When he finished, the big man stood and unhooked a spray nozzle and used the soft spray to wash away the soap bubbles. He gently caressed her skin with the fingertips of one hand as he sprayed her with the nozzle using his other.
When he finished, he put the nozzle back in its holder and faced her. He cupped her face in his hands. “You are so beautiful, Rae.” He ran his thumb along her cheekbone. “You’re special to me.”
She rested her palms on his heavily muscled pecs and searched his gaze. “You’re special to me, too, Bear.” She slid her hands up to his shoulders and he lowered his head to kiss her.
When he drew away, she gave him a sensual look. “My turn to wash that big, gorgeous body of yours.”
He grinned. “You’re going to give me a big head if you keep that up.”
“I call it as I see it.” She grasped the sponge he had gently scrubbed her with and squirted gel on it from the same bottle he’d used.
She started washing his body, corded with muscle in all the best places. Beneath his lab coat, and with his low-key demeanor, she’d had no idea he was so physically powerful. Once she’d seen him in a T-shirt and jeans, she’d had a good idea. Now, seeing him completely naked, she was floored by this beautiful male specimen.
Rae took her time, enjoying every moment of exploring his body. When she reached his large, rigid erection she got a good look at what was in store for her. Butterflies traveled through her body, just imagining having him inside her.
She used the sponge to wash around his cock and he groaned. His muscles bunched, like he was fighting to get control of his desire.
Water rolled over him, soap running in rivulets down his thighs until washed away. She knelt on the tile at his feet and looked up at him. He had his palms braced against the tiled wall and he stared down at her. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were dark and stormy with need.
Bear couldn’t think straight as he watched Rea, now down on her knees. She grasped him in one hand and cupped his balls in her other hand, and his entire body tensed. She slowly lowered her head and her lips slid along his length.
Her warm mouth was heaven. He sucked in his breath, unable to move, mesmerized by the bobbing of her head as he slid through her parted lips…in and out, in and out. He fought to keep his eyes from closing so that he could watch her taking him places he hadn’t been to in quite the same way before.
Water ran down his body and cascaded onto Rae. It rolled over her face and down to her gorgeous, perfect breasts with pretty pert nipples. She looked so beautiful, so sexy and perfect as she knelt in front of him.
The desire to climax slammed into him. It built so quickly he didn’t think he could stop it from taking over.
“Rae.” His voice was rough as her name came out. “I need you.”
She let him slip from her mouth and he helped her get to her feet. “I need you, too.”
“Let’s get to the bedroom.” He almost couldn’t speak. “I have condoms there.”
“Fuck me here.” The word on her tongue surprised him. He liked the way it came from her and it made him want her with even more ferocity. “I’m on the Pill.”
He clenched his jaw as he picked her up and pressed her against the wall. She gasped at the force he used. Not hard, but not gentle. He could barely control the need raging through him.
She wrapped her thighs around his hips, and he moved the head of his erection to her core.
He couldn’t wait. He watched her face as he slid inside her core.
Rae’s eyes widened and her lips parted. “Oh. My. God,” came out in gasps.
Bear moved in and out, holding her gaze as he took her. He clenched his jaw, fighting not to climax too soon. He wanted to stay in heaven as long as possible.
Her breasts bounced as he increased his pace and her thighs tightened around him. He moved hard and fast now, barely holding back to make sure he wouldn’t hurt her. He needed her like nothing he could ever have imagined.
“Bear.” His name almost sounded like a sob as she spoke it. “I can’t hold wait.”
“Hold on, honey.” He moved in and out faster. “I’m going to come with you.”
“Please, please, please,” she begged him over and over.
He growled out the words, “Now, Rea, now.”
Rae screamed his name and he shouted hers. He throbbed inside her as she shuddered around him.
He didn’t stop moving. He couldn’t stop. The feeling was so exquisite that he wanted it to go on forever.
She shuddered and cried out again, and then it was too much for him. He groaned, his body throbbing from the strength of his climax and the power of their lovemaking.
His knees weakened and he slowly lowered her so that they were both kneeling on the shower’s tile floor
His harsh breathing caused his chest to rise and fall. Rae looked like she was having a hard time pulling herself together, too.
He settled on his haunches and dragged her to his lap. She wrapped her thighs around him and clung to him. He held her until strength returned to his limbs.
“Thank you.” She spoke the words in her sweet voice. “Thank you, Bear.”
He leaned back enough to look in her eyes and the corner of his mouth quirked. “I think that’s a mutual feeling.” He wrapped her in his arms again. “You are amazing, Rae.”
Still holding her, he got to his feet and turned off the water. “Can you stand?”
She nodded against his shoulder. “Yes.”
When he set her down, she swayed on her feet and he steadied her. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I just needed a moment.”
After giving her another moment, he grabbed a thick towel and rubbed it over her body. He towel-dried her hair and let it fall in a mass of tangled locks that made her look like a woodland pixie. She looked sated and entirely contented as she watched him dry himself off.
