her leg over her knee, she tugged on her blue jeans. Once she was decent, she felt worlds better, safe from discovery.
Cindy’s worst nightmare included being caught with her artificial leg off. The kids in school had been cruel, outcasting her for her difference. In grade school her parents couldn’t afford a modern prosthesis, so she was forced to wear a metal attachment, which was difficult to walk in. Joining sports was out of the question. It wasn’t until her late teens that a charitable organization paid for her to have a couple modern legs custom made for her. She loved them, but she was already known as the cripple to the townsfolk.
She didn’t have anything with her since she hadn’t planned on staying overnight. She had to get to a bathroom to wash up, and she wanted a brush to tame her long hair. After she was fully dressed and decent, she quietly padded out into the hall. Voices echoed up the stairway. She recognized Josh’s voice, but not the other one.
Cindy found a bathroom at the other end of the hall. It was humid inside, the fresh scent of Irish Spring still lingering in the air. One of the brothers must have had a shower recently. It still amazed her that she’d slept through it all. She locked the door behind her and looked around the small room. There was no trace of femininity. A damp navy towel hung on the ceramic bar, bottles of shaving cream and colognes lined the back of the sink. The scent did wondrous things to her body, heat pooling between her legs. She thought perhaps her desire yesterday had been a onetime occurrence, but she now feared it would only increase in intensity. But she’d given up on the idea of a happily ever after as soon as she started becoming interested in boys as a teenager. Cindy would never be accepted once a man discovered she had such a devastating birth defect, so she resigned to being alone.
She’d just finished washing up when a pounding on the wooden door made her jump.
“Cindy? You in there, darlin’?”
She cracked open the door. “I was looking for a brush. I didn’t bring an overnight bag.”
Josh pushed open the door, not considering she might want some privacy in a bathroom. He bent down and opened the cupboard under the sink, easily finding a brush.
“Here we go.” When he stood back up, he towered over her. He smelled delicious, his brown hair slightly damp and pushed off his face. At least he wasn’t bare chested—not that the tight white T-shirt did much to curb her imagination.
He shifted her around by the shoulder so she faced away from him. She certainly didn’t expect him to brush her hair. He placed a palm on top her head and used the other to brush out her long hair. It was an odd experience, both awkward and intimate. It would take a lot of practice before Cindy was comfortable with human touch.
“You don’t have to do that, Josh.” Only after she said his name did she regret not being more professional. She should have used his family name.
“I love your hair, sun-kissed and beautiful.” Each stroke of the brush was smooth and gentle. She nearly forgot her name, only focusing on his touch. Cindy may be twenty-seven, but she had no experience with men. She’d effectively avoided relationships in hopes of never having to reveal her deformity. Now she savored the human contact, realizing what she’d been missing all these years.
“We should head outside to finish the quote,” she said.
“No rush.” Now he trailed his fingers along the shell of her ear, tucking stray hairs in neatly. Her pussy began to throb so intensely that she could barely keep her breathing steady. She heard him set the wooden-handled brush on the porcelain sink. His presence was larger than life behind her. Cindy froze in place, unsure what to feel or do.
She let out a barely audible gasp when he ran the backs of his fingers along the side of her neck.
“I want to get to know you, Cindy Taylor.” His voice was hushed, seductive. She was