to him, she wanted to be able to focus completely on him.
Once the trash was done, Sloane attacked the bathroom and then the kitchen. She scrubbed them both until they shined. Then she attacked his bedroom, her new room, and the foyer. Once that was done, Sloane attacked the living room, where Chase once again ignored her until she pulled out the vacuum. Then he screamed at her to wait for a “fucking commercial.” The only time she stopped cleaning was to offer to make him something to eat, for which he replied, “Fuck. Off.” After she grabbed a bite to eat for herself, she returned to the tedious job of making the house livable.
Five hours later, the house was sparkling clean and Sloane was exhausted. She really wished that she could sit down and relax for the rest of the night, but she still had one last thing to do and there was no way that she was putting this off until tomorrow.
Straightening her spine, Sloane walked into the living room and stepped in front of her new responsibility. He grumbled as he tried to look around her.
Finally, when it became obvious that she wouldn’t move, Chase snapped, “Do you fucking mind?”
“Nope, not really.”
“What the hell do you want?”
“I have to do something,” Sloane said casually.
“Well, then do it and get the fuck out of my way!”
She nodded slowly in agreement. “That’s a really good idea.”
Chase snorted in disgust as he took a sip of his beer while she walked behind him. Before he could stop her, Sloane released the brakes and rolled his wheelchair back. Realizing what she was up to, Chase reached out to grab hold of the doorway to stop her, but she moved him away before he got a chance.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”
Sloane ignored him as she turned the wheelchair around and gave it a push. He tried to take over, but she continued to push the wheelchair forward and didn’t stop until she had him in the bathroom. Once she had him inside, Sloane locked the bathroom door behind them.
“What are you doing?” Chase asked as he shot the closed door a wary glance.
“Not much,” Sloane said as she set the small white plastic bench in the shower. Then just as quickly, she rolled him next to the shower stall so that she could switch him to the bench without having to carry him. Not that she could. The man had a good sixty pounds on her, but she’d done this enough to know exactly how to get him out of his chair and onto the bench without throwing her back out or dropping him on the floor.
“No!” Chase yelled almost immediately.
“This isn’t up for discussion. You smell. While I’m working here, you’re going to take better care of yourself.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!” he snapped, sounding like a child. She understood where he was coming from. He was a grown man placed in a situation where he was forced to rely upon others. She could sympathize, but that’s as far as she could allow her emotions to go. He needed someone to take care of him and help him adjust to his new life even if that meant fighting him the whole way to do it.
With the swiftness of seven years’ experience, Sloane reached over and grabbed him beneath his arms and pulled, giving him no choice but to go with it or fall. He swore, but he didn’t fight her. Smart man.
Once she had him on the bench, she pulled the wheelchair away just as he reached for it.
“Fucking bitch!”
“That’s me,” Sloane said easily. “Now, we can either take your clothes off or you’re taking a shower with them on. Your choice,” she said in a no-nonsense tone that clearly told him that she wasn’t going to be backing down anytime soon.
Chase folded his arms over his chest as she stood there, patiently waiting for him to make the next move. For several minutes, he sat there, glaring at her. Finally, when it became obvious that she wasn’t going to budge, he yanked his shirt off over his head and threw it at her.
Sloane caught it and tossed it in the hamper. When she went to help him with his underwear, he glared at her until she stepped back. Good. He had some fight left in him, which was always a good sign.
Once he was completely naked, he casually dropped his hands in his lap. “Let’s get