Page 12 of The Rhino's Rose

I toss the t-shirt over the mess I made and quietly make my way out of the bedroom while stuffing my cock into my pants. When I’m safely in the living room, I take purposely heavy steps toward the bathroom’s main door. “Everything okay? Thought I heard you say my name.”

For a couple of beats, she doesn’t answer. Then there’s water lapping, enough to indicate she’s repositioning in the tub, followed by a deep inhalation of breath she probably thinks I can’t hear.

This is where I give her peace of mind. “I must’ve been mistaken. Sorry to disturb you. Enjoy your wallow.”

“Oh, I’m enjoying it very much,” she says with a light laugh. “Thank you.”

Maybe everything will be okay—as much as that’s possible after what I did. I obviously can’t be this close toRose, since I’m incapable of controlling my desire for her. I’d pack up tonight and head out of town if I hadn’t promised Garion that I’d keep an eye on things and be available to help her if needed. I’m committed to staying put until he gets back.

My gross overstep of boundaries can’t happen again. I’ll make sure her plumbing gets fixed tomorrow, no matter what it costs. This is the only time she’ll be inside my house. When she goes home after her bath tonight, things will go back to the way they were. Neighbors who occasionally cross paths in the driveway. A wave here, a hello there. Then, when her father returns, I’ll leave town and never come back. Right now, though, I need to put space between us.

I’m on my way to the backyard when a shriek, then a thud and cry of pain, fill the air. In a blink, I shift directions, thundering through the house to the bathroom door. “Are you okay?”

“I—” A pained whimper replaces her voice. “I slipped and fell getting out of the tub.”

Hands balled into fists at my sides, I have to take a step back so I don’t barge in. “Tell me how I can help. Whatever you need.”

“My leg hurts to move it.”

Fuck. “What about when you’re not moving it?”

“Just throbbing, not sharp,” she says, then, “it’s puffing up, but it’s not bleeding or bent weird.”

“Good, that’s good. Try to stay still. I’m calling Dr. Schaefer right now.”

In my few minutes on the phone with Fate’s Falls’primary physician, multiple soft whimpers and pained hisses come from the other side of the bathroom. It’s a miracle I make it through the call because my instinct is to crush the phone in my fist and rush to my mate’s aid.

Keeping my hands jammed inside my pockets, I stand a safe distance from the bathroom door when I give Rose the update. “Dr. Schaefer will be here in half an hour.”

“Half an hour?”The frustration in her voice is unmistakable. As is resignation when she sighs and says, “Okay.”

This is my fault. The sides of the tub are too high for someone Rose’s size, especially when things are slippery. I should’ve taken measures to ensure she could get out safely. Instead, I was consumed with thoughts of her naked body and the ways I’m desperate to claim her. “Is there anything I can do for you until the doctor arrives?”

“Um…” Her pause lasts long enough to draw my feet closer to the door and my hands from my pockets.

“Whatever it is, Rose, I’m here to help.”

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Yours is the only comfort that matters,” I say, bracing my palms on either side of the door.

“I tried moving toward where the towels are, but it hurt and… I’m kind of cold.”

Gods, is she asking me to go in there while she’s lying naked on the floor? Lyinginjuredon the floor,that’sthe detail I need to focus on.

“I’ll get a blanket and bring it in, but I’ll close my eyes, Rose. I won’t look; I give you my word.” My cock isnot a fan of my word. My cock needs to accept the hard—very hard—truth that it will never get anywhere near Rose.

“Okay,” she says with what I swear is that same disappointment I heard earlier, when I brushed her off at the jobsite.

In under a minute, I’m back at the bathroom door with a soft throw blanket hanging over one forearm. After five years in this house, moving around one room blindly won’t be a problem. It’s basically what I do every night because my mediocre vision is further diminished in the dark.

“I’m at the door with a blanket. My eyes are closed. Tell me when you’re ready for me to come in, then which direction to walk and when to stop, so I don’t step on you.” Not that I think I could. Pretty sure the mate pull I feel toward Rose would prevent me from causing her any kind of physical harm. But she doesn’t know that.

“You can come in. I’m beside the tub.”

Stepping into the room, I’m bombarded by her scent. Because there are no layers of clothing preventing it from emanating from her beautiful body. Because she pleasured herself mere minutes ago. The mating urge wails inside me, my cock thickens, battling to rise inside the confines of my pants, and it takes conscious effort to keep my eyes closed.

“Keep coming,” she says in her soft voice.

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