“Come here,” I said, holding out my hand to her.“Help me wash out this shit.Then I want to fuck you.”
She grinned up at me.“Wasn’t sure you’d be up to it.”
“Oh, baby.I’m definitely up to it.”And I was.My cock pulsed and ached, standing at complete attention, needing her touch.
She stepped in the shower with me and reached for my cock.When she wrapped her palm around my dick, I groaned in reaction, my hips thrusting subtly at her.
“Christ, woman,” I growled.“Always need your touch.”
“I need your touch too,” she whispered, leaning into me as warm water cascaded over us both.“But I don’t want to hurt you.”
Thank God, the shower in this master bath was huge because there was no way to fit my big body into the shower in my old apartment with Penny in there with me.With my bruised ribs screaming with every breath, I doubt I could have managed but right now, I didn’t give a good Goddamn about my fucking ribs.Penny pressed against me to avoid the spray, her soft skin warm against mine, and nothing else mattered.The bruises Andy’s men had left, the ache along my ribs where they’d landed their hardest blows, were worth every second of pain if it meant she was safe.And in this shower.Here.With me.
“You could never hurt me,” I murmured, letting my hands skim down her sides with all the delicacy I could muster.Touching her required such care.She was infinitely precious, breakable in a way that terrified me.“Not unless you leave me.”
My hands trembled slightly, partly from the pain that shot through me when I moved, partly from the overwhelming reality that she was letting me touch her like this.The bruises didn’t matter.The pain didn’t matter.
“You’re in pain,” she said.
Our eyes met.No point lying to her.She saw through me too easily.“Worth it.”
Two words.The truest thing I’d ever said.I’d taken that beating to protect her and her girls, and I’d do it again without hesitation.This pain was something I’d bear proudly because I’d protected my girls.My family.
“Let me,” she whispered, reaching for the soap.“Let me take care of you for once.”
My chest tightened as she began washing me, her hands careful around my worst bruises.Until she tackled my beard.Stunner had been right.It had taken all of three washings.I could probably have used a fourth, but I was eager for Penny to continue touching the rest of me.
“You’re always taking care of me,” I said, the words rumbling up from somewhere deep.“Every day since you walked into Haven.”
She smiled, pressing a kiss to my chest that made my heart stutter.“That goes both ways.”
Her hands moved lower, washing away glitter I’d probably never fully get rid of.When her fingers wrapped around my cock again, I couldn’t stop the sharp intake of breath, my head falling back against the wall.Fifteen years I’d waited for this woman, and she still reduced me to trembling need with a single touch.
“Penny,” I groaned, my hands finding her hips.“Need to touch you.”
I could see the concern in her eyes, worry about my injuries, but I couldn’t not touch her.My fingers slid between her legs, finding her wet and ready.
I pushed two fingers inside her carefully, my thumb finding her clit with practiced ease.I’d learned from our nights together because I’d never leave Penny unsatisfied after sex.My free hand cupped her breast, thumb brushing her nipple in rhythm.
“God, look at you,” I murmured, unable to tear my gaze away.“Most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
She flushed under my attention, still not quite believing how I saw her.Andy had been a blind fool.Penny wasn’t something to possess, she was a precious, perfect woman and mother, someone to cherish, to worship, to protect with everything I had.
My breathing grew labored, the arousal mixing with pain as my ribs protested every movement.My hand trembled against her breast and I moved my arm around her back to pull her closer to me.When I leaned forward to kiss her neck, the movement pulled at my injuries hard enough to make me wince.
“Baby,” she whispered, catching my face between her palms.“We can wait until you’re feeling better.”
I felt my expression shift, half amused, half determined.She didn’t understand.“Not waiting another day, Penny.Two was enough.”
When she giggled, burying her face in my chest, I curled my finger inside her, finding that spot that made her knees buckle.She clutched at my shoulders, careful even now to avoid my bruises.I held her weight effortlessly despite the lingering pain.
“See?”I said, smiling as her body responded.“Some things are worth a little pain.”
Her laugh sent warmth through my chest.“Stubborn man.”
“Yours, though,” I answered.The truest words I’d ever spoken.
I reached behind her to shut off the shower without removing my hand from between her legs.She shivered -- from the cold or from my touch, I couldn’t tell, didn’t care.I pulled her against me, feeling her breasts press against my chest, her nipples hardening.When I bent to kiss her, my ribs screamed in protest, muscles tensing involuntarily.
