Page 52 of Wild Pitch
She rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I listened while she flushed and refilled her glass of water before returning to bed.
“You good, Ky?”
She nodded and drifted back to sleep.
I finally drifted off to sleep an hour before Kylie’s alarm went off.
Thank God today was just a travel day.
I nudged Kylie after she pressed snooze for the second time.
“Up, Ky.”
“Nine more minutes, please.” She buried her face in my chest in a poor attempt at ignoring the wake-up call.
I sat up, tugging her upright at the same time. She wiped her eyes, unsuccessfully shaking off the night.
“Come on, I owe you a shower.”
I hopped out of bed, and Kylie flopped down again, attempting to bury herself in my comforter.
I threw back the covers and scooped her up, carrying her to the bathroom. I had no choice but to set her down while I turned on the water, but she stayed put.
Once the water was up to temperature, I nudged her in and followed. She woke up as soon as the water hit her and sighed in contentment.
“Are you sore?”
“Um,” she moved her wrists and ankles as a test. “A little. But I’m more concerned about the marks.”
She held up her wrists, and I inspected the faint marks. There didn’t seem to be residual discomfort when I ran my thumb over them.
“Do you have short sleeves for today?”
She nodded and dipped her head under the water to soak her hair. I grabbed a bottle of shampoo and dumped a generous amount into the palm of my hand before lathering her hair.
“I do.”
She groaned as I massaged her head, leaning into me.
“It’s nothing a bracelet or watch wouldn’t cover.”
“Well, I didn’t bring one.” She shrugged, and I dipped her head under the water to rinse the suds.
“I planned to drive you to work. We can drop by your place on the way.”
“Trying to avoid feeding me?”
“Never,” I said, turning her face toward mine and looking directly into her eyes. “It’s my job to take care of you. After our intense play last night, I take full responsibility for whatever you need. That includes food, a shampoo, or a ride to work.”
“I’d like to order a chocolate chip muffin and a dirty chai latte from Amanda’s Cafe, please.”
I laughed, “That’s specific.”
“It’s my favorite part of Monday mornings. Some people like to treat themselves on Fridays. I think it starts the week off right when you spoil yourself on Monday.”
“What do you call what we did last night?”
“Partying on a school night.”
