Page 75 of A Brother At My Back

“So melodramatic,” she scoffed but she was smiling again, her old smile that held nothing but sadness to it.

I sighed on the inside. She’d come so far and I didn’t want to see her go back there. She petted Max one last time where she rested in my lap, dangerously close to my dick, and I hoped that the blankets and sheets between me and the cat would be enough to protect me from her claws if she decided to live up to her name and flip her shit.

“I’ll be back,” Tiff said, rising and collecting the shirt I’d lent her from the floor.

“Towels are in the top of the closet.”

“Okay.”

I looked down at Max who looked back at me and I twitched a bit saying, “Go on now, let me get up.”

She dropped her chin onto her paws and closed her eyes and I swore softly. I nudged her with my hand and she got up and jumped down. I can’t tell you the sigh of relief. I got dressed while Tiff showered again. I didn’t really think about it. I just made the bed and laid out some of her warmer clothes that I knew she liked to wear.

When she darted back in, it was with one of those towel turban’s on her head, wrapped in another one.

“Oh, wow, thanks,” she said, taken aback.

“Just trying to make things easier.”

“It was very thoughtful of you,” she murmured.

“Come sit,” I urged and she drifted over, sitting on the end of the bed. I tossed her head towel into the top of the laundry hamper in the closet and took up her hairbrush off the dresser top.

I knelt up behind her and carefully started to brush her hair. She closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly and let me do it. I was taking a bit of a chance, I reckon. I mean, my granddad used to brush my grandmother’s hair. I never understood it, but I remembered it, and I figured it was worth a try.

I took my time with it and she lost some of the rigidity to how she held herself, muscles relaxing the longer I did it. Her hair had started wet, and even though neither of us used a hair dryer on it, by the time I finished brushing her hair, it was barely damp and nearly dry. She sighed and held still for a full minute once I stopped and murmured a quiet thank you.

“Of course,” I murmured back and she looked up at me.

“I’ll get dressed.”

“Sounds good.”

It was awful of me I’ll admit, but watching her put her clothes on made me just want to take them back off and love her slow.

“Are there going to be people?” she asked softly, as we walked hand in hand along the shoveled and salted track around to the back of the main clubhouse.

“Probably, I reckon.”

“Okay.” She steeled herself and I held open the back door.

“Even if there are, you’re safe here with us. All of us.”

“Yeah, I know,” she said, “I’m just worried you all aren’t safe with me.”

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