Page 30 of Refurbished

“Eion. Oh god.” While I watched, he moaned and bit his lip hard. I couldn’t hold back any longer and came right along with him. The sounds in the trailer were vulgar and glorious, and it was one of the best moments I’d had in a very long time. It just keeps getting better. How is that possible? He kissed me softly, and I returned to letting myself feel the emotions that had been bubbling. This man was special, and each time we were intimate, more feelings came to the surface, demanding attention.

“Stay there.” He got up and went into the tiny bathroom. When he came back out, he had a washcloth, which he used to wipe off my stomach and hand. When he was finished, he climbed back in, and we curled up together. His head on my chest and arm around my waist.

“That was fucking amazing,” I said, then kissed the top of his head.

“Mmmhmm. It was. Thanks for inviting me to stay.” I took a deep breath, and we both relaxed. I hadn’t shared my bed with someone since before the accident, and I felt lucky that he was the one who agreed to stay with me.

Waking up with Angus curled against my chest was like heaven. He was warm and his body hard, his breathing steady. This was what I had missed and didn’t even realize it. From where I lay, I could start coffee and keep Angus right where he was. When it was finally time to get up, I felt a little disappointed, but the animals needed feeding. The idea of being in bed all day with Angus was something I hoped to make reality someday, though. “You smell nice. It’s a shame we can’t stay here all day.” He said around a yawn. Even though I had seen him do it a few times, it was my turn to do a little wiggle. He understood my life and accepted it. He kissed my chest. “Do I smell coffee?”

“Yes. I started a cup.”

“How did you get up and get back?”

I laughed. “I started it from here.” He rolled, looked at the coffee pot, and smiled. I moved so my residual limb rested over his forearm, then rubbed over the skin like I would if I had a hand there. “It doesn’t bother you?” He rolled a little and looked at the coffee maker, then rolled back and looked up at me. I had propped myself up enough that I could look him in the eyes.

“I have to be honest here, Eion.” Instantly, a lump formed in my throat. Shit, I shouldn’t have asked. “I don’t think I can do this on the regular. Maybe I could get you something to make things more comfortable for us both.”

My eyes narrowed, and I had an urge to hit him. I hoped this was some sort of joke that was landing wrong. “Are you serious? It’s the best money can buy. Insurance will continue to pay for it for life.”

He gave me a strange look. “Insurance pays for this trailer?”

“What?” I looked at him hard. Why would he ask that question?

“You said that insurance pays for the trailer? Being with you is amazing, but this bed. I was hoping that if we made this a thing, I could help get something a little better for two people.”

I relaxed, then realized I had to clarify what I meant because he thought I was talking about where we slept. “Oh. We can talk about it more.”

“Wait, what were you talking about?” He looked at me hard, then he gave me that annoyed look.

“I. Well. I mean.” I was feeling stupid now because he hadn’t even realized what I was asking. “My arm. The nub. Does it bother you?”

“I’m going to assume that you have baggage when it comes to your injury, because that question could be insulting. To answer you, though. No. I have no problem with you as you are.” To emphasize his point, he pushed himself up and kissed his way down my chest, then placed his lips reverently on the scars where the forearm and hand used to be. Then worked his way up my bicep, across my shoulder, and to my lips, where he kissed me gently, his tongue warm in my mouth, where I teased against it with my own. Everything in me lit up, and I knew I was in a lot of trouble because this man made me feel a lot of things, and I didn’t hate it.

Actually, I liked it a lot.

Chapter fifteen

ANGUS

As I slid off of Eion, my heart broke a little. It was clear someone had damaged him. The way he worried about me seeing his injuries, and then he asked me first thing this morning. Whoever put into his brain that there was something less than about him made me furious. How dare they? Once my feet were flat on the ground and I stood naked in front of him, I reached out and took his hand.

“Angus, I want you to believe me when I say this. You are perfect exactly as you are. There is nothing about you that I don’t think is beautiful. If you continue to need reassurance, though, it’s okay. I will remind you every single day if necessary.” When I looked at him again, his eyes were glassy. I didn’t mean to hurt him, but I wanted him to really understand how great he was. Ramsey and Barnaby wandered over to us.

“Oh.” Was his response.

As he stood there, it looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t, so I kissed him gently. “I mean it.” Without covering myself up, I stepped out of his door and let our dogs out. It was still dark outside, and I needed coffee. It was going to be a great day. Unless Eion sent me home, I would spend the day with him and the animals. While Ramsey did his business, he sniffed like crazy. I knew he smelled the other animals, and I couldn’t wait to introduce him to everything he had never seen before.

“We are going to have a fun day with Eion. I like him a lot, so make a good impression, okay.” Ramsey was always the best boy, so I shouldn’t really worry. Across the way was the enclosure for the alpaca. I carefully walked across the pathway and leaned on the pipe corrals. Walter came over and snuffled at my hands. I wasn’t exactly in a position to have a treat since I was naked, but I rubbed his head.

“I’ll come back with snacks when I’ve had some coffee and put on clothes.” I patted his neck, then gave a low whistle to get Ramsey to come with me. He had wandered off, probably trying to figure out what he was actually smelling. When I stepped back inside the trailer, Eion was there. He raised an eyebrow at me.

“Did you visit with some of the animals in your birthday suit?”

I did a little spin. “I did. Do you like it?”

“Hell yes.” He grabbed me and pulled me against him. When his bare chest was pressed against mine, I melted into him. As we kissed, I tried to convey how I felt. I wasn’t very good with words, so I hoped he understood what I had to say.

“Do you mind if we hang out with you today?” I knew I had said it quietly, since something in me was actually afraid he’d say no. When he gave me a full smile, my heart fluttered, and I wanted to stand there and kiss him senseless. It was such a new feeling, but I liked it a lot. And that smile, I wanted to see it all the time.