“How the hell would that be easier? I’d lose the buoyancy of the water.”
“You said your leg keeps slipping, you need some traction. Trust me, this’ll work.” He didn’t look convinced but reached forward and yanked the plug out. Lia took a step back and averted her eyes as the water level dropped at an alarming speed. They both remained awkwardly silent while the bath drained.
Lia’s eyes darted around the bathroom, unable to rest on anything for too long, but she was excruciatingly aware of the fact that Brand’s gaze never left her flushed face. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the last bit of water gurgled down the drain, but Lia was still unable to drop her eyes to the wet, naked man in the tub. He might have lost weight, but he was still a very virile man, with way too much sex appeal.
“You’re going to have to look at me at some point, Princess Lia.” He chuckled at his own nerdy pun, and Lia glanced heavenward, praying for strength. She took a deep, bracing breath and diverted her eyes down to his face, keeping her gaze very determinedly away from any other part of his body.
“You have to put a towel beneath your feet,” she said and happily looked away from him to find a towel. She spotted one, a small hand towel draped through the metal loop beside the basin, much too quickly. She dampened it slightly beneath the basin faucet and handed it to him after one quick glance at his face.
She heard the squeaking of his wet body rubbing against the porcelain of the tub as he leaned forward to comply with her instruction.
“Done,” he said, his voice strained. Right then, this was the tricky part. She removed her cardigan and hung it neatly over the towel rail. She was wearing a sweet, knee-length, pink floral dress with pretty little capped sleeves. It was one of her favorite dresses.
“Lift your arm,” she instructed, keeping her voice as brusque as possible. He obeyed, lifting the heavy cast with a wince, and Lia ducked beneath the arm, draping it over her shoulders. She was bent at an awkward angle beside the tub. “Now bear down on the towel and use your other hand to push yourself up.”
He did as she said, and with a huff of surprise from him, he stood with almost effortless ease. He was so startled by the smooth movement that he staggered a bit and she grunted as she took almost the full force of his weight while he ungracefully stepped out of the tub and unintentionally engulfed her in what could only be considered a bear hug. Lia’s entire front was pressed up against his naked, wet chest and groin, and her cheek was pressed against his.
This time there was no escaping the dart of awareness, and now that he was safely delivered from his predicament, she knew he felt it, too. He tensed, and before he could move away, she felt the unmistakable stirring of his groin against her stomach.
“Did you miss me, princess?” His breath stirred the hair at her temple, and his voice rumbled in her ear, sending a delicious vibration through her body.
“Let me go,” she demanded weakly. He didn’t say anything more, just released her and stepped back. She couldn’t help it, her eyes darted down to his groin, and she swallowed at the sight of his very impressive erection, which arched upward beautifully and kissed his abdomen just below his navel. She almost immediately redirected her gaze to his face, but judging from the amused smirk on his too-perfect mouth, he’d noticed her little lapse. She felt her cheeks heating and stepped farther away from him before turning blindly and reaching for a thick, fluffy towel draped on the towel rack on the rung below her cardigan. She tossed it back at him without a word, and he chuckled.
“I’m decent now,” he said a moment a later.
She very much doubted that.
“I’ll leave you to it, good night.” She grabbed her cardigan and was halfway down the stairs when his voice halted her.
“Lia. Please don’t leave. I want . . . I have . . .” His lack of articulation and the frustrated groan were enough to make her turn around and stare at him. He was standing on the landing, a towel wrapped around his lean waist, his beautiful chest still gleaming with the moisture from his bath. “I’d like to talk to you about something. Please.”
She hesitated.
“Please.” Three pleases. She’d have to have a heart of stone to ignore the entreaty, and her shoulders sagged.
“Fine. But get dressed first.”
“Thank you,” he said, before turning away and limping toward the bed.
Lia made her way to the dark living room and switched on a lamp before curling up on the sofa and waiting. She listened to the rustling, interspersed with impatient swearing, coming from the loft, and a few moments later Brand’s breathless and harassed voice called out to her.