Page 48 of Catch My Fall
Donald Trump… Peanut butter… Toyota Prius… My fucking grandma…
With the least sexy thoughts I can think of swirling around my head, my dick deflates in no time and I can finally head back out of the room after switching shirts. The shower has since stopped running and I slam to a halt when Sierra walks out of the bathroom in just a towel wrapped around her slim frame that ends just below her ass.
Fuck, I’m hard. Again.
My eyes can’t help but get their fill of the sight before me, drinking her in, savouring it like a fine wine. Water beads on her bare skin, her usual sweet vanilla scent wrapping around me, making me heady.
She’s so sexy, and I don’t think she even realises it.
She clutches her towel tighter. “Hey.” She smiles sweetly as always, tucking her damp hair behind her ear, away from her face.
“Enjoy your shower?” I ask.
A look crosses her face and I can’t decide whether it’s horror or excitement—maybe a little of both. “Uh, yeah. Thanks. Actually, about that… I think the shower in my bathroom is broken. It ran hot for like five minutes and then turned freezing cold. I tried turning the dials but nothing worked so I had to use yours. I hope that’s alright.”
“Of course. It sounds like the thermostat. I’ll take a look at it,” I tell her.
Keep eye contact. Don’t look down at her bare legs. Don’t let her see your erection.
“Any particular reason you left the door open?” I can’t help but ask.
“Why? What did you see?” I don’t miss the coy undertone in her voice.
“Enough,” I grumble.
She swallows thickly, a tinge of pink staining her cheeks. Does she like the thought I was watching her?
“So?” I press.
“Since everything happened, I don’t like small spaces or closed doors. I like an escape route. I can’t even sleep with the bedroom door all the way shut. It makes me claustrophobic.”
“I can understand that. Just, maybe warn me next time so I don’t see anything I shouldn’t.” To say she caught me by surprise would be a colossal understatement.
She cocks her head. “Come on, Alec. It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before.”
“That was different,” I grit out, my jaw tense. The image of her lying naked, curled up on the ground battered and bruised sends a wave of anger flooding through my veins. Seeing her like that just about killed me off, not to mention broke my heart in two.
“How is it different?” she asks so blasé. “My body hasn’t changed, it’s the same as it’s always been.”
“It’s completely different, Sierra, and the fact you don’t see that is quite frankly insulting. Because back then I wasn’t looking at you thinking of all the ways I wanted to touch and kiss every inch of your body. I was looking at you lying there covered in blood and god knows what else praying to God you weren’t fucking dead. So yes, it’s a little different.” I’m on the move before I realise, my boots eating up the floor as I storm through the house, leaving Sierra to watch my back as I walk away.
I burst out the back door, and it slams closed behind me. I lean forward against the wooden railing on the patio and heave out a breath, letting my head hang low.
How could she say that? She clearly has no idea what it felt like seeing her that way, so vulnerable, so utterly broken. The last thing on my mind was sex, I was more concerned about her health and getting her to the hospital before she bled to death. I’m fucked up but not that fucked up.
The back door lets out a quiet squeak behind me, but I make no move to turn around.
“I’m sorry,” she says softly. “I didn’t mean to make you angry.”
I sigh, turning to face her. She’s shed the towel and changed into a plain black t-shirt and grey leggings. The tears swimming in her eyes just about gut me.
“You have nothing to apologise for, princess. I’m not mad at you.” I could never be mad at you.
“Then what?”
I cross the space and take a seat on the swing, resting my elbows on my knees with my hands clasped together under my chin. “The image of you lying there on that mattress and then to see you dumped out of the back of that van like you were nothing I— I can’t get it out of my head.”
Her eyes find her feet, my words conjuring unwanted memories in her mind. “I didn’t realise. I never even thought about how you felt, seeing me like that. I hate that that’s the image that fills your mind when you look at me.”