When the bandage was pulled away, anger rushed up from my toes, making my fist clench. “Jesus,” I whispered, gazing down at the mottled, gross bruises on her normally blemish-free flesh.
“How bad does it hurt?” I whispered, gently cupping her wrist and hand.
“Not terribly,” she replied and grinned conspiratorially. “He gave me a pretty good pain pill.”
I found myself drowning in her eyes, getting lost and never wanting to find my way out again.
“Which is another reason I need to shower now.” She went on, unknowingly pulling me back. “I want to do this before that pill wears off.”
I frowned. I knew she was hurting a lot worse than she was saying. Hell, she had stitches in her face.
“How are you going to wash yourself with one hand and keep your face out of the water?”
“I like a challenge,” she countered.
Even after everything, she still had the kind of spirit that took everything in stride.
Making a sudden decision, I reached in and turned on the shower. Next, I pulled off my shirt, tossed it on the floor, and kicked off my shoes.
“What are you doing?” she asked, alarmed.
“You need help.”
“No!” She gasped, shaking her head for extra denial. “No. I’m perfectly capable of taking a shower.”
“You couldn’t even take off your bandage,” I pointed out.
She gave an insufferable sigh and hopped off the counter. I didn’t bother pointing out that motion made her grimace in pain.
Folding my arms over my chest, I stood there and watched her. “You’re moving like a ninety-year-old woman with a bad hip.”
“Am not!” she tossed out.
With her back turned, she reached for the button on her jeans, and through the mirror, I saw her contort in pain when her raw fingers fought with it.
I growled and moved around, brushing her hand away, deftly undid the button, and slid down the zipper. She gasped as though I’d accosted her and stared accusingly.
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll leave my jeans on.” Gesturing toward her, I added, “You can leave on your underwear.”
“No!” she asserted and shoved me out of the bathroom, shutting the door in my face.
I couldn’t help it. I grinned at the wood like it was the funniest thing I’d ever seen.
God, she was adorable.
I stood outside the door, grinning, until I heard her swearing and fumbling around a few minutes later. Enough was enough.
Pushing open the door, I was just in time to see her struggling to pull off the snug jeans using one raw hand and then toppling over toward the floor.
“Whoa.” I rushed forward and caught her around the waist, lifted her with one arm, and peeled the jeans off her with the other while her feet dangled over the tiles.
“Alex!”
“One concussion is enough for tonight,” I said, tossing the jeans on the floor. When she was back on her feet, she scowled at me. I ignored it and reached for the zipper on the red coat.
Her hand covered mine, stopping me from pulling it down, and our eyes met.
“You’re safe with me, Brina. You know that.”
“Define safe,” she whispered.
Need slammed through me, but I shoved it back. “I just want to help you. Okay?” Then, because I thought it would help, I added, “You can help me, too. I need to wash off this blood and can’t get my stitches wet either.”
Concern filled her eyes, and the hand covering mine fell away.
I slid the zipper down, and the coat fell in puddle at her feet.
Steam filled the bathroom, clouding up the mirror and making the air feel balmy. She turned and stepped into the glass enclosure, glancing back at me with uncertain eyes.
Leaving my jeans on, I stepped in behind her and shut the door.
The only sound in the room was the spray of the shower and the water drops hitting the tile floor. Brina tilted her head back, and I used my hands to guide it and wet her hair, taking care to make sure her cheek with the stitches didn’t get wet.
I tried not to notice how immediately her bra and panties got saturated and molded to her body like a second skin. The bra was black, so it wasn’t see-through, but it only had a strap on one shoulder, leaving the other one very bare. Despite the warm temperature of the water, her nipples were erect and so stiff I could see them through the material.
Clearing my throat, I asked, “Are you warm enough?”
She nodded but said nothing else.
When she reached for the body wash, I pushed her hand away and washed her myself. Touching her as if this had been literally a dream up until now.
