“It was great.”
“Closer.”
She put her head back down and moved her fingers to another scar. “It’s been so long, I wasn’t sure I’d remember where everything went. Thanks for helping with that.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome. Are you going to ask?”
“About?”
“The scars. Do you want to know what happened?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
She raised her head again. “Let me guess. Your other women were all aquiver to hear how close you came to death.” She drew in a breath and spoke in a high-pitched voice. “Oh, Walker, this one looks nasty. Tell me every little detail about what you went through.”
“So you’re not interested.”
“We just shared one of life’s greatest intimacies. Why would I want to break the mood by asking about a time when you were in horrible pain and nearly died?”
“Most women find it romantic.”
“Then you need to move in another circle, big guy.”
He chuckled. “I like your style.” He liked a lot more than that, but he didn’t want to get into that now. Instead he said, “Turn over.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Not even for money.”
“I’ve already seen it.”
“Then why do you need to see it again?”
“I’m curious.”
“It was a mistake.”
“It’s cute. Come on. I’ll show you mine.”
“You don’t have one to show.”
He touched her nose. “I have other things I could show you.”
She sighed and shifted away so she could flop on her stomach. “Fine. Just don’t make any cracks and don’t comment on my ten extra pounds.”
Why did women worry about crap like that? “There aren’t any,” he said, then leaned over until he could stare at the tiny red heart and the single tear below it on her hip.
“Why this?” he asked.
“It was right before I knew I was pregnant but after I’d finally come to realize Neil would never love anyone but himself and that he couldn’t even love himself as much as his next fix. It was a metaphorical statement, I guess. I thought I loved him.”
“You didn’t?”
“No. Not even close.” She turned onto her back and smiled at him. “I didn’t really know what love was until I had Zoe. She changed everything. I’m not even sure why I had her. Neil pressured me to get an abortion. I hadn’t thought about having kids, but when I found out I was pregnant, I just couldn’t get rid of the baby. So I took what money I’d managed to keep hidden from Neil and ran away.”
He stroked her hair, then rested his hand on her bare belly. “Where did you go?”
“A halfway house. I got a job cleaning and doing laundry. They let me stay while I had Zoe, then I saved enough for a bus ticket and came back here. I think, in the back of my mind, I figured if I moved to Seattle, my parents would be able to find me. I wanted them to still want me.”
“They did. Bobby lied, remember?”
“They had a funny way of showing it. Anyway, I got a job and a studio apartment. I’ve worked my way up to this place.”
“You’ve kept it all together. You should be proud of that.”
“I am. I like my life. Mrs. Ford is great. She’s made a big difference for Zoe and me.”
“You’ve made a difference for her. You’re family.”
She’d filled in what was missing all by herself. He admired that…and her.
“What happens now?” he asked. “With your mother.”
“I don’t know. She has to be furious and I’m still pretty pissed off myself. I guess we’ll deal with it as it comes.”
As she spoke, she stretched. Her body arched and her br**sts rose toward him. Not one to refuse that kind of an invitation, he bent down and took one nipple in his mouth. She moaned. Wanting grew inside of him as his dick went from zero to sixty in less than two seconds.
He released her and stood. “Come on,” he said, pulling her to her feet.
“Where are we going?”
“The bathroom.”
Two minutes later they stood under the hot spray. He positioned her so the warm water raced down her body, then picked up the bar of soap and rubbed it between his hands. When he’d built up enough lather, he put his hands on her br**sts and circled them. He brushed her ni**les with the center of his palm, then with his thumbs. She trembled and let her head fall back.
After the water had washed away the soap, he leaned in and licked her ni**les over and over, then lightly bit down, making her gasp. At the same time, he lathered up again, then slid one hand between her legs. The slippery soap allowed him to slide over her most sensitive area, rubbing it, then circling it. She parted her legs and reached out to brace herself on the shower walls.
But he wasn’t done with her. Once again, he allowed the water to wash away the soap, then he dropped to his knees and eased between her legs.
His erection pulsed with each heartbeat, but he ignored the pressure to take her again. That would happen, he was sure of it. This was about pleasing her.
He used his fingers to part her swollen flesh, then pressed his mouth to the very heart of her. As his tongue stroked her, he felt her tremble. He opened his mouth and sucked, then licked, repeating the actions until her breathing was ragged and she seemed close to losing control. Only then did he settle into a rhythm designed to make her lose control.