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She stepped out of her jeans. “Yeah?”
“I’d be glad to wash your hair for you. With your sore arms, that might be quite a chore.”
She stared at him for a second and then nodded. “You’re right. Thanks, I’d appreciate that, Cal.”
He brought her a towel to wrap up in and made a point of turning his back while she finished getting undressed. He used the time to take out their new clothes and remove the tags. He’d also bought her a hairbrush.
“I guess just come on in, because I’ll need to lock the door. Do you mind hanging out in there while I soak?” she asked, her eyes hesitant.
“Of course not. I could use a little rest.” He grabbed the soap, the toothpaste and toothbrush he’d bought, and shampoo, along with the other towel and a washcloth. “After you.”
The old hotel didn’t have very good water pressure, so the tub was still filling when they entered. Vic turned the water off and then hung her towel on the rack. She didn’t look at him as he quietly took a seat on the toilet lid.
“Ah, this feels wonderful,” she said as she stepped in.
He’d made the water as hot as he thought she could stand, knowing how good that felt on sore muscles.
She slowly lowered herself into the water and leaned against the long, sloping back of the tub. Closing her eyes, she said, “Could you hand me a washcloth? I forgot to get one.”
He got up and put one in her upraised palm.
She lowered it into the tub, squeezed some of the water out, and then laid it on her face, breathing out a long sigh.
He sat back down and kept quiet, hoping that she’d forget that he was there. She needed to lose herself in the experience. To let her body completely relax.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned back too. With his eyes closed, he let his mind wander. Would they find the mole quickly? Would it be a Ranger? He dreaded that possibility.
No sound came from the tub. He opened his eyes. The water came up to Vic’s neck. Her knees jutted out, but the rest of her body was immersed. Steam rose in slow spirals. He was so glad that this old bathtub was available. His grandmother had one, and he remembered what a godsend it was for a sore body.
After about fifteen minutes, he heard a splash. Vic had sunk underwater, wetting her hair. She came up and wiped her face. “Ready, cowboy, if you’re still offering.”
“I’m ready.”
He knelt beside the tub and poured shampoo on the crown of her head. Gathering up her long hair, he piled it on top and began to rub.
She drew her knees to her chest and sighed. “That feels good.”
He added more shampoo and rubbed above her ears and at the back of her neck. Soon he had a thick lather that he continued to massage with his fingers, making circles here and there, using his fingertips, cleaning her scalp. One long sigh after another escaped her, and her shoulders slowly relaxed. She seemed to have forgotten who was ministering to her and had given herself up totally to the experience.
When he finally felt that her hair was clean and the temperature of the bath had cooled to barely warm, he said, “Lie down in the water, and I’ll rinse your hair.”
Once he’d worked all the lather out, he pushed the suds to the front of the tub and rinsed her hair again. He wished that the showerhead could be removed so that he could rinse it that way, but it wasn’t that kind. And Vic was too damned tired to stand up. This would have to do.
He helped her sit up and squeezed the water out of her hair. The bruises on her belly were starting to show. He gritted his teeth. Those bastards.
“There you go. Let me get the soap for you, and I’ll give you some privacy.” He handed her the bar and then hung the other towel within reach. She’d need it for her hair. Then he nodded and left the room, locking the door on his way out.
He sat on the bed. It’d been a long time since he’d had such a sweet, sensual experience. Vic had such a gorgeous body, and he’d been achingly aware of that. But more importantly, he’d wanted to nurture her. To care for her in the way that she so richly deserved. One thing had become crystal clear since her abduction. He wanted a relationship with her. And if she was willing, he’d do whatever it took to make that happen.
