Page 48 of Peaks and Promises

As nice as it would have been to linger under the spray of hot water, I turned it off, grabbed a towel, and dried off. Wrapping the towel around myself, I stepped out of the bathtub and ran a comb through my wet hair. When I set the comb on the small counter next to the sink, I caught movement from the corner of my eye. I turned to look, but I didn’t see anything. Maybe I’d imagined it.

But the thought of what it could be made my shoulders tighten.

Hesitating, I waited, my eyes on the floor. Still nothing.

Until a reddish-brown cockroach scurried out from behind the toilet. It startled me so much, I screamed.

Hardly a second later, Reese pushed the door open. He was probably about to ask me what was wrong, but the bathroom was so small, I had to back up toward the tub to get out of the way. Between the wet floor and trying to avoid the cockroach—which had disappeared—I completely lost my balance.

Right as I was about to fall backward into the tub, Reese caught me with an arm around my waist. He pulled me tight against him, but the towel slipped out of my grip, falling to the floor at my feet.

“Mom?”

My eyes widened, and Reese’s body stiffened. I was stark naked, pressed against Reese, with his arm around me.

“Are you—”

I couldn’t see past Reese, but by the way Nate’s words cut off, he was in the doorway.

“I’m fine,” I said. “A bug startled me.”

“I’ll get it,” Reese said without moving.

Thankfully, Reese’s size probably meant Nate couldn’t tell I’d dropped my towel. But still. The mortification was real.

“Will you be done soon?” Nate asked. “I need to go.”

Just when I thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, Reese’s thumb moved across my bare back. The slight movement, so like a caress, sent a rush of heat through my veins that burst between my legs.

It’s one thing to feel a jolt of physical attraction when you’re alone with a man. Quite another when you’re inadvertently naked and your ten-year-old son is watching.

The pitch of my voice rose. “Just give us a second. Gotta get the bug.”

“Okay.”

I heard his footsteps as he walked away.

My cheeks blazed with heat as Reese dropped his arm and stepped back. I risked a quick look at his face as I bent to retrieve the towel. He’d closed his eyes.

He really was a gentleman.

Not that I’d expected him to gawk at me, especially with my son just feet away. But still.

I rewrapped the towel around myself and held it tight against my chest. “I’m good.”

Reese exhaled before opening his eyes. “A bug?”

“It was huge.” I looked around the floor but didn’t see it. “A cockroach. I don’t know where it went.”

“Probably through a crack in the wall.”

I shuddered. “So gross.”

“Get dressed and we’ll get out of here.” He paused, and I noticed he kept his eyes averted. “And um, sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. Sorry for screaming. I didn’t mean to.”

Without a nod, he turned and left, shutting the door behind him.