Page 110 of Here and Now
She mentioned it had been a long time, and I don’t want her to be in pain. Penelope shifts, lying on her stomach, hand on my chest. “A little.”
“Come on,” I say, pulling her up with me. I take her hand, leading her into the en suite bathroom. “Sit there.”
She sits on the edge of the tub, and I turn the water on. “What are you doing?” she asks with a little giggle.
“Taking care of you.” Once it’s warmed up enough, I put the plug in the drain. “Do you have bath oil or any of that stuff?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t, but I have Epsom salt under the cabinet.”
“Okay, well, that’ll do.” I open the door, grab the bag, and toss a handful in. “Here.” I take her hand.
I help her over the ledge, and she slowly sinks down and then scoots forward. “Aren’t you coming in with me?” Penelope asks.
I grin and climb in behind her. My arms wrap around her, pulling her to my chest.
I kick the faucet off with my foot, and then we lie here, the warm water soothing, but it’s her that really gives me peace.
Tonight didn’t go the way I planned, not a single thing, and yet it was the best damn night of my life. Dinner in the car was great, golfing with Kai was fun, and then ... well, the rest was fucking perfect.
She was perfect.
Her long sigh fills the silence of the room, and then her head lolls to the side as she relaxes further into me. I cup the water, dragging it over the two of us so we don’t get cold as she just rests.
“This feels good,” Penelope says softly. “I don’t want this night to end.”
I grin, even though she can’t see it. “It’s not over yet, sweetheart. Just let me take care of you tonight. Here, sit up.”
She does and I bring my hands up to her shoulders, gently rubbing them and then her neck, down her back, and up again.
“Your hands are magic.”
“Just my hands?” I joke and she laughs.
“I think you have several magical appendages.”
“Which is your favorite?”
Penelope shakes her head and then moans when I find a knot where her neck meets her shoulder. “Right now, your hands,” she admits as I continue to work to get it to release.
“I’ll be sure to work at getting another part to become your favorite.”
There’s this little massage-looking thing on the corner so I grab it. Strange it has points rather than circles, but . . . I don’t know, girls are strange. I grip it against my palm and start to rub her back.
“What is that?” she asks as she leans forward.
“I don’t know, it’s yours.”
I show her it over her shoulder and she bursts out laughing. “That’s a scalp massager.”
“A what?”
“It’s for your scalp. Here, give it to me.”
I hand it to her and she holds it the way I was, but makes small circles, moving it around her head.
I can do that.
“Let me.”
