I end the call before I can second-guess myself, before the nursing company can question the sudden change, before I can analyze what I’ve just done.
When I look up, Mina is staring at me with wide eyes.
“The nurse canceled,” I tell her easily, despite the little white lie. “But it’s fine. I can shower and change my bandage myself.”
Mina gasps. “Don’t be ridiculous. You can barely stand up straight. You’re not showering alone.”
“I’m standing on my own two feet right now.”
Her eyes narrow. “I’m not letting you risk hurting yourself just because you’re too proud to accept help.”
“Well, if you’re sure…” I say, fighting a smile as she leads us forward.
Inside the bathroom, Mina moves to the shower and turns on the water, testing the temperature with her hand before stepping back. Steam begins to billow around us.
I pull my shirt off slowly, mindful of my incision, and I don’t miss the way her eyes track the movement, the way her gaze lingers on my bare chest before she catches herself and looks away. There’s color high in her cheeks when she turns back to me, holding out a towel at waist height for my privacy, all professional and proper.
I smile at her over the towel as I push down my pajama pants and step out of them, and she makes a small sound in her throat that she probably thinks I don’t hear. But I do. A little whimper of need at the sight of me, despite the bandage across my midsection.
“Could you help me with my bandage?” I ask, wrapping the towel around my waist. “The nurse usually waterproofs it before I shower.”
“Oh. Yes.” She moves to the counter where the supplies are laid out in neat rows. Medical tape, plastic sheeting, scissors,gauze. When she turns back to me, she’s holding the materials like a shield.
“We’re going to be professional about this,” she warns, and there’s something almost desperate in her voice. “I heard what you said on the phone. I’m your nurse, not your girlfriend.”
“It just came out,” I say, smiling wider. I’m falling in love with this fantasy we’re living, and I can’t help myself.
She studies my face for a long moment, and I can’t read what she’s thinking.
Her hands are steady as she carefully positions the plastic sheeting over my bandage, but I can see the slight tremor in her fingers and hear her breath catch when her knuckles brush against my skin.
“Does this hurt?” she asks, running her fingers around the edges of the plastic, smoothing the medical tape along my skin with touches so light they’re almost not there.
My eyelids flutter at the sensation, and I have to take a deep breath before I can answer. “No. You’re very gentle.”
Her touch feels like heaven. I soak in even these tiny strokes.
“All right.” She steps back to examine her work, making sure the seal is tight. “That should keep the water out.”
She raises her eyes to my face, and our gazes lock. For a moment neither of us moves, neither of us breathes. The bathroom is warm and intimate, filled with steam, and I can see the exact moment her eyes drop to my mouth, can see the way her pupils dilate as she stares at my lips.
She wants to kiss me. I can see it written all over her face.
I lower my head slowly, my heart pounding so hard I can feel it against my ribs. Her eyes drift closed and she tilts her face up to mine, her lips parting slightly in invitation.
But just before I can close the distance, her eyes fly open and she jerks back, putting space between us like I’ve burned her.
“Sorry, I um—got distracted,” she says, confusion coloring her cheeks. “Let’s get you in the shower. The water’s hot.”
I pull off the towel and drop it on the rack. I’m already half hard just from having her this close, and there’s nowhere for her to look that isn’t me. Her face flames red.
Just another client, am I? I can’t help but smile as I step toward the glass enclosure and into the shower. The water is hot, almost too hot, and steam billows around me as I step under the spray. I close my eyes for a moment, letting the heat soak into my sore muscles, feeling the tension start to drain out of my shoulders.
When I open my eyes again, Mina is half turned away, her arms wrapped around herself. “Mina.”
“Yes?” She looks up at me with big, tentative eyes and then looks away again.
“I need your help. With my back. I can’t reach it properly, and the nurse usually helps.”
