Loving Lachlyn (Ashland Pride Two) by R.E. Butler Read Free Book Online

adjoining bathroom, grasping her hand and tugging her with him.  The standard-size tub and shower combo had a floral curtain hanging from golden rings that screeched noisily on the bar when he pushed it open.  Adjusting the water, Jericho turned and reached for her shirt, and she pushed his hands away instinctively and stepped back.
    “What’s the matter?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
    “Nothing.  I guess I’m just feeling a little vulnerable, and you’re being very brusque.”
    He sat down on the toilet lid and let out a sigh.  “I’m not trying to be brusque, Sunshine.  I’m trying to keep a tight hold on my emotions right now.  So if my actions are coming across as anything but caring, then I’m sorry.”
    “Why are you keeping a tight hold on your emotions?”  He looked positively calm.
    “Because I know that seeing the bandages on your skin is going to make my bear go berserk and want to hunt my father down and tear him apart.  So I’m reining him in so I can help you.”
    “If you’d rather not, I can manage.”
    He snarled a little and his eyes flashed.  “I’m your mate, Lachlyn.  I can control myself in order to help you.  And I want to tend to you, Sunshine.  I fucked up by not being there for you in the first place.”
    “No, you didn’t.”
    He opened and closed his mouth several times before finally saying, “Let’s get you into the water.”
    Standing, he helped her undress and then climb into the tub without getting the bandage on her thigh wet, which involved keeping the leg over the edge of the tub in a very unladylike pose.  Jericho turned off the water and grabbed the washcloth from the towel rack and dunked it into the water, lathering it with a bar of soap on the edge of the tub and then handing it to her.
    She washed her body quickly, hyper-aware of his eyes tracking her movements, which made her skin flush and her heart pound.  She wondered if he was as affected by what she was doing as she was.
    “Do you want me to wash your hair?” he asked, breaking the silence.
    “No, I’ll leave that for tomorrow.  Don’t want to go to bed with wet hair.”
    He nodded and watched as she carefully washed the leg with the wound without getting the bandage wet, and then he unplugged the tub drain and pulled a large, green towel from the rack.  First he patted the wounded leg and arm dry, and then he draped her body with the towel and scooped her up into his strong arms and put her feet down on the plush rug.  His movements as he patted the rest of her skin dry could only be called efficient.  He wasn’t caressing her like a lover at all.  If she hadn’t been able to tell from the obvious bulge in his jeans that he was turned on, she might have been a little miffed at his behavior.  She had a feeling that along with keeping his bear under wraps because of his anger towards his father, he was also keeping tight control over his sexual desires.
    She tugged a sleep shirt over her head and stood at the sink brushing her teeth.  When she was finished, she left Jericho to clean up in the bathroom while she situated herself on the full bed.
    The door to the bathroom opened, and Jericho came out wearing only jeans, his shirt in his hand, which he tossed in the clothes hamper next to the dresser.  He stopped at the end of the bed and looked at her.
    “You’re coming to bed, aren’t you?” she asked, running her hand over the empty place next to her.
    “You’re injured, Sunshine.”
    “Yeah.”
    “We can’t make love right now.”
    She hid her laugh behind a tight smile, pressing her lips together.  “I said bed, not bed .  But I do want you to sleep with me tonight.”
    He only hesitated for a moment, and maybe he was remembering the rather uncomfortable-looking couch downstairs, or that it might be embarrassing to tell her aunt and uncle that he didn’t want to sleep in the same bed with her.  However he arrived at the decision to climb into bed with her, she was