“You’re beautiful enough to make my heart stop beating every second of the fucking day.” The absolute honesty in his voice made me want to cry again. His eyes scanned my face as if he was going over every centimeter. Confirming the facts he’d just stated. “There is nothing, not a hair on you that isn’t perfect.” His jaw clenched and my stomach wobbled under his gaze. “Do you hear me, Alba?” I only stared back, too unsteady to do anything else. “You’re the most magnificent thing I’ve ever seen. Stubborn, smart, sexy, real, strong, so fucking strong.”

“I don’t feel strong today,” I confessed, as he held me so tight against him.

“You don’t have to be, I’ll take care of you.” The words felt like a vow, and I wanted to snatch them right out of the air and hold on to them. But this was just today. In a matter of days, filming would be over, and he’d go back to his deals and his projects in New York and I’d have to figure out what was next for me after today’s debacle. “Let me do this for you, preciosa.” The endearment stole my breath, and God, I was weak enough to just sink into what he was offering. If this was out of guilt or just Theo’s sense of duty, then I could deal with that later. Right now, for once, I just wanted to not have to fix everything myself.

“Okay.” He lifted a hand and rubbed his thumb over my bottom lip. I wanted to kiss him, but I swayed unsteadily instead, making him swear and pick me up again. Once inside the bathroom he sat me down on a small bench next to the shower. I was not doll-sized in any way imaginable, but Theo had no issue whatsoever manhandling me.

“Give me your foot,” he ordered softly, as he knelt in front of me. I extended my legs to him and he gripped my calf and slid off my boots and socks while I held on to the bench for dear life. I didn’t think I’d ever felt this vulnerable before. But Theo’s efficient caretaking was going a long way toward putting me at ease.