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“What’s so funny?” he asks as he squats down in front of me.
“You look like a drowned rat.” Then I realize I’ve ruined his expensive clothing, and my smile fades. “I’m so sorry.”
“Shh…don’t you dare be sorry for anything.” I reach out to take the sponge from him, and he pulls it back out of my reach. “Uh-uh. Let me take care of you.” I drop my hand, conceding to his wish. As he lifts my arm to begin washing me, I suddenly become shy of my nakedness, and I look away. We both stay silent as he makes quick work of washing my entire body, and then he gently coaxes me to stand up under the spray to rinse out my hair.
I swear he must have his own hot water tower in his backyard, because I know we’ve been in here for what feels like an hour. When he’s done, he shuts off the water and reaches outside the shower door to retrieve a warm towel. Dry warmth from Heaven wraps around my shoulders, and I shiver with goose bumps it feels so good.
“Let’s step on out. I have a terrycloth bathrobe in another warmer for you.” I step out of the shower and stand on the bathmat as he continues his task of drying me off while he works in his sopping wet clothes, trailing puddles of water everywhere he steps. The bathroom is nothing but clouds of white steam, with condensation dripping from the walls. Once Nick wraps me up within the warm bathrobe, he bends down and scoops me up into his strong arms.
“Nick,” I whisper shyly, “thank you, for taking care of me.”
“No need to thank me,” he tells me as he carries me back to the bed, and then gently lays me down on top of the soft comforter. He leans over me, his hair dripping water on me as he steals a chaste kiss from my cheek. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do is take care of you.”
He stands back up and rubs the back of his neck, regarding me. “We can eat up here in our room tonight, okay?” I roll onto my side as I face him. I watch him with curiosity as he quickly peels off his soaked clothes, throwing them into the bathroom as they make a loud, sopping splash onto the tiled floor.
Stark naked, the man has no modesty issues as he walks around the room with confidence, and I can’t help but rake my gaze over the flexing muscles of his upper body and thighs as he moves. The man screams masculinity and sexiness from his head to his toes. He glances at me out of the corner of his eye as he dries off, and I see a smirk playing on his lips. I think he’s going to out me for ogling, but he doesn’t say a word.
He then throws on a pair of boxer briefs and a pair of dark sweat pants that ride low on his hips. His hair is tousled from his hasty towel drying, and it makes him look all the more sexy. He rounds the bed, climbing in behind me, and pulls me into him while wrapping his arms around me.
Once he’s settled, my voice comes out hoarse as I ask, “Why?”
“Why what, baby?” Nick softly replies in my ear.
“Why did Lance have to kill my mother in cold blood?” I can feel his body stiffen behind me, but the pain is so great I have to talk to someone. “I’ve been cheated, Nick, and in the worst possible way, and then some. Every time I think I don’t have any more tears left to cry, more find a way to surface.”
Nick kisses the top of my head, remorse lining his deep voice, “I don’t think now is the time to discuss this.”
“I need to know. I need to know what happened. There never will be a good time to discuss this.”
He lets out a soft sigh in response. “True. There never will be a good time to know the truth, but honestly, I don’t know what his paranoia is about. I don’t understand the medical implications of schizophrenia or how it affects people’s brains. I’m sure Jared would be able to explain it. I honestly didn’t know about your mother or grandparents until the moment you yourself found out. After you passed out and I made sure you were stable, God, I was furious. Lance took things too far. When I asked why the hell he had to crush your spirit like that and tell you those things, he said it was time you knew.”
Nick pauses and squeezes me tightly, and I know there’s more, but he doesn’t want to say.
“Please tell me.”
“As you know, Jake was not a happy camper, and he tried to convince me to let you go. He tried to reason with me, but when he finally realized there was nothing he could say or do…”
