Page 53 of Grumpy

She held out her hand to him. “Come shower with me.”

Grumpy’s ears, and cock, perked up at that thought. The image of Kelly beneath the heated stream of water, droplets falling off her delectable breasts, the curve of her back, and her incredible legs was mouthwateringly delicious. He knew Kelly thought herself plump—or whatever ridiculous word women used when they had a belly pooch—and felt that her legs were too muscular after serving tables for twenty years. But she was wrong.

She was fucking perfect—and his opinion was the only one that mattered in this instance.

Kelly shifted on her bare feet. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

He had no idea in what way he was looking at her, but he knew his answer anyway. “Because you’re beautiful.”

Her cheeks flamed, and she flexed her outstretched hand to emphasize its presence. “Come on.”

Grumpy couldn’t just take her hand, though. He had to shift into a seated position, get his stiff legs over the side of the bed, and then stand, using the nightstand for balance. Then he took her hand.

That itching increased with every step, but he still followed her into the large bathroom. For a standard hotel, it was decent sized and looked like it had been upgraded, or at least refurbished, recently. The vanity across from the bathtub had lots of counter space that was now covered in haircare and body products. Though the water wasn’t running, the shower curtain was pushed all the way against the wall. Kelly had coiled the curtain up and draped it over the back of the toilet. His white shower chair was already in the tub.

Kelly guided him to the closed toilet seat. “Okay. Here’s my plan. We get you undressed and out of these compression wraps. Then I wash you.” Her eyes landed longingly on his hair. “And I finally get my hands on this mane of yours. Then,” she took a step back and removed her robe. It pooled at her feet as she stood bare before him, her cheeks slightly pink. “You get to wash me.”

Grumpy’s eye made a slow trail down her incredible body. Heat filled him, and despite the continued back itch, there was no stopping his body’s reaction to her this time. He loved everything he saw, from the full weight of her breasts to the roundness of her belly to the trimmed patch of brown between her legs. He understood the courage it must have taken her to drop her robe like that. He did not think she needed courage. He would have thought her beautiful, even if she had a third nipple and hairy legs. But he understood the vulnerability on her part.

It would be the same for him.

Grumpy had never been ashamed of his body before. It wasn’t vanity when he’d been told his entire life how good looking he was. Add his long hair and his heavily inked muscles, and for some reason women flocked to him. Even his sour attitude couldn’t chase some away.

But now? He’d lost a lot of muscle mass these past six months. He was scarred, disfigured in some places, and had more metal in his body that some days he felt more machine than man. Grumpy was not the same man who had kissed Kelly in the diner what felt like a lifetime ago.

Grumpy crooked a finger at her. Kelly stepped forward, fitting herself between his thighs. As he took her into the circle of his arms, Kelly slid her fingers into his hair. “I fucking love this plan,” he declared, a low rumble of arousal in his voice.

Kelly lowered her head to kiss him. “I’m glad.” Gently, she touched the compression wrap on his arm. “You’re going to need to walk me through how to remove these.” Then she lowered her hands to the hem of his loose shirt. “But first, let’s get this off you.”

Even after she’d been so vulnerable with him, Grumpy still hesitated. It wasn’t a fear of her looking at him differently. At least, he didn’t think it was. Grumpy put his hands over her wrists. “I’m not sure what you know or have seen of my wounds, Kells. I can handle you being grossed out, even angry by what you’re about to see. But don’t pity me. I get enough of that from everyone else. I won’t be able to take that from you.”

Kelly turned her right hand, releasing her grip on his shirt to lace their fingers together. “Tough shit, Grumpy. What happened to you was awful. I was there those first few days in the hospital, remember? I know exactly how much damage you took. Grossed out, horrified?” She shook her head. “I could never look at you like that. Your wounds aren’t your weakness. They’re your trophies. Wear them with pride because you survived,” she squeezed his hand, “and can be here with me. As for pitying you?” Kelly shook her head. “Of course, I pity you. How can I not when I see how much pain you’re still in, when I know that if that bomb had gone off five minutes later I would have been sitting in that bar next to you. But I can promise you this—it doesn’t change my love for you. All I care about is that you’re alive.”

Grumpy hated the reminder of how close Kelly had been to being in the bar that night, too. “Maybe just try to mask it tonight then.”

Kelly chuckled. “I can do that.” She lifted his tattooed hand by the wrist, her expression turning sickening like he was moldy food left in an employee fridge too long. “Ew, gross!” she exclaimed. She even emphasized the bit by putting her other hand over her mouth and feigning to hold back vomit.

Snorting at her act, Grumpy grabbed her around her naked waist with the arm she’d held up and drawing her closer to him. He used his other to cup her face, pulling her down for a kiss. “Not exactly what I had in mind.”

“Yeah, but I almost got a smile out of you.” Kelly dragged a finger down his lips. “I’ll get one out of you one day.”

In his defense, he hadn’t had much reason to smile until now. He hadn’t even realized how rarely he did so until she’d mentioned it. Then again, his road name should have clued him in. “I’ll smile on our wedding day.”

Kelly’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you just propose?”

Grumpy shook his head. “No need. We are getting married. Just say the time and place, and I’ll be there.”

Kelly reached for his lower shirt again, but Grumpy stopped her. Since it was difficult for him to raise his hands over his head, he’d gotten used to removing each arm first and then his head. “That’s like the worst and best proposal of all time,” she said as she helped him. “And yet so entirely you that I’m not surprised in the slightest.”

“I mean, I could get down on one knee for you, but then we’d have to call Jackson in to get me off the floor, which would then mean I’d have to murder the poor kid for seeing you naked…” Grumpy shrugged as Kelly lifted the neck of the shirt over his head. “I’m weary enough that I chose the less bloody route.”

Kelly shook her head at him, but he saw her lips twitch as she tossed his shirt into the hallway. “Okay, what’s next?”

Grumpy had her shift to the side of the toilet. The upper body compression garment reminded him of a bulletproof vest from his Army days. “Undo the fasteners at my sides.”

Kelly lowered herself down to take a better look. “How did you get this on yourself? You only had me help with the fasteners this morning.”

“Practice and sheer determination,” he grumbled, recalling his struggles since his mom had left. “The chest one is the hardest of them all.”