VANGUARD(60)

She had been allowed plain toast and sliced bananas with tea that morning, a step up from the mush of the day before. She nodded.

“Perhaps a shower now?”

Five minutes later, she stood under the spray, giving thanks for hot water and soap and marveling at how much better the shower made her feel. She turned to pick up the shampoo and screamed.

Michael leaned against the bathroom wall, just outside the tub. Naked. Sophie’s mouth popped open. She resisted the urge to rip back the shower curtain to get a better look.

“Sorry, mana mila,” he said sheepishly. “I wondered if I might join you?”

“Yes, please.” Her voice was a croak.

He stepped into the shower, and her eyes went as wide as her mouth. While she had seen most of his bits and pieces over the years, she’d never seen Michael completely naked. Her eyes started at the top and traveled down his body, taking in the patchwork of healing gashes and scars. The last several months had been rough on him, but he was still glorious.

She hissed when she saw the two stubbled patches where the defibrillator pads had stripped off his chest hair. The rest of his chest was lightly covered with black curls, his nipples standing out among them. Then her eyes dropped and stayed in the same place for so long that he waved a hand in front of his genitals to get her attention again.

“Hi.” He pointed to his face. “Remember me?”

“Sorry.” Sophie blushed, unable to tear her eyes away. “You look different than other men I’ve seen.”

“Different?” He looked down at himself. “What do you mean, different? Bad different?” A note of panic sounded in his voice.

“No! No, not at all. You’re beautiful!” Her entire upper body blushed red. “It’s just that all the naked guys I’ve ever seen were…” She made a snipping motion with her fingers.

“Oh!” He started to laugh as understanding sank in. “I am not circumcised. Is that it?” She nodded, embarrassed. “I am European, Sophie. Circumcision is not customary here, the way it once was in America.” He flashed his dimpled grin. “The equipment still works the same way, my sweet.” He looked both hopeful and embarrassed at the same time. “You can touch…I would like that very much if you did.”

Sophie hesitated, concerned for his health and her own. But his thick erection jutting out eagerly from his body said loud and clear that he was eager for attention.

She, on the other hand, knew she was nowhere near ready for action. But Michael naked, aroused and looking at her with a needy expression was more than she could resist. She put her hand on his chest and slid it down over his body. She felt every scar, every injury along the way. But underneath it all, his heart thudded under her hand.

He was alive. And now they belonged to each other forever.

Michael gasped as Sophie’s hand finally slipped down between his thighs and wrapped around his aching cock. A distant voice berated him for pushing himself on her before she’d fully recovered. But he hadn’t been able to stop himself. Part of it was physical need, but it had been the driving desire to connect with her intimately on every level that he had finally given into. Of course, now that he was here, naked with her, physical need was asserting itself very strongly indeed.

She explored him slowly at first, touching and stroking every inch. Michael desperately wanted to reciprocate, but he knew she wasn’t ready. He settled for feasting his eyes on her naked body for the first time.

Her skin was flushed pink from the heat of the shower, her rosy nipples tight and hard. His palms itched to cup her rounded breasts; he’d fantasized for years about what they’d look like, and they didn’t disappoint. His eyes wandered lower, taking in the wet triangle of bright red curls at the juncture of her thighs. Michael wished he could bury his face in there for at least a week.

He glanced up at her face. She was completely focused on his cock in her hand. The sight of her rubbing him up and down with such intensity nearly sent him over the edge. Sophie chose that moment to shift her grip on his erection, lavishing attention on the sensitive head of his penis. Swamped with sensation, Michael screwed his eyes shut and pushed himself greedily into her hand.

“So good, mana mila,” he moaned. “A little faster?” She obliged him, picking up the pace.

“Good?” He nodded, panting, feeling the tension building. It had been too long since he’d had any kind of release, and the feel of her stroking his overexcited cock was too much. His balls tightened. Unable to hold back any longer, he braced himself against the shower wall, then climaxed between their bodies with a helpless cry of pleasure.