I choose not to torture him further, moving on from that spot. Once he’s rinsed off, he steps out and passes me a towel. While I dry my body, I watch him do the same, only pouting a little when he wraps the towel around his waist, cutting off my view of his lower half. Swooping in for a kiss, he renders me speechless. With a wink, he backs out of the bathroom, leaving me alone with the memory of the way he touched me.
I exhale a shaky breath.
This man makes me a wild, crazy mess.
I make quick work of combing my hair and dressing in a pair of black leggings, an oversized crewneck, and socks. I swipe Chapstick on my lips and twist my damp hair into a bun at my nape.
Downstairs, my brothers and Seda are still lounging on the couch. They’ve turned onLord of the Rings, and the chatter from earlier has vanished. In the kitchen, Caleb is filling a glass with water. As if he can sense me, he turns and smirks as I shuffle close to the island.
The man seriously just railed me in the shower, yet herehe is, looking so domesticated, sipping a glass of water like it was no big deal.
Suddenly parched myself, I pass him, headed for the cabinet. His fingers brush my wrist as he reaches past me and plucks a glass from the shelf. Lips grazing my ear, he murmurs, “You smell good.”
I’m breathless again when he hands me the glass, but I find the wherewithal to fill it with ice and water from the dispenser in the fridge.
“Pizza should be here soon,” he says, loud enough for the kids to hear.
“Sweet.” Casen tips his head back, eyeing us. “I’mstarving.”
It’s so, so wrong, but as I look at Caleb, all I can think about is being on my knees, taking him into my mouth.
“Can we have brownies for dessert?” Quinn asks.
Seda hops up, abandoning the movie. “We have brownie mix in the pantry.”
“Sweet. I’ll help.” Quinn hauls himself up and follows her.
“You guys are seriously abandoning me here? I can barely walk.”
“Good,” Quinn teases. “It means you can’t get in the way.”
Taking pity on Casen, Caleb and I settle in the living room, leaving Quinn and Seda to work on the brownies without our interference.
It’s hard to miss the way she smiles at him and blushes. Girl has it bad for my brothers. Crushes at her age are so intense and not always logical.
When the doorbell rings a few minutes later, Caleb hops off the couch to greet the delivery person, and my stomach rumbles, reminding me that the granola bar I scarfed down this morning was hardly sufficient for a snack, let alone a replacement for multiple meals. But I kept thinking we’d be discharged at any moment, and I wanted real food rather than chips or another protein bar. But it was well into the afternoon before we were finally given the go-ahead to break out of the place.
Caleb and I divvy up the pizza, and I take Casen a plate first.
“Thanks, Hal.” He gives me a soft smile. His normally bright eyes are dull and ringed with dark circles. He’s exhausted, and it’s almost time for more pain medicine, so I can imagine he’s hurting. We’re being strict with his dosage because of our mother’s addiction issues. Case was just as concerned as I was, and even suggested going without, but after a discussion with his surgeon, we created a plan to keep him out of pain.
“Thanks for dinner,” Case says to Caleb as the two of us return with our own plates. Seda and Quinn are still working on brownies, so they elected to eat in the kitchen.
“No problem.” Caleb nods, a slice held aloft. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore,” he answers without hesitation. “Tired.”
“You should go on to bed soon.” I tap my phone screen to check the time. “Maybe after you eat?”
“I might.” He stifles a yawn.
None of us have had much sleep. Not between all the beeping machines and alarms and nurses checking inthroughout the night. I’m just grateful they let us stay with Casen.
I’ve never watched theLord of the Ringsmovies, but I find myself being sucked into the story. Once he’s finished his pizza, Case sets his plate on the coffee table and slides the blanket off the back of the couch. He’s asleep, head resting on my shoulder, before the brownies come out of the oven.
Caleb peers around me. “Poor kid’s exhausted.”
“I should stop by the school tomorrow and pick up his work so he doesn’t fall behind.”
