I nod in agreement and decide to change the subject. This isn’t going to happen overnight. “Has Holden found anything?” I know that’s where Ryder’s been hiding out, saying he’s helping Holden. Weknow good and damn well, he doesn’t know anything Holden is doing.
“He said he’s locked down the signal, but it’s a dead end,” Ryder says. “We can’t let him near her again.”
On that, I agree a hundred percent. I didn’t like the way she said she was done hiding earlier today. I know she needs to put this behind her, but I just hope she don’t think we’re just letting her put herself in danger anymore. We let her before; we thought we were untouchable. We were fucking wrong. When those shots went off today, I saw Gage in that car’s front seat, bleeding to death.
I won’t let any of that happen again.
We stayed downstairsin the living room until we heard Les and Zane come up from the basement, and to our surprise, they went to separate rooms. She gave him the extra room upstairs, telling him he could stay as long as needed. If Zane has anything to do with it, he isn’t going anywhere. Something is holding them back; I guess it’s probably Les.
I peek in on Les the following day before I go downstairs to work out, only to find Leo alone in her bed. I heard her wake up several times throughout the night, but the nightmares don’t seem as bad now. I just hope they’re easing so she can sleep. I know first-hand how bad those nightmares fucking suck. You would wake up covered in sweat, panting for breath, with your heart hammering out of your chest.
Once in the gym, I realize why she’s not in bed; she’s already in the gym. All her attention is focused on the punching bag; she doesn’t even notice when I come in. Shutting the door quietly, I lean against it and watch her.
Her hair is pulled into a high ponytail, her toned arms and stomach are showcased in a sports bra, and her legs in short shorts. I’m lost at the sight of her, her muscles moving beneath the skin,sweat glistening on her. I step forward, causing her head to whip around, spotting me.
Her eyes go wide, and she snatches a t-shirt from the floor, trying to cover what I’ve already seen. I take three long strides, pulling it gently from her hand. “You don’t have to cover yourself in front of me, Baby girl,” I remind her. Of all people in this house, I understand what she’s going through. It took me a long damn time to get over my scarred face and body; Les helped me with that. Years later, I finally understood what she was trying to tell me the night I pushed her away. “You’re gorgeous, no matter what.” I wipe a tear away that’s rolling down her cheek. “You told me you didn’t give a fuck about my scars, just what happened that I got them in the first place.”
“It’s not just the scars, Dex,” she whispers. She turns around and sweeps her ponytail to the side.
I tentatively pull her sports bra down. Ryder told us what was there, but seeing it with my own eyes makes me want to rip this asshole apart with my bare hands. There, carved in jagged letters above her left shoulder blade, is that motherfucker’s name. I let my hold on her bra go, turning her to face me. “That only means something if you let it. I can’t begin to know what you went through, Baby girl, but know we all love you. No matter what.”
More tears flash down her cheeks as she pulls me down to wrap her arms around my neck. “I love you, Dexton Ray.”
“I love you too. So fucking much,” I tell her, squeezing her to my chest.
She pulls back, laying a kiss on my lips. “I’ll go so you can work out.”
I pull her back to me. “Or you can stay.”
“I’m down to watch you get all sweaty.”
“You can get sweaty with me.”
She pulls back again, one eyebrow raised. “I’m already sweaty.”
I grin. “Then we should get cleaned up.” I reach down, tossing her over my shoulder.
“Dex!” she laughs. “You didn’t even work out yet!” I start striding to the shower when she reaches down, massaging my ass under myshorts, making me miss a step. “Les,” I warn, cracking her on the ass with my palm. I almost panic, thinking I have gone too far. Then she moans.
Damn.
I enter the bathroom and flip her back over my shoulder to let her slide to her feet. Les has other ideas. She wraps those legs around my waist, crushing her mouth against mine. Massaging her tongue with mine, I slide my hands across her sides to her back, pulling her from my waist to sit her on the vanity. I peck her lips once before walking to the shower, turning the water on to let it warm up.
Looking back at Les, she seems lost, fingering the bottom of her sports bra. I’m going to spend as long as it takes to make her realize those scars do nothing to hide how beautiful she is. I jerk my shirt over my head, reminding her of my scars. “Don’t hide from me, Baby girl,” I remind her.
Closing her eyes, I can see her gathering her courage; when she opens them, the sight takes my breath away. Tucking her fingers under the bra, she peels it off, causing those gorgeous breasts to spill out. I help her down from the vanity to pull her shorts and panties off. Taking the elastic from her hair, so it tumbles down her back, I lead her to the shower, helping her step in before I rid myself of my clothes. The shower is smaller than any other one in the house, so we are practically smashed together. Just the way I like it.
Reaching for her shampoo, I gently massage it into her hair until I feel her relax. When it’s nice and foamy, I nudge her head under the shower spray to rinse it clean before doing the same thing with her conditioner. After I rinse that, I reach for her body wash, squirting it in my hand. I look into her eyes. “Is this okay?” I ask before I touch her. I know how she feels about her bare skin right now; I don’t want to push too hard.
She swallows and then nods, closing her eyes. Rubbing my hands together to get my hands soapy, I lay them on her shoulders, washing and massaging them. I do the same thing to her back, arms, hands, legs, and feet, avoiding the important body parts. That comes next.
Sliding my hands to her breasts, massaging them until she’spressing further into my palms, her hands clutching my arms. I peck her lips once before I slide my hand down her stomach, dipping it between her thighs.
Starting in slow circles, I start rubbing her clit. “Your scars don’t define how beautiful you are.” Slowly her eyes open, locking on mine. “They define how fucking strong you are. Never doubt for a second you’re anything less than perfect to me. To us.” I nudge her body back under the spray, still rubbing her clit. After the soap is gone, I start kissing every scar on her chest, breasts, and shoulders. Then I kiss the tears away that are running down her cheeks. Dipping my fingers down, I plunge them into her pussy, using the heel of my hand to keep pressure on her clit. “Ride my fingers, Baby girl. Take what you need.”
This isn’t about me; this is about her. I need to remind her how fucking perfect she is. Remind her how much I love her, crave her, and need her. I need to remind her she ismine. No one can ever take that away from me.
Her hips start swaying, taking her pleasure. I’ve categorized every emotion that’s crossed her face from what I said. Fear. Doubt. Then finally, acceptance.
