“Are you alright? I heard a lot of noise.” His voice was so rough that I actually shivered.
“I, uh… I slipped, and the water was hot.” I sounded like an idiot. But somehow, no other words came to mind. He looked—God, he looked handsome. Those sharp brows, the way his jaw clenched as he watched me. “I’m fine.”
Neal’s eyes flickered lower, and my nipples tightened to hard peaks. “The glass?”
“My wineglass,” I said, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment as Neal suddenly bent, looking at the floor around the tub.
“You can’t stay in there,” he said, his voice low.
“I know.” I wrapped my arm across my chest, embarrassment making my cheeks hot. “You can leave now. I’ll pick up.”
Neal tilted his head, and incredibly, he stepped closer. “I’m not letting you get out of there like this. You’ll cut your feet.”
“I’ll be fine, Neal,” I said, watching him move even closer. I squeaked, shy even after our scalding encounter on the couch yesterday. “And in case you weren't aware, I’m naked in here.”
He mimicked my move, crossing his arms as well. “Pull that towel down if you’re worried, Penny. But I’m not letting you out like this. You have ten seconds until I pull you from that water myself.”
I blinked up at him, shocked by his bold words. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me, Penelope. Nine.”
“I'm not getting out of here with you here.”
His smirk sent a bolt of heat straight between my thighs, even as I prepared to argue this further. But instead of speaking back to me, Neal slowly approached, avoiding the glass pieces that covered the floor. His eyes never left mine, even when I knew he could look down and see everything in the rapidly dissipating bubbles. He reached out with one hand and gripped the fluffy towel that was hanging just out of reach. Carefully, he lowered himself until he was at my eye level once more.
“You’re going to stand up—right now, Penny—and let me carry you out of here.”
I licked my lips. “Why?”
“Because if you get hurt, it’ll break me. And if you continue to fight me, I’m going to spank that perfect little ass of yours until you remember who takes care of you.”
I swallowed, my pulse fluttering as I slowly, carefully nodded.
“Now…” Neal stood again, holding the towel up between us. “Who takes care of you?”
Heat pounded through my body. “You do.”
“That’s right,” he hummed, firm hands wrapping the towel around my midsection as I held it completely still. “Let's get you somewhere safe.”
With a soft noise, I was swept up, Neal's arms wrapping around me from the sides and lifting me up until the side of my body was pressed against his chest.
“Oh no! I’m getting your new clothes wet.” I squirmed for a moment. “And Neal, your stitches… I’m going to hurt you!”
There was a soft grunt. “Do you think I care about that?”
“Not really, no.” I fingered the hemline of my towel.
His chest rumbled in a soft laugh. “And you’d be correct.” Neal carried me quickly through the bathroom, stopping by the door to toe out of his boots before continuing into my bedroom. With extreme caution, he set me on the bed. The towel pulled a little between us, and I froze as my nipple slipped free.
Neal’s expression never faltered, his chest matching mine, breath for breath, as one hand slowly rose, the backs of his index finger brushing over my nipple as it puckered.
“So fucking pretty. But then, I knew they would be.”
I groaned, my legs falling open a little as Neal’s fingers continued lower, brushing across my exposed ribs for a moment. “And soft, so incredibly soft.”
“Neal…” I was breathless, my body arching towards his hands.
His hand dropped between us, and for a moment, I worried that he was going to leave, but instead his hands moved to his shirt, undoing the first button, then the second.
