Hands still behind his head, Nick smirked up at her.
“I already told you. You have all the power. You’re in control,” Nick answered. Kate’s eyes widened at the words spoken once more. She bit her lower lip, and a heat ravaged her core as shegazed at the most delicious, incredible, dedicated man she had ever known.
Kate stepped toward him and lowered herself to meet his eyes. Soft fingertips raked the skin on his chest, sending an explosion of shivers across his body. Nick’s jaw tightened as he fought the tension building below his waist. Kate’s hands joined at the base of his neck, and she pulled Nick’s lips to hers. Her kiss was desperate with the things she did not know how to put into words.
Kate broke the connection and gripped the hem of her gown before pulling it over her head. As he watched, Nick’s lips parted slightly, letting out sharp exhales of desire. Kate unclasped her bra and let it fall to the floor.
Nick’s eyes dropped only a moment, catching a quick glimpse of tender breasts before settling his gaze on her face. Their bodies collided as Kate kissed him again, her bare chest pressed against his, making each of his muscles stiffen. Kate realized he still had his hands restrained, and she pulled away.
“Nick, I need you to let it go,” Kate whispered.
“Let what go?” Nick’s brows furrowed at her words.
“Your war mode. I don’t need a soldier right now. I need you to touch me. I need to feel you.”
A hunger spread through Nick like wildfire. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing his mind to focus on Kate and the way his body craved her touch. Nick demanded his survival instincts to shut down and allowed himself to exist only in this moment.
Nick opened his eyes and leaned in to meet her lips, pushing deep into her mouth. Nick’s tongue entangled with hers. He pulled her legs around his waist and stood, carrying her to a bedroom down the hall. Nick laid Kate down at the end of the bed and stood over her, gauging her response.
Kate offered Nick a nervous half-smile, and he cocked his head to one side. He pulled her up into a sitting position and kneeled on the floor in front of her.
“What’s wrong?” Nick asked.
Kate glanced away. “My body is not normal. There are scars you’re going to see that are… not pretty,” Kate rambled, stumbling over ways to explain her mutilated appearance.
One side of Nick’s mouth turned up in a smile. “There isn’t anything I could see that would make me love you less.”
Kate tucked her thumb in her underwear and slid them off. Starting at her toes, Nick kissed her skin, savoring the soft warmth of her flesh. When Nick reached her thighs, Kate fell back onto the bed.
Nick pressed his lips to the white lines of scars etched into her skin. He kissed each burn mark, every portion of discolored flesh, and the places where the skin had been ripped away and healed over.
Every inch of Kate’s skin was explored, touched by Nick’s lips and caressed by his tongue as he gently worshipped her body. Kate’s sighs were a chorus of exaltation that drowned out the past. The sins of previous lovers and the transgressions of her abusers were buried as Nick glorified her.
Their connection sent Kate into a state of desperation, demanding Nick’s body closer to hers.
“Hey, let’s take it slow,” Nick said. Taking it slow was the last thing he wanted to do. He was aroused to the point of savagery. The stimulation had him light-headed.
“Why?” Kate breathed against his ear.
“I’m scared of hurting you,” Nick answered.
“I trust you.”
Nick willed his reservations to vanish and took their connection further than he thought reasonable. Kate offering herself to him was not something he would handle in a tepidmanner. His movements were slow and deliberate, mapping out paths from scar to scar. He was reading the story written across her skin and rewriting it with slow patience.
Though Nick initiated each touch, he focused on her breathing, her gestures, and her responses. Even the slightest detection of discomfort commanded Nick to change things up.
The trust they had built was no longer a fragile thing. It was a sacred oath. Every kiss was a promise. Every graze of his lips preserved their bond built on respect and restraint. The fear of being touched that would have encapsulated Kate long ago was distant, rotting in a basement far away.
In fact, with every collision of their flesh, Kate succumbed to a hunger; she was aching for more. Nick wanted to take caution, and Kate was determined to break his vacillation. He had crushed her idea that she could never be loved. Nick had cut her insecurities into tiny pieces and scattered them along the road of a world left behind. Everything she had to give, for all it was worth, belonged to him.
A heady feeling overtook her, and she unraveled beneath him. The sensation had him plummeting toward the edge. Nick conjured every unattractive thing he could think of to stay centered. The picture Adam had drawn of him. The Infected with brain matter spilling down its chin. It had been so fucking long.
Kate’s moans dissipated to gentle gasps, and she eyed him, considering his tight jaw and serious expression. He was holding back.
“You’re allowed to enjoy this, you know,” she chided.
“Oh, I’m enjoying this.” Nick kissed the inside of her leg.
