Page 35 of Scorned Beauty
After she realized I wasn’t leaving, she croaked, “What are you doing?”
“It looks like you need help.” I folded my suit jacket over the couch.
“I’m fine. Just go,” she groaned. “Let’s just end this now. It’s a sign.”
“Fuck your sign,” I snapped. “I’m not leaving you here while you’re in pain.”
“It’s not the first time. This will pass overnight. I just need to sleep it off.”
“Well, you don’t look comfortable. Should you transfer to the bed?”
“It’s a new mattress. I don’t want to ruin it.”
“I’ll buy you another one.”
“Dom!”
“You can’t kick me out,” I said with determination. “I’m staying and taking care of you.”
Chapter
Ten
Sloane
“Ugh,you don’t have to do this.” I didn’t have the energy or temerity to argue, but Dom was already on his knees removing my boots, and when he liberated my feet from them, I could’ve wept in relief. I couldn’t even bend down in the bathroom to unzip them, because the second I folded over, I would collapse on the bathroom floor. The only thing I managed was to change my underwear, put in a fresh tampon, and splash water on my face. Not necessarily in that order. “This is not part of the arrangement.”
“Quiet,” he ordered, spearing me with a censuring gaze. “As a friend, I would have had the decency to do this at least.”
He scooped me up in his arms and headed to the bedroom. “Would a warm bath help?”
“Yes.” When he was about to lay me on the bed, I said, “Lay a towel on top of the sheet. They’re in the bathroom closet.”
The way he set me gently on my feet made my heart squeeze. It was as if I was an injured kitten. The sound of the bathtub faucet running made me smile. For a hookup who wasn’t gettingany sex, Dom was going above and beyond. He returned with a towel and set it on the bed.
I sank into the high-end mattress that Dom bought to replace the one he ruined.
“Where are your pajamas?”
“They’re in the corner.” My closet space was probably five percent of his, maybe even less. I usually had to swap out my clothes for the seasons. He came back with a set and went directly to the dresser to open the top drawer. He’d seen me get underwear from there, so I wasn’t surprised that he had my change of clothes ready.
“Do you want tea?”
“Dom, you’ve done enough.”
“Well, since I’m here, I want to offer you my services.”
“That’s quite a one-eighty from your rude texts earlier.”
He winced and sat on the bed and stroked my leg. “I’m sorry. I was being an ass.”
I waited for him to elaborate.
He huffed. “I should have responded to your last text about the bed.”
“Why didn’t you?” I challenged. “I don’t like games and the only reason I didn’t respond to your texts earlier was because you were like a dog with a bone.” When his eyes flared, I added, “Don’t deny it.”
A muscle worked in his jaw, as if still debating whether to deny my accusation or admit to it. “I wanted to see you, but family business required my full attention.”
