Page 26 of The Fate Philosophy

I nodded.

He was quiet for a moment before he added, “I’ve always liked your hair the way it is, by the way. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with it, I like it when it’s wild. But it’ll be a whole hell of a lot healthier if you switch to the right products.”

He finished rinsing my hair and slid out from behind me, stepping out of the tub again. He reached over and unplugged the drain. He towered over me, and reached out a hand to help me stand up. Once I was on my feet, he handed me a warm towel before I could begin to shiver. He then grabbed the t-shirt he’d been wearing earlier and used it to squeeze as much of the excess water as he could from my ends before twisting them into the shirt and lifting it over my head.

His eyes glistened playfully as he smiled at me. “Cotton t-shirts will help protect your curls and prevent them from getting frizzy.” He wrapped the shirt around my neck, gathering my hair within it and twisting it atop my head, careful not to rub the fabric across my injury. “I’d normally recommend you sleep with your hair wrapped overnight, but with the cut on your forehead, maybe it’s best we wait until it’s healed. Just let it dry for a little while, and take it down before you go to sleep so you don’t have to worry about it rubbing across your cut and irritating it.”

I found myself staring up at him in some sort of awe, unable to respond. Our fingers touched briefly as I took over holding the t-shirt atop my head. We both paused at the contact, his eyes growing slightly wide, as if something surprised him. I wondered if he felt the same heat when I touched him as I felt when he touched me.

He dropped his arm and took a step back, bending down to gather my clothes from the floor. “I’m going to put these in the washer. I’ll grab some pajamas for you so you can change out of your wet…” He glanced down at my breasts before his eyes darted away. “Yeah.”

I laughed lightly. “Second drawer of my dresser.”

He blinked and shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts of something. “What?”

“My pajamas.” I giggled. “Second drawer. Of my dresser.”

“Right. Yeah.” He smiled. “I’ll be right back, then.”

I noticed he’d wrapped a towel around his waist as he opened the bathroom door and darted out into the hall. I took the moment to dry myself off and remove my soaked bra and panties, wrapping myself in another towel.

Dom returned with a pair of cotton bottoms and a black tank top. He set them on the counter and murmured something about going to change in Carter and Penelope’s bathroom.

“Dom?” I asked.

He paused at the doorway. “Yeah?”

“Why are you doing all this?”

He opened the door wider and looked at me. He chewed on his lip for a moment as he contemplated his response. “I admire how independent you are, but it seems as if you’ve never allowed someone to take care of you before.”

I think I would’ve allowed it, but I’ve never found someone who wanted to.

I didn’t say that, though.

He added, “I think you deserve to be cared for every now and again. You deserve to know that relying on someone else for comfort and safety isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength. After today, you deserved to have someone take care of you.” I dropped my gaze to my feet. “You matter to me, Macie. And I like taking care of those who matter.”

He didn’t wait for me to respond as he shut the door behind him.

Chapter 10

Thesoundsofobnoxiouslyloud chirping birds woke me from my concussion hazed, yet deeply peaceful, slumber. I rolled over, ducking my head beneath the pillow in hopes of falling back asleep before my headache could return.

The sound of the birds was soon drowned out by a light snoring. I groaned, knowing I’d be unable to fall asleep again. I let my eyes flutter open, noticing it was still much darker than usual in my room. My black curtains were closed completely, blocking out almost all of the morning light. I normally kept them open.

A dull beat began to pound against my forehead, though it was more manageable than it had been last night. I scanned my room for the source of that faint snore. He was curled up in the papasan chair at the corner of the room. The small throw blanket I kept on top of my bed seemed extra tiny as it attempted to cover his large body.

I had no idea when Dom must’ve fallen asleep. It was past four in the morning by the time we’d gotten out of the bath and he tucked me into bed. He told me he was going to call Carter and Penelope to let them know I was home and okay. I think I had fallen asleep before he’d even shut my bedroom door. The doctor had recommended I not be alone for the first twenty-four hours following the ‘incident’, as I had decided it would forever be referred to.

I told Dom it wasn’t necessary. That Dante and Juan were just down the hall if I needed anything, but he’d insisted. Though, I had expected him to sleep on the couch. Or in the other bedroom. Not to cramp himself into the most uncomfortable looking position I’d ever seen so that he could stay by my bedside.

My heart fluttered at the thought of it– at the sight of him there.

I pushed those feelings down. I’d already told Dom that nothing would happen with us. He’d expressed that he wanted to be friends, anyway. I was hesitant to let new people into my life in general, and I’d spent the last six months keeping Dom at arms-length. I told myself it was because he vexed me, but as I watched his chest inflate with his heavy breath, and his lips flutter as he exhaled through his mouth, I realized that maybe it was self preservation, instead.

Because the night I met Dom, I felt like he understood me. Understood me in a way that few people do. I didn’t want him to get to know me well enough to decide I was too much for him, because it would ruin that spark I felt the night we met. So I locked that night—and those feelings—away. While I still found Dominic Evans to be insufferable most of the time, he was a charming kind of insufferable. The kind you sort of miss whenever he’s not around.

He heard all about my antics last night, and he stayed anyway.

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