Page 51 of A Little Crush
“Unless you’re not a fan of baths anymore.” His brow arches.
Damn. The man knows me too well.
I love baths. Give me the bubbles, the heat, the constant trickle of water against my toes from the faucet. It’s cleansing and cathartic in a way I can’t explain and sounds like the perfect way to end my night.
“The rest of the night’s yours,” he adds, “but I’ll be out by six a.m., so you’ll have the morning with Poppy. Is that okay?”
I check the time on my phone. “Yeah, just leave your bedroom door open so I can hear her when she wakes up.”
“Sure thing.”
“Good.”
The chair legs scrape against the tile floor as I force myself to stand. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you.”
Hades follows me into our room, and I search through my bag for my book and pajamas because there’s nothing worse than being dripping wet while searching for clothes. Once I find everything I need, I tuck my things under my arm and step into the bathroom when my shoulders fall. Sink. Toilet. Shower. No bath.
Well, that sucks.
And it’s not like I can read in the shower. Hmm. Tiptoeing back into the bedroom, I peek through the cracked door finding Jaxon with Poppy again. They’re snuggled on the couch as Jaxon reads her a pop-up book. My heart melts a little more. Why does he have to be so cute with her? I mean, I want him to be. Obviously. But still. It almost feels…unfair. Like, when we were away from each other, I could pretend he wasn’t as perfect as my memory made him out to be. As if the younger lens I viewed him through had somehow magically created the guy I thought he was, but now that time has moved on, I could see the real, uninteresting and completely less than perfect Jaxon Thorne in all his boring glory. Instead, I’m left with this. A good guy with a sexy smirk and a big heart. Perfect? No, despite how much I love teasing him. Yet even more enigmatic and genuine than I remember.
As if he can feel my gaze, Jax looks up, catching me watching him like a Peeping Tom.
“There a problem?” he asks.
“No, I was just…”Please don’t blush, please don’t blush, please don’t blush.I lift my book into the air. “Putting this away.”
He frowns. “Why?”
“Change of plans. I’m going to shower instead.”
“No bath?”
“No bath,” I confirm. “Literally.”
Realizing what I’m talking about, Jaxon offers, “You can use mine if you want.”
“No, no, no, I don’t want to impose?—”
“You’re not imposing,” he argues. “Poppy and I are hanging out in here. She had a late nap, so it’s not like she’s going to bed for the next hour or so. That should be plenty of time for you to enjoy a bath and read a book. After watching Poppy all day, I’d say you’ve earned it.”
“You’re sure?” I ask.
He nods. “Yeah, no worries.”
“Okay.”
Clutching my pajamas and book to my chest, I stride past them with Hades trudging behind.
Once the water is close to boiling, I strip down and set my clothes on the edge of the bath, placing my book on top so it’s within reach before dipping my toe into the pool of heat. With a groan of appreciation, I slip inside, letting the scalding water kiss my skin. Seriously. There’s nothing better than a hot bath.
I’m not sure how long I spend in the achingly delicious water, but I’ve officially enjoyed at least three chapters, and my fingers are pruney. It’s nice. Escaping into a book for a little while. Letting my problems drift away until all that’s left is me and a few dragons. Alas, I should probably get out and give Jaxon his bathroom back. I reach for a folded towel tucked under the sink, but it’s out of reach. Stretching a little further, I try to snag the top one when my feet slip out from under me.
Shit!
As if in slow motion, I tumble over the edge of the tub and splay my arms out to catch myself while Hades darts outof the way. With a crack, pain shoots along my shoulder and down my arms, and a scream of agony rips through me. “Ah!”
