Only Mine (Honey Mountain #5)(62)

“Lift,” I said, motioning to her arms, and she did what I said. I couldn’t believe she wasn’t fighting me, but she was exhausted, and this is what happens when your body shuts down.

I unsnapped her bra, and even though the urge to tip her back and take her nipple into my mouth was strong, I didn’t do it. I tugged my sweater over my head and dropped my jeans and briefs on the floor.

I lifted her off the counter and set her feet down on the floor before dropping to my knees and kissing her belly as I slipped her shorts and tights and panties down her legs. Her fingers gently stroked my hair, and I pushed back up.

I took her hand in mine and led her into the shower. She didn’t speak, which was very out of character. I squeezed some shampoo into my hands, and she gasped when I placed them on her head and started massaging. She groaned when I turned her around and ran my hands through her long hair, covering it in bubbles as her back rested against my chest.

The first whimper came as soon as she’d turned around and had her back to me, and then the sobs followed. I just stayed right there as she fell apart. I dropped her long, soapy hair down her shoulder and wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight. We stood under the water, not saying a word as she let it all out.

Her hand came over mine on her chest, and her breathing slowed before she finally turned around. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry for being scared, Minx. He’s your father. That shit is terrifying. You’re all right. It just makes you human like the rest of us. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

She smiled and pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed me. It was fast and soft, and this had quickly become the most intimate moment I’d ever shared with a woman. She was vulnerable, and I wanted to comfort her.

She turned back around and tipped her head back so I could continue rinsing her hair. I chuckled as the water poured down between us, water droplets rolling down her beautiful body. I reached for the nozzle above and pulled it down, guiding it over her long, silky hair as I washed all the soap away.

I turned off the water and pushed open the door, reaching for a towel on the rack beside the door before drying her hair and patting her down before lifting her arms so I could wrap the towel around her chest. I tucked the corner in between her breasts and then reached out for another towel, drying my hair quickly and then tying it around my waist.

I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, and she nuzzled into my neck before I gently set her on the bed. I climbed in next to her and rolled onto my side, and she did the same. It was completely dark outside now as I gazed out the window in her bedroom.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re okay, Minx.” I stroked her hair away from her face, and her dark brown eyes welled with emotion. There were no pops of yellow or gold today, as she was completely exhausted.

“When I was in middle school, my mom took me and Charlie and Ash to get Halloween costumes. Vivi and Ever were in high school and were too cool to be dressing up any more. All the girls my age were getting these zombie or pirate costumes. But none of those appealed to me.”

“What did you want to be?” I asked.

“My dad and I had just started watching all the Rocky movies, and I told my mom I wanted to be Rocky Balboa. She just smiled and said we could make that costume instead. She told me to always be whatever I wanted to be.” She swiped at the single tear rolling down her cheek. “So, we went home, and she went online with me, and we found everything I needed. And then Halloween came, and when I came out in my costume, my mom surprised me and came walking out in an Apollo Creed costume, and then my dad strolls out as Micky, the trainer. Because they just got me, you know? And it’s the reason that I always try to be exactly who I want to be. Because they loved me for that, which is rare.”

“Of course, they did,” I said, tugging her closer because I wanted to comfort her.

“I’m not always easy to love. And they both did. And then we lost my mom, and last night…” Her voice cracked, and I tipped her head back so I could look at her. “I thought my dad was going to die, Wolf, and that thought just scared me and made me feel so alone.” Her lip quivered, and my fucking chest seized.

I could physically feel Dylan Thomas’s pain, and that was scary as shit.

And for some reason, I didn’t care, because I wanted to take that from her.

Comfort her and make her feel better in any way I could.

“Hey, he’s okay. I’ve had close calls with friends when we were on missions, and I know how fucking scary it is to see someone who looks like there’s no life left in them. But guess what?”

“What?” she asked.

“He made it. Your dad’s a strong man. And now I know where you get all that strength.”

“He is. But he looked like he was gone in that ambulance. He wasn’t moving. Wasn’t talking. Wasn’t even coughing.”

I reached for her hand, the one that I’d just cleaned, and I kissed the palm of her hand gently, over and over. “He’s okay, Minx. And so are you.”

“Thank you for coming,” she whispered, and her voice was sleepy. “I hate you, Wolf Wayburn.”

“I hate you, too, Minx.”

And just like that, sleep took us both.

We didn’t have sex.

It wasn’t about that.