My woman was a badass.
I got her back to her penthouse, and she didn’t have an issue walking. If she was in pain, she purposely didn’t show it. She walked a little slower than usual, and when we stepped inside the lobby of her building, she purposely looked at the spot where she’d hit the floor after she’d been shot.
After a short pause, she kept walking.
We rode the elevator to the top floor and then stepped inside her apartment. It was exactly the way she’d left it, her heels next to the couch along with a glass of scotch. The ice had melted long ago, and now it was just a watered-down drink.
I hoped her home wasn’t too close to her trauma. I hoped she could feel safe here, that her sanctuary hadn’t been ruined by Bruce Carol. “We can go to my place if you’d prefer.” We would have to choose a place to live together anyway. My place was similar to hers, about the same size. Or we could pick a whole new place altogether and start over.
“This is fine.” She hit the lights, dimming them to her desired level. She looked around at her penthouse, taking it in like it was the first time she’d ever truly looked at it. She placed her hand against the wall and felt the smoothness. “I thought I would never see this place again…” She walked into her bedroom.
I followed behind her and joined her in the large bedroom.
She slowly pulled off her clothes, the change of clothes I had brought to the hospital. It was a t-shirt and sweatpants, and she slowly stripped everything away.
I got on my knees and helped her undress, knowing she was unsteady even though she refused to show it. When she was in just her panties, I tried not to look at her in a way I shouldn’t. But my lips couldn’t be controlled, and I pressed a kiss to the inside of her thigh. I quickly turned my face away and stood upright, pushing the thought from my mind. Even with the enormous gauze wrapped around her chest, covering her wound and her tits, I still thought the naked sight of her was undeniably arousing. “How about I make you something to eat?”
“I’m not hungry. But thank you.” She looked at me with her pretty face, her cheeks a little more hollow because she seemed to have lost some weight. The color had returned to her cheeks, and the affection in her eyes was undeniable. The second I’d kissed her inner thigh, the same thoughts had come into her mind.
I grabbed one of my t-shirts from the drawer and pulled it over her lithe body. I covered her beautiful skin, her toned stomach and her sexy hips. My fingers couldn’t resist touching her panties, so I moved them across the band before I pulled them away.
“Could you grab my laptop?” she asked. “It’s in my bag in the living room.”
I knew exactly what she wanted it for. “No.”
Her eyebrow immediately rose. “Excuse me?”
“No working.”
She flashed me an incredulous look. “Diesel, I have a lot to catch up on.”
“Yes—your health.” I turned away from her and pulled my shirt over my head before I tossed it in the laundry basket. “That’s all you should be focusing on.” I pulled a t-shirt out of my drawer and pulled it over my head. When I turned back to her, her eyes were erupting with lava.
“Let’s get something straight, Diesel. You don’t tell me what to do, whether you’re my husband or not.”
“Actually, I do. And you’ll do the same for me when I need to hear it.”
Her anger didn’t dim.
“Thorn is taking care of the office, so there’s nothing for you to do anyway.”
“There’s always something for me to do. Thorn has his own work to handle.”
“He wouldn’t offer if he couldn’t handle it. This discussion is over.” I dropped my jeans and placed them in the basket.
Now she looked terrifying. Her eyes narrowed on my face like she was about to take me down. “This discussion isn’t over just because you say it is. If you want to marry me, you’re going to have to—”
I shut her up with a kiss. I wrapped my hands around her waist, and I pressed my mouth to hers. I kissed her slowly, my lips feeling hers sensually. I breathed into her mouth; she breathed back. Our mouths fell into place, and we embraced each other slowly. My tongue moved into her mouth and was immediately greeted by her own. I slipped my hand into her hair, and I deepened the kiss. Out of my control, my cock hardened, and I pictured her on her back, her legs open around my waist as she moaned with every thrust I gave her. My sexual desire wasn’t lustful in nature. I just missed being with her, being connected in the most intimate way possible. I’d asked her to be my wife and I’d made love to her for the rest of the night, but then the following day, everything changed.
I ended the embrace before I lost my self-control altogether. “No fighting. We’ve been through too much to fight.” I rubbed my nose against hers and stared at the calmness in her eyes. “I know you aren’t the kind of woman who can be bossed around. It’s one of the reasons I want to marry you. But we’re in a different circumstance right now. We need to focus on getting you better. Work is just work. It’ll still be there when you get back.”
Titan dropped the fight and didn’t revisit it again. She took it easy as I asked, spending her time watching old classics like I Love Lucy. Showering was difficult because of her gauze. It had to be protected from the water, so I covered her with a waterproof garbage bag.
Seeing her naked didn’t help my restraint.
I
