“Help me wash up?”
He nodded and started fumbling with the buttons of my silk shirt. I didn’t have the patience to wait, so I tore the shirt open. The buttons popped loose and flew wildly around the room. I didn’t care. I was going to burn this shirt later anyway.
Hector’s surprise lasted for all of a second before hewas on me, tearing off the rest of my clothes. I made quick work of getting him naked too.
Our mouths crashed together as we stumbled into the tub. Hector must have turned on the water, since ice pelted my back. I ignored it and focused on the heat of Hector. He covered my entire body until the water turned warm and steam filled my lungs.
I reveled in the heat of Hector’s hands as he soaped me up and scrubbed every inch of me. The spray washed away every trace of that fucker, cleaning the filth that clouded my mind too.
When he mentioned my ex telling him stories of our sex life, I feltdirty.Used. But Hector looked at me as if I were a treasure he needed to hide away from the world. He held me so tenderly that I knew there was no waydirtycould ever be associated with me again.
Hector’s mouth was on me once more. He planted open-mouth kisses everywhere he could reach, but focused on my neck, painting over the horrible memory with one that enriched me. Hector claimed me with nibbles and marks that announced me as his.
I was never one for obsessive jealousy or dominance, but Hector loving on me until his beard rubbed my skin raw had emotions swelling throughout my body. I was sensitive to his touch. So sensitive that this was almost enough to have me coming untouched.
My skin burned, not from the hot water, but from my desire for him. Hector seemed to be in a similar state too. His roaming hands found their way to my ass,spreading my cheeks and working me open to take him. His movements were controlled, determined even, but it wasn’t fast enough for me. His fingers only intensified my craving for him.
“Can’t wait, Hector. Need you inside,” I moaned and rocked my hips forward. I lifted a leg to wrap him closer and positioned myself so that the tip of his cock kissed my entrance. The angle was awkward and strained my back. It would’ve worked so much better if I’d turned around, but I didn’t want to block my view of him.
“Fuck, love, you’re too tight,” he rumbled. His words conveyed his care for me, but his body was much more honest as the tip of his cock slipped in deeper. There was pain, of course, when he was entering me without any lube, but the welcome pressure overpowered it.
“Don’t care,” I whined and pistoned my hips to slide deeper down his length. Hector’s jaw was clenched, his hands dug into my ass, as if trying to keep me still, but he was unsuccessful in doing so. His forearms strained with control, then he lifted me again.
My back slammed against the shower tile, and Hector’s mouth found my lips again in a kiss full of teeth and tongue. Suspended in the air, I was under Hector’s control, and all I could really do was hold on.
It was exactly what I needed.
He took his time penetrating me, but he kept me occupied with his tongue and mouth ghosting over my skin. Our mouths crashed once more when I was fullyseated on him. We both let out a collective sigh. A sound filled with need and want and offinally coming home.
“I love you. So fucking much. I’ll never let you get in harm’s way again,” Hector whispered. His forehead found mine, and my hands cupped his face, gently stroking the scar on his temple.
“Me too. Never again. I won’t let you get hurt,” I whispered back my promise. “You’re mine to protect, Hector. I love you.”
He grunted. The sound filled with emotion, vibrating inside the bathroom. His body moved then too. Strong thrusts of his hips wedged him deeper inside me. The pain was nothing compared to the tranquility of the moment. Hector worked my body until pleasure was the only thing on my mind, and his whispers ofloveandminewere the melodies that sent me crescendoing into orgasm. Hector wasn’t far behind. His teeth found the fleshy part at the base of my neck, and he spilled his seed inside me with one last thrust.
I held him tight. With my feet in the air, it was all I could really do. But even so, I knew I was safe.
Hector had me protected in his arms.
When the high of the moment calmed, and we were left with limbs still tangled and the warm water pelting on our skin, our gazes met and we laughed.
There was nothing funny about the moment or what had happened, but it was a much-needed release of emotions. It was a declaration that we would get through this. That life wasn’t a straight path of happiness.It was messy, and there were bound to be other moments of fear and sadness, butwe would get through this.
We’d hold each other and solve any problems life threw at us together. Because relying on each other wasn’t being a burden. There was strength in knowing you had a person you could fall back on.
I trusted Hector with my life. And as Hector looked back at me, his eyes baring me his vulnerable soul, I had no doubt he trusted me with his as well.
We had each other. And that was the most powerful thing in this world.
Epilogue
HECTOR
Five years later
“Junior! No running around!” Russell called to his energetic grandson. The child giggled and rocketed off to the other side of the diner. Thankfully, Ryker caught him before he could face-plant on the ground and took him to the table where Lana, Sam, and all our other friends were sitting.
“That rascal’s such a handful,” Russell said with a shake of his head.
