Page 13 of Inviting Trouble
“What?”
She stood. “Stop acting like my dad.”
“I’m not. I’m your bro.” He lifted a fist for a fist bump. Like she was just one of the guys. The guys always called each other bro, whether or not they were related.
She scowled and left him hanging. “None of my bros say shit like that.”
“They should.”
Her throat felt tight. It really and truly sucked to find yourself still in love with a man who had no feeling for you whatsoever. Except for the stupid friend feeling. No one had ever measured up to the bar he set. And that wasn’t because of sex either, because they’d never had anything but a kiss. It was just the good man he was. Despite everything that had happened to him, he’d reached down deep and found some inner strength that touched everything he did with kindness. He’d always been so good to her. Why couldn’t he see she was all grown up now? Ready for more?
“Thanks for breakfast,” she said and left, heading upstairs for a shower. Her swirling emotions quickly turned to anger. Honestly, what did she have to do to shed the twerpy one-of-the-guys image? Get naked?
She stopped dead in her tracks. It was a ballsy move, but what the hell did she have to lose? She’d be naked in the shower. Maybe she’d drop the soap or run out of shampoo or need a towel. Something to get him in there. The shower had a frosted glass door, which should show her off in a flattering way. She was fairly sure he wouldn’t be able to make out her tattoo clearly through the glass. If he ever did see it, that meant he’d be close enough to touch and at that point there would be no talking.
As soon as she got to the bathroom, she grabbed the two towels hanging in there, hers and her dad’s, and tossed them in the hamper. She’d ask for a towel. She took a long shower, relaxing and letting it melt the last of her tension away. Then she scrubbed down, washed her hair, and even shaved her legs. Yup, Park was going to get an eyeful and hopefully a handful. She didn’t worry about waking up her dad down the hall. He slept with a white-noise machine, door closed, furthest from the bathroom, and wouldn’t be up until early afternoon.
She turned off the shower and poked her head out the shower door. “Park! I need help!”
She wasn’t surprised to hear him hustling up the steps only a moment later. He’d always been her hero. Had always rescued her when she got herself in over her head. She shut the shower door and waited for the magic moment when Park’s eyes would open to her womanly reality.
He spoke through the bathroom door. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“No. I forgot my towel. Can you get me one?”
“Mad! I thought it was serious. Get your own damn towel.”
“In the hall closet.”
“I know where the towels are,” he said, his voice already fading as he went to fetch one.
The bathroom door opened, and she held her breath, and then scowled.
His hand was over his eyes as he held out the towel. “Here.”
She opened the shower door a small amount and held out her hand. “I can’t reach it,” she said, making no effort whatsoever.
He stepped a little closer, still covering his eyes. “Take it,” he ordered, waving it around.
She reached out, took it, and promptly dropped it. “Oops. I dropped it.” She lowered her voice to what she hoped was a husky enticing tone. “Everything is sowetandslipperyin here. Can you get it?”
He had to open his eyes to see where it went. He had to see her now.Come on, come on.
He turned his back to her, squatted down and reached back for the towel.
Really?
He got it, stood, and turned, eyes closed. “Last chance and then you’re on your own. Catch.” He tossed it in an arc over the shower door, where it landed on her head. “See ya.”
“See ya,” she muttered, pulling the towel off her head and drying off.Fuck my life.
She adjusted the towel high enough to cover the tattoo over her heart, headed down the hall, and promptly ran into Park. He did a weird careening dance, palms up, to avoid her. She could probably drop the towel right now and he’d just say, “You dropped your towel,” and hand it to her.
She seethed and continued to her room.
She was truly grown up now, not a wannabe grown-up at fifteen like she’d been. Dammit. She quickly dressed.
Mad didn’t know what made her drive to Hailey’s apartment, when she should be holed up in her room, studying for final exams, but here she was. She pressed the bell on Hailey’s basement apartment and waited. She knew Hailey normally took wedding planner appointments at the Ludbury House mansion in Clover Park on Sundays, but it was a week before Christmas and she’d closed shop for the holidays.
