AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It’s sweet, but something about it frustrates me. I realize what it is. “Lochlan, stop babying me.”
His eyes meet mine, and I’m surprised to see mirroring frustration in them. “I’m not babying you. I’m taking care of you.”
“They’re the same thing.” I sigh, leaning against the counter to take some pressure off my foot.
“No, they’re not.” His forehead scrunches like I’m not understanding something obvious. “You baby someone you don’t trust is capable of taking care of themselves. I know you’re more than capable—of just about anything. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you have to.”
I swallow through the lump in my throat because what he’s saying makes me feel all sorts of upside down.
I can, so I do. That’s what I’ve always done.
And yes, sometimes I just want to take a break from always being in charge, but when I actually have the chance, it’s scary and uncomfortable.
“This was really thoughtful,” I assure him apologetically. “But I just want to get all these damn sticks and leaves out of my hair and that’s gonna take a while. I’ll probably just sit in front of the TV and get it done.”
He nods slowly, breaking eye contact, and turns off the water. Still nodding and looking at the floor, he approaches me as if lost in thought. When he lifts his head, there’s a determined set to his jaw. Something dark, almost forceful swirls in his eyes, but without any malice. Its fierceness makes me shiver.
“Give me twenty-four hours,” he says low and decidedly. He cocks his head to the side as his hungry gaze drops down my body. My stomach flutters. His hands reach out and skirt under the hem of my dress, sliding up my outer thighs. My pulse deepens along with my breath, his touch so light but searing nonetheless.
“Twenty-four hours,” he repeats. I still don’t have any idea what he’s talking about, but it’s so hard to focus when his palms are reaching my hips, covered by nothing but the inconsequential string of my bikini bottoms. My breath hitches when he grabs my hips and hoists me onto the counter.
His hands continue their journey up the sides of my body, igniting tiny nerves I didn’t even know existed. I lift my arms as his palms glide up the side of my breasts and he slides my dress over my head.
“Let me take care of you.” There’s a desperateness to his words that makes my throat tight. “For twenty-four hours. That’s all.” Then he adds with a soft, almost forced smile, “I dare you.”
I dare you felt so light when it was tossed out on the beach. It doesn’t anymore.
I open then close my mouth, swallowing past the tightness. I can’t explain why his request feels so loaded and heavy. I can’t explain all the ways in which it terrifies me. How it makes me feel small but at the same time, treasured.
I lean into that cherished feeling and do the scary thing.
“Okay.”
“Good.” He tamps down a proud smile like he won a prize, biting his lip instead. “Now get in the damn tub, réalta.” He gives me a bossy look that makes me laugh before he leaves the room, saying he’ll be back.
I hop over to the tub and stare down into the clear water. There are no suds, just a thick layer of rising steam. I peel off my swimsuit and slide in.
“Okay, we have season three of The Office queued.” My head snaps up as Lochlan walks in, talking. His arms are full, and he looks so happy, like a dog carrying around his favorite toys. It makes me wonder how many times he’s tried to take care of me, but I never noticed because I was too busy taking care of everyone else.
“Ice for your ankle.” He thumps a bundle of ice wrapped in a towel on the stool and throws a plastic bag at me that I catch midair before it drops in the water. “And sour gummy worms for your . . .” His nose scrunches.
“Soul?” I offer with a laugh, looking down at my favorite candy. Favorite might be an understatement. I could eat sour gummy worms until the taste buds on my tongue are burned right off. “Where did you get these?” He wasn’t gone more than a minute or two.
He gives me a smug, lopsided smirk that makes the corners of his left eye crinkle. “You’re not the only one who remembers to pack the important things.”
“You brought these with you?” I ask, shocked and touched.
“You think I’d trust the rich assholes on this island to stock your favorite candy?” He shakes his head like I suggested something preposterous. “No way I was taking that risk.”
“You’re a rich asshole,” I remind him, but I don’t hide the smile that forms on my face. It feels warm and right, his thoughtfulness nuzzling deep in my chest.
“No, that’s my brother,” he claps back.
“Which one?”
“Take your pick.” He laughs and sets his laptop on the edge of the counter and angles it toward the tub. The bathroom is so large that there isn’t any partition between the shower and the rest of the room—just space and a drain along one wall—giving us an uninterrupted view of the screen.
We spend the next hour eating chips and gummy worms for dinner, watching back-to-back episodes, and refilling the tub with hot water while he tediously works through my hair.
