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Had she called him that in her passion? She wouldn't be surprised, but had it bothered him? He squeezed her, dissipating her sudden tension. He untied her wrists but kept one, putting his mouth on her pulse, then her forearm, the crook of her elbow, tickling her biceps with his morning beard, an intimate reminder that he'd spent the night with her in his bed.
When he shifted to her throat, releasing her wrist, she gripped his arm over her chest, holding on as tingles shot through her, up, down, spiraling, somersaulting in her heart, stomach, loins.
He cupped the side of her throat, holding her fast, letting her feel the pressure of his callused palm against her frantic pulse. Then his mouth was against her ear.
"Just because I don't tell you to call me that, doesn't mean that's not what I am. Right?"
"Yes." She breathed it, closed her eyes. "God, yes."
He drew back, caressing her as he did, and pressed another kiss to the top of her head. "You don't have to call me that, either."
She snuffled over a part chuckle, part sob, and hit him with a half-hearted fist. He chided her with a tsking noise, recaptured and kissed it. He sobered, though, touching her cheek and drawing her eyes to his face. "I know you've been hurt, love. I can tell you're having a hard time letting go of the shields, no matter what assurance I give you. I get it. We've known each other what, less than a month?"
She grimaced. "I really want to, but..."
He shook his head, silencing her. "It doesn't have to happen all at once. That's the journey, and what makes it so nice. We can take our time." He rubbed his thumb on her lips, seeming to enjoy their swollen fullness in the aftermath of their passionate kisses.
"This is new for me, too," he said. "I don't want to rush a fucking minute of it. I love the way I feel when I'm with you, though I'm surprised you're not running away screaming."
She tipped back her head. "Why would I?"
His brown eyes took on a leonine golden cast. "Because the more time I spend around you, the more I want. It's a good thing we both work such hellacious hours, else you would have already figured it out." He shifted her so she was on her back and he was leaning over her, his expression even more potent. "I want to devour you, love. Tie you up in a million different ways. I've seen the ways women's bodies, minds and souls respond to what I can do to them with my rope. It never occurred to me I could find a million different experiences with one woman, but when I look at you, I get so many ideas I have to write them down so I don't forget a single one of them."
He gestured to his side table, where a ratty pocket notebook and pen resided. "I carry that with me for the ideas I get. Since I met you, I've filled up twenty pages. There's this patch of woods that I like, far away from anything or anyone. I want to take you there, modify the design I did with Missive. I want to use an actual tree to do it, put you in a cocoon of rope hanging from a branch. Then I'm going to lie beneath you on the ground and look up at the beauty of your body, stretched and shaped however I tie you, helpless so I can touch and stroke you all the ways I want. I want to do dramatic things like that, but I want to do simple things, too. Share a sandwich, sleep with you in my arms. Ah, love."
She was crying. He let her press her face into his throat and he held her, just held her, the most wonderful thing a man could ever do for a woman when her heart was melting into her tears. He said things to her, some of which she caught and some she didn't, but she absorbed the meaning through his grip.
He was right. It was too soon for her to believe it, too overwhelming, but she'd never responded to a man the way she did to him. Her soul was fighting to believe, to surrender to it, even as her cautious mind and guarded heart were scrambling away from that precipice as hard as they could go, tearing her apart inside. That was why he'd told her not to worry, to take it easy. Just let it happen as it would happen.
"Ssshh....easy, love." He rocked her, pulling the blanket around her. "Enough of that, now. You're all right. I've got you."
She took a shower while he made them breakfast. She'd just stepped in under the spray when he ducked into the tiny stall to press her against the wall. He was naked, not even wearing the cannula since he'd removed it when they rose, saying he'd be changing out the injection site this morning.
It meant she could slide her hands over him without any worry of snagging it, though last night when she'd shared that concern with him, he'd told her if she accidentally pulled it out, it was no big deal, that he could fix it in no time. He didn't want her to hesitate to touch him however she wanted, with whatever passion and enthusiasm she desired.
Not a problem this morning. As he fondled and stroked, she was thinking of all the contortions they'd have to accomplish to have sex in the small space, let alone shower together, but before she could act on those ideas, he'd pulled free and stepped back out.
"Since my job is so dirty, love, I usually shower at the end of the work day. Just wanted a taste of you before I scramble eggs."
When he abandoned her in her simmering state to pull on a pair of jeans and head for the kitchen, she sent a few choice words after him. He threw a warning look over his shoulder.
"I'll remember those insults next time you're tied up."
"Asshole. I want cheese in my eggs."
"My omelets don't come without it. There might even be tomatoes and green peppers if you're good."
"Ugh, no green peppers."
He stopped and surveyed her with leisurely enjoyment. She had her head poked out around the seagull curtain, but a glance down showed a full, wet breast visible and the curve of her hip.
"This relationship is not going to work if you can't appreciate the vitamin properties of a fresh green pepper," he told her, a sparkle in his gaze.
"I appreciate vitamins. When they come in a pill form so I'm not required to eat healthy food to consume them."
"Sad. So very sad. I'm due at a job site later today, but--"
"Oh, well, don't worry about breakfast. I'll just grab something on my way to the theater."
