Clayton puts the kit next to me on the bed and motions with his fingers. “Up.”
My eyes jump up to meet his, and heat creeps up my neck, realizing what he’s intending to do. “No,” I squeak.
“Ry, I’ve seen you in your bathing suit before. I’ll take those off and help you into the shorts.” He motions again and places his fingers on the top of my leggings.
I grab his hands firmly. “Clay.” His eyes meet mine, and I have to refocus my thoughts, having him mere inches from my face with his hands on my body. It’s not easy feeling his breath against my skin. My mind easily goes back to the days when Ididn’t need to have a single guard up around him, and I could be myself. I tried to not let anyone know of my feelings for him, but as we got older, our natural relationship was easy and one I craved. “You haven’t seen me in a thong.”
His lips part before he realizes it, and I can tell that was not something he had anticipated. Taking a moment, he clears his throat and looks off to the side before saying, “I’ll close my eyes.” He kneels in front of me at the side of my bed and waits.
I stare at him. His eyes are closed, and his fingers are still digging into my skin, waiting for me to agree. His face is set, and I know he isn’t leaving until he does this for me. “Ugh. Fine.” I sigh and lift my butt off the bed. Sixteen year old me would have died having him help me like this. My body temperature rises as my heartbeat thunders in my chest.
He pulls them down to my thighs and off my good leg, but moves more slowly with my other one. His rough calluses graze my skin, sending goosebumps all over. Even though he has a gentle touch, I still wince a few times before I grab the shorts, and he holds the waistband open wide, allowing me to easily step in. As they go over my hips, Clayton’s face meets mine, and he slowly opens his eyes. He looks to my mouth before straightening his shoulders, and I wonder if I saw correctly.
He cleans off my wound and bandages it, quickly and quietly. Memories flood back to all the times he took care of me growing up. How sweet he always was, until he wasn’t.
“Done.” He grabs the wrappers from the bandages and gets to his feet. Closing the first aid box, he returns it to the bathroom and discards the trash before coming back to the bedroom. “Need anything before I go?”
I shake my head. “No. Thank you,” I say sheepishly.
“No problem.” He nods like nothing else needs to be said and leaves without another glance.
12
CLAYTON: NOW
Keepingmy eyes closed was a new form of torture. Rylee was inches away from me in a thong, and I had to pretend it didn’t faze me. But touching her again . . . nothing has felt as right as when my fingertips skim her body. Her skin was as soft and inviting as I remember.
I thrum my fingers on the steering wheel, driving back to the construction site. After all these years, I ran into her two days in a row. My world has always been loud and overwhelming, but when she came into my life, it quieted. When she would sit on the same bench every day during lunch for years, it made me feel less alone. I never minded being alone, but there’s something about having someone quietly show you they care. A silent reminder that you have someone in your corner.
“Look who finally decided to show.” Avery’s voice carries across the site as I walk to my office.
I lift my hand and give a two-finger salute. I have a lot of things to do, but finding a designer is the priority. A few of them are coming in for an interview, and I hope one will be the right fit. I rake my fingers through my hair as I slouch inmy chair, already tired for the day I’m about to have. There’s a knock on my door, and I straighten.
“Yeah?”
Avery’s face peeks inside. “Hey, boss.”
Slouching my shoulders again, I rub my hands down my face. “What?” I scan my desk and grab the first application from the woman who’ll be here in fifteen minutes.
“It’s not every day the boss calls saying he’ll be late.” Avery walks inside and shuts the door.
“Yeah.” I don’t take my eyes off the papers in my hand. I need to stay focused on all the interviews I have today, but I can’t help but think about this morning. When I pulled up and saw all the blood on her leg, I felt something shift in me. I had to make sure she was okay. It felt like high school all over again, where I always wanted to protect her and make her safe.
“Aren’t we talkative today?” He smirks. “Did something happen?”
I blow out a breath and toss the paperwork back on my desk. “Ry.”
His eyes widen. “What about Rylee?” Avery walks closer and sits in the chair across my desk.
“She fell on her run.” I rub my hands on my jeans. “I was with Mike when she called him, and he asked me to get her.”
Avery whistles. “Damn. I bet that was a fun little reunion.”
I glare above my mug before taking a sip. He knows how hard it is for me to be around her, and it wasn’t like I could tell Mike no. There was no part of me that wanted to anyway, but it’s probably what I should have done. Nothing good will come from being around her.
He holds his hands up. “All I’m saying is, you two have unfinished drama to work through. Don’t you think it’s time to bury that hatchet?”
Avery started attending our high school as a senior. Theblow-up with Rylee happened soon after. He knows a little about what happened, but not everything. He doesn’t know that I had the biggest damn crush on her almost my entire life. Though he’s probably guessed it. I still remember pulling into her driveway for the first time and seeing this girl bounce over to us. She wasn’t shy and didn’t mind that I wasn’t much of a talker. She was happy to drag me along with her, and it was never awkward.
