He reaches behind his neck and pulls his shirt over his head revealing a muscular chest, kissed by the sun. A simple gold cross necklace hangs from his neck. He turns on the water and adjusts the temperature before turning toward me again. I notice the way his jeans hang low on his hips, and my mouth goes dry when he kicks his shoes and socks off before unzipping his jeans.
His chin is jutted up revealing a sharp jawline covered by trimmed facial hair. Once he’s down to his boxers, he helps me undress while keeping his gaze on mine. Obviously, he has peripheral vision, so he can see my bare body. And even though his pupils dilate, he’s the perfect gentleman.
When I’m under the spray facing the wall, he stands close but not touching me. This is heaven. The warm water cascading over my skin.
I struggle to wash my hair one-handed, and he steps closer to help. His fingers grazing my scalp are soothing. When I turn to rinse my hair, he’s still close but not close enough. After conditioning my hair and washing my body, I let the warm water continue to rinse away what it can even though the last of the soap went down the drain a few minutes ago.
I take a step back and feel his slick chest against my back. His hands come up and grip my hips. He leans down next to my ear and his husky voice sounds. “Can I put my arms around you? I won’t try anything else; I just want to hold you.”
I turn my head so that our noses touch. “You can.”
I lean my head back against him as his hands move up to my stomach. I close my eyes as his hands explore my stomach, hips, and my ribs. He slightly grazes the underside of my breast, and I swear I’m going to combust right here in this shower.
He kisses my injured shoulder and then my neck. I run my hands across his arms which are still holding me. True to his word, he never lets his hands wander in places I’d love for them to. And once the water finally runs cold, he reaches around me to shut it off and then grabs towels folded neatly on the shelf closest to the shower.
He dries me off first and then himself. We repeat how he helped me dress yesterday morning with him holding a towel to give me privacy.
“Can I ask you something?”
He nods as he helps comb through my wet hair.
“First of all, have you brushed many girls’ wet hair before?”
He laughs. “Yeah, but only because I have a little sister.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize. Well, I guess it’s something I knew before. What’s her name?”
“Audrey.”
“Pretty name. Do I, I mean does Lennon get along with her?” I ask.
“Not at first, but yes, now they do,” he says with a small smile.
“Why not at first?” I ask.
“She saw me upset over you after your dad forbid us from being together. She thought you’d abandon me,” he says.
“Oh. I see. I don’t guess I could blame her. But I’m glad she could see past it for you.”
He leans down so I can see him in the mirror from where he stands behind me.
“Of course, she got over it. She knows how much we love each other,” he says.
I smirk at his reflection.
“What’s your real question?” he asks.
“Does Lennon have any scars or birthmarks?”
He stops combing out my hair. “No, none I can think of. No birthmarks for sure, but if she has any scars, they are so small as to not be noticeable.”
“Hendrix said the same for London. Although, I guess we both have marks on us now. But hers won’t ever have the chance to heal and then become scars. I’ll be the one wearing scars going forward, both inside and out. She’ll never have to live without me like I’ll have to live without her.”
My chin quivers but I refuse to cry any more right now. When I glance back up at him, his cross necklace shines under the light. I reach up and touch it.
“Do you believe in miracles and in things you can’t see?” I ask.
“I do.” He leans down and places a kiss to the top of my head.
