Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
When she nodded, I shook my head. “Gonna need you to say so, honey. I absolutely will not do anything you don’t want. So, until we establish some kind of relationship between us, you’re gonna have to tell me exactly what you want. You will trust me to give you anything you want. Yes?”
She nodded again, then let out a breath and gave me a sheepish grin. “Yes. Sorry. I’m nervous.”
“We don’t have to go any further, honey. We’ll rinse off, get into some comfortable clothes, then veg out on the couch. Besides, we’ve still got half a season to go on your baking show.”
Her smile was so fucking beautiful. Hell, Annie was all fucking beautiful. I must have said the right thing because she relaxed, then picked up the shower gel again and held it out to me.
I took the bottle from her, squeezing a dollop onto my palm. The scent of coconut and lime filled the steamy air between us, mixing with a more subtle fragrance all her own.
Gently, I turned her around and started to lather her back, my fingers running in gentle circles and pressing more firmly into the muscles of her shoulders. She let out a soft sigh, leaning back into my touch as if seeking reassurance from the contact. The tension that had been building, the same one that had tightened every muscle in me as I fought against my desires and instincts, seemed to slowly unwind with each circular motion of my hands. She lay passively against me and it fulfilled something deep inside my cold heart I hadn’t realized I’d been missing.
“Feel good?” I murmured, keeping my voice low and steady despite the storm of emotions raging within me.
“Yes. Please don’t stop.”
“Long as you want, baby. Long as you want.”
I turned her again and encouraged her to lean her head back. I wet and washed her hair, soaping the long, silky strands into a thick lather. Then I rinsed it clean. I’d just finished when the water started to cool.
“Let’s get outta here. Whadda you say?”
“OK.” She had a dreamy smile on her face and she was completely relaxed. I had the feeling I wasn’t going to have to watch that crappy baking show after all.
I stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her and setting her on the counter. Then I shed my soggy boxers and wrapped a towel around my middle before picking her up again.
I took her to the couch and placed a pillow on the floor in front of me. “Sit, honey. I’ll brush your hair, then we can go to bed.”
“Mmm…” My guess was the adrenaline was leaving her system. After her panic attack, I’d expected she’d crash. The shower had served several purposes. She got used to my touch and knew she could touch me, but the soothing stimulation helped bring her down as gently as I could.
I took my time detangling and brushing her hair. I didn’t brush it completely dry, instead, I tied it back and braided the long ponytail. I wanted to give her time to settle and drift. It could make getting her to sleep easier. Hopefully without nightmares. She sometimes had them and I hadn’t admitted to her that, when I heard her, I always sat beside her bed and held her hand until she relaxed again. Without fail, she laced her fingers with mind and held on tight. Once she did that, she settled. Tonight would be different though. I was sleeping with her wrapped in my arms.
She moaned slightly when I picked her up, her head tilting to rest against my shoulder as I cradled her against my chest. I carried her to her bedroom and laid her on the bed. She was naked beneath the towel and I didn’t want to rifle through her things to find underwear or pajamas. Instead, I hurried to my room and brought back one of my shirts.
Once I had her dressed and in the bed, I crawled in beside her and settled her against my chest. She snuggled against me in her sleep, and a contentment I’d never thought to feel again in my life filled my chest. Had it felt this good with Tina? I couldn’t remember.
It had been two decades since I’d held Tina like this. If I’d felt this same connection with Tina, it hadn’t registered back then. Maybe it was true that you felt emotions more sharply as you aged because right here, in the spare bedroom of my house with this broken little pixie trying to pretend everything’s all right when it clearly wasn’t, was making me feel all kinds of emotions I hadn’t even known I possessed.
I turned my head and pressed my lips to her forehead and left them there. Her skin felt like silk against my lips. It was just one more connection I needed with her.