Page 24 of Harbor (The Wanderers 3)

She groaned. “Fine. But I’m not sleeping now, and you’re interested, so it makes me uncomfortable having you watch me bathe.”

“Watching you? Maya, I’m going to help you.”

She groaned louder.

“You want me to wear a blindfold?” he joked.

“It’s not a bad idea.”

He chuckled, his chest rising and falling. “Not a chance. It’s up to you. If you want to take a bath, one of us needs to be here to help. Or you can wait a few days.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. The bath was so very tempting. She also knew he was right. She might slip if she tried to do it herself. She glanced at him again. “At least take your shirt off so I can ogle your naked chest while you’re seeing mine.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “Deal.” He leaned over to turn on the water, feeling it to make sure it was the right temperature before putting the stopper in. When he stood back, he reached over his head and tugged his T-shirt over his body in one fluid motion.

She held her breath while she stared at his fucking amazing chest, her hands fisted on her thighs. Jesus. She rarely paid attention to men’s chests. Not even a double-take. Her sexual reaction to men had been dormant for so long she’d assumed it was permanently damaged. But now… Lordy.

He approached her slowly and then reached behind her head to untie the bow holding her entire gown up. He slid it down her arms and draped it over the sink behind him without looking.

She shivered under his gaze as he lifted her off the toilet and carried her over to the tub. “Keep your leg in the air while I lower you. I don’t want the bandage getting wet yet.”

She bit her lip while he eased her down into the warm water. It felt amazing, but she hadn’t considered the logistics of keeping her leg dry.

Dario draped her bum leg over the edge of the tub, which forced her thighs to part wide and caused her to panic. She sat upright, using one hand to cover her private parts as she shook her head. “Never mind. I can’t do this.”

He grabbed a small hand towel from the rack behind him and lowered it into the water, covering her pussy.

She was panting as he met her gaze, one hand on her back, one on her cheek. “Take a breath.”

She hadn’t noticed she’d been holding her breath, but she couldn’t do it. Her eyes were wide and she glanced back at the space between her legs. She was totally covered now. Sure, he could see her breasts bobbing in the water, but at least her most private area was no longer exposed, spread open.

She finally drew in a breath. Maybe she could do this. Bathe at least. But her panic told her a lot about her state of mind. All three of these men might be drop-dead gorgeous and attractive, but she was too damaged to let things go further with them.

Maya never should have even entertained the idea of flirting with these men. What had she been thinking? She wasn’t capable of any kind of relationship. Not even one night or one fuck or one make-out session.

It was foolish of her to think she could indulge in anything of the sort. Continuing to flirt with them would be cruel to all of them.

The tips of her hair were dragging in the water. That was the first thing she needed to deal with, and it would give her something to do to break this weird interaction. “Do you have a hairband?”

“I can probably make something work.”

She shook her head. “Get one out of my bag. The outside pocket.”

He slowly released her. “You won’t slide under the water and hurt yourself while I’m gone?”

“Nope. I’m good.” She grabbed the sides of the tub, white-knuckling the porcelain. Her arms were shaking but she would manage for a few minutes.

Dario hesitated and then rose to his feet and exited the bathroom.

“Dario?” The voice questioning him was Keanu’s, and seconds later he was standing in the bathroom door. “Oh.” He swallowed. “I didn’t realize you were having a bath.” He didn’t turn away or even remove his gaze. In fact, his fingers turned as white as hers when he gripped the doorframe.

“Found one.” Dario held a hair band up over Keanu’s shoulder. “Excuse me,” he said, trying to get Keanu to release the doorframe so he could pass.

Keanu slowly shifted his gaze from Maya to Dario and then snapped out of his trance and stood to one side. “Did she splash you or something?” he joked as he glanced down at Dario’s naked chest.

Dario came to her side, leaned over, and gathered her hair until he was holding it high on her head. He expertly twisted the band around until he had a perfect messy bun that would keep her locks out of the water.

“It’s my rule,” Maya told Keanu, trying not to panic by keeping things light and playful. This wasn’t her but it covered her internal turmoil. “If you intend to continue standing there watching, you have to take off your shirt too.”

---