Page 73 of Do Opposites Attract?

Clearly embarrassed, he dropped his gaze to the floor. ‘I’m fine. I just haven’t got enough arms to support myself and wash at the same time.’

Her heart went out to him; he looked so fed up, so utterly frustrated. Unthinkingly she picked up the shower gel. ‘Here, let me rub some of this over you. Then you can just stand under the shower and wash it off.’

The moment her hands smoothed across his naked flesh, she knew it was a mistake. The sexual chemistry that had always been strong between them instantly flared. She heard his sharp intake of breath, and her own gasp.

‘Leave it, Brianna,’ he growled. They’d both felt the flash of desire at the feel of her hands on his skin, but his reaction was more obvious. He twisted away from her. ‘Leave me alone.’

* * *

She gave him some space, figuring the shower episode had probably been the last straw for him today. So after asking thecook to bring up two plates of whatever her parents were having, she went to watch television. Mitch would come and find her when he was ready. His empty stomach would lure him out of his room, if nothing else.

Right on cue, as the cook knocked on the door to deliver the delicious smelling dinner, Mitch appeared, his damp hair a reminder of his thwarted attempt at a shower.

‘I’m sorry about earlier. I umm . . .’ she sighed, taking the plates through to the kitchen. ‘I was just trying to help.’

Mitch nodded and sat himself down at the table. ‘I know. And it’s not as if you haven’t seen me naked before.’ He gave her a crooked grin. ‘Heck, at least I know everything is still in good working order.’

Brianna chuckled, relieved at his change of mood. ‘How did you manage to wash in hospital?’

A slight flush crept across his cheeks. ‘A lot of bed baths, at least in the beginning.’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘Was it humiliating, I can see you wondering. Yes, it damn well was. Did I enjoy it? No.’ He took a mouthful of the beef stew. ‘Mind you, when the pretty blonde nurse was on, there were moments . . .’ he let the sentence hang.

‘You are a walking cliché, Mitch McBride,’ Brianna replied coolly, pouring a bit more wine into both their glasses.

‘Hey, I can’t help it if what they say about a nurse’s uniform is true. At least on the right nurse.’ Obviously enjoying his memory, he smiled and shovelled more food onto his fork. ‘Seriously, when I had a shower, they had one of those plastic seats, so I could sit down and wash with my good arm.’ He shrugged. ‘I guess I could do with one of those.’

‘Then that’s what we’ll get.’

‘Not much of an alternative to a sexy lady washing me down, but I guess it’s the most sensible solution.’

Brianna glanced up to see him gazing at her with an amused twinkle in is eye. This time it was her turn to blush. She concentrated on her food, trying to ignore the image that burned in her mind. One of his stirring arousal as she lathered his muscular body with shower gel.

* * *

The next few days passed by quickly. They settled into a routine where each accepted the other’s need for space, but enjoyed their time together, mainly over meals and in the evening. Working from home instead of the office, Brianna found it useful to have Mitch alongside her and often picked his brain over the initiatives she had ongoing. Although she was very much aware of the sexual spark that still lay between them, it was obvious that nothing could happen, even if either one had wanted it to. So with sex no longer on the agenda, it was an opportunity to talk, to get on together as friends. It surprised her how easy Mitch was to live with. He ate everything she put in front of him, kept his room tidy and even put the toilet seat down. All in all, he was the perfect house guest.

The one thing that stopped Brianna from really enjoying her time with him, that nagged at her almost constantly, was the thought of Catherine. She’d put off telling Mitch about Catherine while he was in hospital, convincing herself he was too weak. But as the days went by, Brianna found it harder and harder to justify her silence. It wasn’t right that she knew something about a major part of his life and he didn’t. So, though she knew it would upset their current status quo, she finally broached the subject one evening as they were eating.

‘There’s something I need to talk to you about,’ she began, pushing her plate away. She knew she wouldn’t be able to eat anything further.

‘Fire away.’ When she hesitated, he frowned. ‘Should I be worried? You look kind of serious.’

She tried to smile. ‘No, there’s nothing to worry about. Hopefully it will be a good thing.’ As she grasped for the words she’d rehearsed off by heart the night before her mind went alarmingly blank.

‘Brianna, you’re scaring me.’ She felt Mitch’s hand cover her own. ‘What is it? You’ve gone pale.’

She withdrew her hand and stood up. ‘It’s about Catherine.’

At the mention of her name, he froze. Slowly he put down his fork and sat back in his chair. ‘What about her?’

‘You mentioned once there was a lady who took you under her wing. I presume that was Catherine?’

He nodded, his jawline tense.

‘From the sound of your voice when you told me about her, I guessed she was somebody you cared about, a lot.’ She looked at him for some sort of agreement, but was met with a stony wall of silence. Pausing, giving herself some time to think of the right words, Brianna walked to the table and picked up her glass, taking a quick sip of the crisp white wine. ‘After Henry threw those accusations at you at the party, I couldn’t seem to get you and Catherine out of my head. You weren’t just angry when he said what he did. You were upset. Then I remembered you’d said it was her that broke off the contact. I couldn’t understand why someone who cared for you enough to take you in, would suddenly do that. So I followed up with Simon. I wanted to find out what had happened.’

‘Who gave you the right to interfere in my life, Brianna?’ he asked coldly, his eyes flat, his face rigid.

She’d been expecting a flash of temper. The controlled, icy anger, was far more unnerving. ‘I know it was wrong. For what it’s worth, I did it with the best of intentions. I thought theremust be a simple misunderstanding.’ She raised her head again to look at him. ‘And there was.’

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