Page 52 of Mountain Struggle

Damien stopped. Fury and fear overtook him. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. Then she looked up at him, fear etched onto her face.

“Tess,” he whispered, coming to his knees beside her. His arms wrapped around her, mindful of the bandages on her arm.

“Damien. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in. I was just about to—”

He saw her struggling to make something up.

“It’s okay,” he said. “It’s going to be okay. I’m not going to let anybody hurt you.”

“I’m not hurt. Not really. I just can’t stop thinking about—” Her slim fingers grabbed on to her ruined shirt.

“Let me run a warm bath for you,” he said. “We’ll keep your arm and shoulder out of the water—you’ll feel better afterwards.”

Without waiting for an answer, he turned on the faucet and waited for the water to get warm, then added some shower gel. He looked at the light foam, wishing he had the right soap to fix her a proper bubble bath. The thought of Tess’s body half-hidden by a cloud of foam made him hard as a rock, but he ignored his traitorous cock.

Not the right time.

Damien helped her take her shirt off. He hissed in a breath as he caught sight of the bandages, which went from her shoulder all the way to her elbow. Her jeans were probably hiding other scrapes and bruises.

He helped her balance on one foot, then on the other, as she pulled off her jeans.

“Let’s take these off as well,” he said, pulling her panties down reverently. He caught a whiff of a scent that was just her—he wanted nothing more than to lick and suck at her until she came apart in his arms.

This is about Tess

She needs you to take care of her, not ravage her like a wild animal.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t look his fill. He loved the way her hips flared out from her slim waist—loved the light blond curls that hid her sensitive nub. And her breasts, beautiful pink-tipped globes—the perfect handful. As he watched, her nipples went hard as ski-pole tips.

Her breathing, too, was ragged. She wasn’t unaffected.

“Maybe we can forget the bath, Damien,” she whispered.

Even as his cock thickened the voice inside his head got louder.

Take care of her.

“What if I get in with you?” he said.

She looked doubtfully at the tub. “I’d like that,” she said shily. “You think we’ll both fit?”

He shrugged. He’d never used it, but it seemed like it would fit both of them, if they sat as close as he wanted them to sit.

It’s going to be torture to sit in there.

But it’s not about you.

Damien took off his dark blue polo neck, jeans and boxer shorts, letting the clothes puddle at his feet, and stepped inside the tub. The water was hot around his feet and shins—almost hotter than could be considered comfortable, though he knew it would cool quickly enough. As he sat down in the hot water, he felt his cock and balls shrivel.

Probably a good thing.

He lay down with his back against one end of the large tub, leaning one knee against each side. In direct contrast with the water, the sides of the porcelain tub were cool.

“Come on, get in,” he said, pulling gently on Tess’s hand as he helped her over the edge of the tub.

A moment later she was lying against him, her warm back against his chest.

“Mmmm,” she moaned softly.