“I really am okay.” She leans back to look me in the eye.
“Liar,” I say quietly, seeing the pain she’s trying to hide. “I’ll be right back. Relax.” After she nods, I take off, first going to her Bronco to get her bag, then stopping in the kitchen to pick up a tray of food. When I get back to the room, I find her curled up on the couch, watching some history documentary on the television.
“Did you know that the first chain saw was invented to help make it easier for doctors to remove babies from women?” she asks as soon as I enter the room.
“No.”
“Well, it was. How horrifying is that?”
“Pretty fucking horrifying,” I agree, carrying her food and a bottle of juice to the couch and handing her the plate. “Eat, so you can take your pill and shower.”
“Please.” She raises a brow.
“Sorry.” I smile. “Please eat, so you can take your pill and shower.” I sit next to her with my own plate of food.
“I know you said everything is fine, but I noticed that you, Blake, and Maverick talked, and since then, you seem to be on edge,” she says when a commercial comes on. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Blake isn’t happy about you and me.”
“Oh.” She sets down her fork and starts to bite her bottom lip.
“He’s just worried. Live Life Adventures is his baby, so he’s just concerned about us spending time together and how that could affect business.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t want you guys to fight because of me,” she says quietly.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I reply, and she starts to fiddle with a loose thread that’s hanging from her shirt, not looking convinced. “Mav, Blake, and I are family. I don’t have brothers or sisters, and my parents aren’t in my life. Mav has a similar story to mine.” I set down my plate on the coffee table in front of me and scrub my hands down my face. “The three of us might disagree from time to time, but at the end of the day, we have each other’s back.” I turn to look at her. “Blake will come around after he pulls his head out of his ass.”
“Okay,” she agrees, still not looking convinced, then winces when she moves her hand.
“Pain pill, shower, then bed.” I push off the couch and take our plates to the small kitchen, dropping them in the sink. Then I take her one of her pain pills before I grab a rubber glove, along with a roll of medical tape.
“I think I’ll be able to manage showering on my own.” She looks around at anything but me as I take a seat next to her and start placing the glove on her hand.
“How about you do what you can, then shout for me if you need help?”
“Yeah, okay, thank you.”
“No problem, sunshine.” I tape the glove tight enough around her wrist that water won’t be able to get into it. “All set,” I say, and she stands, going to her suitcase to dig out a makeup bag and a fresh set of clothes before heading for the bathroom.
“Be right back,” she says with her cheeks turning pink.
“I’ll be here if you need me.”
With a nod, she closes the bathroom door; then a moment later, I hear the shower turn on. Not long after that, I hear her start to grumble.
“Tanner,” she calls, and I walk toward the door as she opens it just enough to peek out. “I can’t get my sports bra off.” The tears I see in her eyes make my gut clench.
“Step back and let me in,” I say gently, and she moves, letting me into the room. Then, without a word, I turn her so that her back is to me. “Lift your arms.”
“This is so humiliating.”
“It’s not,” I assure her, and she groans before lifting her hands over her head. I grab the tight material at her sides and carefully maneuver it over her breasts, then head. “Do you want me to help you with your pants?”
“No.” She crosses her arms over her chest and turns to face me. “I think I can get them off on my own.” She glares at her hand. “Hopefully.”
“All right, I’ll be outside.”
Not surprisingly, she doesn’t ask for my help again, but she does stay in the shower for close to an hour. When the door opens and she steps out wearing a baggy shirt and shorts, the scent of vanilla filling the small space, my mouth waters at the sight.
“Feel better?” I take her hand and unwrap the tape before removing the glove.
“Yes, but now I’m exhausted.” She yawns. “I’m sorry for taking so long. I had to wash my hair about ten times before it felt clean.”
Smiling, I run my eyes over her long, wet blonde hair and pretty face and see that she looks more relaxed than she did. “The pill kicked in.”
“Yeah.” She yawns again. “Between that and today, I feel like I could sleep for a year.”
“I bet.” I motion to the bed for her to climb in, then go to the TV and swivel it around before I hand her the remote and steal a kiss. “I’m gonna shower.”
“I’ll be here.” She lies down, and I give her one last look before I step into the bathroom and close the door.
Fifteen minutes later, clean and wearing a pair of basketball shorts, I step out of the bathroom to find Cybil already asleep. Exhausted myself, I turn off the lights and crawl into bed next to her. I turn off the TV, then maneuver her until she’s lying half on me, careful to place her hand on my chest.
As her warm breath brushes against my skin, I close my eyes, relishing how fucking perfect she fits against me and how easily I’ve come to care for her. Unlike her, I’ve never had a serious relationship. When I was young, girls tended to stay away. I grew up poor. My parents would spend what little money the government sent them each month on booze instead of on the kid they didn’t want. That meant I didn’t have more than one change of clothes, showering was a rarity at times, and food was scarce.
I joined the military when I turned eighteen, and ever since then, I’ve been focused on making it so that any kids I might have one day will never have to struggle like I did. Women for me have been a fun distraction from time to time, but never more than that. With Cybil, things are different. There’s no denying the chemistry between us, but it’s more than that for me. I crave her presence, and how at peace she makes me feel when I’m around her, and there’s no denying the urge I have to protect and take care of her. Something she seems to need from me, and something easy for me to give her because I’ve never had someone who needed that from me before.
I let out a deep breath and hold her a little tighter. Fuck, but I’m really looking forward to having her all to myself for the next week.
Chapter 14
CYBIL
“Told you he was into you,” Parker whispers in my ear as his arms tighten around me, and I laugh. “I’m happy for you two.”
“Thanks.” I smile as he passes me to Jacob, who hugs me just as tightly. Then I step back into Tanner, who wraps his arm around my waist. “I’ll call you guys and let you know when I’m driving home, so we can meet up for lunch or something.”