Page 17 of Wild For You
Thankfully, the bathroom had a door in the hallwayandinside the bedroom, so I gathered my things and ducked inside. I was in desperate need of a shower and made sure to lock the door to the bedroom before slinking out of my clothes and turning on the shower. Stepping under the spray, I felt immediate relief as the overly hot water pounded my skin.
“Mm…,” I moaned as I felt all the tension leave my muscles.
Realizing I didn’t bring any toiletries in my haste to leave my apartment, I grabbed the plain-looking bottle of shampoo in the shower alcove. Flipping the cap, I took a quick sniff of the liquid and realized it smelled amazing. More masculine and clean than it was floral like my own.
It didn’t take long for my hair to lather, and I quickly followed it with some conditioner I was surprised to find.
Oh my God! What if he has a girlfriend?
The thought popped into my mind, and I nearly dropped the body wash I was squeezing into my palm. I hadn’t even thought about him having a significant other who probably wouldn’t be thrilled with me staying at the house with him. Rory never mentioned anyone—not that we spoke about her brother often.
“Shit,” I mumbled as I rinsed off and reached for the towel I found in the linen closet in the corner of the bathroom before I stepped into the shower.
If he had a girlfriend, wouldn’t she have driven him home from the hospital or been with his family when I arrived?
It was something I was going to have to press Andrew about.
Dressing quickly, I made my way back to the living room and put up my things before heading toward the bedroom.
“Good morning!” I called out cheerfully as I walked around the room and opened the curtains—much to Andrew’s dismay, if his growl was anything to go by.
“Let’s work on sitting up, and I can help you to the bathroom.”
It took ten minutes of arguing with Andrew yesterday evening for him to allow me to help him use the toilet. It was a simple task, and though I wasn’t technically a nurse, I knew how to turn my head when he relieved himself.
But today was going to be an even tougher challenge.
“You know what else we can do this morning?” I prompted, as he struggled to push himself up. He was likely sorer today than yesterday, since he refused the pain medications before bed.
“Cut back on the caffeine?” he asked pointedly. His mention of caffeine had me immediately wanting a cup of coffee from Starbucks. Unfortunately, I knew the famed coffee chain didn’t have a location in Ashfield. But there was a local coffee shop that served a brew just as good, if not better, and it was next to Alex Easterly’s cake shop. One more reason I loved this town.
“Um. No. You get to take a bath!” I tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible, but I knew Andrew was going to fight me… again. It’s like he got enjoyment out of doing the complete opposite of what he needed.
“No.”
Walking over to the bed, I leaned down, bringing my face within inches of his. His eyes searched mine, and I noticed there were gold flecks mixed within the whisky-brown irises.
“When I say you need a bath, it’s not because I’m trying to get you naked. It’s because you stink.”
“I do not,” he grumbled, but I could see in his expression he knew he wasn’t at his freshest.
Straightening, I crossed my arms beneath my chest, and I watched his eyes dart down from my face to my raised breasts at the V-cut of my shirt.
“You smell like a barn, disinfectant, and sweat. A gross combination. Did they bathe you at all in the hospital?”
Andrew rolled those gorgeous eyes and frowned. “I wouldn’t let them while I was awake. But I’m sure they did while I was in the coma.”
“Don’t sound so upset about it. I’m sorry people would rather you be clean,” I said with a chortle. “Now, I’m in need of a coffee and a few other things. If you’re a good boy and let me give you a bath, then I’ll take you with me.”
“I thought I needed to rest.”
“Are you rested?”
When he didn’t answer, I pressed him again. “Well?”
“Ugh. Fine. I’ll let you help me, but I’m keeping my pants on.”
His reply didn’t surprise me. I suspected the large man might be lacking in the male part of his anatomy and was embarrassed. I wasn’t ever going to call him out on that, but it was a plausible theory. All the players I worked with were more than happy to drop trou when they thought they were packing something special in their pants. Most of the time, they were cockier in personality than they were in the literal sense, including my ex.
