“Kay.”
I stepped out of the bath and carried a half-asleep Frankie into the shower to rinse us both off before I wrapped us in towels and robes. She was so sound asleep in my arms by the time we got to the bedroom that I didn’t try to make her get dressed. Instead, I just laid her down in bed carefully, pulled on an extra comforter, and lit the fire before I crawled in next to her. As I listened to her breathe in the darkness of the room, I whispered a silent thank you to whoever was listening that she’d survived that bullet because I wasn’t sure how I’d live in a world where Frankie wasn’t.
Chapter 22
Matt
“Morningbeautiful.You’reupand dressed? That’s an improvement.”
“No nightmares last night,” she replied, a wide smile spread across her face, making her eyes light up.
Frankie moved down the stairs tentatively. Make up free, dressed in gray shorts and a baby blue t-shirt, I knew Addi must have added to the clothes I’d packed.
Walking over, she planted a kiss on my cheek. “Still can’t wear a bra, so try to ignore my hard nipples.”
Pulling out the hem of her t-shirt, I slipped my hands under it, cupping her breasts and skimming my thumbs across her pebbled buds. “I can think of lots of reasons you should never wear a bra again.”
Slapping my chest with a giggle, she moved to fill a mug with the coffee I’d made earlier.
“Can I eat? I’m starving.”
“That’s more like it. Pancakes?”
“Perfect. And then can we go out?”
“Where do you fancy?”
“Out there.” She pointed to the lake.
“Like on a boat? Are you sure you’re up for that?”
“Hey, I will be sitting, enjoying the view. You will be doing all the hard work.” She ran her fingers across the side of my head and down the edge of my jaw, making my skin tingle. “And I think I’m going to enjoy this view even more than the stars last night.”
A couple of hours later, I’d found the rowing boat that was in the boathouse next to the house and we’d paddled out to the center of the lake. The sun shone brightly, and the water was as flat as a mirror. Frankie leaned back on her hands, face to the sun, with her eyes closed. I couldn’t resist leaning forward to kiss her, but shifting my weight made the small boat wobble violently.
“Matt!” she screamed.
“Sorry, you looked so beautiful. I just wanted to kiss you.”
“Well, don’t. In fact, don’t move that giant body of yours. Otherwise, we'll end up in the water.”
“A swim might be nice.”
“No, it wouldn’t. I hate water. I can swim, but only just. Tanner’s the swimmer in the family. The rest of us are hopeless. Mav can’t swim at all.”
“Really?”
“Really. So, no drowning me, Bear.”
“If you carry on calling me Bear, I mighthaveto send you for a little swim.”
“At least I’m not calling you grumpy bear.”
“I suppose that is something to be grateful for. How about we land the boat on that island over there for a while and enjoy the sun?”
“You’re going to tell me you brought lunch and make me eat, aren’t you?”
“And you keep telling me you don’t know me, Rogue. That’s exactly my plan.”