Brazen (Brazen #1)(45)

She sighed but said nothing. When he looked up, he saw her green eyes glittering as she looked at him. There was a swirl of delicate patterns. Confusion. Hurt. Need. He was well-acquainted with the need. He wished he could be what she needed. All she needed.

Where the hell had that come from anyway? He shook his head. In an attempt to get his head on straight, he stood and bent to pick her up, intent on getting her into the bathtub.

He was too abrupt in his movements, and a small whimper escaped. His gaze flew to her face to see the strain around her eyes. Her mouth was compressed tight as if she hadn’t wanted him to hear her cry out.

“God, it seems I’m always apologizing for hurting you,” he said in self derision.

He walked into the bathroom to see the water still running into the large garden tub. He lowered her into the steaming water. Her small, pink-tipped br**sts slowly disappeared from view. They bobbed a bit in the water, and the swell was still evident over the rise of the water. It was a torturous sight for him. He wanted to touch her, lean down and run his tongue over that tempting strip of pale flesh, draw the puckered nipple into his mouth.

“Are you okay with this?” he asked. She never took baths, and he wasn’t sure that day she’d jumped in the pool had completely cured her of her fears.

She let out a moan that sounded like a mix of pleasure and pain as she rested her head against the back of the tub. “I’m okay. Enjoying it too much to panic.”

He frowned as he saw a bruise already forming at her hairline. He reached up to touch it then traced a path back further into her hair and saw a bloody cut.

“You probably need stitches. I should have taken you straight to the hospital,” he said in a near growl.

She opened her eyes and focused her stare on him. “Seth, I’m okay. Really. No blurred vision. No nausea. I only lost consciousness for a bit.”

He swore again. “The fact that you lost consciousness at all is a damn good reason for you to be in the hospital. How do you know how long you were out? You never wear a damn watch, and I doubt you’d have noticed what time it was on your way off the horse.” The sarcasm crept into his voice despite his desire not to upset her.

She smiled then winced at what the action cost her. “It wasn’t long. I just got the breath knocked out of me. I didn’t push myself too hard trying to get back. I don’t want to go to the hospital. I’d rather stay here with you.”

Her words balanced delicately between them. Stood as a barrier. He wanted her here with him as well, and that was a huge problem. He reached up to turn off the water and stood awkwardly.

“I’ll be in your room. When you’re done, holler. I’ll come get you.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and got out as quickly as he could, not caring that he was running like a coward.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jasmine closed her eyes again and sank lower into the tub. She would sigh, but it would hurt too damn much. She felt like one giant bruise, and she was so tired she could feel exhaustion beating at her, beating her down.

She wanted him to hold her again. She’d stay in the tub for a long while, until the water cooled, but she knew the longer she made him wait, the more likely it would be that he’d run as far away from her as he could. And no matter that she’d forced herself to once again confront her fears, she still felt uneasy in the water.

So she soaked a few more minutes and then called out to him. He appeared seconds later, his expression controlled. As he came to the edge of the tub, he frowned.

“Aren’t you going to wash your hair and that cut?”

“I’m not sure I can,” she replied honestly. It wasn’t a blatant play for his attention. She wanted to be in his arms, but she wasn’t playing flirty little games with him. She wasn’t sure she could lift her arms, much less undertake the arduous task of washing her hair.

His expression softened as he knelt by the tub. “Turn around,” he said. “Scoot up and lean back so I can wet your hair.”

She hesitated for a fraction of a second before she did as he said. The water swirled and sucked at her body as she positioned herself so he could better reach her hair. She folded her knees to her chest and inched forward. She nearly moaned in pleasure when his warm hands folded over her shoulders and guided her back so that she was reclined in the water. She swallowed some of her nervousness as the water worked higher over her body.

He held her with one hand and pulled his other hand through her hair until all the strands were soaked. “Okay, sit up, baby.”

He pushed gently until she was once again sitting upright. She heard the squeegee-like sound of him squirting shampoo into his hand, and then he dug his fingers into her scalp.

She let her eyes flutter shut and leaned back into his touch. He massaged and lathered, working the soap into her hair. With each rub, she relaxed more. She didn’t even flinch when he carefully worked around her cut.

“Like that?”

“Mmm hmm.”

It was over too soon and he began to rinse her hair. She let out a small sound of disappointment when he signaled he was finished.

“Stay where you are,” he ordered when she started to lift herself out of the tub. He plunged his arms deeper into the water and curled them underneath her knees.

With seemingly no effort, he lifted her out of the water. It streamed down her body and pelted the floor. He paused only to wrap a towel around her body and then one around her hair before he carried her into the bedroom.