Page 48 of After All

He raised a brow right back at her. “You mean the way you’ve always honoredmywishes in that department?”

Did he love that she wanted to give this effort and try this relationship thing and that she wanted to show him that he was important to her? Of course. But he realized that he already knew all of that. Their relationship wasn’t typical in any way, but it fit. There was no one else like Peyton, and being with her shouldn’t be like it was with any other woman.

“Well, I guess we really are going to see who’s the more stubborn of the two of us,” she said.

“Guess so.” He stretched, making sure to flex all of his muscles. She watched every bit of it. “So, you going to help me with my shower now?”

He predicted that it would take about five minutes to get Peyton’s clothes off in the bathroom.

“You going to put swimming trunks on?” she asked.

“Uh. No.”

“Then I guess we need to call Kyle or Derek.”

“You can call, but I guarantee that Kyle and Derek arenotgoing to help me with my shower,” Scott said firmly.

“I can call your mom,” she offered.

“She’s not coming, she knows you’re here. This isyourjob, Trouble.”

“Well, I’m not going in that bathroom with you unless you have trunks on.”

Scott ran a hand through his hair. Damn this woman and her crazy ideas. “I really do need a shower. I guess I’ll just have to do it myself.” He turned and started across the kitchen.

Three. Two. One.

“You’re not doing it by yourself.”

He grinned, then hid it as he turned back. “You’re not giving me a lot of choices here.”

“What if you fall over?”

“I might get hurt.”

“And if you get your wound wet?”

“I could end up with a serious infection.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I’m getting one of the plastic patio chairs for you to sit on.”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

“And I’ll have to disinfect it before you sit on it.”

“Okay.”

“And then you think you’re just going to sit in there in all your bare-assed glory?”

He shrugged. “I’ll keep a towel on if you need me to.”

“Need you to?”

“If you can’t control yourself. I know that you’ve wanted this for a long time.”

She gritted her teeth, then turned for the back patio and stomped outside. Scott headed for the bathroom. He dropped his shorts and wrapped a towel around his waist just as she returned, carrying one of his plastic patio chairs. She brushed past him as he balanced on his crutch, carrying the chair down the hall. A minute later, he heard the shower turn on and the sound of her opening and closing cupboard doors. She came back to the kitchen, bent to look under the sink, grabbed a bottle of cleaner, and went back into the bathroom.

Scott just stood there grinning.

---