He tilted his head, trying not to get too caught up in the fact she’d only been with one guy. Years ago. How was that even possible? Did guys just turn mute and stupid when they met her? Their loss. His good fortune.
But he understood that after what happened with her ex and her family, trusting anyone didn’t come easy.
He'd prove to her she could count on him, even if he was a more deadly motherfucker than her ex. That was a different him. A different life.
Except sometimes his mind took him back there.
Not as often anymore. Thank god.
And now he had her to focus on and keep him grounded. Because he wanted to be with her, in her light, in her warmth, and in her arms desperately.
What was she asking him?
Oh, yeah. “Do you want a label for us?” Would that help her feel secure?
“I just…I haven’t done this…and I just want to be clear about what it is. What we are. What you expect.”
“You can use boyfriend for now.”
There went that head tilt again. “For now?”
“Yeah.” He gripped her hips and pulled her to his body, her thighs to his. Her belly to his. Chest to chest. “Because that’s not as permanent as I want us to be.”
“Oh. Oh!” Her eyes went wide. “You want us to be more.”
“You’re everything to me.” He swooped in and kissed her to make his point, hooking one arm around her hips and pulling her flush against his achingly hard cock. He couldn’t help it. She was nearly naked and so close he could smell her. Sure she needed a shower, but there was still and underlying sweetness about her.
And she didn’t seem to mind the kiss. Her tongue tangled with his with just as much passion and need as he poured into her.
She tried to move her arm up his shoulder and winced against his lips.
He stopped kissing her long enough to ask, “Are you okay?”
“Sorry. Moved my arm. Hurt my shoulder.”
“Damn. I’m taking this too fast. You need time to heal. Sorry.” It took a second for his mind to catch up and for him to throttle back his need for her.
The hand at the back of his neck fisted his hair. “Don’t be. I like it.”
He could see it in her eyes. It had been a long time since someone made her feel good. “Okay, sweetheart. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“Okay. But I’ll feel a little less exposed if you’re as naked as me.”
He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. “Okay, just know that my cock gets really hard and happy when you’re around. I can’t help it. Ignore it.”
“What if I want to see it?”
He groaned. “Oh baby, you’re not going to be able to miss it.” He brushed his fingers through the sides of her hair. “But know that nothing’s going to happen until you’re better.”
The disappointment in her eyes gave him hope that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
He couldn’t help it when his gaze roamed over her, landing on one scar after another, but also appreciating her long lithe legs, the curves that made him want to touch her everywhere.
“Do they bother you?” She crossed her arm over her chest and put her other hand over a particularly gnarly scar on her thigh.
He didn’t like her trying to hide from him.
“Your scars are a badge of strength and survival. They are the mark of all you’ve endured, the pain you suffered, the endurance it took to keep on living. They’re part of what makes you beautiful.”
