Page 18 of Wild Tides
Lord, one of us really might die tonight.Me. From embarrassment.
“Nope. Safe and sound. I’ll be out in a minute.”
My voice was steady enough, but my hands still shook. If one hot shower could wreck me like this, what would happen the next time Violet got close? My vow to keep my distance was already circling the drain.
Chapter 10 - Violet
When Lee finally emerged from the bathroom, I pushed away from the wall where I’d been waiting for him. He’d pulled on the blue flannel pants and shirt I’d left for him. The pajama bottoms skimmed his body, the waistband hanging low on his hipbones. Part of me wanted to peel up his shirt and get more quality time with the abs on display earlier. Lee didn’t flaunt his body, but I couldn’t help noticing how much he’d filled out since the lazy summer days at the beach in high school. So much had changed. And in some ways, nothing had.
He avoided my gaze, seeming to take extra care placing each crutch as he maneuvered toward the stairs.
Was it my imagination that his cheeks were flushed? He stumbled a bit, and I rushed to steady him. Slowly, we made it downstairs, me holding my breath with every awkward step. All joking aside, the thought of him trying to manage the stairs without my help terrified me.
He propped the crutches against the pullout downstairs. My shoulders loosened as he relaxed against the back of the couch.
“Do you need anything else before I go to bed?” I asked.
His entire body shuddered.Notmy imagination. Brushing my hand against his forehead to check for a fever wasn’t exactly subtle. He flinched, and I pulled back like I’d touched a hot stove.
“I’m fine. Leave me alone.”
He bit the words out. Harsh. Abrupt. He’d never spoken to me that way before. Sure, Lee was gruff. Often quiet. But not mean.
Maybe he saw the flash of pain that I couldn’t quite hide. Remorse washed across his features, softening them, something gentle creeping into his blue eyes.
“Vi, I’m afraid I’m messing this up.”
The raw vulnerability in his tone made me want to forgive him.
“I hate being so helpless, but it’s not your fault. I’m sorry. I appreciate your help.”
“I know you’re used to living alone.” I kept my words measured. Not quite censure, not quite compassion. “But you don’t need to be a dick.”
He scrubbed his hands through his damp hair, leaving it sticking up in disordered tufts. “You’re the best, and I’m the worst.” He glanced up from beneath his lashes. “I’ll keep working on it, Vi. Promise.”
I bent to tug the blanket over him. His hand brushed mine, warm and callused. Not quite holding me in place but not releasing me either. I froze. So did he.
The air between us went still, thick with something unnamed.
Then he shifted, breaking the spell. “Go to bed, Cupcake.”
My feet dragged as I made my way upstairs. I’d been dismissed. Relegated to my lonely bed. It was for the best. But something about the way Lee had looked at me made me wonder… was it?
***
Sliding between Lee’s sheets made it impossible not to think of him as I stared up at his bedroom ceiling. His curt “leave me alone” from earlier stung, even though he apologized right after. I’d been trying not to crowd him – obviously I’d failed. Then there was the moment afterward, where he’d almost held my hand. Fleeting, but every sense lit up.
I shifted, scissoring my legs. Trying my side. Every move only reminded me that I was where Lee usually slept. He couldn’t be comfortable downstairs. Maybe I should have insisted on helping him up here, taken the couch myself.
A muffled “fuck” carried up to me, and I abandoned the pretense of sleep, half-jogging downstairs before I could think better of it. Squinting to focus on each runner, centering each footstep on the carpet. I’d be no use to him if I took my own tumble.
“Lee, you okay?”
My pulse stilled before galloping ahead. He’d pulled his laptop across his thighs. And his shirt off. He’d left a lamp on, and it burnished his skin in a golden glow. I’d forgotten my glasses in the rush to get to him, giving him a hazy, dream-like quality.
He scrubbed his hands across his face, groaning into his palms. “Sorry to wake you, Vi.”
“You didn’t.”
