Page 77 of Prove You Wrong

‘I’m such a nob,’ she giggles.

I reach my hand out to help her up. ‘Is this a good time to suggest you’d have been safer with me on the bike?’ I give her a flirty smirk, fairly convinced I know the answer from her exasperated grin.

Chuckling, she says, ‘It’s never going to be a good time to mentionthat.’ Her legs slip from under her on the slick mud and I grab her, stopping her from falling again.

‘Let’s get you home.’ I flip her over my shoulder and wade off the swampy ground, with her squealing and wiggling.

‘Careful, I’m heavy,’ she mumbles to my back.

‘Fuck off, I can bench double you,’ I retort.

She’s still giggling as I deposit her by her front door. She rummages in her bag for the key and eventually opens it up.

I scoop her back up, enjoying the way she feels in my arms, and carry her inside.

We manage to get the door shut behind us and I kick my shoes off, not wanting to put her down. Following her instructions, I carry her into the bathroom before reluctantly letting her go.

She sets the shower off, the sound of rushing water filling the air.

Catching her reflection in the mirror, Ella bites her lip with a wince. ‘Gross.’

‘I think you look hot.’ I pull her towards me, tugging on her scarf to get it out of the way, so I can kiss that bottom lip. I want to kiss everywhere, but I’m going to start there.

‘Wait, you should give me a sec to sort this.’ She gestures down.

Cocking my head, I can’t see the problem. She’s perfect.

‘I’m disgustingly filthy.’ Her hand tentatively explores her mud matted hair.

‘Are you not going to let me help you get cleaned up?’ I quirk my eyebrow, praying she’ll change her mind.

‘Let me get clean … and then perhaps you can help me get dirty all over again?’ She bites her bottom lip coyly.

‘Five minutes.’ I give her a reluctant kiss. ‘The clock is ticking.’

Ella

Quickly, I wash the mud off in the shower and perform a last minute primp and prep.

It’s ridiculous, my nerves ramping up like this. He’s pretty much seen it all before. He had me laid out like an all you can eat buffet when we first met. But this is different. More intimate. To be honest, in the pub it was like an out of body experience. I never do things like that.

But this is real.

Before I know it, a knock at the bathroom door sounds out over the noise of the water.

‘Can I help you rinse off?’

Through the steam, I watch Nate come in.

He stops.

For maybe the first time ever, he has no banter or witty remark, no heart melting declaration. His eyes smoulder and his teeth skim his lip.

The heat in his gaze, his sudden inability to form a sentence, gives me the confidence boost I need.

I flick the nozzle on the shower, changing the flow direction and it cascades down. The spray ricochets off the walls, the glass screen, off me.

‘You coming in like that?’ It’s impossible to wipe the coy smile from my face, seeing Nate dumbstruck.

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