Page 26 of Fit for Love
“Right, let’s get you comfortable.” I steered her towards the sofa, plumped up some cushions and pulled up the stool so she could stretch out her leg.
“I need a shower, I’m freezing.”
Much as I wanted to see her naked again, I doubted very much that she would let me undress her. “So you don’t want to stay here?”
Cora shook her head. “No. I’d rather be in my room. Can you help me?” Her voice came out as thin and small.
I imagined it took her a lot to say those words, so I did as she asked and scooped her up once more.
Chapter Fourteen
Cora
Ethan’s arms felt good around me, although I wasn’t sure whether the whole experience of my fall was making me delirious now. I shivered, my clothes feeling damp and clammy against my skin. He carried me up to my room, taking care not to bump me against the walls.
It felt strange having him in there. A couple of days ago, I would have welcomed his presence there. Now, I wasn’t so sure, knowing he saw me as a meal ticket. Or should that be plane ticket?
He placed me on the edge of the bed and stood up. “Right, I’ll run you a warm bath, then you can lie down for a while. I’ll see if I can find a bandage and an ice pack, or frozen peas or something, as well.” He disappeared into the bathroom and I heard the water running.
I didn’t dare start to undress until he’d left the room; there was no way I wanted him to see me naked. Once he’d gone, I stripped off my gym kit and slid into the heavenly scented bath water. It was just warm enough to take the chill from me, but not so hot as to aggravate the swelling on my ankle—something the nurse had warned me about. Tempting though it was to close my eyes, I knew I couldn’t.
Taking a deep breath, I held it and immersed myself under the water.
Why had Ethan stopped to help me? How had he known I was there? Maybe he expected a tip for helping me?
All sorts of questions ran through my head as I resurfaced, none of them making my feelings for Ethan any clearer.
Feeling the warmth spread through my bones, I started to feel a bit better, if very drowsy, and I hadn’t even taken any of the tablets yet. After five minutes, I thought I should get out and struggled to move from the bath. It was a long process, perching on the side, swinging my legs over and trying hard not to slip. I didn’t need any more injuries. I put on a pair of pyjama shorts and a vest top, and pulled my damp hair into a ponytail, since I hadn’t bothered washing it properly. I slipped beneath the covers and snuggled down under the duvet.
There was a tentative knock on the door.
“Come in!” I called.
It took a couple of seconds, but Ethan appeared, carrying a tray with what looked like a bowl of soup and a large glass of water, plus something wrapped up in a tea towel.
“I thought you could do with something to eat. Particularly if you’re going to take some of those painkillers, you shouldn’t have them on an empty stomach.”
I struggled back upright and he placed the tray on my lap. The aroma of my favourite butternut squash and ginger soup floated up to my nostrils. He’d even found one of the gluten-free rolls Piper had bought from the farm shop.
So thoughtful.
“Thank you.” I smiled shyly. He passed me the pills and I popped a couple.
“You need to follow the RICE theory to help that ankle of yours,” he said, reaching for the tea towel parcel.
“Rice? Is that what’s in there?” I pointed to it with my spoon.
Ethan laughed. “No. It’s an acronym. Rest, ice, compression and elevation. You shouldn’t put any weight on the injury for a couple of days, and you need to apply an ice pack every couple of hours. You’ll need a bandage to support it and keep it raised on a pillow as much as possible.” He lifted the duvet a little. “May I?”
I nodded, unable to say anything. He must know all this because of his personal training. I probably wasn’t the first person to sustain an injury around him. When the ice pack hit my leg, I almost spilled soup all over myself, it was so damn cold.
“Christ, Ethan, what are you trying to do to me?”
The corner of his mouth quirked up and his eyes sparkled. “I know you get hot around me, so I needed to cool you off.”
“Oh, I do, do I?”
His fingers tenderly probed my ankle bone. “How’s that?”
