I grin and sit down beside the tub on the fluffy bath mat. She lifts a leg from the water and nudges me with her foot, water droplets sliding down her calf. “Thanks for being my safe option.”
“I’m notthatsafe,” I say, leaning in just enough to brush a kiss to her knee. “But I like this.”
She hums, eyelids drifting closed again. Her hand drifts over the water, then points lazily at a bottle nearby. “Wanna wash my hair?”
I blink. “Wait. Really?”
She smiles without opening her eyes. “Yeah.”
Fuckif that doesn’t short-circuit something inside me, I don’t know what will. I roll up my sleeves, shift onto my knees beside her, and grab the bottle. The scent hits me immediately—something I’ve buried my face in a hundred times already.
“Lean forward, baby.” I wet her hair gently, carefully. She makes a soft sound when my fingers comb through the strands. “Too hot?” I ask, cupping warm water to rinse it through.
“No. Perfect.”
I work the shampoo in slow circles, massaging her scalp, dragging my thumbs across her temples the way she likes. Her sigh is so content it makes my chest ache.
“You’re gonna spoil me,” she mumbles.
“Good.” I rinse her hair again, the water trickling down her back, and when I move her hair aside to kiss the top of her spine, she shivers.
“I don’t need anything else tonight,” she whispers. “Just this.”
God, I’d give hereverythingif she asked.
I run my fingers through the ends of her hair one last time, then let the water pour over it again. She leans into the touch like this is the only moment she wants to exist in.
I wrap a towel around her shoulders when she finally sits back, hair dripping down as I press a kiss to her temple. “Need anything else?”
“Yeah,” she whispers, reaching for my hand. I let her thread our fingers together, resting them on her bare knee. “Don’t leave.”
“I won’t.”
I help her stand, steadying her as she steps out of the tub. She pads across the tile, and I grab one of her softest shirts from the dresser — the oversized one she always wears to bed and hold it out for her. She smiles a little as I help her slip it over her head, the hem brushing her thighs.
She looks up at me through damp lashes, and I can’t not lean in. The kiss starts gentle, just a brush of her lips against mine, but she lingers, deepening it until I forget how to breathe.
When she finally pulls back, she’s smiling. “Come on,” she murmurs, tugging my hand.
I follow her to the bed, flipping the covers back as she crawls in. I slide in beside her, close enough to feel her warmth seep into me.
She yawns, “You gonna make Tate join us?”
I laugh under my breath, grabbing my phone. “Watch this.” I quickly send him a text.
Me:Your turn for bedtime duty, cuddling required. No exceptions!
Tate :No, and if you breathe near my neck again I swear I’ll stab you…
I grin and read it out loud. Haven giggles from her pillow. “He’s bluffing.”
“He’s absolutely not bluffing.”
A few minutes pass. I think maybe he’s serious this time then the door opens with a dramatic swing and Tate walks in, shirtless and he grumbles something about“softness killing him”as he crawls in on Haven’s other side.
She lifts the blanket for him without saying a word. His arm slides around her waist. I shift in closer, pressing a kiss to her shoulder, and we sandwich her in silence.
Tate mumbles into the pillow. “You touch my foot Carter, I’m kicking you out of this bed.”