Page 60 of Love Me, I Dare You

She lets out a pained groan, stretching her leg, while her foot arches back as she moves it around in circles. Fuck, I forgot about her injury and how much pain she must be in after being on her feet all day.

Without second guessing myself, I reach for her, grabbing her by the ankle and flipping her so she's facing me, her legs draped over my lap. I move quickly and she doesn't have time to react until my thumb and middle finger are kneading her skin.

“Nash,” she protests, but just as quickly, she lets out a moan of pleasure as I massage the tight knot around her talus. I have to roll her jeans up slightly, but she doesn't complain. “God, that feels good.” The sound that leaves her lips, accompanied by the words that slip from her sweet mouth as I innocently touch her, make my dick hard as a fucking rock. “Nash, please, you shouldn’t.”

“Shh, just relax, B. I promised I’d take care of you, be there when you needed me as you healed. And instead I spent the week avoiding…” I don’t finish my thought, and I think she’s too far gone indulging in the pleasure to even notice.

“That’s our thing. Breaking false promises.” I don’t immediately grasp what she means, but I’m afraid if I ask, she’ll pull away from this moment of calm between us.

There’s no sign of the spitfire attitude she always has when I’m near. There’s no reluctance to be close to me. I don’t want to ruin this by saying or asking something stupid.

I give her foot a quick tug when I feel her tense up a bit. “You need to relax, B. Didn’t the doc give you some cream to rub on it for the pain?”

She nods. “It’s in my room,” she says, about to stand, but I hold her in place.

“Stay.” It’s just one word, not a question or a suggestion, but a command for her to stay put while I grab the cream from her bedroom.

There’s a noticeable heat that grows in the depths of her eyes, but I ignore it, needing to focus on the task at hand. Making sure she’s not in pain.

Once in her room, I move toward her nightstand, about to open the drawer, when I hear her shout out.

“It’s in the top drawer of my…” Her words die on her lips but I know what she meant.

Turning back toward her dresser, I reach for the top drawer, one I know more about than she imagines, and open it, finding the tube of cream lying on a pile of sexy thongs in every shade of the fucking rainbow.

Though that’s not what catches my eye. There’s a hot pink vibrator tucked in the corner, wrapped in a miniscule black thong. Reaching for it on instinct, I tuck it into my back pocket before heading back out to the living room.

I find her staring down at the phone in her hand, a soft pink tint kissing her cheeks. She knows what I saw. Now I found her toy, one she’s probably used on more than one occasion.

“You have quite a nice collection of headbands,” I mock, teasing her for her choice of impractical underwear.

With a flirtatious gleam in her eye, she smirks back at me, raising one eyebrow in a gesture that is both playful and suggestive. “Are you shaming me for wearing sexy lingerie?”

“Never, Angel. I’d prefer you with nothing on, but I’m all for you doing what you want to feel sexy.” Her jaw drops, the shock of what I said leaving her at a loss for words. Bailey’s so fucking beautiful. I want to reach out, tuck her pretty curls behind herear, and kiss her senseless. I would if I didn’t think I’d end up with my ass on the floor and her knee between my legs.

“Charming,” she scoffs in annoyance, but I catch the hint of a smile creeping back along her lips before she looks away from me.

I settle back down on the couch beside her, and this time she’s the one who tosses her legs over my lap. Squirting a coin size amount into my palm, I rub over the same parts I was massaging, applying a slight bit more pressure to the swelling that appears over the top of her foot.

Worry traces my features as I dwell on how well she treated her injury. “Did you keep it elevated?”

“You mean did I follow the doctor's orders? Yes, Nash, I did. I was a good little girl, stayed put and didn’t do a damn thing. Not that you’d know.” There’s an extra sharp bite in her tone and it’s fucking adorable.

I wish I could have been by her side to support her, but I didn’t think she’d want me to. Not after the way things ended. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help, B.”

“That’s not what I meant. You have no reason to be.”

My fingers move up her leg, carefully kneading over her torn jeans to not alarm her with my touch. But I can’t help putting my hands on her. I ache to touch every part of her, to be touched by her gentle fingers.

“You’re wrong,” I mutter, my voice thick with emotion. “I did. I told the doctor you’d be safe under my care and I failed that. I stayed away because...”

“What Nash? Why did you avoid me all week?”

The wall that was once crumbling from the tenderness of my touch is back. Strengthened by her fear and sense of shame. I fucking hate that she’s embarrassed to express how she feels in front of me.

“I was giving you space. Thought that the last thing you wanted after the other morning was to be around me.”

A bright flush of pink coats her cheeks and I ache to soothe her, to trace her skin with my fingers and feel the warmth under my touch. Though, the last thing I should do is mention what happened, but I have to know what’s running through her mind. “Why did you ask me to leave?”

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