Page 44 of Crazy Little Thing Called Love

He glanced up into her sweat-glistened face and cursed himself for being the biggest asshole in the world. Here she was, sick, in pain, and he was ogling her. What a jackass! He’d kick his own butt later, right now he needed to tend to Cassie.

“Panties on or off?” He was giving her the choice because he didn’t know which one he wanted more. On the one hand, he’d get to see Cassie in all her true glory. On the other, he needed to lock this shit down, and seeing more of her delectable naked skin would not help. “Cassie?”

“Off. You’ll just have to take them off anyway after the shower.”

True. Sonofabitch!

“Off it is.”

“Just keep your mind out of the gutter, Jackson.”

He chuckled. “That’s a tall order, Brown. I don’t know if you realize, but you are one sexy woman.”

“Oh really?”

He focused his gaze on her face as he slipped his fingers in the soft scrap of silk, gently tugging it down her hips and legs, then tossing it God knows where.

“Absolutely.” He kept his tone serious so she’d know he wasn’t messing around. “You are beautiful, never have any doubt, but I would never take advantage of this situation. All I’m going to do is hold you in the shower so we can bring your fever down.”

Her lips turned up in a soft smile. “I know. You’re a good man, Del. I trust you.”

Damned if that didn’t puff his chest up with pride. Without another word, he scooped a naked Cassandra Brown into his arms and stepped into the shower. The cool, pounding water hit his back. Once he’d given her a moment to adjust to the sprinkles flying around them, he slowly turned, letting the water cascade over Cassie. She moaned, the sound quickly turning into a sob. Horrified he was doing everything wrong, he tugged her closer to his chest.

“Does it hurt?” he asked.

“No, it feels amazing.” She snuggled her head into his chest, a soft little sniffle escaping her. “I just hate being sick. It sucks so much and I’m not a very good patient. My parents always said so.”

Damn. He wished her parents were still alive so he could give them a piece of his mind. They sounded pretty selfish and shitty to him. Who told a sick kid they were a bad patient? Parents were supposed to kiss boo-boos away and bring chicken soup and stuff. Not berate a child for complaining about feeling bad.

“You’re fine, sweetheart. Just relax and let the water do its work.”

They stayed in the shower for twenty minutes. Del held Cassie close to his chest, reveling in the strange sensations filling him: pride, worry, lust. He tried not to think of the last one too much, but it was hard—and so was he unfortunately.

When her fingers started to prune, he shut the water off, stepped out of the shower, and dried her with the thick terrycloth towel hanging on the rack on the wall. He stripped off his wet briefs and hung them over the showerhead to dry. Wrapping a second towel he’d found under the sink around his waist, he scooped Cassie into his arms again and carried her to her bedroom.

“Pajamas?” he said.

“In the top dresser drawer.”

He left her on the bed and went to retrieve her nightclothes. The dresser drawer revealed a plethora of nightshirts, each more adorable than the next. He chose a soft yellow one with a daisy on the front. It still kicked him in the teeth to know Cassie wore such cutesy PJ’s. He’d have to tease her about it once she felt better.

“Arms up,” he said as he gently tugged the nightshirt over her head. He tossed her towel on the floor. “Now I want you to lie down. I’m going to get you some soup.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You need liquids.”

If she’d felt better, he knew she’d flip him off at his demanding tone, but as it was, she simply flopped down on the bed. Ten minutes later, he returned with a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup. He’d also tugged his jeans back on. For her comfort and his self-preservation.

“Cassie.” He set the bowl on her nightstand, sitting on the bed beside her. “Time to eat.”

“Noooooo. Don’t wanna.”

He chuckled. She was a difficult patient. Odd, but he found her obstinate attitude endearing. “Come on, sweetheart. Just take a couple of sips for me. Please.”

“If I do will you let me sleep?”

“All night long.”

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