She propped her hip against the table. “He still needs a father figure. He’s growing up too quickly, and I can’t keep up with all the changes. I wish he’d stay my little boy forever, but at the same time, he already isn’t.”
“He’ll become an honourable man, a man we’ll be proud of.” He arranged the books in a stack on the table. “Were you looking for something to read?”
“Yes.” She strode to the shelves. “And to return this.”
She rose on her tiptoes and stretched out her arm to put the book back on the shelf, but she moved too quickly without thinking. A sharp pang seared through her like a red-hot blade. Her arm snapped back on reflex without her consent, sending a new shot of pain down her body.
“Dash it.”
“Cora.” Ethan was next to her in a moment. He coiled an arm around her waist and held her up against him. “You should have asked me.” He folded her arm over her chest and massaged her shoulder.
The library tilted. “I didn’t imagine it could be so painful.”
“It’s healing well, but many muscles, nerves, and tendons have been lacerated. It takes time. You shouldn’t move quickly.” He gently rubbed her back, arm, and shoulder, easing away the tension.
She leant against his warm, hard body. Safety radiated from him, and she was too tired to pretend she didn’t want the comfort he provided. She wanted to feel safe and cared for again, and maybe it was selfish of her, and he deserved a better womanthan a runaway wife, who wanted an annulment. He tucked her head under his chin, drawing slow circles on her sore muscles. Stroke after stroke, the pain became a dull throb.
“Better?” he asked.
With her ear on his chest, his voice reverberated inside her with a low rumble. She sighed and placed a hand on his broad chest. So soothing.
He brushed the sweetest of kisses on her forehead. “You can use me, Cora.”
“Use you?”
“For anything you need. Comfort, money, connections, safety. I’ll provide whatever you want, and if at the end of this dark moment, you decide you don’t want to see me again, it’ll be all right. I don’t expect anything in return as long as you and David are safe and happy.”
She worried at her bottom lip. “I don’t want to use you. I could never do that. I want to repay your generosity and kindness. But you’re right. At the moment, I’m too weak not to be selfish.”
“You aren’t selfish.” He caressed her hair, and it felt too good. “You’ve been mistreated for a long time. You deserve the love and care Roxbury should have provided. I’m happy to provide them for you for as long as you want them.”
She sagged against him, for once overwhelmed by too much kindness, and he took her weight. “Thank you, Ethan. You saved David and me. I shall never forget that.”
He held her and true to his words, he didn’t ask for anything back. She basked in his warmth and safety until her shoulder didn’t hurt anymore. She wondered if the same would happen to her heart. If it’d ever stop aching.
If she was going to be honest, it wasn’t only gratitude that made her want to be close to him. He kindled sensations she’d long thought to be dead. She hadn’t enjoyed her time in bedwith Jacob. He wasn’t a generous, kind lover. Unsurprisingly. The emotions and needs of her body had faded into oblivion after a while as Jacob had taken what he’d wanted from her. With Ethan, those emotions surged again. A hunger she hadn’t experienced in years.
She slid a hand under his waistcoat to touch those hard muscles. He sucked in a breath as she undid the buttons of his shirt. They both groaned when she touched his naked chest, which was warm and solid like the rest of him. Everything about him inspired safety and calm.
“Cora,” he warned. “Anyone can see us.”
“You’re right.” She led him to the small parlour next door and locked the door. “Now only I can see you.”
She finished undoing his shirt. He helped her remove his clothes until he was half-naked in front of her. He was a combination of strength, fine lines, and rough skin. Everything about him fascinated her from the scars left from his battles to the sharp ridges of his muscles, and she couldn’t deny the wetness pooling between her legs.
She traced the rough scar on his shoulder. “It’s a long scar.”
“The wound was deep. I can’t spar as much as I used to.” His gaze never left her face.
“Do you want this?” she asked in case he was only submitting to her needs. It’d happened to her, and she wouldn’t impose her will on him.
He let out a low chuckle. “Hell, yes.”
“So do I.”
He groaned when she kissed his chest, inhaling his heady scent.
He gently held her by the waist and sat her on the polished oak desk. “Last warning,” he all but growled. “If you keep touching and kissing me, I won’t be able to stop.”
