Page 69 of The Wrecked One

I almost slipped my hands between my thighs to confirm what I already knew to be true—I was drenched, and not from the rain.

When was the last time that had happened? I’d been turned on in the morning watching him work out, but this was next-level.

“My shirt is going to be tough to get off with my shoulder acting up.”

I wasn’t sure if his words were in warning or a request for help, but I tackled the problem of getting his shirt off as carefully as possible, deciding to leave Tucker’s ID tags in place.

I dipped my chin, following Oliver’s eyes, finding them intensely focused on my nipples. More memories flipped through my mind. The times he’d trailed his mouth over my body. Licked and sucked. Caressed and stroked with his hand. His tongue.

I’d gone so long without wanting to be touched, and there I was, exploding with the need for that very thing.

“We shouldn’t be too long. Malcolm and his wife will come knocking, or Mason might call.” His mouth tightened. Talking about Mason while I was naked and he was only in his briefs seeming to sour his already fragile mood.

“I don’t even remember meeting Malcolm and his wife.” I was a horrible guest, standing in their bathroom without having yet said a thank-you for harboring us.

“You were out of it. We’ll do introductions later when my dad gets here. Preferably with clothes on.” The side of his lip hitched into a partial smile, and it was everything I needed in that moment.

“Not a bad idea.” I returned his smile, then gestured toward the tub with my head. “Let’s get in. I think we’ll both feel better from the hot water and jets.”

He helped me over the side, and I lowered myself into perfection. I’d mastered the art of ideal bath water temperature over the last few months, taking so many when I’d try and force myself to relax. And while I’d found the perfect medium, the relief never came. I was hoping this time would be different.

I rested my neck against the soft, built-in cushion, and waited for him to join me.

He went for the waistband of his briefs and slowly, a bit hesitantly, peeled them off. A groan of agony followed as he climbed in. Was his knee bad, too?

Hands on each side of the jacuzzi, he sank into the water opposite of me. Dropping his head to the other neck cushion, he stretched out his legs, bumping into me.

I started to draw my knees to my chest to give him space, but reversed that decision when he grumbled, “Stop, I’m fine.” The water splashed as he dropped his arm beneath the bubbly surface, securing a hand around my ankle. His thumb made small circles where he held me as he relaxed his neck back onto the cushion, allowing the jets to do their thing.

“Where does it hurt the most?” I created a little mountain with the bubbles in front of me, trying to distract my nerves.

“It was my shoulder and knee, but a different pain is distracting me.” He sat up a bit, shooting me the welcoming sight of a small smile. It was quick but genuine.

His hand climbed up a little more as he massaged my leg.

I searched beneath the water, wanting to do the same for him. I slid my knuckles up and down his shin, careful not to aggravate wherever else he may have been hurting.

“Can’t believe I jumped from a plane.”

“We didn’t have much of a choice. Just like that time in?—”

“Mexico. When you covered my mouth and forced me into a hole.” My scoff was more like a faint laugh, and it wasn’t a funny memory by any means, but that op had also been what started this whole “thing” between us, as in the fake hate-to-love.

“It was a cenote, not just some hole in the ground. Also, we were being shot at.”

I pursed my lips together, letting the sound, “Mmmhmm,” roll from them almost seductively.

After he cleared his throat while patting at the bubbles with his free hand as if trying to kill the moment, and I was pretty sure we were having one, he obliterated it all together with his redirect back to our problem at hand. “I’m worried about Steve’s mom and sister. I didn’t know him well, but I take it you did since he was at the safe house with you before you came here.”

Steve. The man had been given his own fucked-up Sophie’s Choice. How had they gotten to him, though? Teddy, Easton, and Steve weren’t with us that day in Thailand and Singapore. Their identities hadn’t been compromised. It made no sense. “Yeah, we talked here and there at the safe house.”

“Someone must’ve put two and two together and figured Steve was working with Falcon,” he said solemnly. “I’d have thought Steve would’ve hidden his family away with The Collective out there, even if his name wasn’t known by those assholes.”

“He added security for them, which is what we all did. My parents refused to move. Same with Sydney’s, Diana’s, Gray’s, and so on. Just a ton of extra protection since they were being stubborn.”

“Don’t. You’re about to start blaming yourself, and that’s the last thing we need. If they didn’t want to hide, then that was their choice.”

“I guess, but considering what we know now, I think it’s time we force our families into hiding.”

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