a towel, pressed it in front of her, and covered her up, offering her some form of modesty. Then he helped her up and she groaned. If the ground could open up and swallow her, she would gladly fall into it.
“I don’t have any clothes,” she said. She was soaking wet and aware of her naked state.
“I’ll get you some clothes.” James lifted her again and carried her down the small hall toward one of the bedrooms. He opened it. There was a single bed inside, nothing else. “My brother crashes here from time to time when he’s working late.”
“Caleb?”
“No. There’s no way in hell I’d let him here. He’d bring a woman back with him and I’m not interested in having to clean the sheets from him. There’s only so much I’m willing to do. Rome stays from time to time. He works late and time gets away from him. He crashes here.”
“Are you sure he’s not going to be here tonight?”
“Nah, he was volunteering at the school today. He would’ve gone home long before now.” James sat her down on the edge of the bed. “Rome doesn’t bring a woman back here.”
“Oh, that seems impossible to believe. A Hard boy without a woman.”
“I don’t bring a woman back here,” he said.
“Are you telling me you live like a monk?” she asked, brow raised.
“I wouldn’t go that far. But there’s no woman who’s going to come and knock at the door. I haven’t been on a date in a while.”
Why was he telling her this? She didn’t know why he would share this with her. Had she been in the city that long?
“I haven’t had a guy around for a long time either. As you can see, there’s no one chasing me to take me back to the city.”
“That’s their loss.”
“Are you paying me a compliment?” she asked.
“I think I am. Are you prepared for it?”
“I don’t know if I can handle it.”
He winked at her. “You’re a beautiful woman, Eliza. You should know that.”
No one had ever called her beautiful before. None of her boyfriends. They’d said she was pretty, but most of the time, when they told her, they were staring down at their phones. The way James told her, he was making sure she knew how beautiful she was, speaking firmly.
The silence in the room filled with tension. She wanted to say or do something, but she didn’t.
He got up off the bed. “I’ll grab you some clothes.”
Whatever moment they’d been sharing left when he stood. She watched him walk out of the room.
The shower curtain was still around her and she rolled her eyes, quickly removing it so she didn’t look like a crazy person.
Great, just great.
She had the curtain neatly folded as he came back.
“Sweatpants and shirt.” He held them up.
She took them from him, placing them on the bed. “I need to dry first.”
“Right. I’ll be outside again, just in case.”
She watched him go and then quickly dried her body, wrapping her hair up in a knot in the towel and putting it on her head. She pulled his clothes on, smelling him around her. His scent comforted her and it was a little strange to find so much pleasure from just sniffing him. She felt crazy.
Drying her hair quickly, she looked for a brush but didn’t see one.
Instead of waiting for his help, she hobbled to the door and opened it. “Do you have a brush?” she asked. “Crazy hair.” She pointed at her head.
“Yes, I do.”
He turned to leave, and she admired the curves of his ass.
Head out of the gutter.
No time for it.
He returned with a brush. She took it from him, leaving the door open. She brushed her hair, trying not to look at him.
It was late. She was tired.
What does he feel about me?
“Tomorrow morning?” she asked.
“Breakfast. Mom and Dad will be expecting us. It’s what she does every weekend. Full breakfast, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, all the good stuff. There will even be waffles, pancakes as well.”
“She goes all out.”
“That she does, for her kids.”
She finished with the brush. “Right. I better go to bed. You know, long day and all that.”
“You can’t sleep,” he said. “I promised I wouldn’t let you fall asleep.”
“I think the doctor was being overly cautious for me. He doesn’t want to risk getting sued. I want to get some sleep. I mean, you can keep checking on me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m tired, but I’ve been fine all day. I’m sure I’d have had, you know, some kind of symptom if I wasn’t okay.”
“I’m just next door.” He took the brush from her. “I’m going to head for a shower.”