I savor the contact. “Ed pointed out that my brother’s chest was rising and falling, despite all the blood. He said the ambulance was here, and they were gonna do everything they could to save him.” I rub Javier’s chest, grimacing. “I appreciated that he didn’t try to act like my mom and dad had a chance. I never did get his last name, and when I tried to track him down, there weren’t any Eds, Eddies, or Edwards on the police report either. I sometimes wonder if I hallucinated him.”
“Either way, he was your guardian angel.”
“Yes, he was.”
“What happened to the driver?”
“He was arrested. Later found out he’d been rushing to be with his wife, who had gone into early labor. The DA talked to us about the kinds of charges she could bring. Vehicular manslaughter would have been a much longer, drawn-out process with a trial and everything. We didn’t want that, so he lost his commercial license and did six months for criminally negligent homicide.”
Javier takes a deep breath.
“And now you and your brother help people.”
“Yes. We do.”
Running his fingers over my brows, Javier leans in, kissing me softly. “Want to go snuggle in bed?”
Eyeballing the straight razor, I shake my head. “Go ahead and shave me. I trust you.”
“Okay.”
Kissing the tip of my nose, he rises and sharpens the razor on the leather strap that came with the kit.
“Thank you for your trust. Just so you know, I would sooner slit my own throat with this razor than cause even the slightest nick on your skin.”
Gulping at the sincerity in his eyes, I nod, letting him spread the shaving foam on my cheeks. With a few expert passes, he shaves me down to the skin, creating a perfect beard line.
“Head back,” he orders, grabbing the foam brush again.
Shit. Swallowing thickly, I do as asked and try not to laugh when the brush tickles the delicate skin of my neck. I manage to eyeball him, and his concentration is even sexier with a lethal implement in his hands.
I shift my eyes to the ceiling. The cool steel is more sensual than I anticipated and the sound of the razor across my skin gives me goosebumps. Within a few minutes, he’s wiping off the excess foam, smiling as he admires his work.
Standing, he goes to the sink to rinse off the blade, then finds a washcloth. He runs the cloth under the steaming water before wringing it out. Bending over me, he wraps my face in the hot cloth, leaving it on for a few moments.
When he unwraps me, he’s holding a face lotion I’d forgotten I even had, and he applies it carefully. If the hot towel wrap relaxed me, his fingers on my face render me boneless. Grabbing the beard oil from my kit, he applies it vigorously, letting the tip of his tongue hang out while he completes the process.
I grab his extended hand and stand, letting him guide me back to the bathroom.
“Holy shit.”
Looking at myself in the mirror pings the part of me that feels weird about having survived the accident unscathed. It’s a weird association, but I know it’s because I’m ambivalent about having nice things. Letting myself get a little scruffy seemed like it was what I deserved.
Being a therapist, it seems, doesn’t exempt me from having to deal with the sneaky impacts of life’s traumas.
He gently tugs the knotted towel from my hips, and I watch in the mirror as his hands drift over my chest, catching my nipple rings on the edges of his fingertips before dipping down to palm my inked belly.
I’d allowed myself to become almost unrecognizable, but looking in the mirror, I see myself again. Me. With Javier’s arms wrapped around me, I feel sexy. Desired.
And maybe—just maybe—I finally see what Javier sees.
14
JAVIER
When Levy’s eyes meet mine in the mirror, they burn with heat and passion. The guilt I sometimes see is missing, though never missed. He turns in my arms, kissing me. I can’t help checking out our reflection as we kiss, enjoying the pattern of tattoos on his backside. My hands, dark and free of ink, contrast beautifully against his skin, and I squeeze to verify this is real.
“Have you recovered from breakfast and lunch?” he asks between placing delicate kisses on my neck.
