Page 43 of Stripped

Zane let me go to get in front of me, on all fours, and put his face close to mine. “For me, honey, just wait. We'll keep you safe. He can't get to you. Just wait until you're stronger. Please.”

It was the please that stopped me. The please and the look in his eyes, the concern and the desperate worry. “Okay,” I said. “I'll wait.”

He smiled and pressed a light kiss to my cheek. “Thank you, baby.” He moved back into his previous position, his arm around me. “Just rest for a bit and keep drinking water. Slowly.” He grabbed the remote, the other two guys settled onto the other bed, and Zane flicked on the T.V. He found a romantic comedy and no one complained, not even the uber-masculine Payne.

I sipped water as we watched and the guys laughed. All of them laughed. Men can be such idiots denying themselves the pleasure of romantic comedies just because of some misguided societal ideas about gender and masculinity. At one point, after Zane had laughed extra long and loud, shaking me and my nearly empty water bottle, I looked over at him and had the undeniable urge to kiss him. Instead, I gripped his chin in my hand, leaned in and said, “Being emasculated has never felt so good, has it?”

He gripped my wrist and grinned, leaning in and dropping a kiss to the tip of my nose. “You're feeling better.”

“I'm hungry.”

His brow lifted and something dark in his eyes fled. “Thank god. What do you want to eat? The guys can get you some soup or some crackers or—”

“Soup and crackers would be great.”

Aron left Payne behind and returned a short time later with a steaming bowl of soup for me and burgers for the guys. I ate slowly and, with each bite, felt better. After finishing the whole bowl and all the crackers, I felt like a new woman.

Zane's dark mood lightened with each bite of food I took. By the time I was done, he seemed like himself again. “Are you feeling up to the drive back to Mule Creek?” he asked, somewhat apologetically. “We've been here two days and I—”

“I'm good. I just need to change and pack up.”

“The guys will pack your stuff,” Zane said. “And you don't need to change.”

“I'd really like to change. And brush my teeth and shower.”

“Okay,” Zane said. “But I'm helping you.”

“Seriously, I'm—”

“You threw up everything you'd ever tasted and then you slept for twelve hours. Please. Let me help you.”

“Okay.” When I climbed out of bed, I was grateful for his arm around my waist because my legs were weak and wobbly and my stomach gurgled at the sudden change in altitude. Once we'd made it to the bathroom, I had to sit on the toilet lid and rest.

“Maybe we should stay one more day,” Zane said. “We have the points.”

“I can rest in the truck on the way back. I'm fine.” I pushed to my feet and managed to brush my teeth without falling over. I took another rest after that. “You should leave,” I said. “I'm going to shower now.”

He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor. “You're not showering alone.”

I rolled my eyes, but quickly thought better of it as the move made my head ache. “There's nothing sexy about the way I feel right now.”

He dropped to a squat in front of me. “You are always gorgeous and sexy to me, even when you're puking up your guts, but I'm not trying to get in your pants. I just want to help you, to hold you up if you feel weak.”

I should have said no, should have protested, but the idea of a shower seemed incredibly daunting, and I liked the idea of having some help. “No funny business.”

He held up his right hand. “I swear.”

I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it next to his. I hesitated before taking off my bra. I'd been naked in front of rooms full of people before, but this felt different. I hated that it was happening when I was too weak to make it sexy and he'd seen me puking not long before. He smiled. “It's okay,” he said. “Pretend I'm your doctor.”

“I've never wanted to have sex with my doctor.”

His grin was wicked, his eyebrows high. “Did you just admit you want to have sex with me? Cause I'd be happy to oblige.”

I rolled my eyes. This was ridiculous. Whipping off my bra, I stood and shucked my pants and underwear in one fluid move, perks of a career as a stripper. I hurried into the shower while Zane watched.

As soon as I was in the shower, I realized my mistake, because the fast movement had sent my head spinning and my legs dissolving into jelly. I braced myself with one hand on the wall, but I could feel myself slipping, my legs giving out. Just as I was about to give up and drop onto the tub side, strong hands gripped my waist and pulled me back against a solid chest. “You really aren't up for this. How about a bath?”

“Ugh. I know most women adore baths, but I never feel clean after one. I just feel like I've been swimming around in my own stank and dirt.”

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