“Water too hot?”

“Mmm,” I murmur.

“Is that a yes or no?” he asks with a laugh.

“Feels good,” I reply. My eyes slide closed, and I float weightlessly. The pain behind my eyes begins to fade.

“Can I get you something to drink?” he asks quietly.

“No, thank you,” I whisper. “You can join me, though.”

“No, this is just for you, baby. Relax. I’ll be back.”

I open one eye to see him walk out of the bathroom and shut the door behind him to keep the warmth in the bathroom. I sigh and sink down lower into the hot water. It is a bit too warm, but it feels fantastic.

I’ve never trusted someone enough to take care of me. I would have said that I don’t need someone to take care of me. And, truth be told, I don’t. I can take care of myself just fine, thank you very much.

But having someone around to pamper me a bit, just because he can, isn’t a bad deal at all.

“How are you feeling?” Matt joins me, kneeling beside the tub.

“Better.” I grin at him and raise a wet hand to cup his cheek. He turns his face and plants a kiss to my palm. “Thank you.”

“We’re not done yet,” he replies, his clear blue eyes smiling.

“We’re not?”

He shakes his head and holds his hand out for mine, pulling me out of the cooling water. He wraps a towel around my shoulders and dries me off, then leads me back into the bedroom, where he’s lit more candles.

“Lie on your stomach,” he instructs me, pointing to the center of the bed.

I shrug and climb up onto the bed, smiling at Matt’s groan. “You okay?”

“You did that on purpose,” he growls.

“Did what?” I look back over my shoulder and bat my eyelashes innocently.

“Stuck your ass and beautiful pussy in the air for me to see,” he replies.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I giggle, lie on my stomach and sigh in contentment when Matt’s oil-coated hands begin to knead my shoulders. “Oh God.”

“Not too deep?” he asks.

“You can go deeper,” I reply and melt under his touch. Instead of flaring to life in lust, my body settles, calms under Matt’s magical touch. “You’re good at that.”

“Just breathe deeply and enjoy,” he murmurs.

Being the object of a pampering Matt is perhaps the best thing I’ve ever experienced. My already relaxed muscles from the hot bath relax further, loosening until I’m simply a pile of mushy goo on the sheets.

“You’re going to make me drool,” I mutter.

“I hope that’s a good thing.” He chuckles.

“You have amazing hands,” I reply as he finishes rubbing my shoulders and backs away so I can sit up.

“Here.” He tugs the covers up over me as I snuggle down into my bed, yawning deeply.

“Are you leaving?” I ask with a frown. I don’t want him to go.

“I’d like to sleep here with you, if that’s okay.”

I grin and pull the covers back in a silent invitation. “I think it’s perfectly okay.”

A smile spreads over his handsome face as he strips down to his boxer-briefs. I never tire of seeing his perfect body. A flare of recognition flows through me as my eyes travel the length of him.

“If you keep looking at me like that, sweetheart, I’ll have no choice but to fuck you until we both pass out, and I’ve already made up my mind to simply cuddle you tonight, so be good.”

“I’m always good.” I grin.

Matt laughs as he climbs between the cool pink sheets with me and pulls me up against him, my head resting on his chest. “Did you have fun tonight?”

“I did.” I grin, thinking of the banter between Matt and his brother, how the girls accepted me so readily. “They were really nice to me.”

“They’re good people,” he murmurs. “I’m excited for you to meet the rest of the gang next weekend.”

“How many people will be there?” I ask. My finger is making swirly designs across his chest, down his stomach and back up again, making his muscles twitch under my touch.

Fuck, I love touching him.

“Well, we are a big group. Let’s see.” He purses his lips in thought. “Luke and Nat, Jules and Nate, Isaac and Stacy, Will and Meg, Leo and Sam, Caleb and Bryn, Mark, Dominic, and you and I, so that’s…”

“Sixteen people?!” I ask, shocked.

“Yeah.” He grins and shrugs. “I told you, we’re a big group.”

“Wow. It must be fun to always have that many people around.” I settle my head back on his chest and feel the tears threaten again. I don’t know what it’s like to have that kind of support system. I made the choice to live far from my family long ago, and I certainly don’t have a circle of friends that big.

“It can be a pain in the ass, too.” He laughs. “They’re all nosy, so you’ll get a lot of questions.”

“How do you want me to answer them?” I ask.

“Honestly, of course.” He tilts my head back and frowns down into my eyes. “Why would you ask that?”

“They’re going to want to know how we met,” I remind him. “Especially the girls.”

He sobers, as though he hadn’t thought of that. “Just tell them we met at a party. That isn’t a lie.”