He’d shifted and was waiting by the patio door that led to his room. He opened it when she approached. Tension inched up her spine and she clutched his clothing closer as she walked into his room.
He stepped in behind her and closed the door.
Reece wished he could read Hannah’s mind. He’d sensed her emotions easily enough and they’d been all over the map. She’d been happy and sad, she’d laughed and been introspective. She’d even been aroused. Now she was so tense he was afraid she’d snap.
He’d wanted to run with her, to give her some freedom and space. Now he wondered if he’d done the right thing.
She thought she was weak. He almost snorted aloud at the absurd thought but managed to catch himself. She was one of the strongest people he knew. Hannah had grown up with a father who provided for her physical well-being but had ignored her emotional ones. Still, she’d grown up to be a caring and sensitive woman.
Her photographs were an amazing testament to that. He’d never seen anything like them. They were deceptively simple until you looked closer. She saw beauty in the ugly, innocence in the young and old, and wisdom in the downtrodden.
“Your photographs are incredible.” They hadn’t had time to talk about her work. He knew she’d been taken off guard by the pack checking out her website.
“Thank you.” She walked to the chair that was still pulled up by the bed and dropped his clothing onto it. She still hadn’t turned around to look at him since they’d come inside.
She bowed her head and sighed.
“What is it?” he asked. He wanted to solve all her problems for her, but he knew that wasn’t possible. She had to deal with everything on her own. She was too independent to accept anything less from herself. All he could do was stand beside her and offer whatever assistance she needed.
“I just don’t know what to do.”
The forlornness in her voice almost brought him to his knees.
“Sweetheart.” He walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. “Hannah.” He turned her so she was facing him. When she didn’t look at him, he put his thumb under her chin and tipped it up. “All you have to do is trust yourself.”
“I’m not sure I can.” Her red hair tumbled over her shoulders. She bit her bottom lip and started to look away.
“Then trust me. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I’m asking.” He took her hand, led her toward the bathroom, and turned on the overhead light. “For tonight, let me take care of you.” He pulled her farther into the room. “I’ve got a tub big enough for the two of us, and I promised you the first night we met that I was going to wash your hair. Let me make good on that.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Hannah’s entire body clenched and her pulse sped up. She remembered him telling her he was going to wash her hair someday. God, that seemed like years ago rather than days. So much had happened so fast.
She wanted to trust him, and she did on some levels. She feared losing her heart to him only for him to discover later that she wasn’t what he wanted.
His back was to her as he turned on the taps to fill the tub. He was naked, his broad back and shoulders heavily muscled, his waist trim, and his legs strong. She could spend hours just looking at him.
He glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “Look all you like.”
She glanced away, but not before she smiled. Reece had a way of making her believe everything would be okay.
“Let’s get you undressed.” He came over to stand in front of her and slipped one hand under the hem of her top. “Your skin is chilled.” He frowned as he lifted her top away. “I didn’t realize you were so cold.”
“It’s not so bad. I didn’t notice it when I was running.”
He undid her jeans and tugged them down her legs. “Lift,” he ordered. As she raised each foot, he tugged off her sneakers, socks, and then her jeans. She grabbed on to his shoulders for balance.
Reece crouched in front of her and slid his fingers beneath the elastic band of her panties. “Okay?” he asked.
She nodded, and he slid them down her hips and off. While he did that, she unhooked her bra and let it fall to the floor. She expected him to touch her, and he did, but only to unwrap the bandage from her wrist and set it on the vanity. Then he took her hand and led her to the tub.
“In you go,” he told her.
He held her steady while she climbed in and sat down. He got in behind her and pulled her back against his chest. His erection pressed against her back, but he made no move to take things any further.
Water lapped at her stomach as the deep tub continued to fill. The last of her stitches dropped away when she rubbed her hand over her scars, but the red marks remained. They would mostly fade in time, but she would always wear the reminder of the attack. The bruises that marred her skin were more like dark smudges and she barely noticed them.
The only sounds were of their breathing and the rush of the water from the tap. When it finally reached her breasts, he reached forward and turned off the flow, leaving them cocooned in a warm haven. Steam floated up around them. Hannah sighed as the chill began to seep from her skin.
“Lean back,” he told her. She scooted down and her hair flowed out behind her. He scooped water into his palm and made sure her scalp was wet before he reached for a bottle of shampoo on the ledge beside him.
He poured a dollop into his palm and began to massage it in. Hannah closed her eyes and practically purred. His fingers were firm as he rubbed, using just the right amount of pressure. Tension flowed out of her. There was no way to remain stressed when Reece was washing her hair.
She’d never experienced anything like this before. It wasn’t sexual but it was incredibly intimate.
“Has anyone ever washed your hair before?”
She kept her eyes closed. “Not that I remember. I’m sure my father must have when I was a child.”
“I love the rich color.”
