To make her more comfortable, and to show her he didn’t come out of his past unscathed either, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the vanity.
Her gorgeous green eyes took him in. The smile on her lips showed her appreciation of all his muscles but slowly died on her face as she took in his scars.
Normally, he’d dismiss the stare and not say anything, but he wanted to let her in, so he pointed to his chest near his shoulder. “Gunshot wound from my first tour.” He went through the other scars. “Shrapnel from an IED. Knife.” He traced his finger along the long scar across his belly and another on his forearm. He pushed his pants down his hips and turned his back to her, showing off the other bullet wound just above his right butt cheek.
“There are more scars on my legs from a chopper crash.” He brushed away some of the hair from the side of his head, showing her a long scar. “Really bad concussion, cracked skull, and thirty-two stitches.”
“Hawk, how did you survive all this?”
“I got lucky. Just like when I found you. I had good surgeons and the will to live, because I had people I loved back home waiting for me. And I’m stubborn. I didn’t want to leave my brothers in arms. I wanted to win with them. I believed in whatwe were doing. I saved a lot of people.” Even if he’d had to kill to save others. To keep his brothers in arms safe. For his country. For the people he loved.
“And you keep saving them. You saved me.”
He cupped her face again. “Best thing I ever did.” He kissed her because he needed it more than his next breath, then held her close, his mouth at the shell of her ear. “I don’t ever want to lose you, especially now that I have you. I lost too many people during my time away. Good soldiers. Friends. Brothers. I can’t lose anyone else. Especially not you.”
She pressed into him even closer.
His cock got excited, but he kept his cool and his hands at her back, holding her close the way she needed him to for now. “You don’t have to hide your scars from me or anyone else. Wear them proudly. They tell people who you are. A survivor.”
Tears glistened in her eyes. “Thank you for saving me and giving me this.”
“What do you mean?”
“This. Acceptance. Comfort. Safety. Affection. A place beside you.”
What he was giving her was all his love, she just wasn’t ready to say it. He’d give her time. Soon she’d believe it.
“You belong with me.” He hugged her as tightly as he dared without hurting her, then kissed her on the head and set her gently away from him. He pivoted toward the shower and turned on the tap, adjusting the temp until it was just right. He didn’t want to burn any of her scrapes or cuts, but she needed some heat to loosen her sore muscles. “Okay, sweetheart, get in.” He turned and gulped when he got a look at her fully naked.
Pale pink nipples hardened into tight buds at the tips of her creamy breasts. Her flat stomach had a nasty bruise and some scrapes across it. Her hip bone on one side had another darkbruise, the other side a mass of scrapes. And her mound had a dusting of trimmed golden hair, avoiding her stitches.
God how he wanted to get his hands on her, his fingers and tongue inside her. “You’re so beautiful. And tempting. You’re killing me.”
That bashful lopsided smile came back. “Do you have a razor I could use? It’s…ah…been a while.”
He pulled a disposable blade out of the cupboard under the sink.
She ducked into the shower while he finished undressing. He walked in behind her, closing the glass door. She’d already gotten under the spray and was rinsing her oily hair thoroughly.
He’d put her shampoo and conditioner in the shower before she went to sleep. He should have helped her get clean before they had company, but she’d been so tired.
He squirted a healthy dollop of shampoo in his hand. “Turn for me. I’ll do your hair.”
She turned her back to him and let the water run down her chest.
He pulled all her hair into his hand and on top of her head, then massaged the shampoo into her scalp, sliding his fingers through the thick golden strands.
“Oh, that feels good. So does the hot water. My whole body is super tense.”
He could think of a dozen ways to loosen her up, and all of them ended in orgasms. His cock got excited again, but he messaged her scalp and neck, enjoying how much she loved it. “The way you were stuck lying on that hill had to have hurt your back and strained your muscles.”
“Tell me about it. But your bed was super comfy.”
“Ourbed,” he corrected her. “I spared no expense on the mattress. Rinse.”
She turned and dipped her head back into the stream of water.
He helped get the soap out by combing his fingers through the strands, even if he was sneaking peeks at those stunning breasts again. They’d be the perfect handful. “Turn again.”
