The Winner Takes It All: Winning Back His Wife / In Her Rival's Arms / Royally Seduced. Melissa McClone

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СКАЧАТЬ That should ease some of the pain.”

      She scrunched her nose. “It’s too early for you to be up if you have to work tonight.”

      Her concern brought a smile to his face. “I’ll take a nap later.”

      “You’re sure?”

      “Positive.” He cupped her elbow and helped her out of bed. “Is it hard to breathe?”

      “Nope.”

      “Let’s see how you feel walking.”

      She moved slowly and carefully, the way she should to make sure she didn’t fall. “It helps.”

      He noticed her long legs, liked the curve of her calf, the slender slope of her ankles. “You’re doing great.”

      She walked out of the bedroom. “I must look pretty frightening.”

      “Not frightening.” He followed her down the hall. “You look pretty good for someone recovering from a bad fall, broken bones and surgery.”

      She glanced over her shoulder, her green eyes hopeful. “Any chance I could shower?”

      An image of him taking off her panties flashed in his mind. He gave his head a mental shake. “Uh, sure. I’ll have to wrap your cast.”

      “That’s what the nurse did at the hospital,” Sarah said with a relieved smile. “I may need you to pour the shampoo into my left hand.”

      Or he could join her in the shower and wash her hair for her. He wouldn’t mind lathering her up.

      Strike that. Cullen pushed the idea from his head. He found it too easy to think about her as his wife, not his soon-to-be ex-wife. She’d wanted out of the marriage. No reason to assume she wanted back in. Not that he wanted her back. He didn’t. At least most of the time, he didn’t. “Let’s get you fed, then cleaned up.”

      Sarah stood in the bathroom wearing her orange robe and nothing underneath. She stared at the tile floor, not wanting to meet Cullen’s watchful eyes. She tightened the belt around her waist as best she could with one hand so the robe wouldn’t slip open.

      His height and wide shoulders made the space feel cramped even though the bathroom was larger than the one at the hospital. He checked the plastic around her cast. “It should stay dry.”

      “I don’t think any water is going to come close to my cast.”

      He turned on the shower. Water splashed against the tub and curtain. “That’s the plan.”

      Cullen had always been a planner. Too bad he hadn’t stuck to his plans instead of letting her derail them. That would have saved them both a lot of heartache. Well, at least her. “Have your life figured out again?”

      His gaze met hers. “Pretty much. I made a few changes.”

      Like removing her from his future plans. She pinched the bridge of her nose, ignoring the hollow feeling inside her.

      He checked the water temperature. “Ready?”

      Not really. “Sure.”

      He pulled back the shower curtain. “There’s a mat on the bottom of the tub, so you shouldn’t slip, but be careful.”

      “Okay.”

      She waited for him to leave. He didn’t.

      “Aren’t you getting in?” he asked.

      Cullen stared at her as if she had something on her face. Left-over French toast, perhaps? She rubbed the back of her hand over her mouth. “Are you staying in here?”

      “Yes.”

      It was as simple and as complicated as that.

      “I need to hand you shampoo,” he reminded her.

      Oh, yeah. She’d forgotten about that. But still she hesitated. “This is kind of awkward.”

      “Only if we make it awkward.”

      “I’m not trying to.”

      “Neither am I.”

      “But I’m the one who is naked under my robe.”

      “I can undress.”

      She gave him a look.

      He grinned, then faced the door. “Better?”

      “Yes, thank you.” Mustering her courage with a deep breath wasn’t going to work, with her incision and ribs. She settled for a slight intake of air, untied the belt, dropped her robe and stepped inside the tub. She closed the shower curtain. “You can turn around now.”

      “Is the water the right temperature?”

      Hot water poured over her. Steam rose toward the ceiling. She picked up a bar of soap. “Perfect.”

      “I remember you like it hot.”

      She remembered the showers they’d taken together. Hot water pulsating down on them. Washing each other. Kissing. Touching.

      The soap slipped out of her hand and clattered to the tub.

      “Sarah—”

      “I dropped the soap,” she said at the same time.

      “Can you reach it?” he asked.

      Bending hurt. But she wasn’t about to ask him to get it for her. That would be too awkward. Too…tempting. “No, but it’s okay. I really just wanted to wash my hair.”

      “I’ve got the shampoo,” he said. “Stick out your hand when you want some.”

      Once her hair was wet enough, she extended her left arm. The cooler air temperature made her shiver. Goose bumps covered her exposed skin.

      He poured a dollop of shampoo onto her palm. “Is that enough?”

      “Yes.”

      Washing her hair was easier this time. “I’m getting the hang of using one hand.”

      “Just takes time.”

      Time she didn’t have. For the past twenty-four hours, Cullen had occupied the majority of her thoughts. Not Mount Baker. Once she had work to distract her everything would return to normal. She couldn’t wait for that to happen. She rinsed the shampoo from her hair.

      “Need more?” he asked.

      Yes, but not from him. He hadn’t been able to give her what she needed. She couldn’t be the wife he wanted. That was why they were better off apart. Still, the thought made her heart hurt. Not a want-to-throw-herself-a-pity-party aching, but a too-bad-this-couldn’t-have-worked pining. “I’m good.”

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