Page 60 of Unofficial

"Do you want me to run you a bath?"

The question surprises her, and she blinks at him. "Run me a bath?"

"You love them. And showers require a lot of standing, which I don't think you're quite ready for right now."

"I'm probably pretty ripe. Yeah, that sounds good."

He smiles and walks into her bathroom. The faucet runs, and she finds comfort in the fact he knows how much she likes baths. It doesn't hurt he's taken more than a few with her. The bathtub is one of the two reasons she bought this house. Not many places with the history this one has also had a two-person bathtub, and she uses it every chance she gets. It's her self-care, and she’s unashamed.

Kade walks out and smiles. "Okay, it's running, and I put in the bubbles you got for when we, I mean… when you have company. Figured a softer scent would be best."

"You never liked my bubble bath," Jess says and slowly moves out of bed.

"It was just a little too girly," he says and chuckles as he helps her into the bathroom.

Giving her privacy, he shuts the door, and she strips down before sliding into the hot water. The heat washes over her, and she feels her body fully relax. Her sore muscles feel relief, and she leans her head back. Kade did this for her. Came to check on her, got her soup, and ran her a bath.

Her eyes close, and she forces the confused and conflicting feelings aside. One nice act of service doesn't undo all the harm he's done to her heart. It makes it a little harder to say she can't trust him, though.

Jess washes herself and rings out her hair before braiding it and wrapping it at the top of her head. The energy to dry it just isn't in her, and she slips on her robe before walking into her bedroom.

"Hey, I was just coming to check on you," Kade says.

Jess stares at the bed with new bedding on it, and she looks at it with confusion. "You stripped my bed?"

"I wasn't sure the last time you washed them, but you normally do it weekly. And if you were sick on Tuesday, they probably had a few germs on them. I threw them in the wash. The blanket from downstairs is in the dryer, and I'll put it back when it's done."

Who is this man? He was always considerate, but this is above and beyond anything he's ever done before. "Am I dreaming?"

"What?"

"Am I having a fever dream or something?"

He walks over and places the back of his hand on her forehead. "You don't feel like you have a fever. Do you have a thermometer to check?"

"No, I'm fine. This... this just isn't like you."

Smiling, he guides her to her bed. "I told you, I've been doing a lot of thinking and soul searching. Things will be different if you give me a chance. I'm not the same selfish asshole you knew before."

"I never thought you were a selfish asshole," she says and slides into bed.

Handing her the remote, he stands awkwardly. "Do you want me to leave?"

"You've done more than you needed to, Kade. Thank you. I'll be fine if you need to leave."

"I don't want to leave. I'd like to stay," he says and climbs into bed next to her on top of the covers.

It's late, but she's not quite as tired as she expected. The soup seemed to help give her a little bit of strength and energy she hadn’t had for most of the week.

"Let's watch one of those terrible shows on that channel that hates men. The one where the husband or boyfriend or boss is usually the stalker, and then she becomes a badass and kicks his ass after the cops say they can't help her."

Smiling, she turns on the TV, but it doesn't take long before her body relaxes and falls asleep again.

Jess wakes up to find her robe open and exposing her bare chest in the morning light. The TV is off, and Kade lies asleep next to her in his jeans and t-shirt from the night before. She quickly pulls the fabric over her skin to avoid him getting an eyeful if he wakes up.

She usually woke before him, and she used to like lying and watching him for a few minutes while he slept. Sometimes, he'd have a small smile on his face, and she remembers hoping he dreamt of her.

Thinking back to the night before, she smiles at everything he did for her. He carried her upstairs, washed her bedding, brought her dinner, and drew a bath for her. Then he watched the movies he always complained about because he knows she loves them. It's her guilty pleasure.

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