Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One - Chapter 253

Chapter 253: Bath
Nathan’s POV

For a moment, all I could do was stare at her—this woman who had been my everything, even when she tried so hard not to be.

“…Fine,” I said quietly. “Help me. But no teasing.”

She smiled. “I can’t promise that.”

I groaned into my hands. “Hailee—”

She walked over and gently eased my legs out from under the blankets. “But I promise to be careful with your stitches.”

I let out a slow, controlled breath, pushing down the surge of pride that wanted me to insist I was fine. It was pointless. She was right, and deep down, I didn’t want her to leave my side.

“My healers are scheduled to come back this afternoon to check the dressing,” I managed, standing up carefully and letting her steady me. My head swam for a second, a sharp reminder of the blood loss. I placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning just a fraction of my weight on her. “I’ll be fully mended by tomorrow.”

“Of course you will, Alpha,” she murmured, that teasing note back in her voice, but it was affectionate this time. She didn’t let go of my arm. “Now, come on. Let’s get you clean before I have to call your healers to stitch up a concussion.”

We walked slowly toward the small, private bathing room. As I started to unfasten my trousers, she turned her back with an exaggerated sigh. “Do you need me to cover my eyes, Alpha? Or are you comfortable with me seeing your scars?”

“Shut up, Hailee,” I grumbled, but a small smile touched my lips. The ease between us now, even in this vulnerable moment, felt like a miracle.

I quickly stripped, carefully pulling the material away from the bandages on my ribs, and tossed the clothes onto a wooden bench.

“Don’t strain yourself,” she instructed, not turning around until she heard the gentle splash of water.

The tub was large, made of smooth, dark stone, and the water was perfectly hot, fragrant with herbs that eased the muscles. It felt like heaven.

“Okay, you’re in,” she said, finally turning. She didn’t look at my face; her eyes were locked on the makeshift gauze dressing covering the worst of the injury. “Stay put. I’ll make sure the water stays away from that.”

She didn’t undress immediately. Instead, she knelt by the tub’s edge and began to lather a soft sea sponge.

“Come here,” I commanded softly, resting my head against the rim of the stone tub. “The heat is good, but my back is starting to stiffen up. I need you to get in.”

She hesitated, her hands pausing on the sponge. “Nathan, I just—”

“No teasing, remember?” I interrupted, my gaze intense. “I didn’t ask you to sit on my lap. I asked you to sit in the tub. Your company is the only thing that’s going to stop me from climbing out of here and trying to run ten miles.”

She bit her lip, a flicker of surrender in her eyes. “Fine.”

In one smooth motion, she pulled her dress over her head. The sight of her naked skin, glistening lightly in the humid air, caused a sharp intake of breath that pulled painfully at my stitches. She moved with a casual grace that only amplified her beauty.

She stepped into the tub, the water rising around her waist. Then, instead of facing me, she turned and eased herself down behind me, resting her back against the curved stone and letting me settle between her legs.

The warmth was immediate and overwhelming. Her soft breasts pressed lightly against my back, and the curve of her stomach cradled my lower spine.

“Close your eyes,” she whispered, her voice husky.

She began to sponge my back, the strokes firm but incredibly gentle around my shoulders. She worked down my spine, avoiding the bandaged area with a surgeon’s precision. Her touch was purely caring, focused entirely on easing my pain and cleaning my skin.

I closed my eyes and let myself feel it—the hot water, the scent of the herbs, and the overwhelming, intoxicating sensation of Hailee’s body pressed against mine. It wasn’t teasing; it was intimacy. The kind of intimacy that heals the soul better than any pack healer.

“Your hair is long,” she murmured, her fingers smoothing through the damp strands at my nape. “I should trim it for you.”

“Later,” I managed, my voice strained.

She stopped sponging and her hands rested on my chest, fingers tracing the healed scars—old battle wounds—that peppered my skin.

“You’re shaking,” she observed quietly.

“It’s the heat,” I lied.

She didn’t argue. She knew it wasn’t the heat. She knew it was the proximity. The truth of her being here.

She leaned forward, her lips brushing my ear. “Are you sure it’s the heat, Nathan? Or is it that thread you were hanging by?”

I sucked in a breath. “Hailee, don’t.”

“I’m not complaining,” she repeated, her voice a low rumble against my skin. “I’m observing.”

She shifted slightly, and her leg brushed mine, sending a jolt of fire through my entire body. My control snapped. The ache in my ribs was nothing compared to the fierce, demanding pulse that began to beat everywhere else.

I twisted in the water, ignoring the sharp protest of my wound, and turned to face her. The water surged, splashing over the stone sides.

Her eyes were wide, surprised, but there was no fear—only a deep, burning reflection of the hunger I felt.

“I told you I wouldn’t survive this,” I groaned, reaching up to cup her jaw, pulling her face to mine.

For a moment, she just stared at me. Her eyes were warm and full of something that made my chest feel tight.

“Hailee…” I whispered.

She didn’t say anything.

She didn’t need to.

She leaned in and kissed me.

The kiss was not soft or shy.

It was full of feeling.

Full of everything we never said.

Her hands slid up my chest very carefully, not touching the bandage. Then she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer. The warm water around us moved as we kissed again, deeper this time.

I let out a small sound I couldn’t hold. I had missed her more than anything.

She moved a little in the water, and her knees brushed my sides.

Her breath hitched.

My breath stopped.

Then, slowly and gently, she lifted herself and came to sit on my lap in the tub.

My hands went to her waist at once, steadying her.