He reached for my hand and pulled me to my feet before claiming my spot on the bench.
The large shower was hot and steamy, and it felt like I was lost in this hazy mist, living a dream.
He gripped my waist and guided me down carefully, so I was straddling him. Wrapping his arms around me, he whispered in my ear, “This feels surreal, being with you like this.”
Hethought it felt surreal? This was the guy whose sexy mug was plastered all over my walls for years. But I wasn’t with Dade Jarvis the musician right now. I was with the man. Broken and vulnerable. Scared and confused. Strong and sure. Confident and bold. He was all of those things. And I was so crazy about him because of all of those facets. Had he been an arrogant ass, I wouldn’t have given him another thought. But he was real, honest, open, and vulnerable with me and I loved that.
“For me too,” I said, smiling against his lips.
He curved his hands possessively around my hips, elevating me just enough to take him.
There was a grip bar above his head, and I curled both hands around the cool surface for leverage as I sank down slowly, savouring every second as he impaled me. My eyes drifted closed and I held my body still, adjusting to him when he was finally fully seated. There was a sense of fulfillment during moments like this with Dade that I’d never experienced with another man. It felt like his body was made for mine and my heart knew it.
“So good,” he murmured in my ear, sucking in a breath. “You feel so right.”
So right.Those words echoed in my head as his hands rocked my hips and my body started to move of its own violation. Driven by the deep desire to give and take pleasure.
He tangled his hands in my hair, holding me still for a kiss that cracked the part of me that had been afraid to let go… wide open. We poured everything into that kiss, intimate whispers, past hurts, fear, and shame. It was healing, like we were forging an intimate connection without words that nothing could breach. At least that’s the way it felt for me. I could only hope he felt it too.
I rocked against him, letting my teeth trail over his shoulder as he whispered in my ear.
“I needed you.” He was holding me tight, like he never wanted to let go when he said, “I neededthis, baby.”
I loved sex, but I could live without it between relationships. Even if that meant a year or more, as it had been between my last ex and Dade. But after an experience like this, with him, I had a whole new appreciation for intimacy.
“I need you too.”
He held my face between his hands, looking into my eyes. “Do you mean that?”
God, his scars ran so deep. His trust issues painful to see. I didn’t know if I could be the one to help him heal, but in this moment, I wanted to try. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.” I wasn’t used to be so open, so soon, but Dade made it easy to be honest because his emotions were on full display too.
“Charli…”
He buried his face in my neck as he picked me up and backed me into a wall. His weight was pinning me, securing me, as he drove into me at the perfect angle, while hooking my leg over his arm.
My eyes were closing when he tipped my head back. “Let me watch you. I want to see what I’m doing to you. Don’t hold back, sweetheart. Don’t hide anything from me. No secrets. No lies. Not between us.”
It hurt to know that he was comparing this to what he’d shared with other women, but I supposed a battered heart couldn’t help judging.
His body was claiming mine, a little more with every deep stroke, until I was pretty sure this man could own me. “Do you see it?” I whispered, daring him to look. “Mytruth?” I moaned when he drove harder, like my words were testing his control. “Do you see me, Dade?” I was breathless, on the verge of the best kind of ruin, but I wouldn’t let go until he did. “Not everyone who’s ever tried to destroy you? Butme?”
His thrusts were vicious now and I knew I’d unleashed a beast. I wasn’t scared though. I felt all of his pent-up frustration and rage in the powerful muscles pinning me and I wanted to absorb all of it.
“We’re the only two people in this room right now.” I cried out when my release washed over me in waves and he continued to hit just the right spot relentlessly. “No room for ghosts.”
“Goddammit, Charli!” His voice was laced with frenzy and fury as he slapped the tile wall beside my head, swearing repeatedly.
I might have been terrified had another man come undone like this during sex, but something told me this was the breakthrough he needed, and I was glad I’d been the one to help him get there.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, holding me tight when his body went lax. “Damn it, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lose it like that—”
“Don’t apologize.” I looked into his eyes, letting him know I wasn’t scared or appalled. I understood that all of these negative emotions had to break free… before he could be free. “It’s okay.” I kissed him tenderly. “I promise, it’s okay.”
He shuddered before shaking his head. “You finish up in here, beautiful. I just need a minute.”
Chapter 8
Dade
