OLIVER #4
She chuckled. “I told him I would ask, but I think we’ll wait a bit until you feel better.”
I waved my hand. “I’ll be fine. The heat is helping. If you let me soak a couple more times today and I use the ice packs, I’ll be right as rain tomorrow.” I frowned. “Why does he want to have dinner with both of us?”
She shrugged, looking toward the backyard. Her hand landed on my shoulder, massaging the muscle in a soothing manner. “I didn’t ask. I was busy when he called, then worried over the news.”
I caught her hand and kissed it. “I’m sorry you were upset.”
She looked down, her eyes troubled. “You were injured. Of course I was upset. Concerned. Furious they didn’t take you to the hospital. I might have torn a strip off him for not doing so.”
I chuckled, imagining her inflicting her wrath on Davis. Chastising him. No doubt, he was taken aback since few ever argued with him. “My fault,” I explained. “I refused to go. Nothing they could do that I can’t do here.”
“What if something is broken you don’t know about?” she asked, worrying her lip.
“I can walk. Move. I got undressed myself. Everything is in working order.” I winked. “I can show you if you want.”
“Stop it.”
I tugged on her arm. “Join me. I’ll prove to you I’m fine. Maybe a bit slow, but I can make that work to your benefit.”
“Never mind your raging hard-on. That’s second nature to you anyhow. It probably pops up on its own all the time.”
“Raging?” I questioned with a wry grin. “Reading your smut books again?”
She frowned and I kept going. “Pops up? Like a jack-in-the-box? But in this case, dick-in-the-tub?”
She tried not to laugh. I tugged a little harder, so she was bent over the edge. I lifted my head, our mouths close together. “Come and rub my…back, baby. Make me feel good.”
“Stop it.”
She yelped as I tugged harder, dragging her into the tub with me. Water splashed and she sputtered, her shirt now soaked against her skin. I pulled her to my chest, grinning into her indignant face. “Oops.”
“You bastard,” she muttered. “Now I’m all wet.”
“My plan exactly.”
“You’re supposed to be relaxing.”
“Oh, I’ll be relaxed all right. Gimme ten minutes, and we’ll both be really relaxed.”
I expected her to mouth off more. Push off me and climb out of the tub, scold me and stomp away.
Instead, she pressed her mouth to mine, and with a groan, I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her until she was breathless.
Until we were both breathless. Hungry. She pushed back, pulling off her shirt and sitting on my thighs. “Let me do the work.”
I was good with that.
We lay in the water, wrapped around each other, not talking much. The heat had worked its magic, although I knew the aches would return soon. Our lovemaking had soothed the rough edges of my mind, making everything quieter. Holding her completed the cycle. I liked her close.
“Still doing Wong Man for dinner, right?”
She laughed, looking up from my shoulder where her head nestled perfectly under my chin. “Is that all you think about, Olly? Sex. Food. Rinse. Repeat.”
“No,” I replied. “I think about the script for tomorrow. Dessert after Wong Man.” I traced my finger down her cheek. “I think about you a lot when you’re not with me.”
“Oh.”
“I worry my performance in front of the camera will fall flat. That I’ll fuck up something. I constantly second-guess myself about business decisions. Investments. If I’ve listened to the right people. If I’m too old for this game.”
She met my gaze, the air suddenly serious. “Wow, you’ve got a lot of stuff going on up there.”
I scratched my chin, then leaned my head back, looking at the sky. “You do in this business. A lot of second-guessing. The what-ifs and whys. The people. I’ve been burned enough to know how easily you can slip up and trust the wrong people. Have to start over again.”
A noise came from the side, and I glanced over to the fence. The cedars were moving in the breeze, but I could see nothing else. Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling of once again being watched.
“I think I’ve had enough tub for now,” I muttered.
“Okay,” Kassie agreed easily. “You can lie on some ice for a while.”
I made her stay in the tub while I climbed out and wrapped a towel around my waist. Then I held one up, draping it around her as she climbed out. She looked at me, confused, but I shrugged. “Being a gentleman.”
Inside, I was glad to close the door behind us and let her draw the blinds.
The bed was comfortable—supportive but soft under my aching back—and the ice felt good after the long soak in the heat.
I shut my eyes, feeling sleep pull me in, listening to Kassie move around the room, humming softly.
She stopped by the bed, running a hand over my head.
“I’m going to go do some more fun tax stuff,” she murmured. “You rest. I’ll check on you later.”
I captured her hand and kissed it. “Thank you.”
She bent and pressed her lips to mine. “I’m here, Olly.”
Somehow those words were the most comforting ones ever spoken to me, and I drifted away with a smile on my face.