My fingers clench into fists under the water to stop myself from dragging her back into my lap and kissing the uncertainty away. I want to kiss her so hard that there’s no room left inside of her for fear. I want to sweep my hands over her body and show her how a woman should be treated, cherished…loved. Fuck! She hasn’t even been here two weeks yet but there it is. I want her…all of her and the tiny little girl that came with her, to be mine. Her eyes drop down to the water again when I don’t reply and I see her twist slightly to stretch her side. I can’t help it, I need her closer so I reach out and catch one of her hands to pull her through the water to me.
“Let me look? Please? Just to make sure? I need to know you’re okay, that your injuries are healing.”
Her nervous expression softens but she turns her face away as she rises from the water enough so I can see her torso. My hands slide up the outside of her thighs slowly until they reach her hips and then I gently turn her so I can see her side. I keep one hand holding her hip and use the other to softly probe at each rib. Her wet, warm skin is like silk under my fingers as they move up her side.
Her voice is a choked whisper when she says, “They’re not broken I don’t think. I’ve had broken…before.”
It takes everything inside of me not to tense my fingers against her, hearing that. Instead, I pull her closer between my legs and press a soft, gentle kiss against her damage. I hear her suck in a shaky breath and I know I’m crossing a line I shouldn’t right now but I can’t help myself. I want to kiss all her pain away.
“Never again, baby. Never again.”
I growl against her smooth skin and then shift her again so I can take a look at her back. The bruise there looks like someone took a black sharpie and drew a partial bootprint. I probe gently against it and hear the tiniest of moans slip out of her. The sound goes straight to my cock and I want to hear it again desperately so I go to work massaging the tight muscles around the bruise until her legs start to shake. I’m a second away from replacing my fingers with my mouth so I wrangle the beast inside of me with all my willpower and help her move to the bench beside me so she can sit down again. I keep my eyes from hers so she won’t see the blazing need for her in them.
“That should help. The heat will do the rest. Should feel better.”
Avery sags back against the wall of the tub and the slickness of the tile has her sliding into me so our arms press against each other. She pulls away quickly with a glance down at my big arm but then makes a small sound of despair.
“Ryker! What happened to your arm?” She asks as her fingers come up to slide over the jagged scar on the back of my deltoid muscle. She makes a sound of worry in the back of her throat that has my lips tugging up that she’s concerned for me.
“Meh, it’s nothing. Shrapnel.”
Those purple eyes go big as she darts her gaze from mine to the healed wound.
“This isn’t nothing! It must have been a terrible injury to scar like this.”
I huff out a bit of a laugh and lift my arm to show her what a terrible wound really looks like and reveal the zig-zagging two-inch scar that runs down my side. It’s the worst of the lot but my body carries many more of the damage that war inflicts. The scars don’t bother me. I’d take hundreds more if meant I could have brought all the men in our unit home.
Her soft whine of dismay breaks me from dark memories of what could have been. She hovers her wet fingers over the thickest portion of my scars and then darts in and places a soft kiss on it just as I had done to hers. A deep growl escapes me at having her sweet mouth on my body and she flinches back as her cheeks turn pinker in a blush.
“I’m sorry! I-I shouldn’t have done that!” She squeaks.
I grasp her wrist and pull her close until her thigh presses against mine under the heated water.
“No. You don’t apologize to me…ever. There’s nothing you could ever do that needs an apology.” I pull her hand to my mouth and kiss the back of her fingers. “You can say anything, do anything, touch anything and I would welcome it. Anything, Avery.” I rumble out at her.
Her eyes are wide and the blush on her face deepens but it’s the hint of confusion in her eyes that has me cursing myself so I guide her back down beside me on the bench and make sure to leave a few inches between us so she’s more comfortable.
“Rest. Let the heat soak into your muscles.”
We sit again in silence as I swear internally for making her uncomfortable with my forwardness. She’s delicate, fragile and the last thing she needs is me pushing my desires onto her. Avery needs time. Time to heal and grow the confidence she needs to move on and if I’m the luckiest beast on the planet, one day she will want more than friendship and comfort from me. When the timer clicks off and the jets die, I glance over at her and see her eyes are half closed and her body relaxed. I jerk my eyes away when I see the white fabric of her bra has gone sheer from the water and there’s a hint of pink where her nipples press against the saturated fabric. Fuck me.
I have to clear my throat from the thick need for her before I can ask, “How do you feel?”
Avery lets her head roll on her neck and a small smile tugs at her lips.
“Good, really good. Kind of loose? Really sleepy.”
I give her a drawn-out grunt of approval.
“Need a nap. Best thing to do after a soak. Helps with the healing.”
She chuckles softly. “I can’t remember the last time I took a nap. High school, maybe?” She sighs. “I need to get Chloe from school soon anyway.”
I stand up and let the water slide off of me and then step out to grab a towel for her. I hold it open and turn my head so she can get out without me ogling her. When I feel her step close, I wrap the towel around her and then grab the robe and drape it over her shoulders so she can slide it on. Once she’s completely covered, I grab a towel for myself and wrap it around my waist so she won’t see the effect she has on me.
“I’ll go get the little bear. You go nap. Medic’s orders, Avery.”
Her sleepy eyes widen a bit in interest at that but I growl out “Nap!” before she can ask any more questions.
