Chapter 73: Let Me Take Care Of You

When Eric thought about the way Crystal had stood up to Richard, he remembered the wh*re who’d spat wine in his face the last time he’d been at the club. The girls were similar in height and figure, and they both had the same stunning eyes. Eric shook his head in an attempt to shake the feeling of déjà vu. Could they be the same girl? - he asked himself - No. That was impossible. After all, the wh*re had a mole at the corner of her eye!

Eric turned to the entrance of the club and saw Crystal and Serenity outside. They were waiting for a taxi. Until next time he thought, and he smiled, confident that there would be the next time.

***

Because Crystal didn’t think it would be safe to leave Serenity alone, she brought her friend home. When they arrived, the lights were on, reminding her that Nathan had said he would be waiting for her when she came home.

When Crystal began going with Carlos - way back when her mother had still been alive, their relationship had forced a wedge between her and her mother. And suddenly, her house no longer felt like home. But, now that Nathan was waiting for her, the warm feeling of safety had returned, and it warmed her heart.

When Crystal brought Serenity into their home, Nathan met them in the living room. He was wearing a bathrobe with a V-necked collar that was slightly open, revealing his strong chest muscles, and Crystal could tell that he’d just gotten out of the shower. The hair on his chest was still slightly damp, and it glistened. His bangs were also wet. They hung over his forehead, and water dripped from them like rain on his beautiful cheeks. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Serenity is drunk,” Crystal explained. “She’s going to stay with us for the night. I hope that’s okay….”

Serenity grunted and said, “I’m not drunk. I can walk by myself.” She took a step forward on her own, staggered, and would have fallen if not for Nathan’s quick reflexes.

“Not drunk, my ass,” Nathan laughed, and he helped her to the couch.

“She’s doing a lot better than she was,” Crystal explained. “At the club, she’d been unconscious and at the mercy of others.” As she thought about what had happened and what might have happened if not for her quick thinking, her arms broke out in gooseflesh. “Do you want to help me bring her to one of the guest rooms?”

They both looked at Serenity. She had passed out already, and Nathan said, “Why don’t we just let her sleep it off on the couch? If you want to make her more comfortable, I’ll grab a blanket from the closet upstairs.”

Crystal nodded, and as Nathan went upstairs, she went to sit beside her friend. She took off her shoes and socks, pulled off her pants, and helped her sit up so that she could undo and take off her bra. Then she went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

By the time Crystal returned, Nathan was back in the living room. He’d spread the blanket over her and tucked in the sides so it wouldn’t fall off. He looked up and said, “Is there anything else I can do to help?”

“No,” she replied. “She should be good.”

Crystal bent down and placed the water on the coffee table. In the morning, Serenity would have a wicked hangover. If she woke up in the middle of the night and drank the water, it might not be so bad. Crystal ran her hands through her friend’s hair and sighed. “You’ve never known your limits,” she whispered. Then she kissed her friend’s forehead, straightened up, and turned around. And as she turned around, she hit Nathan’s muscular chest.

Nathan looked down at Crystal’s hands, but she quietly hid them behind her back. He smiled as he reached around her and held her hands, and his sudden touch made her tremble. It was like a galvanic shock, and she could feel the current running through her body, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

Nathan gently brought her hands around her waist so that their joint hands swung loosely between them. He brought her hands up to his face and kissed each knuckle, bringing warmth to Crystal’s purely sexual body. Finally, he opened her palm so that he could kiss there, but he was stopped by the sight of a scrape that ran from the Thenar Line to the Distal Wrist Crease on her right hand. He frowned and asked, “What happened?”

At first, Crystal had no idea, but after a moment, she realized that she must have cut it on the beer bottle she’d been brandishing - My adrenaline levels must have been so high that my brain didn’t register the pain! “It must have happened at the club,” she explained. “But I have no recollection of it happening!”

“Let me take care of you,” Nathan said, and he picked Crystal up in his strong arms. He carried her into the bathroom, set her on the toilet, took out the First Aid Kit, and cleaned her wound. He applied Polysporin to it, wrapped it in gauze, and then he kissed her palm. “All done and good as new!” He looked up into her eyes. “That didn’t hurt, did it?”

Crystal shook her head. Her heart was beating, and she felt breathless. She couldn’t have replied verbally if she’d wanted to. She could feel the heat of his hand on hers, and it seemed to be spreading up her arm. With his eyes on hers, she felt inexplicably nervous and bashful.

After a moment, Nathan let go of Crystal’s hand and asked her if she was hungry. At the thought of food, her stomach growled, and she nodded. Nathan smiled as he stood up. “Then I’ll cook something for you to eat,” he said.

Crystal followed Nathan into the kitchen and watched as he boiled water in a pot and added two portions of Angel Hair Pasta. Then, he sautéed tomatoes, carrots, onion, minced pork, and beef in a pan. He was a Master Chef, and everything he did was intentional. Even without any spices, the dish’s enticing aroma filled the room, making Crystal’s mouth water.