She laughed. “I hated it when I was a kid. It was just another way I was different.” All the other children she’d seen had had black, brown, or blond hair. Hers had been red. To her it had been just another sign that she wasn’t normal.
“Does your father have red hair?”
She tensed at his question. She didn’t want to talk about her father. “No. I get it from my mother.” Another reason she hadn’t liked it as a child. As she’d gotten older, she’d simply accepted it as a part of her. She could have dyed it, but that cost money and was time consuming. She knew she’d never keep up with it if she started, so the red hair had stayed.
He put one hand on the back of her neck to support her and began to scoop water on her hair to rinse it. She sank lower in the water until only her face was above it. The benefits of a large soaker tub were becoming evident.
When he was done, he squeezed the water out of her wet locks and eased her back against his chest once again. He was so solid behind her. And it wasn’t just his physical body. He was a man a woman could depend on.
“What are you afraid of?” he asked. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his hands gently on her stomach. They were large and tanned and covered almost all her scars. She was very aware of just how close they were to her breasts. Her nipples were taut and ached for his touch.
“What if it’s not real?” she blurted out. “What if this attraction between us is nothing more than just that—attraction? I know you feel responsible for me, but we barely know one another.”
He kissed her temple and sighed. “I know it’s real, but I understand why you don’t trust it. All I can do is ask you to give it time, to give us time. Stay.” He gently splayed his fingers over her stomach. “Stay and see what happens.”
“It’s too easy.” As soon as she admitted her fear, she wanted to take it back. What made perfect sense in her head sounded stupid as hell when she said it out loud.
“Does it have to be hard?” Reece rubbed his chin on the top of her head. His erection flexed and pressed deeper against her back.
“It seems it does.” She wasn’t talking about her fears any longer but about his arousal.
He chuckled. “No changing the subject.” He tightened his hold on her and she allowed herself to relax against him. “Stay.”
“Why?” He’d told her father that he loved her but he hadn’t told her. She needed to hear the words again.
“I know you don’t truly believe me, not yet. And that’s okay.” His voice was rough with emotion. “I never expected to find you. You haunted my dreams for years.”
“I’m sorry.” What else could she say?
“I’m not. Finding you was a gift. But Hannah, my dreams have nothing on reality. I know, in my heart and in my soul, that you’re the one for me. Call it instinct.” He caught one of her hands in his and brought it to his lips and kissed. “I know what I feel for you. I love you. I would have died for you. I’ve killed to protect you. I want you whenever I’m around you. But it’s more than that. It’s the way you make me feel.”
“How do I make you feel?” Once again, he was seducing her with words alone. Her fingers tingled where he’d kissed them. Her entire body felt loose and liquid.
“Content. Whole. Like I finally found my purpose in life.”
His words pierced her heart. She wanted to believe him so badly, but experience had taught her that the people she loved left her. It was better to protect herself from hurt.
She stilled as a flash of understanding washed over her. She was being a coward.
“Hannah? What is it? Talk to me.”
“My father provided for me, took care of me, but there was always a distance between us.”
“I’m sorry for that, sweetheart.” He rocked her gently and waves rose to splash against the sides of the tub.
“Me too. For years I thought it was me. If only I could shift, if only I wasn’t different, then he’d love me.”
“Oh, Hannah.” Reece lifted and turned her until she was facing him. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Far from perfect, but that shouldn’t have mattered.” She took a deep breath and forged onward. “My mother didn’t want me and my father left when I turned eighteen.”
“You don’t trust what I feel for you.”
She wasn’t surprised by Reece’s insight. If anything, the man was proving to be too insightful for her peace of mind. He did what no other had ever done. He’d seen her soul and all the hurts and insecurities she’d buried beneath layers of false confidence and bravado. Beneath it all, she was still a hurt, angry child who expected to be left behind.
It was a sobering realization.
“That’s why I want time. I want to mate with you, Hannah.” He cupped her face in his big hands. “I want you to understand that. But I’ll wait months or years, whatever it takes. Just promise you’ll stay.”
Her heart actually hurt. There was so much emotion bottled up inside her that she feared she might explode. She had so much love to give and had never had anyone who wanted it. Now Reece was here, like a gift, offering himself to her.
“I love you.” He brushed her damp hair away from her face. “Now, tomorrow, and forever.”
Her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t know what to say.
“Ah, sweetheart, don’t cry.” He rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks and brushed away the wetness. She hadn’t realized she was crying.
She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. He groaned and returned the caress. This was what she needed from him. She craved the physical connection. Wanted it.
She ran her hands over his shoulders and slid her tongue past his lips. He growled deep in his throat and yanked her against him. She loved his reaction. Reece held nothing back, letting her know just how much he wanted her.
His cock was hot and hard against her stomach. She reached between them and wrapped her fingers around him.
He broke the kiss and looked at her, his eyes blazing with desire. “Promise me you’ll stay.” He covered her breasts with his hands and lightly squeezed. She gasped as her nipples tightened and pressed against his palms. “Promise me.”
