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Her lips roll, her eyes mischievous. “That was mean.”
I reach for her breast and squeeze her nipple. “I’m sorry.”
She slaps her hand over mine. “Are you?”
“Yes.”
“Prove it.”
“How?”
I expect a demand to pleasure her, touch her, or kiss her. She looks at the bath, and I smile, crowding her and kissing her, pinning her naked body to mine, warming her up. “You want me to get in the cold tub, gorgeous?”
“Yes.”
“Fine.” I release her and get in, lowering into the water. It’s nothing. I’ve been out on the water at the crack of dawn in every month of the year. She pouts. “Come,” I say, offering my hand. “It’s mind over matter.”
She looks doubtful, but it speaks fucking volumes that she takes my hand. I love the trust she has in me. She steps in, breathes in, and curses under her breath. “Hurry up,” I beg. “My balls are shrinking by the second.”
She releases a sharp puff of laughter with her outward breath, losing her footing halfway down to her ass. “Brad!” She’s once again laughing, and she lands on her ass with a thud and a splash, soon snapping her from her latest bout of hysterics. “Shit.”
“Mind over matter.” I arrange her legs over mine so she’s mirroring my position opposite me. “Lean back,” I whisper, drifting down to my back. She watches me. Just me. “Good girl.” I wrap my palms around her ankles. “Okay?”
She nods, settling, relaxing. Enjoying the stone-cold bath. Watching me. “Are Danny and Rose all right?”
“They will be,” I say, starting to stroke up and down her calves. “They’ve always been the same. Fight. Fuck. Adore. Repeat.”
She smiles, nodding mildly, using both hands to push her wet hair back from her face.
“Where did you live in England?” I ask, trying and failing to sound casual. Ever since she opened up about her parents’ deaths, I’ve been curious. I want to look her family up. Maybe warn them off. Whoever they are.
Pearl looks at me with a wary eye.
“What?” I ask, guilty.
“No,” she says, firm and serious. “Whatever you’re thinking, no.”
“It’ll just be a polite request to back off.” Or die.
“No,” she affirms. “You mustn’t. Promise me you won’t get involved, Brad.”
I recoil, taken aback by her instant, rising panic.
“Promise me,” she demands.
“Promise,” I whisper, watching her on the cusp of a full-blown panic attack. Again. What isn’t she telling me? I reach for the faucet and turn it on to warm the water up, but Pearl shoots a hand out and turns it straight back off.
“I was going to warm up the water.”
“It’s fine,” she says, her gaze on the faucet.
“It’s freezing,” I point out, watching her on the brink of another attack. Seeing her like this? Painful. “Come here.” I hold my hand out and she studies it for a moment before tentatively taking it. I pull her onto my body, holding her against my chest, hugging her hard. “I promise,” I assure her again, feeling her nod into me.
“Okay.”
“Okay,” I breathe, settling.
Feeling.
