Page 190 of Skate the Line

“A little,” I admit. “But I’m?—”

“If you say you’re fine…”

Even through the darkness, I see the severity in his gaze. I sigh and glance away while nibbling on my lip.

I’m not used to someone taking care of me. Sure, my grandparents gave me a wonderful childhood full of love and nurturing, but I haven’t been a child in a very long time. As soon as Gramps started to go downhill, I had to step up to the plate and take care of them.

“Do you want to shower?” Rhodes asks. “The warm water might help loosen your muscles.”

“You’re tired,” I say.

He chuckles. “So?”

I shrug.Oh, my muscles are tight. “I feel bad. You played a full game of hockey and then flew home to this mess.You should get some sleep.”

Rhodes grinds his jaw and walks over to the shower and turns it on. When he comes back, he lowers his voice. “You’re gonna make me say it, aren’t you?”

I peek at him through the darkness. “Say what?”

“Do you understand the fear that flew through me when I heard there had been an accident?”

“Of course,” I say. “That’s why I made sure Ellie was okay before anything else.”

Rhodes chuckles darkly. He drops his head, placing both of his hands beside my thighs on the vanity top. “You don’t get it. I wasn't just worried about Ellie.”

My stomach flips. I’m too tired to fight the irrational thought that he was worried about me too. He should be worried. I take care of Ellie. That makes sense.

Rhodes slowly raises his head. The look he gives me brushes against my soul. His neck bobs with a swallow, and I wait with bated breath to hear his next words.

“I was scared out of my fucking mind that something happened to you.” He exhales slowly and grips the hem of my shirt. “And it isn’t only because you take care of my daughter.”

“Rhodes,” I whisper. “I think you’re still in panic mode, and that’s why you feel that way.”

I will admit, things seem more serious than before, when we were giving in to attraction. But that’s probably just the lingering panic speaking, right?

Even if it isn’t, I’m not sure I have it in me to push him away and force us to think rationally. I don’twantto.

“I’m going to take care of you, and you’re going to let me, okay?” The way he looks at me sends chills to my arms, despite the bathroom filling with steam.

I bite my lip and nod.

Rhodes strips the shirt from my body, careful when pulling it over my head. His hands move deftly to my jeans, and he slowly pops the button through the hole and slides me off the vanity to stand. My jeans fall in a pile beside my shirt, and next, he reaches around and unclasps my bra, slowly dragging the straps down my arms and tossing it to the floor.

He’s on his best behavior as he hooks his fingers into the sides of my panties, slowly tugging them over my hips and helping me step out of them.

I swallow and let him help me into his shower. My eyes have adjusted, so when I see him begin to strip too, I force myself to turn around so I don’t accidentally glance below his waist.

My body is jumbled, and my thoughts are messy.

When I feel his presence behind me, my breath hitches.

I don’t recognize the feeling buried in my chest when his arm slips around my waist to spin me toward him. Steam surrounds us, and butterflies make a home in my stomach.

“I have no idea what I’m doing,” he whispers.

Our bodies are flush, and I find myself reaching up on my tiptoes.

“Me either,” I admit.

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