Page 70 of Stick With Me
Hannah tries to separate Fred from his new ladyfriend. He’s picked a purebred golden retriever. Shooting above his level, just like his dad.Ha, I need to stop thinking about my dog’s love life.
And continue to worry about my own.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Ryan carriesall sixty-some pounds of a mud-covered Freddie up the three flights of stairs and into my bathroom, setting him in the spacious tub. It’s the only one in the house, so today, Freddie gets to bathe in luxury. As we fill the tub with lukewarm water, Freddie has other ideas. He thrashes and scrambles, trying to escape, leaving Ryan and me wrestling to keep him in place.
“This damn dog is strong.” Ryan struggles, leaning over the tub and holding Freddie around his middle.
“Should we do this in the shower?”
“Probably would have been easier, but we’re too far in to change tactics,” he grunts.
He’s still bundled up in his winter coat, having only managed to kick off his shoes in an attempt to keep our wood floors from being caked in dirt before hauling Freddie upstairs. I dropped my coat in the entryway, leaving me in jeans and a sweatshirt.
“I’d say he’s not a big fan of the water. Surprising, considering how much he loved the puddles at the park,” he grumbles.
Freddie wiggles and whines as Ryan tries to bathe the poor pup. Sensing their growing frustration, I strip down to my sports bra and boy shorts, then hop into the tub with the dog. Ryan’s attention briefly slips from the dog, and Freddie nearly escapes before I pull him back to me.
“Some warning would be nice.” Ryan not-so-subtly adjusts himself, his once light-gray sweatpants are now splattered with dirt and soaked, turning them shades darker.
I trap Freddie between my legs to keep him still, rinsing the dirt from his fur before lathering him with soap. Ryan stands nearby, refilling the cup with clean water as needed, and calming Freddie whenever he gets antsy.
The soapy water makes the bottom of the tub slippery, so when I lean over to wash Freddie’s belly, I lose my footing. Ryan’s quick reflexes come in handy, as he grabs my hips just in time, preventing me from falling into the now murky water.
I giggle, while he mutters a curse. Apparently not trusting my ability to stay upright, he finally loses his jacket and rolls up the legs of his sweatpants, climbing into the tub behind me. Now, all three of us are squished into the tub: Freddie, wishing this torture known as a bath would end; me, bent over and hoping we can clean this dog without an accident; and Ryan, standing behind me with his hands firmly on my hips, trying to ensure we both stay on our feet. I can only imagine how ridiculous we must look right now if someone were here to witness the scene.
Ryan groans, and I look back over my shoulder to see his face pinched and his eyes closed. “Are you okay?” I ask, failing to hide the humor in my voice.
His eyes pop open and meet mine. “Not really.” He tilts his hips forward, and I feel his hard length against my butt.
I wiggle my hips, ignoring the voice in my head that says I shouldn’t, too caught up in this playful ease between us. When he lets out another pained sound, I can’t hold back my laughter, which quickly turns into a startled yelp. “Ahh!”
Before I realize what’s happening, I’m sitting in the water, Ryan’s lap breaking my fall. Our legs are a tangled mess, sprawled out in the tub, while Freddie seizes the opportunity to wriggle free. He leaps out, shaking himself off and spraying water everywhere. The previously pristine bathroom is going to need a thorough cleaning.
My body continues to shake with laughter, and Ryan’s chest rises and falls with his own. His body relaxes back in the tub, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me back to rest against him. If it weren’t for the earlier chaos, it’d almost look like a romantic bath… though fully clothed and soaking in dirty water.
“Something tells me your coach wouldn’t be too happy with me. Are you okay?”
“Fine,” he mutters. “Get a dog, she said. It’ll be fun, she said.”
I turn my head, narrowing my eyes. “Hey!”
He chuckles, the sound cutting off almost as quickly as it starts, leaving an echo of silence.
His eyes roam across my face, scanning my features like he’s trying to commit them to memory. They pause on my lips before slowly rising to meet my gaze. “You’re so beautiful.”
I can’t imagine that I look anything close to beautiful in my current state, but the way he says it makes me believe it’s true. My stomach flutters and my chest tightens in a way I’ve started to recognize all too well. It’s a feeling that’s been happening more and more lately, and it seems to be connected to the man in the tub with me.
He brushes away the wet hair stuck to my face and kisses the spot on my temple. I’m helpless to do anything but melt further into him.
“What is this?” I whisper, the words escaping my lips involuntarily.
“I don’t know… but I really like it.”
“Me, too,” I admit.
It takes me the length of my shower and drying my hair to finally calm my nerves. When I head downstairs, Ryan is already waiting for me on the oversized couch in our living room.
