My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 19: Wash Together

"I know this is a hospital," Caleb Rhodes said flatly.

Nina Wynn was completely speechless. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say and just stared blankly at Caleb Rhodes.

’His brain must be fried,’ she thought. ’Or maybe he’s just drunk. That’s the only way he’d do something this strange.’

’Or is he mistaking me for Crystal Rhodes? But I really don’t need him to take care of me like this!’

Thinking of this, she said, "Uncle Caleb, I’m not part of the Rhodes Family."

Caleb Rhodes’s tone was light. "Mm, that’s fine."

Nina Wynn was dumbfounded again. ’I don’t understand why Caleb is doing this. Shouldn’t he be with his fiancée, Rosalind Lowell? At least her bed is bigger. They wouldn’t have to squeeze into one.’

"But..."

Caleb Rhodes ignored her, grabbed his toiletries, and headed for the bathroom.

Nina Wynn hurried after him. "Uncle Caleb!"

Caleb Rhodes turned, and Nina Wynn almost crashed right into him, stopping herself abruptly.

The height difference between them was significant. Standing so close, Nina Wynn felt an overwhelming sense of pressure. She instinctively took a step back, nervously clutching her clothes.

Caleb Rhodes stared at her smooth forehead and long eyelashes, his gaze darkening. "What, you want to wash up together?"

’What?’

Nina Wynn snapped her head up, staring at Caleb Rhodes in disbelief. Her dark pupils, wide with shock, seemed to sparkle.

Nina Wynn’s pupils were darker and brighter than most people’s. When she focused on someone, her gaze could look particularly affectionate. Even now, in her state of shock, was no exception.

Caleb Rhodes narrowed his eyes and gripped her chin. His voice was low and hoarse. "From now on, don’t stare at people like that. Got it?"

Nina Wynn had no idea what he was talking about. She instinctively backed away, dodging his touch, her mind a complete mess.

Soon, the sound of running water came from the bathroom.

The hospital room door wasn’t very soundproof, and it had frosted glass. Vaguely, she could make out a blurry silhouette.

Tall, lean, and filled with a compact power.

Nina Wynn couldn’t stop herself from thinking about that absurd afternoon. She grew nervous and afraid, her palms starting to sweat and her mouth becoming dry. unbelievingly at Caleb Rhodes. Her inky black pupils, wide with shock, seemed to sparkle.

She quickly drank half a bottle of water, then scrambled into bed, wrapping the blanket tightly around herself and pretending to be asleep.

As she feigned sleep, she listened to the sounds from the bathroom, her palms slick with nervous sweat.

After a moment, the water in the bathroom stopped running. Nina Wynn squeezed her eyes shut.

Soon, the door opened. A crisp scent of cedar mixed with steam wafted over, causing Nina Wynn’s body to go rigid. She didn’t dare move a muscle.

The entire room seemed to be filled with his scent. As Caleb Rhodes drew closer, Nina Wynn felt it growing stronger, soon enveloping her completely.

The mattress beside her sank significantly as Caleb Rhodes lay down next to her.

His firm, lean body pressed against Nina Wynn’s back, which felt so hot she thought it might catch fire. She felt his arm come around her, his hand resting on top of her head, completely trapping her.

Nina Wynn was so miserable she wanted to cry, her body trembling uncontrollably. She wished the bed would crack open and swallow her whole—anything would be better than this torture at Caleb Rhodes’s side.

Caleb Rhodes felt her trembling. The darkness in his eyes grew colder as he stared, unmoving, at her profile.

After a long moment, he spoke coolly, "Nina Wynn, you have to learn to adapt."

Nina Wynn curled into a ball, not daring to speak. ’Adapt? Adapt to what?’

Caleb Rhodes watched as she pulled the blanket tighter, even covering her head. He frowned. "Uncover yourself."

Nina Wynn pretended not to hear, continuing to feign sleep.

Caleb Rhodes’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "Do you want me to do it myself?"

As he spoke, his hand was already on the blanket. The summer blanket was extremely thin, and his hand felt a soft warmth beneath it. "Do you want me to hold you while you sleep?"

Under the blanket, Nina Wynn’s eyes flew open. Her face instantly grew scalding hot, as if it were on fire.

She threw off the blanket and shot up into a sitting position, instinctively looking at Caleb Rhodes.

Caleb Rhodes’s cold, dark eyes were like abysses, hooks in the dead of night, pulling her down into their depths.

After a few seconds, Nina Wynn wretchedly tore her gaze away. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself, only to see Caleb Rhodes’s arm stretched out.

The bed was small. She wasn’t just close to him; it was as if she were intimately enclosed in his embrace.

The blush she had just suppressed rushed back to her face. Nina Wynn could feel the tips of her ears burning.

In a panic, she grabbed her pajamas from the bedside and scrambled off the bed.

"I—I’m going to take a shower!"

Once inside, Nina Wynn found the situation was even worse.

The entire bathroom was filled with Caleb Rhodes’s crisp cedar scent. His toothbrush, towel, and bath towel were all placed neatly on the shelf.

There were still water spots in the small glass-walled shower. Her mind involuntarily replayed the image of his blurry silhouette from earlier, and her heart began to pound even harder.

’Caleb Rhodes just used this bathroom!’

The realization left her feeling breathless. She didn’t dare take a single step inside.

At the same time, she didn’t dare to leave the bathroom either.

’Every second is torture!’

After a moment, a phone rang outside. Caleb Rhodes said a few words in a low voice. A little while later, she heard the room door open and then click shut.

Nina Wynn breathed a sigh of relief.

When she came out, Nina Wynn subconsciously glanced at where Caleb Rhodes had left his clothes.

’His clothes are gone!’

’Looks like Caleb Rhodes won’t be back tonight!’

The air itself seemed to feel fresher. She flopped onto the bed in relief.

She tossed and turned, thinking things over for a while, then scrolled through the news on her phone. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard the door open.

Nina Wynn tensed up immediately. The little bit of drowsiness she’d managed to build up vanished in an instant.

In the darkness, her senses became exceptionally sharp. She could clearly feel Caleb Rhodes walking toward her, one step at a time.

Soon, the mattress dipped beside her as Caleb Rhodes lay down.

Nina Wynn was so nervous she barely dared to breathe.

The next moment, a pair of arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a hard, searingly hot embrace.

Nina Wynn let out a small, startled cry. "Uncle Caleb..."

Caleb Rhodes’s low breaths ghosted across her sensitive neck. "Don’t move. Just let me hold you."

Nina Wynn didn’t dare move a muscle, so shocked that her palms were slick with sweat.

Because it wasn’t just Caleb Rhodes’s powerful chest pressing against her.

After what felt like an eternity, Nina Wynn’s body started to go numb, and she couldn’t help but shift slightly.

But the moment she moved, Caleb Rhodes’s voice, impossibly hoarse, sounded in her ear. "Move again, and you can forget about sleeping tonight."

Utterly panicked, Nina Wynn instinctively tried to push him away.

But the next second, Caleb Rhodes flipped her over, pinning her beneath him.