Page 62 of Tangled Rose

Chapter 31

We enter my bedroom and don’t stop until we get to the bathroom. Beau boosts me onto the counter, then grips either side of it with his hands, bending at the waist so our eyes are on the same level.

I stare into them, and he stares right back. We are quiet. I’m reading his emotions the same way I’m sure he’s reading mine. He’s on the verge of losing it.

As soon as I register how wound up he is, I hold his face between my hands. “I’m okay.”

His eyes snap shut as if my words somehow hurt him. When his eyes open again, I’m sure I’m right. He takes a deep breath, pushes away from the counter and crosses the room.

“What are you doing?”

“Running you a bath.” He glances over his shoulder as he flips the faucet on and checks the temperature.

My teeth catch my lip, my heart squeezing. It’s crystal clear he feels the need to take care of me right now. I whisper, “I like the lavender bubble bath.”

He nods, adding some before returning to me. His gaze stays locked with mine as he makes quick work of getting my leotard down to my waist. The clasp of my bra flicks open easily under the coaxing of his fingers. The garment falls forward and slides down my arms.

Beau captures my mouth in what might be the sweetest kiss he’s ever given me. In the last few days, I’ve seen his fire and his power. But it’s his gentleness that will send me into a free fall.

I scoot off the edge of the counter and let Beau help me out of the shorts and leotard. His rough hands skim down over my legs, reverent. He scoops me up and carries me to the tub. Sitting down on the edge, he checks the water before lowering me into the bubbles. I’m overwhelmed at the care he’s showing me.

My legs draw up under my chin, and I hold myself in a tight ball. He takes a washcloth, squirts some bodywash onto it, and gently runs it over my back and down my arms.

“Beau?”

“Hm.”

“Do you think everyone thinks of me like that?”

“No,” he says gruffly. “He’s sick.”

I nod. My brain is threatening to implode with the direction my thoughts are heading. I want to believe him, but when you’re the daughter of a dirty stripper, it’s hard not to make certain assumptions about yourself.

Right now, I want to forget everything.

“Will you get in with me?” My head tilts to the side as I peer at Beau, waiting for him to answer my quiet question.

He eyes the tub. “With the bubbles?”

I sputter with laughter. He’s exactly what I need. “Are you too manly to take a bubble bath?”

“I guess not. It seems—” He comes to a full stop, rubbing his hands over his face. “Yeah. I’ll get in with you.” He makes quick work of toeing off his shoes and removing his socks, then yanks off his shirt and quickly loses his jeans and briefs.

My breath hitches as my gaze roams over his naked body. He’s so damn perfect. I take a deep breath, inhaling the scent of lavender as Beau climbs into the tub.

He sits facing me, extending his long legs. “So, what do we do in here?”

I giggle. “You’re the one who put me in here in the first place, you goof.” I press my lips together and pick up the bodywash. “You can finish washing me, if you want.” I arch an eyebrow as I hand it to him. “Just put some on your hands. I want to feel them sliding over me.”

He blinks, huffs out a breath and foams the soap between his hands. I poke a leg out of the water and, just like in my favorite daydreams, Beau’s hands are gliding, slick and unhurried, over my skin. His thumbs and fingers massage my foot and calf muscle before moving up further to my thigh.

“You have great legs. You know that, right?”

“Hmm?” My eyes drift closed.

“So fucking muscular and perfect. I can’t wait to see you in action on Monday.”

One eye peeks open as he takes my other leg in his hands and repeats the process. “You’re going to come watch?”

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