Page 59 of Tempting Wyatt
I cry out louder than I mean to when he lowers me into the tub full of warm water.
“Too hot?”
Yes, you are,I think, but don’t say out loud.
“It’s perfect,” I tell him.
Remnants of the salts on the bottom of the tub and the scent of lavender ignite my senses and soothe me at the same time. Wyatt sits on the side of the tub and cuts the faucet off.
The air is thick and humid from the steam. I can already feel the knots in my back loosening.
“I’m going to get you some ibuprofen, and then I’m going to bathe you,” he says evenly, meeting my eyes for the first time since I—well,we—took my clothes off. “And then I’m going to massage your sore muscles and put you to bed.”
I open my mouth to tell him he doesn’t have to go to all this trouble, even though it sounds like heaven.
He places a warm finger over my lips. “I’m not asking, Ivy. I’m telling you. Hang tight.”
With that, he leaves, and I lay my head back against the tub and close my eyes.
Tomorrow, I’ll be embarrassed that he saw me naked. Tomorrow, I’ll worry that this made me appear weak.
Vulnerable.
But tonight, I’m going to let him take care of me.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
wyatt
I’M SO ANGRY WITH MYSELF that I can barely see straight.
All week, I’ve let Ivy work on the ranch without checking if she was okay. Without telling her to soak her sore muscles or making sure she wasn’t in pain.
When I saw her limping, I wanted to kick my own ass. I’d practically mauled her in the fucking barn. She’d likely been in pain then. But had her stubborn ass said anything? No. No, she hadn’t.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were hurting?” I ask, handing over the ibuprofen and a glass of water.
Her doe eyes look up into mine. “No complaining, remember? We agreed.”
Fuck me.
That first day, I’d told her complaining meant the deal was off.
“You’d already won that bet. You made it through that first day.”
She makes a soft sound in her throat and lifts one shoulder.
It’s inappropriate for me to be here, undressing her, bathing her like a child, and massaging her to sleep, but I can’t stop myself.
She’s hurting because of me—because I made her promise not to complain. Because I was an asshole and she was a distraction I thought I didn’t want.
Now she’s all I fucking want. So badly that I’m struggling to see straight.
Tasting her sweet, angelic mouth in the barn made me hungry for more, but not tonight. Tonight, she needs rest.
The soapy water hides most of her beautiful body, but her soft whimpers while I wash her hair still have me hard as hell in my jeans. When she’s fully rinsed off, I help her out of the tub and wrap her in a towel before I do something stupid.
“Ready for bed?”
