Page 84 of Ace of Spades
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Nate took Taylor to her apartment. She’d fallen asleep within minutes of putting on her seatbelt. He was used to late hours, but three in the morning was way past her bedtime. She’d been magnificent tonight, but that hadn’t surprised him. She trained as hard as any of them and was as lethal. He figured his brain was warped for thinking that was pretty damn hot.
They had some talking to do, but not tonight. She didn’t wake up when they arrived at her place. He grabbed her purse and eased out of the car. As he walked to her door, he took her keys out. After dropping the purse and keys on her kitchen counter, he returned to the car and scooped her into his arms. She mumbled something unintelligible, then snuggled her face into his neck.
On reentering the apartment, he kicked the door closed. In her bedroom, he eased her onto the mattress, holding her up in a sitting position as he dropped to his knees in front of her.
“Wake up, Taylor.”
She blinked her eyes, then kept them open. “What’s happening?”
“A few things, the first of which is to get you out of these clothes.”
“Just like a man, trying to get a woman naked.”
She smiled, but he saw the exhaustion on her face. He guessed that her fatigue was as much mental as physical, considering that she’d faced her mother’s killer.
“Yep. That’s the only thing we ever think about. But tonight, we’re just getting you out of them so you can have a shower. Unless you’d rather crawl under the covers right now. Even then, you need to undress.”
“I definitely want to bathe. I feel grimy.”
“Can’t have that. Jacket first.” He slid the jacket down her arms, then folded it, and set it on the floor next to him. “Now the holster.” That and her gun, he set on the end table. When she fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, he brushed her hands away. “I’m taking care of you tonight.”
For the next few minutes, he removed the rest of her clothes, doing his best not to become aroused. No such luck, though. With each piece he took away, he grew more aroused. It was impossible not to whenever he got anywhere near her. But tonight wasn’t about him. His dick disagreed.
Down, boy. No Taylor for you tonight.And now he was talking to his dick, something he’d never done before. It was disturbing. When she was down to her bra and panties, he scooped her up, smiling when she gave a little yelp.
“I’m not helpless, you know.”
Since he didn’t know how to explain—much less understand—his need to take care of her, he didn’t answer, just kept going. In the bathroom, he set her on her feet, then reached into the shower and turned on the water. She blushed when he unsnapped her bra, letting it fall to the floor.
“Seriously, tiger? I’ve seen you naked, so why are you blushing?” His gaze fell to her breasts, then reluctantly lifted his eyes to hers. “You’re so beautiful. There’s no reason for you to be embarrassed.” Although the woman who could take him down on the mats was adorable with pink cheeks.
“It’s just that we’re back to friends only, and you shouldn’t be seeing”—she waved a hand down her body—“um, me like this now.”
He swallowed a growl at herfriends only. “We’re going to talk about that, but not tonight. Panties off.”
“Close your eyes.”
He snorted at the absurdness of that order, instead shedding his clothes, all but his boxer briefs. If he took those off, he’d end up inside her before their shower was over. Since her panties were still on, he took care of that task, stripping them off her.
“In you go.” He patted her ass, resisting the urge to let his hand linger there. As he followed her into the shower, it occurred to him that this was the first time he’d ever bathed with a woman. Bathing together was too much like romance, so he’d avoided this particular intimacy.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, you’re coming in, too?”
“How else can I take care of you?”
Her eyes lowered to his briefs. “But you still have your underwear on.”
“Consider them a chastity belt.” At her puzzled look, he winked. “I’m trying to be a good boy here, Taylor.” Which was next to impossible with her naked in front of him. “Stick your head under the water.”
“I don’t think it’s normal for friends to give friends a bath,” she said, then stuck her head under the shower.
There wasn’t a normal thing about either of them—not their childhoods or who they were as adults—so he let her comment pass. He poured shampoo into his palm. “Close your eyes.”
“You really are bossy.”
He chuckled. “Both my brothers’ wives say the same thing about their husbands. Must be a Gentry trait.”
