“If you gotta make a call or something, you can.” She licked her lips as she stared at the bath. “I might need your help getting in, but I’ll be okay.”
“No, I’m with you,” I barked out. What thehellwas happening? It was Ivy. I’d seen her in swimming suits before, and my body hadn’t reacted like this. My stomach twisted withhow much she affected me. Her legs were smooth, and her badass scar shone in the light. I wanted to fucking drag my mouth over it.
Get it together, dude. My man. You’re too much.
It’s Ivy! She’d run the other way.
She exhaled. “Callum, I’m nervous.”
“I’m with you.” I held out my hands. “Give me the clothes, and I’ll help you in.”
Her jaw flexed as she passed me her outfit. I didn’t mean to look, but some bright red fabric peeked out from under the navy shirt she passed me and fucking shit. Didn’t think about that either. She was braless. Under my shirt.
She handed me all her clothes, which definitely contained her red panties, which left her in nothing but my clothes.
Now that I knew that, I couldn’t stop my gaze from trailing over the small curves of her breasts. Her nipples were tight peaks, poking through the fabric.Once she’s wet…
“This is giving me an appreciation for what you guys do all the time.” She clutched the edge of the tub, her breaths coming out in shallow huffs. “Do you just dive in?”
I needed to focus on the task at hand and not her body. I owed her that. I usually hoisted myself up and slowly went in, but I wasn’t sure if she could do that. “Do you need my help?”
“I-I don’t think so.” Her hand trembled as she gripped the side of the bath, and I felt like an ass.
She was so nervous and trying not to show it.
“Hey.” I put my hand on her shoulder, turning her toward me. “Do you want me to go in with you?”
The relief on her face was immediate. Her eyes bugged out as she nodded, but then she masked her expression. “I mean, if you don’t mind.”
“Stop lying to me,” I said, a little harsh. “You never held back from me before, and I don’t want you to now. You’re nervous as fuck. Tell me so I can help.”
She blinked before glancing away. “I don’t want you to think I’m weak.”
“Ivy.” My voice cracked with emotion. “I have never for one second thought you were weak.”
I whipped my shirt off and tossed it on the ground. My shorts followed. I still wore workout shorts underneath and kept those on. Shoes came off next. “I do this all the time, as you know. The first thirty seconds are brutal, then you’ll adjust. I’ll go in first then guide you in, okay?”
She nodded.
The motion was second nature to me. I put one leg in, then the other, then I went down. The instant pain was like lightning. It sucked the air out of you. Then, you leveled out. Once I evened out, I pushed up and held out a hand. “Your turn.”
She took it, her hand completely shaking, and I waited as she stepped one leg in. “Shit.”
“Don’t think, just do it. I got you.”
She closed her eyes and submerged into the ice bath. She gasped, and I knew she was in shock right now. It was jarring as hell.
The tub was small enough that she had to sit completely on top of me, and I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight against me. Her hair tickled my nose, her lilac shampoo smelling damn good. If it wasn’t so fucking cold, I’d think about how she was pressed against me, how she wore nothing under the shirt.
“H-h-holy shit.”
“Fourteen more minutes. You can do it.” I squeezed her against me tighter. Her wet skin slid against mine, andfuck,it was quite a sensation. “Match your breathing to mine.”
It took a few minutes, but she did. Her heart slowed, and she relaxed into me. “Okay. Okay. I’m done freaking out, I think.”
“Good. This’ll help you since you’re determined to pretend you don’t need therapy or care.”
She sighed and tried moving away from me, but the tub was too small and my grip too tight.
