Page 46 of Unraveled

“What are you doing in here?” She automatically moved to cover herself with her good arm and sank deeper, trying not to get the bandage wet.

“Checking on you.” His eyes held concern as they studied her. “I didn’t hear any movement, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Since she’d fallen asleep, he was probably checking to make sure she hadn’t drowned. His stare was hot and intense, and she had to clear her throat before speaking. “Yeah. I’m fine, thanks.”

He tipped his head at her. “Do you want help washing your hair?”

She grimaced. She couldn’t do it by herself, and she was sure that it was caked with dirt from having rolled around on the ground outside. “Would you mind?”

“Of course not. Hold on one sec.” He braced his hands on the edge of the tub, then pushed to his feet. With a purposeful stride, he left the bathroom and returned less than a minute later, a plastic cup in hand.

“Here, sit up a little bit.” He slipped one hand between her back and the wall of the tub and eased her forward. She tilted her face to the sky, and he dipped the cup into the water, then poured it over her head, soaking the long strands. He picked up her shampoo and squirted it onto her hair. With long, lean fingers, he massaged her scalp, rinsing out the debris and relieving some of the tension she’d been carrying all evening.

When he was done, he washed her back, then gently settled her so she was reclined against the wall of the tub. “Just relax.”

His hands went to her shoulders, and he started off gentle, his touch becoming firmer and more sure as he attacked the knots that had built up in the muscle. She turned to jelly under his ministrations as he stroked along her upper back and shoulders, the base of her neck.

Cautious of her injury, he slid his hands over her good shoulder, kneading the flesh. The other hand moved forward, fingers teasing along her collarbone. She shifted in the water, clenching her legs tight against the sensation that shot straight to her core.

She knew she should stop him, but it felt so good—too good. She bit her lip and allowed her head to fall to the side as he kissed her ear. The dark stubble of his five o’clock shadow was rough against her skin, and she shivered as he trailed his kisses lower, nuzzling against her neck.

His other hand left her shoulder and trailed downward. The water sloshed precariously as her hips jerked in response. Oh, God. She had to stop this before they ended up in bed again.

She slammed her legs together, trapping his hand as she tilted her head to look up at him. “Watch it, buddy.”

Carter offered her an unrepentant grin. “Just doing my duty.”

She forced an unbelieving sound from her throat. “I’d say that’s taking it a little far.”

One broad shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I take pride in a job well done.”

The bolt of pleasure that zinged through her stole her breath. It took her a moment to find her words. “Pride or pleasure?”

His grin grew. “Yes.”

Reaching between her legs, she extracted his questing fingers and leveled him with a stare. “I did go to medical school,” she reminded him, “so I know all the most vulnerable places on the human body.”

Instead of pulling back at her threat, he let out a laugh and twined his fingers through hers. “Don’t remind me. I’ve never enjoyed a woman’s touch more than yours.”

The compliment shouldn’t have pleased her so much, but it did. She needed to turn this train around before it completely derailed. “Now you’re just blowing smoke.”

He lifted a brow. “You were there too, so I know you know that’s not true.”

She felt her cheeks heat as memories of that night rushed back. He was right; she’d thoroughly enjoyed touching him, and she reveled in his hands traveling all over her body, leaving no inch unexplored. She frantically beat the memories back and scrambled to her feet, keeping her good arm over her chest while her other hand covered her lady parts. “Could you hand me a towel please?”

He stared up at her for a long moment before slowly rising to his feet and pulling a clean towel from the linen cabinet. Instead of passing it to her, he carefully ran the fabric over her shoulders and back, then down each arm and across her stomach. He secured it around her, then lifted her from the tub and gently set her on her feet.

But he didn’t let her go. Instead, he settled his hands low on her hips and dipped his head so his eyes were even with hers. “Fair warning, sweetheart: as soon as you’re feeling better, I’m coming for you… and I will catch you.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-TWO

A groan left Audrey's mouth even before she cracked her eyes open. She felt like she’d been hit by a freight train. There wasn’t a single inch of her that didn’t ache. For several long minutes, she lay there, just staring at the ceiling and willing her muscles to relax. Finally, she rolled her head toward the nightstand and swiped out a hand, grasping the bottle of ibuprofen that Carter had left there the night before.

Awkwardly, she struggled to sit up, using her one good arm, grateful that he’d left the cap loosened for her. She popped two tablets into her mouth and swallowed them down with water. The hot bath the night before had helped to ease some of her pain, but she had a feeling the next couple of days were going to be brutal. She glanced at the nightstand, at the phone charging on the surface. She should probably call her parents and tell them what happened.

Even though it was only after eight o’clock, she dialed her parents’ home phone number, the same one they’d had since she was a child. After only a couple of rings, her mother answered, her voice chipper.