Impossible To Resist (BWWM Romance Book 1)(69)
“How are you feeling?” she asked, knowing that it wouldn’t be good. She handed him the ice pack and he held it to the bandaged cut on his forehead.
“I feel like I got hit by a truck.”
She sighed and tilted her head, looking at him in sympathy. “You did get hit by a truck. Luckily, they arrested him, so if you want to press charges later, you can.”
He shook his head and sighed. “I’m not going to press charges. I just wish my body didn’t feel so sore and stiff, and my head wasn’t about to explode.”
She frowned at him. “Did you take the pain pills that the medics gave you?” she asked as she reached her hand up to touch his forehead lightly.
He nodded. “Yeah, I took a couple of them. They’ve kind of taken the edge off, but they aren’t doing much to get rid of the pain.”
Catalina shook her head at him. “I can’t believe that you took a punch for me.”
He looked up at her with his one good eye. “What, you think I was about to let you get hit by some whack job?” he asked incredulously.
She rolled her eyes. “I guess not. Listen, why don’t you lie down, that might help you feel better.”
He shook his head, speaking in a low voice. “No, it made my head feel worse. Thanks, though,” he said appreciatively.
Catalina tilted her head and looked at him thoughtfully. “What if you went outside and sat in the hot tub for a while? That might help your muscles feel a bit better. What do you think?”
He considered it and realized that she was probably right. Nothing else was going to make his sore, tired body relax and heal as fast as the hot tub would. He nodded and went to the bathroom to put his swim trunks on. When he came out, he saw that she had changed into her swimsuit and was wearing one of the hotel robes over it.
His stomach tightened at the thought that she would be joining him in nothing but a swimsuit and he wasn’t at all sure if he would be able to get through it easily, but for the sake of his battered body, he realized that he was going to have to try.
They walked out to the courtyard and pool area together, and were surprised to find no one else there. She helped him into the hot tub and he turned his head away from her as she slipped her robe off and stepped into the steaming, bubbling water.
She had had to avert her gaze when he came out of the bathroom, because the sight of his toned and muscular body in his swimming trunks was enough to make her gasp as her body flooded with warmth and the butterflies in her stomach went wild. She had felt stirrings deep in her when she had taken his arm and steadied him as he entered the hot tub, his strong back almost mesmerizing her as she wished she could run her hands over it.
Catalina took a deep breath and sat beside him. She had brought a red bikini that flattered her figure and was comfortable to wear, and Connor was doing his level best not to look at her in it, though it was extremely difficult, especially as she engaged him in conversation.
“I can’t believe that it got so wild again today at the event.” She was thinking back on the fights that erupted all over the room. She was trying to keep her mind on the debates rather than on the beautiful man who was sitting beside her in the steaming water.
He sighed and shook his head. “I can’t believe it either. I’ve never seen anything like that happen before. Ever! I guess that’s just how photojournalism goes. It’s probably best that you saw it early like that before you really got in too easy in the beginning, thinking it would be all peaches and cream and then discovering that the road can sometimes be really rocky. I’m so glad you didn’t get hurt today!” He looked over at her face with a look of utter relief.
She tipped her head a little and smiled at him with guilt and gratitude. “I’m glad that I didn’t get hurt, but I feel horrible that you did! Thank you again for jumping in between us. I was so surprised and I didn’t know what was going on with you, and then suddenly we were flying backward and it was pure chaos. I didn’t even know that you were hurt at first. This is just crazy.” She reached her fingers up to touch his forehead near his bandage.
She reached over to the side of the hot tub and picked up the ice pack that she had made for him, lifting it in her hand to hold against his forehead. She moved closer to him to get the pack on comfortably, and as she closed the space between them, he looked up at her so near him and could not look away.
Feeling his gaze on her, her eyes drifted down to meet his and suddenly it felt like a magnet had locked them both together. She felt inexplicably drawn to him, and though she knew she shouldn’t, she could not resist leaning a little closer to him, her full lips close to his, parted slightly. She wanted to kiss him more than anything, and she could see in his eyes as he stared at her, that he wanted it just as much as she did.
Her breath grew shallow as she drew nearer to him, so close she could feel his breath on her lips, and in that moment he could not hold himself back any longer, and he could not resist the temptation of her offer of a kiss. He lifted his hands toward her and gently pulled her body to him and lifting his chin, pressed his lips softly to hers with just a feather touch at first.
It was like a fire had been lit between them, and the soft touch of their kiss ignited a desire in both of them that swiftly grew hot. Her lips moved tenderly and sensually over his and she slowly traced the tip of her wet tongue over the curve of his mouth, making him groan deeply and close his hands tighter on her body as he pressed her to him.