More, she thought desperately as he moved faster. More and more and…
She came with an unexpected shudder. Her orgasm rushed through her body, filling every cell, making her cry out. It went on and on, thrilling her, satisfying her, muscles shuddering, skin quivering. And when it was nearly over, he shifted on the cushion, straightening, then he lowered her onto him.
She let him guide her down until she settled on his erection. The unexpected fullness as he pushed inside shocked her back into climax. This time she came from the inside.
Even as the pleasure staggered her, she opened her eyes and found him watching her.
It was too intimate, she told herself. He shouldn’t be seeing this. But she couldn’t seem to close her eyes. Then she was moving up and down and he was coming and they were lost in each other.
She saw him tense, saw the moment his orgasm took over, knew that for those few seconds, he was hers.
She rode him until he was done, then she was still.
When their breathing returned to normal, Skye braced herself for what would happen next. Last time she’d felt ashamed and Mitch had become cruel. Now she was more vulnerable than before. She felt naked and raw, but she couldn’t seem to pull up any emotional protection.
Instead of lashing out at her, he stared into her eyes, then tucked her hair behind her ears.
“You okay?” he asked.
A simple question. Nothing fancy or special, but still she found herself fighting tears.
“I’m good.”
“Me, too.” He smiled, his expression one of a very satisfied male.
She moved off of him and stood. Once again she found herself the one who had undressed while he had little to do except straighten his jeans and pull up a zipper.
But this time he grabbed a crutch and stood, then reached for her panties and passed them to her.
“I’d offer to help,” he said, his gaze lingering on her breasts. “But that would only slow you down.”
She pulled on her bikini panties, then picked up her bra.
“Wait,” he said, and carefully pulled her against him.
She went willingly into his arms. Although they touched, she didn’t lean against him. That might throw him off balance.
How was he adjusting? What did he miss the most? Was there still pain? All questions she wasn’t comfortable asking. She wasn’t a part of the healing process. She wasn’t sure what, if any, part she had in Mitch’s life.
He kissed her, the movement of his mouth making her want him again.
Long locked-away feelings woke and stretched. They pushed against the walls of her heart, as if seeking light and a chance to grow.
Care about Mitch again? Risk it all?
The thought was as exciting as it was terrifying. That road was a dangerous one. There was Erin to consider and everything else going on in her life. She couldn’t be sure where his heart was and they were both very different people now.
She drew back and fastened her bra, then quickly finished dressing.
“I’ll see you at the party,” he told her.
Party? What…oh. The one she’d asked him to attend. Because he was helping her. He was on her side.
“I’ll be the one making sure it all flows smoothly,” she said with a smile. As if her insides weren’t shaking. As if she wasn’t more scared than she’d been in forever.
She couldn’t give her heart back to Mitch. It had taken her nearly all this time to get over him. If she fell in love with him again and got hurt, she might never figure out how to be whole.
MITCH STOOD in the center of the physical therapy center and watched the other patients work on their problems. There was plenty of sweat and cursing, not to mention a few tears. But everyone there was making progress.
Three weeks ago, he’d been walking around on a prosthesis. Now he was stuck on crutches and he hated every minute of it. Hated it enough to do what he was told.
The receptionist, a young woman in a bright shirt covered with dancing teddy bears, smiled. “Mitch Cassidy?” she asked. “Joss is expecting you.” She picked up a chart. “If you’ll follow me to exam room one.”
He limped along behind her on the smooth floor. She held open the door and waited until he was inside before flashing him a smile and retreating.
Less than two minutes later, Joss entered, flipping through the chart. “You can’t be here without a note from your doctor,” he said, not looking up from the pages.
Mitch pulled it out of his back pocket and passed it over.
“How do I know it’s not faked?” Joss asked.
Mitch laughed. “Because I’m not that stupid. You’ll call and check.”
“You bet your ass I will. He’d better tell me you’re cleared to be back on your prosthesis, or I’ll break your other leg.”
Mitch settled on the examining table, drawing his crutches up next to him before unrolling his pant leg.
“Having much pain?”
Mitch desperately wanted his prosthesis back, but knew he had to change if he wanted to stay healthy. “Some,” he admitted. “More an ache than a sharp pain.”
“Uh-huh.” Joss massaged the stump. “You doing the exercises I e-mailed you?”
“Twice a day.”
“Ready to come back to therapy as often as I tell you?”
Mitch knew he didn’t have a choice. “Yes.”
Joss straightened. “What about group therapy? Want to get all touchy-feely with a bunch of strangers, then go hug a tree?”
Mitch managed a weak smile. “Do I have to hug a tree?”
“Is that a yes?”
He nodded. “It’s a yes.”
“Smart answer.”
Joss left the examining room and returned a few minutes later carrying the prosthesis. The new socket looked different.
“I made some modifications,” Joss told him, handing over the leg. “It should be more comfortable. I want you to go easy, too. No more than a half hour at a time the first couple of days, with at least an hour off. Ease into it. You screw this up, Mitch, and I swear I’ll beat the shit out of you myself.”
The anger was still there, Mitch thought, as the feeling surged over him. The difference was he no longer felt the need to react to it. Yeah, he was pissed. So what? Being pissed hadn’t gotten him anything but in the hospital and back on crutches. The past few weeks had taught him he wanted to walk more than he wanted to be mad.
If nothing else, it was a start.
CHAPTER TEN
SKYE DRESSED carefully for the cocktail party. She’d hosted a hundred more just like it, but this one was different. At least it was from her perspective…mostly because Mitch was coming.
Craziness, she told herself. She’d asked for help and he’d agreed. So he wasn’t being a jackass anymore. He was adjusting, that was it. Nothing significant had happened between them.
Her mind immediately flashed to them making love. While she wanted to get all girly about the event, she knew she shouldn’t read too much into it. If she did, she might be the only one. Mitch likely wasn’t getting all gooey inside when he thought about them doing it.
She slipped on her shoes and made her way downstairs to her party office. The catering staff had already set up in the kitchen. She reviewed the menus before checking the food they’d brought.
