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I nodded. He unbuckled it, slipping it off and rubbing his fingers over the arch of my foot, making me moan out loud. “You looked stunning tonight. And you did such a good job. We’re all so proud of you.”
I chewed my lip, because I’d missed his deep, smooth accent and hearing it was like sinking into a hot bubble bath, but then I remembered how much they’d hurt me. Tugging my foot back, I stood, cursing silently as my aching feet reminded me how exhausted I was.
“Sunshine…”
“Don’t. There’s nothing any of you can say that I want to hear right now. Today has been a lot and I don’t have the ability to deal with your crap.”
“Go home, Le. We’ll take care of this.”
I huffed out a laugh. “You’re going to stay here and manage the clean up while I go home and what… sleep?”
“Yes.”
“It’s the least we can do, Sunshine. And while none of us want you to take that stunning dress off, ever, you deserve to go home.”
“We fucked up last night, Le. Me, more than anyone, and I will spend a lifetime making it up to you, but for now, go home and let us sort the clean up.”
“You hurt me. You…” I pointed at Fox. “Broke my heart and I’ve had to bury those feelings all day. How was that fair?” The emotions I’d been ignoring all day burned at my throat as they tried to escape.
“It wasn’t. And I’m so sorry about that email. I got stupidly drunk and did some things I regret.”
“Really?” I replied sarcastically. “Look, I just want to go home. I don’t think I want to be with any of you right now.” I paused and said what I was really feeling. “Or at all. Today has been more than I’m willing to put up with.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, one of the enormous chandeliers sparked, knocking the lights out in the entire room. “Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me,” I cried. “Fine, one of you can come with me so this curse doesn’t get all pouty and blow up more lights. Can someone find a flashlight?” I yelled to no one in particular.
Marshall turned on the torch on his phone and held it up. “Dawson, take Lea home and take care of her until we get back.”
“There will be no ‘taking care of me’ and no one will be sleeping in bed with me tonight. We can talk tomorrow after I’ve slept, but I mean it. I don’t know how we can ever come back from this.”
The lights flickered on and then off again and I raised my middle fingers on both hands into the air. “Do not start me with curse, because I am scarier than you right now.”
I heard laughter from next to me in the darkness of the room. “Go home, Sugar. Before you kill someone.”
The shower pummeled my exhausted body as I leaned my forehead to the cool tile, too exhausted to wash. I heard the shower door open and Dawson stepped in behind me, leaning around me to pick up the shampoo bottle.
“Too tired,” I muttered.
“I know, Sunshine. Let’s get you cleaned up and into bed. Can I take care of you?”
I hummed out my reply, sleep tugging on my eyelids. He buried his fingers in my hair, massaging my scalp. If I was more awake, I would have acknowledged how much his touch turned me on and how much I’d missed it today. Then he conditioned my hair and washed my body, not once making me feel it was anything other than looking after me.
When he was done, he stepped out and grabbed a towel before turning off the water and wrapping me up. I think he must have led me to bed because the next thing I knew, he was slipping my pajama top over my shoulders and doing up the buttons before pulling up my shorts, helping me lift my hips so he could pull them up. He then took a brush and began running it through my hair, making me almost laugh when I felt him playing with it.
“Are you braiding my hair, Dawson?”
“I am. It’s wet and you don’t want it in your face all night.”
“I didn’t know you knew how to.”
“I watched a YouTube video while you were dozing in the car.”
I let out a soft giggle. “Thank you.”
He leaned me back against the pillows. “You need anything else, Sunshine?”
“I’m going to miss you when I go.”
“W-what?” he spluttered.
