Page 32 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

Inhaling a sharp breath, I slathered my hands together and then began to clean Sofia up, taking care not to linger in places I shouldn’t.

“Turn around,” I said, my voice thick with lust. Because she was half-naked and wet, standing before me like every guy’s fantasy.

There was no telling how many times I’d imagined Sofia like this. But I’d never tried to act on it, and I wasn’t about to start now. That didn’t stop me from drawing her body back into mine as I soaped her skin, rubbing away the evidence of the night.

Sofia’s head dropped back on my shoulder as she gave into me, her body melting against mine. I wasn’t a player. I didn’t sleep my way through class like some guys on the team. But I wasn’t a saint either, and having Sofia so close, her soft curves taunting me, was a serious test in restraint.

Until I remembered the reason we’d ended up here.

“Let me do your hair, okay?” I said.

I took her silence as compliance, reaching around her to grab the shampoo. Sofia hadn’t inherited her mom’s thick spiral curls, but her dark hair was thick and wavy.

“Mmm, that feels good,” she moaned as I ran my fingers through it, massaging her scalp.

I’d never washed a girl’s hair before. Never showered half-dressed with one either. But I was starting to realize there wasn’t a lot I wouldn’t do for Sofia Bennet.

Except keep her secrets.

A bolt of guilt went through me. But that was different. She was sick. She’d needed help.

I did the right thing; I didn’t doubt that. Even if she hated me now.

Once I’d rinsed off her hair, I reached around her again and turned off the shower. A shiver went through her, and I said, “Wait here. I’ll grab you a towel.”

Sofia let me drape it around her body and help her step out of the shower. “How do you feel?”

“A little better, thanks.” She could barely meet my eyes.

“Come on. You can take the bed.” There was one queen and a couch.

I hadn’t turned on the main light, only one of the nightstand lights, so the room was bathed in a soft amber glow. When her gaze found mine, there was so much swirling in her dark depths that I wanted to beg her to tell me all her secrets. But she didn’t trust me anymore.

“I’ll get you some water and find you a clean t-shirt to sleep in.”

“Why are you doing this?” Her voice cut through the stilted air like a knife.

I glanced back at her and gave her a thin smile. “Because we’re friends.”

Nothing.

She said nothing.

My stomach dropped.

After giving her the water and t-shirt, I excused myself to clean up in the bathroom. Really, I needed a second to catch my breath. Being with her like this wasn’t easy. Not when all I wanted was to pull her into my arms and tell her everything was going to be okay.

I shucked out of my soaked jeans and dried off with a towel before padding back into the bedroom. Sofia was already under the covers, curled up on her side.

“You need anything?”

“No, I’m good.” Her voice was small. Cracked with something I didn’t want to decipher.

I grabbed an extra blanket and pillow from the closet and threw them down on the couch.

“Cole?”

“Yeah, Sofe?”

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