“Not tonight, he doesn't."
“Are you staying?" She paused as I headed for the door, kitty in arm.
I turned back to her. “Hansen has a new bed, and a new toy. Want to see?”
She followed me downstairs at a slower pace. “What did you do?”
I opened the door to her library and plopped Hansen down on a warmed bed with his new toy. “This has a heartbeat. It’ll go for a while, don’t worry. The bed is warmed. He has a blanket. The door will stay ajar and he has new kitty litter and water here too.”
I pointed the features out while Sia inspected.
She beamed at me. “I love you.”
Silence fell between us. Hansen curled up on his bed and fell asleep.
I swallowed. “Yeah. I figured. I think he’s down.”
Big eyes watched me as she backed out of the room. “Ward—”
“Upstairs. Now,” I murmured, reaching for her.
“I don’t go fast,” she stammered. “Things are still healing. Inside.”
“I know. I’m not rushing you." I caught the material at the front of her singlet, winding her in with a single finger. “But I’m not leaving either, Sia. Not this time. Here, my place, combine houses… I don’t care what you want to do. I’m with you and Hanswen. We can dispose of Mister Bed Shred later.”
“Then where…?”
I caught her chin in my other hand and kissed her, long and deep. Sia stiffened for a moment, then her whole body softened in my arms. I held her against me as I started walking back up the stairs, already lost in her. I had no idea how long it took to get to the top, only that her legs were wrapped around my waist by the time we hit the landing. We’d established a gentle rhythm, swaying and licking panting together as we found our way back to their bedroom. I grabbed the edge of the plastic sheet and yanked, praying all the paper went with it to the floor.
“Sucess. I think?” Sia craned over my shoulder.
“Good.” I laid her back on the bed, pulling her long pants down her legs. Her arms crossed over her stomach when I slid up her body, and searched for the hem of her top.
“No.” A tremor lilted her voice.
I pressed a kiss to her stomach over the first of the scars. “Bad news.”
“Ward,” she panted.
“I’ve already seen them. Everything. The day he did hurt you. Then I—”
“You don’t have to say it,” she whispered.
I pushed my way up her body, careful not to rest my weight over her, balanced on my forearms. “I did the same thing to him,only deeper. What he did to you—” I broke off, fury melting my veins. “Christ, Sia. I would have done worse, only I wanted to get back to you.”
“So mean,” she murmured. “What if I needed you to be more brutal?” Her lips lifted for a kiss.
I held back, my heart stone in my chest. “You should be pushing me away, screaming. Why aren’t you?” I stared hard into her eyes. “Are you still on pain meds?”
“Gave them up. I hate masking pain. And I wanted to feel you tonight. If you came.” Her hands skimmed my arms, tugged at my shirt.
I ripped it over my head one handed. “Touch what you need,” I said roughly. “I shouldn’t have left.”
“That was a two way door. We both fought,” she reminded me. “We were both scared. But I’m not scared of you now.”
“You should be.”
“He nearly killed me. You have never hurt me like that. What’s to be scared of?”
