A soft knock came from the other side of the door. I opened it to find a man holding a tray with several bottles of soda and cups of ice. Over his shoulder were more washcloths and towels.
“Here you go, sir. Can I get you anything else?”
“Thank you,” I said, taking the towels and the tray. “Do you know when the store across the street closes?”
He looked at his watch. “In half an hour. If you need something, I can go get it for you. The bar is almost empty.”
I glanced back toward the bathroom and nodded. “That would be great. Electrolyte water and some saltine crackers will be a good start. Maybe a few bananas.”
I opened my wallet and handed him some money. “Thank you. I really didn’t want to leave him.”
Brent, as if proving my statement, started up again.
“No problem. I’ll knock and leave it at the door. Your change will be in the bag.”
He turned and walked away as I returned to take care of my husband.
When it appeared his body had nothing more to expel, he leaned over and rested his forehead on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” he croaked. “Not the way I saw the night going.”
I brought my hand up to cup his neck. His skin was clammy and I knew he’d feel better after a shower. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s not your fault. Shit happens. Literally.”
He chuckled, nodding.
“Would you like to take a quick shower? I think you might rest easier.” I kissed his face and ran my hand lightly over his head.
“Yeah. That would be good.”
He didn’t move to get up, so I kissed his cheek. “Come on, I’ll help you up.”
Brent lifted his head and met my eyes. Something crossed there and I knew he was trying to figure out how to push me away. But that wasn’t happening.
So I got to my feet and held my hands out for him. He took them as I pulled him up. Turning to the shower, I twisted the knob to warm the water as he stripped out of his jeans. He’d never made it back into his shirt, and his shoes and socks were gone long ago.
Standing exposed in front of me, my heart gave a squeeze for the insecure little boy inside this grown-up body. So I went with my instinct and stripped off my clothes as well. Stepping into the shower, I held my hand out for him. Brent took it and stepped under the water with me.
I’d never been more thankful to find the pump dispenser of shampoo and body wash that hung on the shower wall. I gathered the soap into my hands and lathered him up.Massaging the tense muscles that I knew would come with such violent actions of being sick, he let me clean him from head to toe. And when I rinsed the soap away, he stepped into my arms and let me hold him.
And for the first time in a long damn time, I knew what had been missing from my life. It was him.
CHAPTER 14
BRENT
I wokethe next morning wrapped around John with my head on his chest. He held me tightly and as soon as I realized we were piled on a single twin bed, it all made sense. And I was almost positive I was lying in a pool of my own drool. Thank god I’d brushed my teeth.
My stomach rumbled violently, waking him. “You okay? Need to go back to the bathroom?”
Lifting my head, I wasn’t quite ready for the ribbing I expected to receive. It was mortifying that my hookup had to take care of me after a bout of food poisoning.
But what I saw when I looked into his soulful eyes was the last thing I expected. He was concerned, and for some damn reason, cared about me. And that look in his eyes made me think of something else I wasn’t ready to face. But I had to look away because that stare hit me hard.
“I don’t think so. Not yet.” I groaned as I tried to shift onto my side. Everything hurt.
John sat up but didn’t take his hands off me. “Be careful. Don’t fall off the bed.”
Whether I wanted them or not, strong tattooed arms tethered me to him as he shifted his back to the wall. He was being so fucking sweet to me.
