“Of course.”
He whistled for Ranger, and the three of us made our way up my front walk.
“I’m going to take a shower.Make yourself at home.I think there’s beer in the fridge.”
He offered a chin lift in response as I made my way to the bathroom.Truth be told, now that the excitement from the day had worn off, I was realizing how much the cuts and scrapes on my skin hurt.They throbbed like little pinpricks all over my arms and legs.
I stripped down before stepping under the warm spray, wincing as the water hit my skin.I washed my hair and face quickly before soaping up my cuts.
Wrapped in a towel, I dug through my dresser drawers for something comfortable to wear when he tapped at my bedroom door.
“Do you have Neosporin in there?”he asked through the door.“I brought in the first aid kit from my truck.”
“Um, no, I don’t.I was just going to throw on some sweats and a long-sleeved shirt.”
“You need Neosporin, Luce, and Band-Aids on a few of the larger gashes.Can I help?”
I bit my lip, debating.“Okay.”I seemed to be using that word a lot around him.
He opened the door and stepped through, appearing larger than life in the small space.He glanced around my room before looking back at me quizzically.“What the fuck is up with all the ducks?”
I couldn’t help it—the look of genuine befuddlement on his face had me bursting out laughing.
“Got some sort of duck kink?”he asked with a wide grin, clearly amused by my outburst.
“No,” I wheezed, trying to get a hold of myself as I wiped away tears of laughter.“They came with the house.”
“Doesn’t look like they’re superglued to the wall, babe.”He quirked a playful brow.
“Shut up.”I shoved at his chest with one hand while holding my towel cinched with the other.“I keep meaning to take them down.But I do kind of like that one.”I pointed to the one I’d taken to talking to like a loon.
I turned back to him, surprised to find him staring at me so intently.“What?”I asked in confusion, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
“Christ, you’re so fucking beautiful,” he marveled.“Without makeup on, you have these gorgeous freckles.”His thumb skated over my cheek.
Goose bumps broke out across my skin at his touch.“I hated them growing up,” I admitted, swallowing hard at the hungry look in his gaze, all too aware that I was nearly naked.“You okay?”I asked quietly when he appeared to be trying to collect himself.
He let out a slow breath.“I promised myself that if you let me come in here, I’d be a gentleman.That I’d see to your cuts that I’m sorry as all hell you got on my account.I’m just finding that promise a little harder to keep than I thought.But I will keep it, Luce.”
“It wasn’t on your account.You didn’t push me into the bushes,” I protested as he guided me to sit on the edge of the bed and began to gently dab ointment on my arms.“And I can do this myself.”
“You could,” he agreed, “but you’re not going to.”
“You’re very growly this evening,” I noted as he kneeled in front of me, focused on a particularly angry gash on my thigh.
He looked up at me, his eyes darkened with intent.“This ex of yours, how’s he not getting the message?”he demanded bizarrely.
I was shocked at the direction of his thoughts.“What?You’re still thinking about that?Why?”
“How’s he not getting the message, Luce?”he asked again.
I regarded him carefully, my gaze sweeping over his handsome face, trying to understand where this was coming from.“Hudson, we’re just getting to know each other.And though we might be breaking one of the records for longest date in history, this is still technically our first date.I’d really rather not spend it airing out all my dirty laundry.”
He gripped my hips in his large hands.“It’s our first official date,” he agreed.“But I only needed one day with you to know that I want a hell of a lot more.That I want you.My fame has its drawbacks; you haven’t seen that, not really.But if we keep going forward the way I want to, I’ll need to make sure you’re protected.And it’s not dirty laundry, babe.I don’t see it that way at all.It’s your past—one I want to fully support you walking away from.Christ, I feel like I’m fucking this up.”
I cupped his neck and leaned in for a soft kiss.“You’re not.”
He squeezed my hips and blew out a relieved breath.“This is the beginning of us, Luce.I don’t say that lightly, and I figure laying it out might be a better play than holding myself back.Seems I get growly when I try to do that.”His lips twitched into a semblance of a smile.“So, I need to know what I’m dealing with here, sweetheart.How’s he not getting the message?”
