His eyes flick to mine for a second before he clears his throat and looks back down at the pot.
“Did bathing help you feel better?”
“Much. Thank you.”
Then I notice a stack of my clothes, clean and neatly folded, waiting for me. I stare at them for a moment before it sinks in—Dane washed them while I was gone.
That he’d do something like that for me—after I left—only adds to my confusion.
He dips his finger into the water in the pot. “Perfect temperature.”
“I’m going to smell so good after this,” I say, reaching for the pot.
“You’re still recovering. I think it’ll be easier if I help you.”
I hesitate for a second, then nod. “Okay. Thank you.”
I move to the flat rock and sit with my back to him as he steps in behind me.
For a moment, neither of us speaks. Then he picks up one of the empty coconut shells and dips it into the pot.
“Lean back a little.”
I do. “Like this?”
“Yeah, that’s perfect.”
The first pour is slow and careful. Warm water runs over my head, through my hair, carrying the scent with it.
It feels really good. Soothing.
The warmth spreads down my neck and across my shoulders as his fingers move through my hair, separating the strands. It drips down my back, soaking into the towel, but I don’t care.
For a moment, there’s nothing but the quiet splash of water and the low crackle of the fire. My eyes drift closed without thinking, drawn into the quiet comfort of it.
He pours another shellful, working through my blond curls again with the same careful focus.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m more than okay.”
More water spills over me, the scent lingering, and his fingers move through my hair and over my scalp.
It’s such a small thing—rinsing my hair. But he’s never touched me like this. In fact, I’d have to think hard to remember him ever touching me at all before a few days ago.
“You came for me. What were you going to say… before you found me like that?”
A pause.
“Pretty much what I said after. I was going to ask you to come home.”
Home.That does something to me.
“Thank you for coming.”
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Yeah.” I huff a soft laugh. “Me too.”