I would have reveled in it a little more if while I washed her, I didn’t become acutely acquainted with all the injuries all over her body. She was bruised everywhere. Road rash covered her back, her legs, and even parts of her arms.
I washed gingerly, barely touching her with the soapy cloth, afraid even the slightest of touch would cause her extra pain.
“You doing okay?” I asked, lowering to wash her feet.
When she said nothing, I straightened. She was looking away, long strands of wet hair clinging to her shoulders and chest.
“Brina,” I said, touching her shoulder.
When she turned, I saw the tears on her cheeks and the way she was biting her lip to keep from making a sound.
“Baby, did I hurt you?” I worried, dropping the cloth onto the floor and wrapping my hands around her waist.
She shook her head.
“Then what is it? Tell me what’s wrong.” I cajoled, reaching up to derail a tear from falling onto the bandage on her cheek.
“I’ve just—” She began but then stopped and shook her head.
I drew back, searching her face. The pain in her eyes made me think she was lying and I really had hurt her.
Drawing in a shaky breath, she looked at me, away, then whispered, “I’ve imagined this a thousand times.”
My chest felt tight. The emotion rolling off her was making it hard to breath. So I did what I always did when I didn’t know what else to do. Made a joke. Smirking, I asked, “You’ve imagined me taking a shower in my jeans a thousand times?”
The corner of her mouth lifted, but the humor didn’t reach her eyes. When she looked at me, the pain from earlier was there, and I realized it wasn’t physical. It was heartbreak.
“You. Me. Us. Taking care of each other like this.”
Beneath my ribs, my heart somersaulted. I turned us so my back was against the spray and she was out of it completely. Careful of her raw chin, I cupped her face. “I’ve imagined it, too.”
Tears clung to her lashes, creating a frame for the anticipation flaring in her eyes. “Really?”
Heat burned through me. All that want and need pulsing inside me before came rushing back like a double shot of adrenaline.
Moving closer, my wet, jean-clad legs brushed against her bare ones. Our feet were so close her toes bumped mine. Her chest rose and fell with a deep breath, and at her waist, my fingertips pressed deeper into her skin.
I watched her intently. The distance between us closed. Our gazes held until our lips touched and sight gave way to feeling. Looking at each other was no longer necessary; the way she felt against me, the way she felt inside me was so much more profound than anything I would ever find just looking at her.
My skin hummed as we kissed, my mouth slanted over hers like the water slanting over my back. I’d kissed her since she arrived here at BearPaw. I’d kissed her many times three years ago.
Standing here half clothed in the shower, with scrapes and bruises covering both of us—this kiss felt different.
It felt new.
It was the combination of the unwavering passion between us, stark, indescribable need, and a note of something I hadn’t tasted on her lips before.
This kiss promised something, something we never had before.
Endurance.
As our lips met again and again, as my tongue made love to her mouth, confidence filled me. This time we could endure.
Three years ago, I kissed her for the last time.
Tonight was our first kiss to forever.
Sabrina
His tongue was warmer than the steamy air. His fingers glided over my bare skin more skillfully than the water.
I’d wanted him to touch me this way for so long. This moment became surreal, almost like a dream. So much so that a weighted veil fell over me, muting everything beyond him, including all the aches and pains in my body.
My fingers trembled when I dragged them over his chest and let them skim down his pecs and over his washboard abs. My thumb circled his belly button, making his muscles contract, and his hip muscles flexed, creating an even deeper V, disappearing below the waistband of his jeans.
Skirting around to his back, I followed his spine up the center until his teeth nipped at my lower lip and my fingertips dug in, clinging to his solid frame as he sucked my lower lip between his.
One hand curled around my hip so he could palm my ass and push my body fully against his. The full contact made me gasp. My lip popped out of his mouth, and my head fell back. Gazing up at him through hazy eyes, I watched his cool gaze rake over me before he claimed my mouth again.
