Page 20 of Hating the Book Boyfriend

She turns back to me, her eyes downcast on the bottles in her hands. "Today, you were working with a different species thanback then, and I don't think it's the tree you're allergic to but rather the sap. This is different from a standard tree allergy." She sets down whatever meds she pulled out and pinches her lips together as she gently picks up my arm, her touch quickly making my burn feel like an inferno, and not from pain. I like it too much. "We have baking soda in the kitchen. I could apply a paste to your back, but you'd have to rinse it off with cool water in about ten minutes. If you sat on the bench in the shower, I could rinse it for you."

My eyes slowly raise to hers. "You want to get in the shower with me?"

Her mouth opens and closes as though, for once, she's speechless. "That's not what I said."

"Maybe not, but it was implied. How else would you rinse my back?"

"How about we start with the Benadryl and see how that works? We are out of pills, but the liquid stuff is just as potent."

I watch as she twists the cap, and I don't know what gets into me. Maybe it's the discomfort from my back or the delirium that comes with waking up at 2 a.m. to shower, but my hand covers the cup before she can pour out the contents. "What if I want you to shower with me?"

Her eyes stay glued to my hand covering the cup, and her tongue darts out to lick her bottom lip. The rise and fall of her chest is more pronounced before her eyes close, and I have my answer. No matter what words come out of her mouth, I know the thought isn't one that repulses her. Maybe it's even crossed her mind since we shared a room back at the hotel, but I know my forwardness now won't end in the shower. It was an opener, a bait to see if she's interested and her pause is answer enough. She is.

"Colton, I'm trying to help you. You showed me kindness when I was in pain. I'm trying to return the favor." She pullsin a long breath, standing straighter before turning to me, her eyes pleading with mine. "Can you just let me help you without making this into something else?"

I nod in agreement and remove my hand from the cup. She pours the Benadryl and hands it to me. The sweetness goes down smoothly, but it doesn't compare to her hands once again touching my skin. "What if I try a spot of hydrocortisone cream on a small section? If it stings or hurts more, I'll stop."

"Sure," I agree even though the last thing I want is her touching my back when it feels like this, but I'd also rather have her like this than not at all. Laying on my best friend's couch, in the dark, alone with itchy blisters I can't escape, is a hell I don't care to live. At least with her, I have something to focus on besides my pitiful state. Who the fuck is allergic to pine sap?

"Here." She places the medicine in my hand before filling the Benadryl cup with water. She shrugs when I quirk a brow at her water cup. "It's all I got in here. I'll test this spot on the top of your shoulder first." I nod, and she squeezes a dollop of cream onto her finger. The second the cold cream hits my hot flesh, I wince and reflectively grab her hips without thought. "Sorry. Do you want me to stop?" She stumbles over her words, and I raise my eyes to hers, acutely aware of where my hands are. I needed an anchor for my pain, and she was there.

"No, don't stop." My fingers dig into her hips a little harder, and I add. "I'll gladly endure this pain if you're on the other end of it."

Her eyes soften slightly before they harden again, and she drops her gaze, returning to the task. The ointment stings; it feels like I'm being stung by a million wasps. I'm not sure when she stopped applying the ointment, but she did, and somewhere in the agony, my thumbs started rubbing slow circles on her hip bones. As they still are now. She never pulled away, and even now, she hasn't asked me to stop, and I can't help but revel in it.

"Is it worth it?" she stutters out, equally as affected by my touch as I am hers.

"So fucking worth it," I say, pulling her forward a step. Her eyes are lidded with a weight I'm sure matches my own. She may not want to, and maybe we're not supposed to but it doesn't change what is and right now what is—is us. She feels it.

Her tongue darts out to moisten her pink lips before she sucks in a shaky breath. "Does that mean you want me to apply it all over your back?"

That snaps me out of my haze, and I'm instantly off the toilet. "Fuck no! That shit burns." She smiles, and it's contagious. Even if it's at my expense, it's everything. I'd one hundred percent do it again just to be the reason her lips curled. My eyes zero in on her mouth, making me realize something else. Standing eliminated the space that existed between us, and she still hasn't attempted to move. The hands that held her hips circle her waist, and I pull her flush against my front. Her eyes search mine before dropping to my mouth, and I make my move, slowly closing the distance between our mouths, but before I can feel her silky lips on mine, she turns and presses her hand against my chest.

"What are we doing?"

"I was about to kiss you," I state, ensuring there's no mistake of my intent.

"Why?"

"Because I want to."

"And then what?" Her eyes search mine, and I know what she's asking. What happens after we kiss? She knows my reputation, and she could never be a conquest. I don't date, and even if I did, it couldn't be her. She's Archer's sister. When I stay quiet, she says, "That's what I thought." She steps out of my embrace, and I begrudgingly let her go. "Come on, I'll get you set up so you can try to get some rest."

When she turns left toward the living room instead of right toward her bedroom, I say, "Hey." She stops and looks over her shoulder. "I thought you said you were trying to return the favor. I let you sleep in my bed."

Her lips quirk up to one side. "My dad always told me I wasn't allowed to have boys in my room, and I only let men sneak in." There it is, that snarky attitude, the one I've tried to hate since the beginning of time. I bite my lip, enjoying her comment more than I should, especially when I see that her smirk has turned into a full-fledged smile. "Come on, lover boy. There's a couch out here with your name on it."

CHAPTER 12

JoJo

"What the hell is that noise?" Colton calls out from his bed on the couch as he pulls a pillow over his head.

Before I made my way into the kitchen to make my morning coffee, I snuck a peek at his back while he was still asleep. The Benadryl and damp towels I laid on last night before bed seemed to do the trick. Only a few splotchy patches are left, but they look like they are fading away. With another dose of medicine, they will probably be gone. It's why I was unconcerned about making too much noise and waking him. My sympathy is gone. He's no longer in pain, and I'm annoyed. He says he doesn't play games, but that's exactly how it feels. I'm just waiting for him to poke fun at my expense with all this touchy-feely shit he's been dishing out. And the eye contact… I think I've shared more stolen glances and direct eye contact with him than with men I've actually dated. What I don't understand is why he's doing it. We're adults. He's in his thirties, for crying out loud. The days of fucking around for the hell of it should be way out of hissystem. Plus, there's my brother. I know he wouldn't risk losing his friendship with Archer for a one-night stand with me.

"Hello… Are you going to answer me? What's with all the noise?"

His voice startles me the second time as it's now right behind me. "Oh my god." I throw my hand over my heart.

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