His eyes narrowed, dipping down before coming back to rest on my face. He pushed the door, and I reactively pushed back, trying to prevent him from coming inside. It was the wrong thing to do.
I looked up at him, eyes wide and mouth parted in horror before I whipped around, sprinting for the bathroom.
The sound of heavy footsteps was my only warning life was not going to take it easy on me. Of course, Garrett had invited himself inside. Of course, he didn’t stay in the living room when I had my head buried in a toilet and hair plastered to my face.
I heard a few sliding sounds I couldn’t quite place and then more footsteps.
“Put these on and step in the shower.”
“What?” I croaked, cracking an eye open and trying to focus up at his face.
“You heard me.” Something soft dropped onto my thighs, and I glanced down to see a pair of clothes. My clothes. A black tank top and cotton briefs to be exact.
“You went through my dresser?”
“It was either that or I saw you naked. Figured you’d prefer it this way.”
“Excuse me—”
“If you sass me right now, Maddie, I swear to God, I’ll strip you down and toss you in there when it’s still ice cold.”
Was it possible to feel nauseated and incredulous at the same time? “I’ll puke all down your back,” I threatened, not sounding nearly as strong as I wanted.
“No, you won’t. From the sounds of it, you got nothing left in the tank. You’d just gag, and I gotta tell you, baby, gagging doesn’t bother me.”
I stared at him, his words settling between us with a heaviness I shouldn’t have felt given the current circumstances.
He walked farther into the bathroom, pulling back the curtain and turning on the shower. Turning to look down at me with his hands on his hips, he asked, “So what’s it going to be? You gonna meet me halfway here, or am I tossing you in?”
I narrowed my eyes, unsticking my head from the toilet seat and gripping the clothes in my lap. “Are you going to at least leave?”
“With you looking two seconds away from passing out? Not a chance. I’ll face the hall while you change, but don’t you dare try to climb over the tub edge without help.”
I grumbled out a curse at his back that had his shoulders tensing, but I did what he said. It took me longer than I wanted to admit, but he never complained or peeked.
“Okay.” Part of me understood I was standing in my bathroom in only underwear and a thin tank, but I couldn’t muster up the energy to care. I didn’t even bother to glare when he placed a wrist over my forehead.
“Fuck, you’re burning up.”
“I think…taco salad.”
“What? You know what, never mind. Let’s get you in.” He gripped my waist like he thought the small step over the tub edge might send me sprawling face first into the shower wall, and pulled the curtain partly shut behind me.
I stood under the spray with my eyes closed, letting the lukewarm water run down my body and drench my clothing. I lifted my arms to push some rogue curls out of my face but froze when my fingers brushed against something firm. My eyes shot open, a cracked squeak leaping from my mouth.
Garrett stood mere inches away, wearing only his shirt and boxers, his bare feet almost touching my own. I hadn’t heard him undress, let alone step in. “What are you doing?”
“Helping you.”
“I’m f—”
“The word ‘fine’ better not leave your mouth.”
I smashed my lips together, unwilling to agree but also knowing I couldn’t argue an obvious fact. I sighed, accepting defeat and closing my eyes again. If I didn’t look at him, maybe I could trick my mind into thinking he wasn’t there. But less than a minute later, his hands wrapped around my shoulders.