She nodded. “Yes. I’ll stay.”
He stilled and then his mouth came crashing down on hers. He’d made love to her before, but this time he practically devoured her. His hands roamed over her body, touching and stroking and squeezing everywhere. It was if he was trying to absorb her into his very skin.
He kissed a hot, wet path over her chin, down her neck, and across her collarbone. Then he went lower, captured one pert nipple between his lips, and tugged. The sensation was electric, spearing down from her breast to between her legs. She rubbed her lower body against his pelvis, grinding her mound against his erection.
Reece growled and lapped at her nipple. She loved the sounds he made, the way he touched her with his hands and mouth, the way he couldn’t seem to get enough of her.
She just loved him.
It wasn’t really a shock—she’d thought it before. Only this time she truly believed it with every fiber of her being. There was no longer any questioning, any holding back in case she might get hurt.
Reece was a strong man, a loyal one. Family was everything to him. He worked hard and was protective of others. He was sexy as all get out and he wanted her.
Since they’d met, he’d put her welfare above his own, believing in her and protecting her. How could she not love him?
She wasn’t quite sure how it had happened so quickly and completely. Maybe it had something to do with their werewolf natures. Deep in her soul, she knew, beyond question, that he was the only man she would ever love.
She lifted up onto her knees and angled his shaft toward her body. She wanted him inside her. She didn’t want to wait any longer.
Reece lifted her until she was poised over him. “Let me take you to bed.”
She shook her head. “No time.” She pressed down on the broad head of his shaft. Her body tightened and then relaxed to admit him. They both moaned as he sank one inch at a time into her warmth. The veins in his shaft throbbed like a heartbeat inside her.
Water sloshed dangerously close to the rim of the tub, but Hannah didn’t care. She rested her hands on either side of the tub and used it to support herself as she raised and lowered herself over him.
Reece cupped her breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples. Then he slid one hand down her stomach and between her legs. She gasped when he pressed his thumb against her clit. The nub of nerves was ultrasensitive, and every brush of his skin sent her spiraling closer to the edge.
He let her set the pace as she raised and lowered herself over him, slowly at first, and then faster. He was so hot and hard, and he filled her completely, stretching the sensitive walls of her channel.
“Come for me,” he ordered. He nuzzled her neck and then ran his teeth over a sensitive spot. She shivered and had the urge to arch her neck and offer it to him. She wanted him to bite her, mark her, claim her.
She shivered and cried out. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, using him for balance, knowing he’d never let her fall. That he’d always be there for her.
“Now, sweetheart. Now.” She felt the swell of his cock and the flood of warmth inside her as he came. Everything inside her tightened and released in an explosion of pleasure. She continued to rock her hips against him.
He called out her name and clamped his arms around her. She felt the scrape of a fang over her skin and then he growled and tilted his head back. His eyes were closed and the tendons in his neck stood out as he got himself back under control. She swallowed her disappointment.
It wasn’t fair of her to feel rejected when he was only doing what she wanted. He would never force her
to mate with him. She knew she’d have to ask him, if and when she made the decision to join their lives together for all time.
She collapsed against him. His heart was pounding as fast and furious as hers. She shivered. The water had gone cold while they’d been making love.
Reece opened his eyes and sat forward. “I can’t release you yet.” The base of his shaft was swollen, their bodies still locked together. He turned the hot water tap and added warmth to the water.
“We’re going to flood the place,” she pointed out. They’d already splashed water onto the floor.
“I don’t care.” He waited until the chill was gone before he turned off the tap. The water was almost to the edge of the tub. “We’ll just have to stay really still.”
She smiled and nestled comfortably against him. “I can do that.”
He ran his fingers through her hair and rubbed her back and shoulders. She was content just to lie in his arms. By the time the water began to cool again, his shaft had gone down enough for him to withdraw. She hated losing the intimate connection between them.
He helped her stand and then flowed to his feet. Water poured over the edge and splashed onto the tiles. Reece ignored it as he pulled the plug and lifted her out of the tub.
He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her before tossing a couple more onto the floor. “See, only a little flood.” He helped himself to a fresh towel and rubbed it over his hair and body.
Hannah stood there and watched. Really, the man was too good looking for her peace of mind. Every muscle in his body was a sculpted masterpiece. He was lithe and strong without being too bulky. He was all wolf.
He tossed his towel onto the floor with the others when he was finished with it. Then he reached for her. “Let me.” He waited until she nodded and then he proceeded to dry every inch of her body. By the time he was done, they were both breathing heavily again.
But he wasn’t done with her. He rubbed a dry end of the towel over her hair until it was merely damp. Then he grabbed her comb from the vanity and used it to remove any tangles. He didn’t stop until her hair was smooth and almost dry.
Wolf in her Soul: Salvation Pack, Book 8 Page 25
