Joshua ran the bath and helped Allison into the tub, his movements gentle as he grabbed a towel and began to softly wash her fair, delicate skin.

    Maybe it was the heat and steam, but the blush on Allison''s cheeks just wouldn''t go away.

    The bathtub was huge-plenty of room for both of them without feeling cramped.

    Allison leaned against the edge, letting Joshua take care of her, eyes half-closed. Watching the way her cheeks stayed rosy, Joshua felt a sudden urge and dipped down to kiss her face. Once, twice-quick, soft pecks, like a little bird.

    But that wasn''t enough.

    He brushed his lips over hers, barely a touch.

    Allison felt boneless,pletely spent. She just let him kiss her, too tired to care.

    "Such a good girl," Joshua whispered, his kisses warm and tender-on her lips, her cheeks, her brow.

    After their bath, Joshua scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. He dried her hair, changed the sheets, and made sure she wasfortable.

    Allison sat in a chair while Joshua stood behind her, running his fingers through her hair as he blow-dried it.

    "Can I stay tonight?" he asked, voice low.

    Allison barely managed a reply. "I''m so tired. I don''t think I have a single muscle left that works."

    Joshuaughed quietly, the blow dryer humming between them, his fingers threading gently through her hair. "I promise, I''ll just hold you. Nothing else."

    "Yeah, right," Allison said, not even bothering to hide her disbelief.

    "I mean it."

    He''d already worn her out-three times, from midday until sunset. His stamina was honestly scary.

    Allison wasn''t about to risk it again with a man who''d gone so long without any action.

    She shook her head. "Still don''t believe you."

    "When have I ever lied to you?"

    Allison''s face changed. Her tone went cold. "Oh? You really want to go there? What about when you broke up with me? What did you say then?"

    Joshua went silent.

    He knew he was in the wrong, and hurried to apologize. "That was my fault. Things wereplicated. You know why I did it now, right?"

    Allison let out a short, bitterugh. "Complicated or not, what about everything you said to me before? Were those lies too? And what about all those rumors with Megan? Wasn''t that lying to me?"

    Joshua rubbed the back of his neck. "Those were... white lies."

    "A lie is a lie," Allison shot back.

    Joshua sighed,pletely defeated. "Alright. You''re right."

    When he finished drying her hair, he softened his voice. "Are you hungry? What

    do you want to eat? I''ll make you something."

    "I''m fine with whatever," Allison said, too tired to care.

    the kitchen and

    Joshua walked into immediately spotted the slow cooker plugged in on "keep warm. The steamer was still giving off heat, too. When he lifted the lid, there was dinner already waiting: four dishes and a soup.

    Looked like the housekeeper, Shannon, had alreadye by to cook.

    Maybe she''d knocked, but they''d been too... distracted to notice.

    Joshua set the food on the table and called Allison to eat.

    When she saw the spread, Allison eyed him suspiciously. "How did you get dinner ready so fast? Not even takeout is this quick."

    "I didn''t make it," Joshua admitted.

    Allison froze. That meant Shannon had cooked, and she''d probablye by right when things were, well, in full swing.

    She suddenly remembered that Shannon always came over to cook dinner. She''d been so lost in the moment, she hadn''t even thought about it.

    Oh god. Embarrassment hit her like a wave.

    She''d gotten pretty loud a few times—she couldn''t help it.

    What if Shannon had heard? Maybe she hadn''t even knocked because she heard what was going on inside.

    Allison''s face turned scarlet.

    Joshua caught her expression and grinned. "Don''t worry, Allie. Shannon''s basically family."

    Allison still didn''t move, so Joshua walked over and gently nudged her

    table, pulling out a chair.

    "Come on. You must be starving. You wore yourself out."

    She sat, but nced around, noticing someone was missing.

    Brooklyn hadn''t shown up, which felt odd.

    She grabbed her phone and called. "Brooklyn, did you have dinner yet?"