AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Blake made her repeat those same words three more times.
“There. Believe it now?” he asked.
She nodded. “We found her and she’s fine.” This time, those two truths sank deep and consoled her.
“Good.” Blake reached for Corky, who was now dry, and placed her on the floor, the two of them watching as she scampered out of the bathroom. Erika could hear her tiny paws clicking across the kitchen tiles, no doubt hungry after her grand adventure.
“Oh, to be a dog,” she muttered. “And have that short a memory. By the way, I’m taking her to the vet tomorrow and getting her chipped.”
Blake smiled, but it was a weak one, concern still in his gaze. She couldn’t blame him. She wasn’t the type to fall apart, and tonight she’d done so in spectacular fashion.
She didn’t have to look in the mirror to know her eyes were puffy from crying, which meant, her face was probably bright red and blotchy. She was the ugliest crier on the planet.
“Okay. Your turn.” Blake tugged her soaked jacket off and dropped it onto the floor.
“My turn for what?”
Blake didn’t respond. Instead, he reached for the hem of her sweater and pulled it over her head with one squishy tug, dumping it with the jacket, leaving her in her bra.
Erika’s arms flew to cover herself.
“Blake—” she started.
“Be a good girl and stand still,” he said in that same deep, sexy voice that had taught her how to pleasure herself. “I’m going to take care of you.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Blake held his breath for a split second, part of him expecting her to pull away. He hoped that didn’t happen because her anguish, her almost tangible fear, had shaken him to the core, and he needed to take care of her as much as she needed someone to console her.
Erika blinked slowly, her gaze locked on his. He could see her trying to process his intentions. He was used to his Erik being confident, steady, low-key, and positive.
None of those things were present at the moment.
While her shaking had stopped, every now and then, another tear slid down her cheek. He wasn’t sure she realized she was still crying.
“I…” she whispered, pausing, then—hallelujah—nodding.
“Stay right there.” He placed a kiss on her cheek.
Heading to his bedroom, he quickly rummaged through his dresser drawers for clothing for her. Crossing the hall to grab some of her own things felt like too big a journey to make. He didn’t want to leave her alone long enough for Erika to come up with an excuse to leave.
Returning to the bathroom, he was pleased—and surprised—to discover her exactly as he’d left her. Numbness and exhaustion were winning the day in his poor girl.
Blake grabbed another towel, using it to dry off her arms, her back, and her chest. The fact her bra was as wet as her shirt told him she’d been out in the elements for way too long. He tugged the T-shirt he’d grabbed for her over her head, unsurprised that it hung to mid-thigh. He had at least six inches on Erika, and he had to size up to accommodate his muscular arms, so the extra-large shirt swallowed her runner’s body.
He heard her sharp intake of breath when he reached beneath the shirt, his arms encircling her so that he could find the hooks on her bra. Once it was unfastened, he pulled his arms away and gave her a smile.
“Do that woman trick where you pull it off with the shirt on,” he said.
She laughed lightly, the sound music to his ears after the pain of listening to his typically happy best friend sobbing.
She pulled the straps of her bra free of her arms beneath the shirt and deposited the bra on top of the growing pile of wet clothing.
Blake wasted no time moving on to the next part, worried this might be the bridge too far. Kneeling before her, he helped her out of her socks and shoes. Then he lifted the hem of the shirt just enough that he could reach the button and zipper on her jeans. The wet denim was clinging to her legs, which meant, he had his work cut out for him in terms of stripping it off.
Erika remained still when he unfastened the jeans, then she tried to help, shimmying her hips as he worked the tight denim down. It took a couple of minutes before they managed to get the jeans completely off.
Rising, he bent slightly, reaching for the elastic of her panties. For the first time, Erika showed some resistance, her hands gripping his wrists to stop him.
