“Yes.”
“Did you break up with him?”
“Several times.”
“Did you go back to him? Or him to you?”
“He always came to me. Apologized, swore he’d never do it again. I took him back like an—”
I smiled, pressed my lips to the top of her head. “Good girl. Did he hit you?”
“No. Never. I wouldn’t put up with that.”
“But you let him screw around and you took him back.”
“I always made him use a condom,” she said defensively, as though that was the only problem with the scenario.
“Because you’re smart. That doesn’t mean he deserved you.”
Heaven didn’t say a word, her head resting back against my chest as I continued to tease her nipples. She shivered again and I knew it was time to give up the pool.
I took her wrists, lowered her arms, then turned her.
“Are you mad?” she asked, her voice soft, uncertain.
“Not at all.” I tipped her chin up, pressed my lips to hers. “I’m taking you inside so I can warm you up.”
Her eyes widened, and for a second, I thought she would run.
I gripped her chin more firmly, met her gaze. “Heaven, with me, it’s always your choice. At any time. I don’t assume anything. When you want to stop, say the word.”
She nodded.
Regardless of what happened next, I knew I had to get her inside, warm her up. The night air was cool, and I didn’t want to risk her catching a cold.
I hooked one arm under her legs, lifted her up, made her laugh. The sound loosened something inside me.
By the time I made it to her bedroom, her teeth were chattering.
“Shower with me?” I asked, ensuring she knew it was her choice.
“Yes.”
I padded to the bathroom, set her down long enough to turn the water on. It heated instantly and I dragged her into the glass enclosure, pulling her against me as I let the hot water pour over us both.
“Did he force you?” I asked, needing to know the demons in her past.
“No. Never.” She pulled back, looked up at me. “He just used sex against me. Accused me of only wanting him for sex.”
“That’s rich,” I grumbled.
“He did it enough, I started to wonder if that was true.”
“He was guilting you because of his own guilt,” I told her.
“When I think about it rationally, I know that’s true. It’s just…”
I stepped back, grabbed the body wash, poured a generous amount in my hands. “Just what?” I made a spinning motion with my finger. “Turn around.”
She faced away from me and I used my soapy hands on her skin, slicking her shoulders, her neck, massaging her as I went. I took my time, working down her back.
“I’ve always had a high sex drive.”
“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing,” I said as I cupped her ass with my hands, squeezed.
“According to Danny, it was.”
“Because he was getting it elsewhere,” I said simply.
“Yeah. I know.”
I got more soap, continued down one leg, then back up the other. On one knee, I told her to turn around. With her facing me, I worked my way up her body, paying special attention to her most private parts.
She was panting, her eyes closed, by the time I was finished. When I dropped my hands, her eyes shot open.
I grinned. “Your turn.” I held out the body wash.
“My turn? Really?” She sounded intrigued by the idea.
“Yes.” I chuckled. “But no playing. Not yet.”
Her lower lip puffed out in a pout, but she didn’t say a word as she began the same trail I’d made, only on my body this time.
“How tall are you?” she asked.
“Six four. You?”
“Five two.”
“And I’m sure I outweigh you by a hundred pounds.”
“I could stand to lose a few,” she said absently.
My muscles tensed and I knew she could feel my disappointment. “What was that?”
“Nothing. I … uh…” Her hands trailed up to my cock.
The instant her fingers curled around me, I grabbed her wrist. “What did I say?”
“I’m sorry.” She sounded anything but. “It’s a hard habit to break. The derogatory self-reflection, that is. I’ve spent so long thinking I was”—her eyes held mine—“not good enough.”
“I can promise you, by the time this is over, I’ll have proven to you just how untrue that is.”
Something passed over her face, an emotion I couldn’t place. “By the time this is over?”
I didn’t look away. Couldn’t.
“Does that mean there’s a timer that’s been set? Once that time’s up…?”
Taking both her wrists in my hands, I backed her up against the tile wall. She never flinched, never looked away.
“Pleasure, Heaven. That’s what this is about. Nothing more, nothing less,” I told her. “You’re here so we can keep you safe. Until the threat is eliminated. Why shouldn’t we enjoy ourselves?”
I couldn’t lie to her. What I really wanted was currently curled up in bed with my brother. It pained me not to have time with Everly, but I knew it would come. But what my brother needed was equally important to me.
