Base by Cathleen Ross

it too.
    â€˜My men need a doctor. I need you to heal them. What I don’t need is you trying to take me out with a blade in my down time. I face death everyday. I don’t need this shit.’ He sauntered towards her, put his arm around her waist and led her to the bathroom.
    Her feet seemed leaden as she stumbled forward. This time she steeled herself not to lash out at him. He got off on it. Her attempt to stab him had just made him all the more determined to dominate her. She could see that now. Jack was so different from any of the men she dealt with professionally. The specialists all worked long hours and weren’t so relentlessly physical. Violent patients they’d restrain and drug, but Jack didn’t come into that category either. Everything he did was well thought out and planned. As well as being an authoritative jerk, he was indecently handsome in his almost naked state. His skin was hot and smooth against hers as he walked her into the bathroom. For a licentious moment she imagined what it would feel like to have his hot soaped-up body covering hers. Many women would enjoy the domination. But with the world already falling apart around her, she couldn’t tolerate the thought of losing control.
    She stood stiff and frozen when they entered the bathroom. She simply couldn’t comply with taking off her clothes.
    Jack closed the door behind them. Clearly he didn’t suffer her anxiety because he peeled off his jocks and stood superbly naked in front of her. ‘Need help?’
    She shook her head. At least he wasn’t erect because an erection would have freaked her out completely and right now the guy was evidence that the size of a guy’s hands and feet were good predictors.
    â€˜Words left you again?’ He gave that half-smile she hated as if he found the situation amusing. He closed the distance between them and unbuttoned her shirt, pushing it off her shoulders so that she was exposed. Her nipples peaked of their own accord and she bit back a curse. Resistance would excite him so she forced herself not to fight or curse him. Stripping her of her jeans quickly followed.
    He left her, opened the shower door and turned on the tap. ‘Don’t look so nervous, you’ll enjoy this.’
    â€˜I would if you weren’t here.’ Some of the fear left her at that point. Jack had a certain honesty about him. When he’d said he wouldn’t hurt her she’d believed him, but she doubted she’d feel enjoyment with him so close. She slid past him, careful not to touch. It wouldn’t take much and he would be on her. She knew that.
    Jack followed her in and closed the shower door. He bent and squatted in front of her.
    Ruth flattened herself against the shower wall. What the hell was he going to do? Every nerve ending, every cell froze. The man was barely inches from her. From her position above him she could see he was grinning as if he’d won the pussy lottery. When he stood, he produced a shampoo bottle, which he’d retrieved from the floor. Anyone would think he’d visited nirvana from the expression she wanted to slap off his face. She was beginning to think Sue was right when she’d tried to convince her to laser everything off. Her bright red thatch stood out against her pale skin.
    â€˜I’m going to start with washing your hair.’
    â€˜Really? Just which hair were you planning to start on? Here, give me that.’ She snatched at the shampoo bottle but he held it out of her reach and laughed.
    â€˜Impatient, aren’t you?’ He squirted some into his hands.
    â€˜I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself.’
    â€˜Yeah, I got that. I hear you say it a lot. You like to do everything yourself. You’ve probably got a four speed vibrator stored in your bedside drawer.’
    How did he know that?
    He lathered up her hair, his big hands massaging the shampoo into her scalp. Hot water beat down on her