into strangers touching my hooha to rip all the hair out. I can do without that kind of pain.”
She got back to her feet, gripped my hands. “If you keep doing it regularly, it doesn’t hurt as much. No more than getting a tattoo.”
My legs almost went out from under me. I had one tattoo and it had been six hours of hellacious pleasure. “I might give it a shot then.”
She laughed as she helped me into the bathroom.
I looked around. “I didn’t even see Rafe leave.”
“He’s a ninja.”
I chuckled. “I think you mean Mas is the ninja.”
Tali tipped her head to the side. “Yeah. Him too.”
“When’s he coming home?”
“He should be here later today.”
“Where’s he been again?’
She shrugged as she held me steady to get into the jacuzzi tub. “I don’t ask those kinds of questions anymore. I just know he was out of the country.”
I hissed out a breath as the cool water washed over my legs. “Sweet baby potatoes, this is freezing.”
Tali dipped her hand in the water. “No, babe. It’s not. This is warmer than I would have guessed.”
I curled my arms around my chest as shivers wracked my body. “Uh huh. R-r-r-right. Wh-wh-what are y-y-y-you d-d-doing tod-d-day?”
“I’ve got a presentation at one of the children’s homes. We’re donating money for a new wing.” She pulled a phone from her back pocket. “We couldn’t find yours, so I picked up one of the burners. You’ll need to get a new one today while you’re out. For now, all of our numbers are input as the first six speed dial options.”
I nodded. “Th-th-thanks.” I groaned. “How long do I have to stay in here?”
“No idea. I’ll go ask, Rafe. You good?” She turned back from the door.
I nodded again. “Yeah. Hurry back though. I feel like my body is trying to lock up.” I bent and straightened my knees in the water, tried to keep them moving. It also helped to warm me up a fraction.
Just as I was getting good at making the waves splash at decent intervals, Tali came back in. “Need a toy boat?”
I grinned up at her. “Maybe. Might be more fun. What’d he say?”
“Only about fifteen minutes every couple of hours. You’ve got about five minutes left.”
I dipped my chin, closed my eyes. Worked on bending my knees as much as possible. The jagged ache in my thighs was lessening. My knees were more able to bend comfortably.
A slight chirping noise came from the sink. Apparently, Tali had set a timer. She came back into the room, a giant towel stretched between her hands. “Let’s go, little Willow.” She said it in a baby voice.
I rolled my eyes at her. I flicked the drain with my heel and waited for the water to go down a bit before trying to stand. “You ready?”
She spread her legs apart slightly, squatted down. “Ready.”
I laughed. “You look like you’re getting ready to tackle me, not help me from the bathtub.”
She bumped a single shoulder into the air. “Basically the same thing. Come on.” She dried my hands before wrapping hers around my wrists. I turned mine over and grabbed her wrists.
We got me about halfway up before my feet started to slip. “Shitshitshit. Don’t let go.” I clenched my eyes shut.
“HELP!” she screamed, almost blowing out my ear.
A rough set of hands grabbed my waist and yanked me from the tub.
“I said help, not crash me into the toilet,” Tali said, grumpiness in her voice.
“Then you should have been more specific,” Ryker said.
My eyes flew open as I looked at my rescuer. His grass green eyes were steady on mine. “Still on that redemption kick, I see.” I curled myself against his chest so he couldn’t see my naked body.
His jaw firmed. “Something like that.” He lowered me so my feet could touch the floor.
Tali wrapped the towel around me from behind, her hands crossed in front of my body protectively. “Thanks for the assist. We’ve got it from here.”
“Damn fucking straight you do. Penn, you keep this up, I will kill you myself,” Dom said from the doorway between my bedroom and bathroom. “DA’s office. Now.”
Ryker’s jaw clenched as he gave me a tight nod and stormed from the humid space.
“I’d call dibs, but I don’t think it’s me he wants like a fat kid wants cake,” Tali said.
I snorted as the bottom of my belly dropped away. “He can want all he likes. All he’s going to get are cupcakes by the dozen