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“You never know. Maybe I’ll wear your dick out,” she fires back and I bark out a laugh as I pull her shirt over her head, careful to keep my hands away from her skin. She lifts her arms to make it easier for me.

“Is that a threat or a promise?”

She smirks. “Yes.”

As the shirt comes off, she lets out a sigh. “You good, baby?”

“Yeah,” she whispers. A look crosses her face, almost like she’s debating with herself, before she starts trying to stand. Her face scrunches in pain and I take a step towards her, wrapping my arm around her waist.

“Stop being so stubborn.”

A scoff is yanked from her lips. “You’re one to talk.”

“Listen, baby, there is only room for one stubborn person in this relationship.”

“Oh,” she whispers, peeking up at me with a grin. “I didn’t realize you’d decided to start working on yourself, handsome.”

Her grin spreads as her words land.

For a moment, my girl is back before she twists a little too much and her expression crumples as the air is sucked out of her. We pause and after a moment, she nods for me to continue. I shove her cotton shorts and panties down her legs and she steps out of them before we continue to the tub.

“The only thing I’m working on, gorgeous, is all the ways I’m going to make you pay for being such a smartass. As soon as you’re feeling better, of course.”

Her eyes roll but there is still a trace of that smile on her lips. “Promises, promises.”

We finally reach the tub and I test the water before holding my hand out to her to help her step in. Taking a breath, she places her hand in mine and tries to lift her leg high enough to get it over the edge of the tub.

Her teeth clench and she sets it back on the floor.

“I think you’re gonna have to let me pick you up, love.”

She stares at the water for a moment before she nods. “Yeah, okay. Let’s just be quick about it.”

“We,” I fire back. “Are going to do this in whatever way causes you the least amount of pain.”

“Dalton, everything causes me pain right now.”

Fuck.

Her words send a pang to my chest that I desperately try to ignore.

“That’s why I said the least amount of pain,” I tell her and she rolls her eyes again. Her teeth sink into her bottom lip as she looks between me and the water before nodding.

“Let’s get this over with.”

I smirk. “I’ll try not to be offended that this is what you say when you’re about to be in my arms.”

She rolls her eyes again but before she can say anything back, I’m leaning in and scooping her up as gently as I can, one arm under her knees and one around her back. She gasps, her eyes going wide as her jaw clenches.

Fuck me.

I hate this.

But there is nothing I hate more than the fact that my girl is in this much pain.

And it’s because of me.

Because of the shit I brought into her life.