Page 63 of Wilde Abandon

“Or you could tell me now and I can surprise you later.”

He pulled her shirt off, making sure not to hit her head wound or her hand as he pulled it free.“Uh-uh.I start talking and I’ll want to touch.And right now the only touching I’m doing is to get the stench of stale beer off you and getting you into bed.”

“Where you’ll?”she prompted, still flirting with him.

He clamped his hands on her hips again.“You drive me wild, sometimes.”

She undid the button on her skirt and unzipped it.“Happy to oblige.”She stood and he tugged the denim down her legs as he leaned in and kissed her belly.Heat pooled between her thighs.“You’re making it very hard to be good.”

“You’re just making me hard.”

“I can take care of that.”She was tired, but not too tired for him.

“Not tonight, sweetheart.Tonight, I get to repay you for all the times you took care of me as a kid.”

She sat on the toilet again and leaned in so they were just an inch apart.“You don’t owe me anything.”

“I want to do this for you.”

She gave him a tilted smile.“Well, okay then.”

“Stay put.”He pulled a washcloth out of the cupboard by the door, then left for a moment and returned with one of his T-shirts.He turned on the faucet and dampened the washcloth with warm water, then turned off the tap and used the cloth to wipe down one arm, then the other, then her hands, and fingers, working around the bandages.He rinsed the cloth, then ran it over her right leg, avoiding the bandages, before cleaning her calf and foot.He did the rinse-and-repeat thing on her other leg.

Chilled a bit as the warm water on her skin cooled then started to evaporate, she shivered as he pulled the shirt over her head and helped her get her arms in the holes, then he pulled it down her torso.

“Do you want me to wash your face?”

She didn’t want to sleep in her makeup.“If you don’t mind, though we’re going to need some soap for that.Probably best if I lean over the sink.I can probably do it with one hand.”

“I want to help.”

She went to the sink.

Fox pulled her hair back and tucked it into the back of the shirt to keep it from falling forward.

She leaned over the sink.He cupped his big hand under the warm water and splashed it over her face.She helped, using her good hand.Then he rubbed the soap over her hand and she massaged it over her eyes and face, cleaning her skin.Fox helped her splash more water over her face, then gently dabbed a towel over her skin, drying her off.

“Feel a little better?”

She leaned into his chest.“Actually, yes.But I could use some ibuprofen before I crash for the night.”

He opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle, uncapping it.“How many?”

“The throbbing pain is ratcheting up.Let’s go with three.”

He handed them over, then filled the glass he kept by the sink with water.

She took the pills and hoped they worked soon.

He brushed his hands up and down her arms.“Need anything else?”

She shook her head.

He took her hand and led her to the bed.He’d already turned down the covers.

She crawled in and settled in her spot as Fox covered her with the blankets.“Thank you.”

“I’ll be right back.”He kissed her on the forehead and left their room, probably to put her clothes in the washer and turn out all the lights.

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