Page 40 of Shattered Rhythm

Liv looks at me, surprised. “Really?”

I nod, so she stands in front of me, while I stay seated. I take the tube from her and squeeze a small amount into my hand before starting to apply it to her legs. As I rub the sunscreen in gently, I try to focus on the task at hand and not the fact that I’m touching her smooth, tanned skin.

When I reach her scar, I trace it with my forefinger.

“What happened?” I ask softly, looking up at her.

“I shattered my knee,” Liv responds curtly.

“How?” I probe further.

“I fell,” she replies. I understand that she doesn’t want to talk about it, but I’m relieved that she doesn’t outright lie or deny me.

“Someday, when you trust me, you’ll give me the long answer to that question, you hear me?” I say, she lets out a breath, indicating there’s more to the story than just a fall.

“I hear you,” she whispers.

I finish with her legs, proud of myself for putting the lotion near her ass without squeezing it.

“Are you going to keep that sweater on? Because then I’m done,” I tell her, handing her the sunscreen.

“Your turn,” she replies, and I realize I can’t have her rubbing sunscreen on my legs or I’ll sport a boner.

“Would you mind getting my back?” I ask her, taking off my shirt. She can’t help but stare at my chest, and I can feel the heat in her eyes, so I smirk.Oh, you like what you see?

“Sure,” she mutters before getting on her knees behind me. She squirts the sunscreen into her hand and rubs them together to warm the cream. It’s a considerate move that I failed to do for her, and I mentally curse myself. I can feel her smoothing the lotion onto my back, her touch making me shiver. It’s been a while since I’ve been this close to someone, and I’m finding it hard to focus on anything other than her hands on me. Her fingers glide over my shoulders and down my spine, sending electricity through my body, and I can’t help the soft groan that escapes my lips.

“Am I hurting you?” she asks, chuckling.

“No, it’s just…good,” I reply, turning my head slightly to catch a glimpse of her. She’s biting her lip, her eyes focused on the task at hand.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. This is not the time or the place to make a move on her. I shouldn’t anyway. It’s way too complicated, but damn, it’s getting harder and harder to resist her.

“All done,” she says, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“Thanks,” I reply, turning to face her.

“Can I do your chest too?” she asks, blushing, and I can’t do anything but nod.

She moves around me, kneels between my legs, then starts with my arms, and it’s more like a massage. She strokes my pecs a little longer than necessary, and I try to hide my grin, then she skims over the scar from a bullet wound on my ribs but doesn’t comment. When she moves down to my abs, I grab her hand, lifting it and placing a kiss on her palm.

“Thanks sunshine, but let’s not go farther down there in public,” I say.

She looks up at me, and I can see her breath hitch. “Oh.”

“So, what do you want to do now?” I ask, trying to redirect the situation, and she shrugs.

“I don’t know, just relax, I guess.”

“Sounds good to me,” I say, settling back onto the towel, and she moves back to hers. I close my eyes, feeling content for the first time in a long time.

“I’m glad you’re here with me,” Liv says, breaking the silence.

“Me too,” I reply, looking over at her. She’s smiling, and I feel my heart skip a beat.Fuck.

As I think about her knee injury again, I realize that building trust takes time and getting to know someone on a deeper level. I decide to take a chance and open up a bit to help her feel comfortable doing the same.

“Have you heard of the game twenty questions?” I ask.

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