“Obviously, you were an angel in a previous life.”
I chuckled and stepped back. “Good to see that ego hasn’t suffered any hits lately.”
“Never.” He sent me a wink and headed out of the bathroom.
I set my bag of toiletries on a stool next to the bathtub. Peeling off my clothes, I left them in a pile on the floor and stepped into the water. The heat was heavenly. I sank into the suds and closed my eyes for a moment. The warmth soothed my tense muscles, and I wished it could fix the rest of my problems along with it.
After a few minutes, I shut off the water and reached for my razor. I soaped up one leg and began methodically moving the blades across my skin. Something about the move was calming. An action I could take with a tangible result.
But it only made the frustration hit harder when I reached that spot behind my knees and at the backs of my thighs. As I tried to move to gain access, pain radiated up my spine. I bit back a curse and slammed my razor down with a little more force than necessary.
Boden’s eyes widened as he stepped into the bathroom. “What’s all that about?”
“Just my body not doing what I need it to.”
He lowered himself to the floor, setting my mug of tea on the stool. “Tell me.”
My face flushed; the heat of embarrassment pooling in my cheeks. “It’s nothing.”
Boden dipped his hand into the water and absentmindedly stroked my leg. “It’s not nothing if it has you slamming toiletries down.”
I worried my bottom lip, searching for words I didn’t especially want to find. “There are some things that are harder for me to do than others.”
He picked up the razor, twirling it between his fingers. “Shaving?”
“I can reach most of my legs easily, but there are spots where it’s hard. It’s painful for me to reach them. Same with painting my toes.” I let my polish-free nails peek out of the water. “I miss brightly colored toenails.”
I used to have a thing about them. As many wild colors as I could find. Sometimes, I’d paint them in a rainbow. Serena and I had gotten good at drawing little flowers or hearts on our nails, too. Now, I couldn’t bend over for the length of time required to get the polish on.
Boden’s hand trailed up my leg, his fingers leaving delicious shivers in their wake. “Where is it hard for you to reach?”
I swallowed hard, trying to get a handle on my ragged breathing. “Behind my knees. The backs of my thighs.”
His hand left the water, and he set down the razor. Boden’s gaze locked with mine. “Trust me?”
I stared into those hazel eyes, watching the gold dance under the lights of the bathroom. “Yes.” It was just one word, yet it was everything. Somehow, I’d come to trust this man more than anyone else in my life.
Boden lifted my shaving cream from the stool and dispensed a good amount into his hand.
“Boden—”
His eyes cut to me. “You said you trusted me.”
I swallowed my words and nodded. He inclined his head to the leg closest to him. “Lift.”
I did as instructed, resting my heel on the edge of the tub. Boden smoothed the foam over my knee and thigh in long, gentle strokes. The motion soothed the edges of my soul that had torn and become ragged over the course of the day.
He rinsed his hands in the water and picked up my razor. His focus was laser-sharp as he dragged the blades over my skin. He attacked the job as if he were an engineer at a nuclear plant and one wrong move could mean disaster. Yet he was completely calm at the same time.
Boden slowed as he reached the spot behind my knee, taking the time to straighten my leg. In mere moments, he was done. “Switch.”
I followed his orders, and he got to work on the other leg. My throat and eyes burned as I watched him work. No one had ever shown me this kind of care. Something so simple that meant everything.
As I took Boden in with his intense focus and gentle intensity, I realized that fixing things was Boden’s love language. The way he showed those in his life that he cared. It wasn’t an unhealthy obsession but an enactment of that love.
He dragged the razor over one last spot. “There. All done.”
I let my leg slide back into the water. I rubbed my limbs together, reveling in the silky feel. I never got them this smooth. My gaze lifted to Boden’s. “Thank you.”