Dare to Take (Dare to Love 6)

“I need a shower,” she said, wiping her hands on a napkin and rising to her feet.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You may not be steady. What if you get dizzy?” He stood and walked over to her, ready to help if needed.

“Umm, what are you doing?” She peered up at him, wrinkling her nose in confusion. “It’s not like you can join me.”

But damn, he wanted to. He cleared his throat. “I can stand outside in case you fall.”

“I promise to call you if I need you.”

He closed his eyes and prayed for strength. “Fine. Don’t make the water too hot and steamy, and don’t take too long or I’m coming in to check on you.”

She perched her hands on her hips and glared. “Bossy much?”

He clenched his jaw. “You have no idea. Now go. Shower and get back into bed. I’ll call downstairs and see what’s going on with the storm.”

He headed to the hotel phone and picked it up, only to find there was no connection. Great. Using his cell, he called Scott and got as good an update as he could from his brother, who confirmed the storm was still predicted to blow over by morning.

“You okay?” Scott asked him.

“Fucking swell,” he muttered.

“Is Ella worse than you thought?”

The shower water turned on, and a vision of her naked beneath the warm stream of water nearly knocked him on his ass. Warm rivulets running over her pale skin, dusky nipples.

Fuck.

He gritted his teeth and answered his brother. “Ella’s fine. A bad concussion but she’ll be okay.” He, on the other hand, might not survive the night. “How’s Meg?” His brother’s wife was pregnant and due any minute.

“Uncomfortable and ready. So am I, man.”

Tyler grinned at his brother’s excitement. Even if he didn’t quite get it. Tyler had never been the guy who saw marriage and kids in his future. His past proved he wasn’t much good at dealing with emotional upheaval, and what was being married or in a relationship? One big morass of emotions. And when things got tough emotionally, Tyler ran. But as his siblings paired off, one by one, and even his mother was now engaged to a good guy, Tyler found himself … lonely. Or should he say alone?

“Give Meg my love and I’ll call you when I get home.”

“Sure thing. And Ty?” Scott asked before he could disconnect the call.

“Yeah?”

“Tread lightly with Ella. Avery will have your balls if you get involved with her and hurt her.”

Tyler stiffened. “Seriously? What makes you think I’d go there?” he said, wincing at the lie. “She’s like my little sister.” Another lie.

His brother let out a know-it-all laugh. “I see how you look at her when you don’t think anyone’s noticing.”

Fuck. Again.

“I also see how she looks at you. And you bicker like an old married couple, so heed my words. If you aren’t serious, don’t go there.”

“Connection sucks,” Tyler said, his third lie in as many minutes. “Talk to you when I’m back in the States.”

He hung up on his sibling just as the bathroom door opened and Ella stepped into the room, wrapped in a short white towel and nothing else. Her legs were tanned and longer than he remembered, and he was suddenly assaulted by visions of those limbs wrapped around his waist as he pushed into her wet heat.

Tyler broke into a sweat. “Don’t you have clothes?” he barked out.

“Would I be dressed in this if I did? My clothes are grimy from the hospital. Do you have a tee shirt or something I can borrow?” Her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink, and she had a death grip on the top of the towel, looking more vulnerable than sexy, and he cursed under his breath.

Once again, he was being an ass. “Let me look in my duffle.” He searched through his bag, using the time to get himself under control before turning to her with a tee shirt in hand.