“Everything okay?” she asked.
He turned and for a brief second she saw pain lurking behind those stunning gray eyes. He quickly covered the emotions with a smile. “Great. Need help with that?” he asked, nodding to her sling.
“Yeah, I didn’t think I could reach and fasten it.”
He closed the gap between them and moved her hair out of the way to slide the strap around her neck.
“Sorry,” she told him, tilting her head to get her hair out of the way. “I couldn’t pull it up or comb it. I’m afraid it’s going to be quite a mess until I can use my arm again.”
Noah stepped back. “I can comb your hair, Callie. I could probably pull it up, too, but I can’t guarantee how good it would look.”
Callie stared up at him. For some reason the image of a man combing a woman’s hair had always seemed sexy to her. She and Noah had shared an intense moment in the bathroom, so adding hair into the mix wasn’t going to do any more damage to her hormones. She didn’t think she could want this man any more than she already did.
“If you don’t mind.” She went to her bag and pulled out a wide-toothed comb. “Use this. My hair is pretty tangly.”
He motioned for her to sit on the bed, and once she was settled, he took a seat behind her. His knees rested on either side of her hips and she tried to block out the fact they were both on the bed, she wasn’t wearing a bra and they’d just had a major intimate moment in the bathroom.
“It helps if you go in sections,” she told him, trying to reach back and part her hair with her left hand. “Otherwise it’s more of a mess.”
“I think I can figure this out,” he told her. “Just tell me if I hurt you.”
Yeah, as if she’d tell him that. She didn’t want to give him a reason to stop or move away. He combed with ease, taking small sections at a time. Normally when Callie combed her hair she gave it several yanks and if the tangle didn’t come free, then the entire knot of hair broke off, but she was surprised and turned on even more at the care Noah was using.
His body seemed to be all around her. Those strong thighs rubbed against her sides as his knees eased forward, his hands in her hair, occasionally brushing against her neck and her cheek as he combed out the tangles.
“I heard you on the phone,” she said, trying to ease the sexual tension. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you seemed upset. Anything you want to talk about?”
His hands stilled in her hair a second before he spoke. “Just something I need to deal with that I’m not sure I’m ready for.”
“Are you selling your house?” she asked, tracing her fingertip along the damask pattern of the silk comforter.
“Trying to.”
“You have somewhere else you’d like to live?”
“I have another house on the other side of town.” He shifted his weight on the bed and moved to work on the other side of her hair. “I had been renting it out, but I’m thinking of moving back in there. It’s sat empty for a few months.”
“Why not sell that one and stay here since all of your stuff is here?”
Noah cleared his throat. “Are you feeling better since your bath?”
O-kay. Apparently, that was a touchy subject.
“That wasn’t subtle.” She didn’t mind stepping into his personal space. After what they’d shared during her bath, personal space seemed to have gone by the wayside. “You seem upset and I’d like to help.”
“I know. There are just some things I’m not comfortable discussing with anyone.”
There was a story there, but in all honesty, it wasn’t her place to pry.
“So are you feeling less sore?” he asked again.
“I’m still sore, but I feel much more relaxed.”
“That’s good.” He eased off the bed and came to his feet. “Where’s a rubber band?”
She pointed to her overnight bag. “In there. I have a small travel bag sitting on top. Rubber bands are in that.”
He unzipped her bag and grinned. “You’re a reader?”