I shivered when his fingertips grazed my side, flirting over my rib cage and then caressing the side of my breast. An ache began to throb inside my panties as he repeated the movement, teasing my breast with a barely there touch.
Alex’s hand worked around to the center of my back where the clasp on my bra rested. He plucked at it, making me pant, but didn’t unhook it. I squirmed closer to him, arching into his slick, bare chest, and pulled my mouth away. Tenderly, he pressed a kiss against my forehead at the same moment he freed the clasp.
The ends of the bra fell open, and he rubbed over my back with his wide, skilled hand before moving back just enough to peel the black fabric away.
I leaned against the shower wall, my hips jutting out, my breasts now fully exposed. My skin was wet and taut, my nipples puckered and begging. The bra made a slapping sound against the shower floor, but neither of us noticed. His stare latched onto my chest, and his teeth sank into his lower lip.
He made a sound, hovering his hands over them but leaving enough space that he wasn’t touching me. Oh, I wanted him to touch me. I wanted to feel the weight of his hands, the sensation of his skin on mine.
Finally, he made contact, settling both palms over me and massaging just enough to make my eyes flutter closed. The back of my head fell against the tile, and I gave myself up to the way he kneaded and teased my aching flesh. Little tingles of pain shot into my core, making my inner muscles clench.
I jolted a bit when, unexpectedly, his lips brushed over mine, pulled away, then brushed over me again.
I opened to see him watching. The shocking lightness of his eyes penetrated me, making me feel he was already inside me even though we both still had on clothes.
He held my eyes as he sank to his knees, still holding both breasts in his palms. My stomach fell to my feet when he leaned in, flicking a tongue over a hard nipple, and I moaned. My eyes slid closed when his lips latched on, sucking and teasing the sensitive flesh until I began to pant.
I grabbed his head, either to push him away or pull him in tighter, but I never got to see which I would do because my thumb brushed over the bandage on his forehead, and a little reality snuck back in.
Picking up a cloth, I held it beneath the spray before using it to clean Alex. An appreciative sound filled the shower. He tilted his head back and remained on his knees while I gently cleaned his face and head, taking great care not to disturb the bandage or his stitches.
When I was done, he rose but stayed close enough that our bodies still touched. I reached for the button on his jeans. After fumbling with it, he half smiled and kissed me while he undid the pants himself. Once they were gone, he washed the rest of him quickly while I watched with passion-drunk eyes.
The water shut off abruptly, and he reached for me. I didn’t know where I found the strength in my wobbly limbs to climb up his body, but I did, locking my thighs around his waist. Alex held me like I was weightless, confidently stepping out of the shower, and maneuvered through the bathroom with ease. He snagged a large, fluffy towel off the rack to drape over me before reaching for the door handle.
Before pulling the door open, his eyes met mine. “Tell me yes, kitten.”
Oh God, his voice was velvety and dark. The pure seduction in those words and the way his hard body felt against mine was impossible to deny.
“Yes.”
The air in the bedroom felt cold when he strode through, so I pushed closer to him as he walked toward the bed. Once there, he stood me on my feet and deftly but gently towel-dried my body before quickly doing the same for himself.
His body was incredible, muscular but not perfect. The body of a man, not a god. The scars he wore were from battles fought and survived. They were permanent reminders he’d seen things most people couldn’t even fathom.
“Hey,” he murmured, crouching so our eyes were on the same level. “You sure you’re up for this tonight?”
I half smiled, suddenly feeling a little sassy. “‘Course. I have a concussion. I have to do something to pass the time until I can go to sleep.”
Alex threw back his head and laughed. His white teeth flashed in the dim bedroom, and renewed want swept over me again.
Not wanting to lose the private world we tumbled into, I slipped my fingers beneath the waistband of his boxers and tugged him close once more. “I’ve wanted you for so long, Alex,” I whispered.
