Page 88 of Make Me Want it Too

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

Without saying anything else, he gets up and turns all the lights off in the room, then the lights in the bathroom. It’s dark and now my eyelids are heavy.

He turns the shower on in the bathroom then he comes back out, rolls me over and hoists me up into his arms. I start to ask what he’s doing, but he makes a soft “shh” sound and then silently carries me into the bathroom, opens the glass shower door and lets me down on the smooth, wet tile.

It’s almost pitch black in here. The water is warm and comforting, raining down from the ceiling, cascading over my body. The sound of the water pattering against the tile and glass echoes around the walls, drowning out every other sound and thought.

Wood’s chest brushes against my back, solid and strong. And then his arm is around me and I lean back against him, closing my eyes.

His hands are on me. Soft and gentle. Slick. Soapy. The smell of my peach body wash.

He lathers it across my shoulders, over my breasts and down my stomach. Between my legs, too briefly, then my thighs and back up over my rear and my back.

The water washes it away and then he lathers my hair with shampoo.

I lean my head back, sighing at the feel of his fingers massaging my scalp. The fresh, citrusy scent of the shampoo fills the air along with the steam.

Wood rinses my hair and then repeats with conditioner. By the time it’s rinsed out, I’m replete. Calm and relaxed, a sleepy little noodle.

He hugs me around the middle from behind and kisses the spot where my shoulder meets my neck. The water is like percussion all around us.

“Thank you,” I whisper as he turns the water off.

He doesn’t say anything back, just dries me off with a warm, fluffy towel, slips my oversized Garfield shirt on over my head, and then starts getting all my testing supplies out.

We brush our teeth, and he watches me check my blood sugar.

My levels are good, so I don’t need to inject. I rinse the blood off my finger and then he takes my hand and kisses me there, right where I had to jab it.

I can walk, but he carries me to bed, and I don’t object. He holds me, even under the covers, and I fall asleep almost instantly.

I’m aware of the light, first. Glowing and bright behind my eyelids. And then, his voice. Faint and low in the background. A soft chuckle. Warm. Comforting. Familiar.

I stretch my legs between the silky sheets and exhale as I open my eyes.

Wood is sitting in the chair in the corner by the window, bathed in the diffused morning sun. His laptop is open in his lap, a steaming coffee mug perched on the windowsill, and he’s talking to someone on the phone.

My stirring catches his eye, and he immediately breaks out into his big lopsided grin.

He closes his computer. “I’ve got to go. She just woke up. Yeah, I’ll talk to you soon. Love you, too.”

He ends the call as I sit up. “Who was that?” I ask.

“My mom.”

“Do you always tell your mom when a girl’s sleeping with you?”

He laughs. “No. But Noah may have mentioned me having a girlfriend to her.”

I cover my mouth. “Oh no. What did you say?”

“She was so happy I didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth. She’s already making plans for Christmas.”

“Oh no, now I feel terrible.”

“Don’t worry about it. She’ll be fine. How are you?” He picks up his coffee and sits on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

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