Lick (Stage Dive, #1)(44)

Beneath me his chest rose and fell heavily. “Okay.”

“I know it takes time to learn to trust someone. But in the meantime, I need you to at least give me the benefit of the doubt.”

“I know.” Wary blue eyes watched me.

I sat up and reached for the washcloth on the edge of the bath. “Let me clean you up a little.”

A dark lump sat on his jaw. Blood lingered beneath his nose and near his mouth. He was a mess. A big red mark was on his ribs.

“You should see a doctor,” I said.

“Nothing’s broken.”

Carefully, I wiped the blood from the side of his mouth and beneath his nose. Seeing him in pain was horrible. Knowing I was the cause made my stomach twist and turn. “Tell me if I press too hard.”

“You’re fine.”

“I’m sorry you got hurt. In the bar tonight, and in Vegas. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

His eyes softened and his hands slid over me. “I want you to come back to LA with me. I want you with me. I know school will start back eventually and we’re gonna have to work something out. But whatever happens, I don’t want us apart.”

“We’re not going to be.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”





CHAPTER THIRTEEN




Morning light woke me. I rolled over and stretched, working out the kinks. David lay on his back beside me, fast asleep. He had an arm flung over his face, covering his eyes. With him there, everything was right with my world. But also, everything was on show. He’d kicked off the sheet sometime during the night. So the morning wood thing was true. There you go. Lauren had been right on that count.

Waking up beside him with my wedding ring back on my finger had me grinning like a loon. Of course waking up beside a bare-naked David would have made just about anybody smile. Between my legs felt a little sore from last night’s efforts, but nothing too bad. Nothing sufficient to distract me from the view that was my husband.

I shuffled down the bed a bit, checking him out at my leisure for once. He didn’t have much of a belly button. It was basically a small indent followed by a fine trail of dark hair leading down across his flat stomach directly to it. And it was hard, thick, and long.

It being his penis, of course.

Gah. No, that didn’t sound right.

His cock. Yeah, much better.

We’d sat in the warm bath for a while last night at his insistence, soaking. We’d just talked. It had been lovely. There’d been no mention of the woman who’d obviously cheated on him and/or left him at some time in his past. But I’d felt her presence lurking. Time would kick her out the back door, I was sure of it.

He smelled faintly of soap, a little musky, perhaps. Warm wasn’t something I’d ever registered as having a smell before, but that’s what David smelled of. Warmth, like he was liquid sunshine or something. Heat and comfort and home.

I quickly checked his face. His eyes were still closed beneath the length of his arm, thank goodness. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. I really didn’t need him catching me sniffing at his crotch, no matter how poetic my thoughts. That would be embarrassment on a scale I’d prefer not to experience.

The skin looked super smooth despite the veins and the head stood out distinctly. He was uncut. Curiosity got the better of me, or maybe it already had. With all of his front half at my disposal, look where I’d wound up. I gently laid the palm of my hand atop him. The skin was soft and warm. Carefully, I wrapped my fingers around him. His cock twitched and I jerked back, startled.

David burst out laughing, loud and long.

Bastard.

Embarrassment was a dam that had burst wide open inside of me. Heat flashed up my neck.

“I’m sorry,” he said, reaching for me with his hand. “But you should have seen your face.”

“It’s not funny.”

“Baby, you wouldn’t believe how f*cking funny it was.” He wrapped his fingers around my wrist, dragging me up and onto him. “Come here. Aw, the tips of your ears are all pink.”

“No they’re not,” I mumbled, lying across his chest.

He stroked my back, still sniggering. “Don’t let this scar you for life though, hey? I like you touching me.”

I huffed noncommittally.

“You know, if you play with my dick things will always happen. I guarantee it.”

“I know that.” The crook of his neck was handy for burying my hot face in, so I took full advantage. “I just got a surprise.”

“You sure did.” He squeezed me tight then slid a hand down to cup my bottom. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“A little sore,” I admitted. “A lot happy. Though that was before you callously mocked me.”

“Poor baby. Let me see,” he said, rolling me over onto the mattress until he was on top.

“What?”

He sat up between my legs with a hand holding my knees open. With a practiced eye he checked me over. “You don’t look too swollen. Probably just a bit sore inside, yeah?”

“Probably.” I tried to pull my legs up, to close them. Because I heartily doubted having him look at me there in that way helped the color of my ear tips.