Page 10 of Hell and High Water

“Yeah. Somebody had to. I couldn’t leave you filthy in bed, you know?” Gavin winks.

“I’d like to get filthy in bed with you,” I mutter under my breath.

Gavin’s nostrils flare, his eyes simmering. “You're in no condition to do any of that.”

“I'll tell you what I'm in condition for.”

“Go bathe, stinky.”

“Shut up!” I swat him as he darts away.

“Finish your toast.” The water kicks on in the back room, the smell of soap filling the little hallway and wafting out to me. Another little reminder of our days living together in Sanctum.

I'm through my food and almost up the stairs when he comes out, frowning at me.

“I would have carried you up here.”

“I don't need you to carry me.”

“Maybe I want to carry you.

“And maybe I'll let you next time. I've been lying down for over a week, in case you forgot. I need to stretch my legs.”

“I would love to help you stretch…” he rumbles, trotting up the steps.

“Stretching, spreading… you can do whatever you want with my legs.”

“Yeah, keep teasing, Lena!” Gavin chases me down the hallway, beating me to the bathroom and flicking on the light.

“Right, because I can’t do anything for myself.”

“I’m just saying that you don’t have to. I want to take care of you.”

“Fine, then draw me a bath and scrub my back, Jeeves!”

Gavin rolls his eyes dramatically, stripping his shirt off over his head. “All or nothing, huh? Fine. Mistress, if you please?”

“Indeed, I do.” I raise my hands, eyeballing his bulging chest muscles, the boulders of his shoulders, and flexing tendons in his massive arms. He huffs a little laugh as he helps me out of my clothes, the sleep shirt and little shorts offering little resistance.

I let my arms fall, dragging my fingers down his perfectly tanned skin, years of working outdoors painting him a luscious, smooth golden tone.

Tracing along the curves of his cabled forearms, I tickle up over his tattoos, up over the smoke and skull, draping my hands over his shoulders, reveling in being near him.

He’s firm and safe, and yet deadly and dangerous at the same time. Not to me, but I know what he’s capable of, and that promise, what he would do to protect me, makes me weak in the knees.

It also makes me bold, brave.

Like I can overcome anything with him at my side.

He pulls away for a second, testing the water. As he does, I graze a finger up the line of his powerful back in the crease of his spine. His muscles twitch

“Hey, now, you trying to get me riled up?”

“It looks like you already are…” I pop my eyes a bit, looking down at the bulge in his pants.

“Just what you do to me,” he grates out in a rough whisper, dipping to claim my lips in a deep, full kiss.

It raises me up onto my tiptoes, brushing my peaked nipples along the hair on his chest, eliciting a shuddering breath.

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