Page 94 of Almost Always

It would be worth it.

He climbed into the tub and stretched out a hand out for her. She took it and carefully stepped in, settling between his legs.Cold hit the back of her neck and she whimpered as she leaned against him.

She closed her eyes and sighed softly, the balance of the compress and the warm water doing its job. He cupped her head in both hands and gently massaged her scalp, his fingers applying the right amount of pressure to the points that were hurting. A moan fell from her lips, but he didn’t let up. If anything that spurred him on further. He rubbed a finger along the base of her skull and she quivered at how good it felt. Honestly, Daisy wasn’t sure if she was horny or headachey; everything sort of blended together as he massaged.

“So…the book,” she forced out, doing her best not to rock back against him or beg him to touch her any lower than her neck. “Do you like it?”

“I see why Griff reminds you of me.”

She chuckled, snuggling against him. As someone who picked up random romance novels whenever she saw them online or in a store, she had no real plan in mind when buying books. If the cover was pretty and the blurb sounded good, it would be on her shelf or bought off Audible. That’s how she stumbled acrossFind You Againby Ava Hunter. At the time, she had no idea that her childhood friend-slash-adult lover would turn out to share anything with the grumpy rockstar cowboy, but boy did he ever.

“Oh yeah? Enlighten me.”

He laughed, lips against her shoulder. “He’s protective of his woman and wary of people, he’s also a good guy but totally misunderstood. I don’t wear any rings, but I do love my ink and music.”

“Those are all of the reasons why he reminds me of you. Plus, he’s flat out hot.”

“You think I’m hot?”

“I mean…you’re okay, I guess.”

He nipped at her shoulder and she smiled. “I’ll show you just how hot I can be.”

“Growly like Griff?”

“Darlin’, I’ll do anything you want and I’ll do it better than Griff.”

She laughed, her migraine already easing with how light she felt. “Don’t hate on my book boyfriend,” she whispered.

“Do you really need a book boyfriend when you’ve got me?”

“No. But they’re handy to have around when you’re not here.”

The silence stretched too long and she opened her eyes, gaze settling on his hands stretched out on the sides of the tub. She could feel his breath against her back, but he wasn’t speaking.

“Raff.”

“You know that I’m not going anywhere, right?”

She nodded. “I know. But every time a call comes in, my heart drops.”

“Maybe I should have asked you this question too. Will you tell me if this becomes too much and you need me to quit?”

“No.”

“Daisy,” he sighed, sounding frustrated.

“It’s like telling me to shut down my flower shop. I won’t ask you to give up something you love and are good at.”

“Your flowers aren’t trying to kill you.”

“The fires aren’t trying to kill you either. Like Cal said, I like knowing a hero.”

At his repeated silence, she turned to face him. There was still a slight twinge in her head, but it wasn’t unbearable. He was frowning, like this entire conversation was driving him insane and she couldn’t understand why.

“Why did you become a firefighter?”

“To make a difference, to help people.”

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