His eyes deepened, and a rough sound echoed through the room. He picked me up again, my bare breasts rubbing against his chest. The sensation of his hard chest against my swollen nipples made me rub against him for more.
The blankets on the bed were cold against my back, but it was merely a passing realization because Alex settled over me and everything else fell away.
We kissed and stroked each other until our bodies demanded more, and he rose between my legs to pull the boxers from his body. My toes curled against the sheets when I got my first look at his impressive length. Anticipation made my knees shake as I watched it jerk beneath my stare.
The second my panties were gone, Alex pushed my thighs wide and settled between them, making me sigh. I wiggled, wanting our bodies to meet, but he chuckled and kissed the side of my lips, moving so it wasn’t his cock that touched me, but this hand.
I groaned when he slipped one finger and then a second inside me. My hips arched up, granting better access, and his lips latched onto my breast.
I writhed beneath him as his fingers slid in and out and his tongue stroked boldly over my erect nipples. I was gasping when he slowly slid out of me, planting a hand on either side of my head.
I tried to watch him as he entered, but my God, he felt so incredibly good my eyes wouldn’t stay open. I melted against the mattress like ice cream on a hot day. A languid purr vibrated my throat as I grabbed at his hips to pull him deeper.
His throaty laugh only made me want him more, and I made an impatient sound, telling him exactly what I craved.
Alex slid the rest of the way in a single stroke, and my eyes went wide when his swollen head boldly brushed against my inner walls.
Watching me, he rocked his hips, stroking that spot again and again until all I did was moan. Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, he pulled out, leaving me feeling empty, and then surged back in with a single thrust.
I whimpered his name, and he began to move. He set a punishing pace that overran my body with sensation after sensation, and all I could do was feel. Bliss rolled over me in a continuous wave until I rose higher and higher, ready to plunge over the edge.
I thrust up, and he ground against me, shattering me into a million pieces.
I called out his name over and over as the orgasm flowed over m
e, until I sagged against the mattress, completely satiated and spent.
Using his arms, he lowered until his chest hovered just above mine, and he kissed me, long and deep, somehow drawing out the desire for more. Rising above me again, he filled my entire sight, becoming quite easily my entire world. His body stiffened, and I felt him begin to pulse inside me. I lifted, taking him just a little deeper, and a rough cry filled the room. He pulsed and quaked over me, spilling every ounce of pleasure he had inside me. My body drank him in, satisfying every part of me in a bone-deep way.
When he finally rolled to the side, it was because his arm muscles quivered from supporting his weight over me for so long. As he moved, he pulled me with him, draping my body over his chest and locking both arms around me.
We stayed like that for a long time.
Alex
I sensed him overhead, sort of like a bat senses vibration. It wasn’t vibration, though, that made his presence known to me. It was disgust.
I didn’t look up until after I fired my weapon. The bullet hit the target I still couldn’t see. I heard him cry out. I fired again.
He didn’t cry out this time because this bullet rendered him instantly dead.
Like a ragdoll, the terrorist dropped off the roof of the shack, landing close by. The sand underfoot muffled some of the sound he made, the bloodbath around us muted the rest.
On my way into the shack, I stepped over the other man I’d just killed and glanced at the one who’d been perched on the roof. The first bullet hit him in the shoulder. Actually, no, the collarbone. I bet that hurt like a bitch.
The second bullet went right between his eyes, creating a neat little hole in his forehead. His eyes were blank and stared at me accusingly. I spit out the sand in my mouth and kept walking, but not before I noticed the mess the back of his head had made on the sand around him.
The door to the shack collapsed when I kicked it. Whatever it was constructed of flung in every direction as I lunged into the room.
“Ice!” Wells yelled. “Behind you!”
Forgoing the gun strapped to my chest, I unleashed a blade I kept in my sleeve. My arm sliced through the air behind me, jamming the blade deep into the body of the man trying to grab me from behind.
Subzero (BearPaw Resort Book 4) Page 16