My captain asks her a lot of questions, which is procedure and understandable, but it gets on my nerves anyway. At some point, Davis goes inside, fills Eve’s boss in on what happened, and retrieves my SUV from the other side of the hotel.
I’m grateful because now I don’t have to parade Eve past anyone to get her to the car.
It’s midafternoon before I finally tuck her in the passenger seat and round the hood.
My boss stops me before I open my door. His brow is furrowed.
“We need to talk,” I tell him.
“I figured that was coming.” He sighs.
I nod at him as I climb into the SUV.
It seems like it takes an eternity to get back to Eve’s apartment, and I’m proud of her. She never fell apart. Not even while she was being grilled for information, and not now that she’s in the relative safety of the car.
She doesn’t fall apart when we get inside her apartment either. I’m actually a bit concerned as I take her hand and lead her directly to the master bathroom. I know the only thing that might help her center is a bath, so I turn on the water and plug the stopper in the bottom before I turn back to her.
She’s smiling at me, her gaze clearer than expected. “Thank you.” She cups my face.
I set my hand over hers. “For what, baby?”
“For saving my life. For being there for me. For taking care of me for two weeks. For being everything I needed. A man. A Dom. A Daddy. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
I sit on the toilet and pull her between my legs so I can hug her against me. “Any time, baby. Any time.” When the tub is full, I release her to turn the water off, help her out of her clothes, and take her hand as she steps into the water. “Bubbles?”
She grins. “Yes, please.”
I add her favorite bubbles and roll up a towel to set behind her neck so she can lean back. I sit on the edge of the tub and stroke her cheek while she closes her eyes. She looks almost peaceful. “You okay?” I ask, concerned.
“Yeah. I’m good.”
“I’m sorry I had to take Bates out. That must have scared the hell out of you.”
She blinks at me. “I’m just glad you’re a good shot.”
I chuckle. “One of the best. I wouldn’t have taken the shot if I thought I’d miss.”
“I appreciate you not missing,” she jokes as she leans forward and picks up the body wash. She holds it out to me. “Will you wash me?” Her voice is dipping. Adult Eve is about to flee the apartment.
“I’d love to, baby.” I pour plenty of soap in a washcloth and start with her hands, massaging her fingers and up her arms. I take my time. There’s nothing I enjoy more than taking care of Eve.
As I continue, I worry about the elephant in the room. I need to talk to her about us, but I don’t want to disturb her bliss, nor do I think now is the time to bring up the future. She’s been through a lot. Her brain is overloaded. That’s why she’s turned her care over to me.
After I finish washing her, I let her sit in the tub until the water gets too cool before I pull the drain and help her out. I dry her off, wrap her in the towel, and swing her up into my arms.
She squeals. “Colton…”
I carry her to the bed, and drop her unceremoniously on top, letting her bounce, which makes her giggle. I love that sound. I strip away the towel and pull the covers up over her.
With my hand on her hip, I stare down at her. I’m the luckiest bastard alive.
“I’m not tired. I don’t need to sleep right now,” she tells me.
“You should be exhausted. You’ve been through a trauma.”
“You have too. I wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger. Doesn’t that bother you?”
I stroke her hip through the covers. “It’s not my favorite thing to do, but it happens sometimes. I’ve learned to manage it. I’m trained not to hesitate. When lives are on the line, I know what has to be done, and I do it.”
“How many people have you had to shoot?”
“I don’t think you want numbers, baby. I’ve killed a few people. Always when it was necessary to save other lives. Today that life was yours.”
She shoves to sitting and reaches for my shirt. “Join me.”
I let her pull my shirt over my head. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
I stand and remove the rest of my clothes before climbing under the covers with her.
When she reaches for me, I pull her hands over her head and clasp her wrists in one of my palms.
She whimpers. “I always go from zero to ninety-nine when you hold me down like this.”
“Just ninety-nine?” I tease.
“Out of ten,” she responds, making me chuckle.
“Well, good, because I like holding you down while I torment your body.” I grab her hip with my free hand and lean over to suck one of her nipples into my mouth. The moan that escapes her lips is like music in the quiet room. There’s nothing sweeter than the little noises she makes when I make love to her.
I lift one leg and situate it between hers, forcing her to part her knees. This makes her arch her back, also delightful.
When I reach between her thighs, I find her soaked. Swollen. Hot. Wet. Greedy. I love it. I love everything about her.
I’m a damn lucky man.
Chapter 32
Evelyn
I wake up Sunday morning to the smell of bacon, and I smile. Colt is cooking. He’s an amazing cook, and that’s good because he’s done most
