Page 67 of Mile High Addiction

“Good.”He stepped in front of her, his back to the rest of the bath, blocking out most of the water.“Now try lowering yourself into it.You know how deep it is.If it gets to be too much, we’ll get out.”

Sliding her hands down from his nape, she slowly lowered herself until her knees disappeared under the water.More rose petals clung to her skin, their scent rising higher.

Zach followed suit, kneeling in front of her.Then, without letting go, he drew her body flush into his.“You’re doing so well, baby.”

His encouragement peeled away another layer of her fear.Meshing her hands with his, she slowly sank back until her ass touched her heels.Water lapped between her legs and just above her waist.

They stayed like that for several minutes before he slowly freed one hand.Reaching for a large foam sponge that sat on the edge of the bath, he washed the massage oils from her body.

The fear hadn’t dissipated enough for her to completely relax, but Bethany was no longer a prisoner of her terror.

At least she was coherent enough to watch his face as he washed her.

“Why is this so important to you?”she asked.

He kept quiet for so long she thought he wouldn’t answer her.Then his lids lowered as he followed his hand down her belly to her thighs.“When I was younger, swimming meant everything to me.It was my means of escape.”

“Escape from what?”

“From the things I didn’t want to face.”His gaze captured hers, and the jagged pain she saw in his eyes fractured her breath.“Things I don’t want to talk about at the moment.Right now, I just want to take care of you.”There was a naked plea in his eyes she didn’t have the heart to refuse.

And really, how could she demand anything from him right this moment, when he’d single-handedly taken the fear she’d lived with for so long and compressed it from the super-life-sized monster it’d been to something manageable?

She lifted the hand still meshed with his up to her face and kissed the back of it.

His breath caught, and he watched her for several seconds before he resumed washing her.

“Remember what you said about taking my fear away, Zach?”she asked softly.

He nodded.

“I aim to do the same for you.”She saw the hard glint of denial in his eyes and shook her head.“No.You don’t get to be the tough guy who takes on the world’s troubles but never tackles his own.I don’t know how or even if I can help you, but I’m going to try.”

“You assume too much, Beth.I don’t take on the world’s troubles.Just yours.As for my own troubles”—he shrugged—“I’ve learned to live with them.”

Before she could counter that, he shifted round until he was behind her.In silence, he washed her back then lifted her out of the water.He walked over to the cushioned seat where a beautiful tea set had been laid out.

Pouring the menthe tea, he handed her a tiny cup.She cradled the bone china and watched him sip his own.Once again, the message that he didn’t want to talk about himself came over loud and clear.Frustration warred with the gratitude for what he’d done for her, and in the end, she bit back the need to push for the answers that were clamoring inside her.For now, at least.

Her gaze slid to the bath and back to him.“Thank you.”

“You did it all, Bethany.You mastered your own fear and triumphed.”

“We both know that’s not true.I would never have been able to do it without your help.”

His smile was slow and devastating to her senses.“In that case, I accept your thanks.You can show me your gratitude later.”

She smiled in return.“I’m racking up quite the tab there, Savage.You think I’ll ever be able to repay this debt?”

“I’m sure you will, Peaches.When the time comes, you just need to put your back into it.”He winked and downed the rest of his tea.

He waited until she finished her tea before ringing a bell to summon their attendant.

“What next?”he asked, rising to unlock the door.

“I have a mani-pedi.Or a waxing.Or something.”Lethargy wound through her, the result of the soothing tea and the fear-fueled adrenaline leaving her system.

“Stick to the mani-pedi or a facial.You don’t need to be waxed.”

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