“Yeah.”
I run my fingers down and up his back, gently tracing lines. “I’m sorry. I wish I could take those memories away from you.”
He lifts his head and presses a kiss to my jaw. “Those memories have made me who I am. I both do and don’t want to forget them. I mean, even now, I can’t recall the specifics. I remember intense pain, worse than anything I ever felt when I was alive, but that’s all.” He settles back into me, arms wrapping around my middle. “I’m glad you’re here. You can’t make the memories go away or take away the pain, but you make it bearable.”
I’m not sure what to say to that, but it doesn’t matter. He drifts off, and I soon follow, our arms holding each other tightly.
forty-one
. . .
My handabsently searches the bed before I fully awake and realize I’m alone. I sit up and stretch, adjusting my robe because my tits are fully out. I’m sure Kit enjoyed that sight. I hastily pull on a big T-shirt and underwear. I go for shorts, too, but decide against it. Hey, I’m trying to be sexy here.
I exit my bedroom and hear the shower running. I knock on the door and call, “Kit? Mind if I brush my teeth?”
“Come on in!” he shouts back.
As I enter through a sheet of steam, I glance at the curtain covering the shower, disappointed that I can’t actually see anything. There’s a real live man in there. The razor I bought for him yesterday sits on the counter, with a few small hairs still lingering in it, indicating that it has been used. I brush my teeth and am out of the bathroom quickly, heading for the kitchen.
I feed Hazel, who runs to her bowl like I haven’t fed her in a week, when in fact she was fed just last night. I start the coffeepot and stand there waiting with my arms crossed, bouncing from one foot to the other. My attention is stolen by the silly stick figure drawing Kit sent me with the amber blood—I hung it on my fridge.
Not to be redundant, but the man that drew me that ishere. In my apartment. In his own body. In my shower. And I’m in my kitchen in a big T-shirt and nothing else. I should go put on pants. What am I thinking?
I turn around and almost smack into Kit. His beard has been shaved clean, and he’s only wearing a towel, his chest bare and glistening. My focus lingers.Fuck. That is a nice chest. Without thinking, I reach my hand out and touch it. My eyes shoot upward to lock with his. He’s smirking. Of course, he is.
“Sorry,” I say, pulling my hand back.
He grabs my hand, bringing it to his mouth. “Don’t be. You can touch me anywhere you want.”
My tongue wets my lips. “Good to know.”
He guides my hand down, letting it trail along his chest and down his stomach. “I wouldn’t get too used to this body as is. Not saying I won’t try to stay fit, but I’ve hardly eaten in two weeks and was working out more than healthy before I died—the stress of it all.”
“We’ll get you healthy.” I poke him then take my hand back. “It doesn’t matter what you look like, Kit. Not to me.” I focus back on the coffee maker, watching the last drips settle in the pot. My cheeks are burning red, fingers twitching. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Pants?”
He wraps his arms around my waist, bare chest pressing to my back, head dipping down to say, “Coffee would be nice.”
My fingers wrap around the handle of the pot, but I get too distracted by Kit’s lips against my ear to pull it out of the machine. He brushes my hair away from my neck and kisses my jawline, trailing down to my throat. He inhales and mutters, “You smell like vanilla.”
I chuckle. “I think that’s you.”
“Hmm, then I smell great.”
Same old Kit. Still the person I know. I’m not sure why I expected him to be different after a good night’s sleep. A comfortable ease spreads over me as I sink further into his embrace. I angle my head to kiss him on the mouth, going for a light touch of the lips, but Kit twists me around to face him, coffee determined to be forgotten. His mouth covers mine as he backs me into my pantry door, one hand sliding down to my waist.
“God, I missed your body.”
I missed his, too, even if this is the first time I’m getting the chance to know it.
His lips are like fire on mine, burning and biting as we’re trying to consume one another. He tastes likehim, already familiar in my mouth. My hands run down his back, feeling lean muscles and soft whispers of hair. Boldly, my hands go for the towel, unfastening it and letting it drop to the floor. He grins into my lips as my bold hands reach for his ass, grasping tightly.
“You’ve been dying to do that,” he says into my mouth.
“Hell yeah,” I confirm, hands still squeezing his flesh.
His fingers find the hem of my shirt, so I raise my arms for him to pull it over my head, breaking our contact for a moment—a moment that is nearly too long. I pull him back to me, nothing besides my underwear separating us now. Thedesire to be completely skin to skin with him is overwhelming. I go to pull the panties off, but Kit catches my hands.
“Patience, sweetness. We’ll get to that.” He kisses me loosely, heavy breath exchanging between us. “I’ve had so much time to think about what I want to do to you, and two weeks with virtually no privacy, unable to work it out on my own. I want to take my time with you.” He kisses me. “I want to be on my knees before you. I want to worship you.”
