Page 122 of Stolen Hearts

I take the glass from his hand, wrinkling my nose as I look at it.

“It’s Alka-Seltzer. I’m guessing you’re feeling a little hungover?”

I groan, nodding. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours. It’s two-thirty in the morning.” He peers at me as I start to drink the fizzy water and frowns. “I don’t want you drinking like that anymore.”

I shoot him a look. “I’m a big girl, Castle.”

His eyes lock with mine, and I feel a prickle of that comforting feeling I always get from him.

“You can’t drink like that when you’re taking SSRIs like Lexapro. It can fuck with your system and get you way drunker than you normally would.”

I chew on my lip as my eyes lift to his.

“You weren’t complaining earlier.”

He smirks that damn Brando smirk at me, which of course just melts me.

“No, you’re right, I wasn’t,” he says quietly, smirking again before his brow furrows. “But enough is enough. I don’t like you out of control like that. Especially around little fuckheads like whatshisname.”

I look away.

“Callie. Seriously.”

“Okay,” I mumble, turning back to him. When he arches a skeptical brow, I roll my eyes. “I’ll…slow down, okay?”

“Good. Now come with me.”

I frown. “Where?”

“To take a bath.”

I groan. “Can’t I just go back to sleep?”

“Look at your knees.”

I glance down, my eyes adjusting more to the darkness as I look at my legs. My face heats when I realize just how smudged and dirty they are.

…And I knowexactlyhow my knees got like that.

My lip retreats between my teeth as I look up at him shyly. Castle just grins hungrily, running his fingers softly through my hair and leaning close as he brushes it back from my ear.

“Again,” he murmurs, making me shiver, “I’mnotcomplaining. Come on.”

He plucks the glass from my hand and sets it on the bedside table. Then I’m gasping as he suddenly picks me up in his arms, cradling me tenderly.

“I canwalk.”

“I know you can. And I can carry you.”

In the bathroom, the deep tub is already filled with steaming water and mountains of fragrant white bubbles.

I stand, blushing a little awkwardly as Castle peels my dress off my shoulders and lets it drop to my feet. He holds my hand as I step into the tub and settle down into it, groaning as the heat seeps into my sore muscles.

Castle sits on the edge of the tub, and I jolt a little when he starts to pour water down the back of my hair.

“What are you doing?”

---