Page 46 of Nanny for the Firefighters
"Ignore that. It has a mind of its own." The prick of her nails along my spine has me raising my brow. "Unless you'd rather not ignore it, and then I can be of help. But I don't want to take advantage more than I already have. I'm sure you'll be sore tomorrow… or later today."
Her hum vibrates through her chest and into mine as I massage her scalp.
"Come on. Time to rinse." I spin her and back her under the water again, rinsing her hair carefully. "Conditioner?"
"Only the ends. Then, the comb." She sways under the water as I reach for the creamy bottle. It takes little time to slather her hair and comb it out for her. I'm surprised when she doesn't ask me about it.
"Are you falling asleep on me?"
"Maybe. But I'm far too interested in the breakfast being made downstairs. Theo's cooking rivals my own."
"Alright, let's finish up and get you down there." In less than a minute, I shut the water off and wrap her in a dark green towel, slinging the other down around my waist.
"I don't know what it is about you guys—all hero masculinity, but you care about my comfort." Ella bites her lip and shakes her head, turning away from me, pulling on an oversized T-shirt with her hair still wet. She wraps her damp hair in a towel, her back turned to me. .
"We do care about your comfort. Why wouldn't we?" Although I can answer that fifty different ways, I still have to ask.
"You all… just make me feel at home, and I have to be honest. Right now, it's kind of freaking me out."
"Ella…" My voice softens when I reach for her, but she skitters back, hands up. She really is freaking out. Oh, no.
"I…" She doesn't finish her thought before she's out the door.
22
ETHAN
Without thinking, I bolt behind Ella, singularly focused on understanding why she ran out on us. This isn't me, I tell myself as I run down the hall with nothing except a towel wrapped around my waist. I either look ridiculous or… unconventionally sexy? It doesn't matter. She does.
And right now, she's going a mile a minute—she's actually run down the stairs and out the main door. The others stare at me, completely baffled, as I give chase. No time to stand and chat.
I dart down the street, clutching the towel around my waist. The cool night air bites at my skin, but I'm too focused on Ella to care. She's running ahead, her oversized T-shirt flapping around her legs, the towel on her head slipping as she goes. Her sobs pierce the night air, and they cut right through me.
"Ella, stop!" I shout, my voice firm, but she doesn't even look back, just runs faster, her bare feet slapping against the pavement.
My legs burn as I push harder, determined to catch up. The towel slips a little, but I don't care. All that matters is reaching her, making her stop, and figuring out what's tearing her apart.
She rounds a corner, and I'm right behind her. Just as she reaches the small park at the end of the street, I finally close the gap and grab her wrist, pulling her to a stop.
"Ella, enough!" I say, my voice a low growl. "Talk to me."
"Let go, Ethan!" she cries, struggling against my grip, but I hold on, not letting her run away.
"Not until you tell me what's going on," I say, my tone leaving no room for argument. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."
She stops fighting, her shoulders slumping in defeat. When she looks at me, tears are streaming down her cheeks. "Why do you even care?" she asks, her voice trembling.
I step closer, still holding her wrist but gentler now. "Because I'm a glutton for punishment, apparently," I say with a wry smile. "And because I care about you, Ella. More than you realize."
She looks away, her chest heaving with sobs. "It's all too much," she whispers, her voice barely audible.
I pull her into my arms, holding her tightly despite the towel threatening to slip. "You don't have to go through this alone," I murmur into her hair. "I'm here, whether you like it or not."
She clings to me, her tears soaking my shoulder, and I hold her tighter, wishing I could take away her pain. The moonlight casts a soft glow around us, and for a moment, it feels like we're the only two people in the world. Just us, standing in the middle of a park, holding onto each other and the promise of not being alone.
"Plus," I add with a smirk, "someone has to make sure you don't end up running through the neighborhood in just a T-shirt. That's my job."
Ella looks like she is about to protest, cry, and laugh at the same time. Goddammit, there's something about this woman that has just altered my brain chemistry.