Page 25 of I Choose You
“Sit,” I told her, depositing her on the side of the bathtub. Her eyes held questions, but she did as I told her to without hesitation. I turned on the tap and adjusted the water temperature. While the tub was filling, I kneeled on the side of her, unzipped the hidden zipper of her boots, and eased them off her feet.
“Thank you, Reid.”
“It’s not a problem,” I told her.
The softness of her finger tugged my chin up. Being on my knees for her, Claire looking down at me, stirred something in me. “Seriously. Thank you.” She was so sincere, so appreciative of the simplest of gestures.
I bounced to my feet. I needed to get out of here. She was messing with my head, bringing up feelings I hadn’t felt in a long time. Like the desire to kiss her, which was all I couldthink about with those stunning indigo eyes on me.
“Okay, I’m going to get out of your way. Take a bath. Try to relax and forget about the bar, at least for a few minutes.”
I turned to leave, but my feet were glued to the floor. With all my effort, I dragged myself away from Claire, closing the door behind me on the way out.
The linen closet was attached to my closet, so I grabbed a clean towel for her and returned with it quickly. I knocked once and opened the door to drop it off for her. I hadn’t been gone fifteen seconds. How she managed to get undressed so damn fast, I had no idea, but standing in front of me was the most perfect, toned ass I had ever seen.
“Shit, I’m sorry. I was just bringing you a towel,” I told her, my eyes firmly closed. I tossed the towel into the room and whipped around, closing the door again.
I heard Claire’s laughter through the door before I basically ran away from her. Not that I could outrun the image of her, naked, in my house, that was burned into my mind.
8
Claire
POP.
The gunshot sounded loudly next to my ear. Was I hit? Was anyone else?
I couldn’t breathe.
I was underwater, and my lungs were filling up with water.
Darkness.
I awoke with a start, sitting upright in bed, gasping for air. This wasn’t my hotel room. It took me a few seconds to figure out where I was.
Reid’s room.
He came and got me yesterday. He took me out of there without a second thought.
I remembered being at his place, but I didn’t know how I got here. I remembered sitting on his couch, talking to him about what happened.
Oh, God. I remembered sobbing into him while he held me tightly, whispering in my ear that I was safe.
He made me believe him. He saw me let down my guard, baring my soul to him, but even then, I had never felt saferthan I did in his embrace. Now, in the light of day, I felt a little foolish for breaking down the way I had. It wasn’t like I was in any real danger, for the most part. Sure, there were times when Rusty was swinging the gun around wildly, but it wasn’t specifically directed at me. Not really. I could only imagine what Reid was thinking about my behavior yesterday.
Rubbing my hand over my heart, I tried to calm my breathing.
Last night, after the most relaxing bath, Reid lent me a pair of his boxers and an oversized shirt to sleep in. I expected to be up all night, replaying and reliving the moment that he pulled the gun out and started threatening the bartender. I had been sitting right next to him. Anything could have happened… but it didn’t. I was safe.
As it was, I passed out as soon as I lay down, the drama and chaos of the night’s events catching up with me.
I scrubbed my hands up and down my face. Although the bath managed to ease some of it, my body still felt tight from all the tension it held. Stretching out my stiff limbs and getting blood flowing through my body was my first priority. I spent some time working through a yoga routine, centering myself and clearing my head of all the negativity from yesterday. My emotions were valid. The fear and anxiety I felt didn’t just go away with a bath and a good night’s sleep, but I wouldn’t allow myself to dwell on it. What happened yesterday was in the past. I was safe now, thanks to Reid.
The house was mostly dark as I left Reid’s bedroom. Sunrise was still twenty minutes away. The hardwood floors were stained a dark mahogany, and the walls were painted a deep green. It was masculine but warm. It was perfect for Reid.
I found him on the couch, a worn blanket covering him while he slept, his large body folded up on the too-small space. As quietly as I could, I made my way into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. It was chilly now that it was nearly December, but I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to savor a hot cup of coffee while watching the sunrise, the fresh, crisp air filling my lungs.
“What are you doing up so early? You should be resting.” I jumped at the sound of Reid’s voice. Spinning around to face him, I pulled my lips into a fake smile.