Bear tossed aside the towel and scooped her into his arms.
She shrieked in surprise and clung to him with a laugh. “You keep doing that.”
He grinned. “Just to hear you squeal like that. It’s cute.”
She lightly punched his shoulder. “You might be bigger than me, but I can kick your butt.”
He laughed at that. “I bet you can.” He tossed her on the bed, and she cried out again.
She fell into helpless laughter. “I can’t catch my breath.”
He crawled onto the bed and braced his hands to either side of her head. “Tell me when you do, and I’ll make love to you again.”
Her laughter died away and she smiled up at him. “Breath caught. Now come to me.”
Chapter 12
“Stay the night.” Bear couldn’t stop looking at Rae’s beautiful face as he stroked her hair.
She shifted in the bed, adjusting the covers as she faced him. Her smile seemed strained. “Marlee will worry.”
“Call her.” He held her chin in his fingertips. “Knowing Marlee, she’ll be fine.”
“I can’t.” Rae rolled away from him and slid her legs over the side of the bed. She scooped up her panties and jeans and tugged them on.
Bear tried not to frown at her abruptness. They’d shared so much, and he wanted to hold her all night. She meant something to him, a lot to him. Did she feel the same, or had this just been sex to her?
He mentally shook his head. He couldn’t believe Rae had only wanted sex from him. He’d seen the way she looked at him, how she smiled at him. She couldn’t have faked that—could she? Was he being naïve?
She straightened as he climbed out of bed. She looked so pretty with her hair a mess, wearing only jeans. Her beautiful torso was bare, her incredible breasts on display.
“I—the rest of my clothes are in the family room.” She looked nervous, and maybe even close to tears.
This time he did frown, and he moved toward her. “Are you okay, Rae?”
She avoided his gaze, looking instead at her hands. Her voice came out so quiet he could barely hear her
. “I just need to go home.”
He took her by the shoulders. “Look at me, Rae.” When she didn’t, he took her face in his hands and moved her so that she had to meet his gaze. “What happened between the time we made love and now?”
Her bottom lip quivered. “There are things you don’t know about me.” Her throat worked as she stared up at him. “What if you hate me when you find out?” A tear rolled down her cheek, causing his gut to twist.
“Honey.” He gently wiped away the tear with his thumb. “Unless you’re married, nothing you could say could make me upset with you. Even if you are, I couldn’t hate you.”
More tears rolled down her cheeks. “I need to get dressed.”
“Only if you promise to stay longer.” He brushed tears away from both cheeks. “Otherwise I’m going to tie you down until we clear this up. We can’t leave things like this.”
She closed her eyes, her features filled with pain. She opened them, her eyes still glittering with tears. “I’m not married.”
“Are you dying from cancer or something else?” he asked softly. “Is that why you think I’ll be upset?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.” Her throat worked as she swallowed. “Let me get dressed and I’ll stay, long enough to tell you everything.”
“I’ll get some clothes on then we’ll get your clothes.” He pulled on boxer briefs, a pair of old jeans, and a faded T-shirt as she stared at a bronze cowboy on a bucking bronco that sat on his bureau.
When he was dressed, he offered his hand. She hesitated, then took it.
They reached the living room and he found her bra and T-shirt and handed them to her. She dressed slowly, as if putting off the time of truth as long as she could. She dug in her pocket and drew out another band and pulled her hair back into a ponytail before she plopped on the couch.
His gut clenched as he sat close to her and took her hand. What was she about to tell him?
She cleared her throat and didn’t look at him. This time he didn’t force her to face him, he simply prepared to listen to whatever it was that had her so torn up.
“Just over a year ago—” Her voice broke and she gathered herself together before starting again. “Some friends rented a houseboat on Lake Powell and we went to a bar, fairly close to my home in Lake Havasu City.” She spoke slowly, as if stating facts.
“While we were at the bar, a man kept trying to pick me up.” Her face twisted into a scowl. “I made it clear I wasn’t interested, and he started calling me things like ‘whore,’ and other words I won’t repeat.”
Anger warmed Bear’s skin. Rae deserved to be treated like a lady. Every woman did. To hear how this man had verbally abused her made the heat on his skin turn into fire.
“I decided to leave the place and I told my friends I wanted to go back to the houseboat because I’d had enough of men. They tried to convince me to stay, but the man had really gotten under my skin. We’d come in separate cars, so I drove to the houseboat alone.”
Bear tensed, afraid he knew what was coming next.
“I was getting ready for bed when I heard a crash.” Rae’s voice caught. “At first I thought it was my friends, but I didn’t hear any conversation and they’re usually pretty loud. Then I heard a man call out my name and saying, ‘where are you, little bitch?’”
Her throat worked as she swallowed. “I had no idea who it was, and I was terrified.”
Bear’s heart beat a little faster as he listened to Rae’s story.
“I went to call 9-1-1, but I’d left my phone in my car.” She shook her head and closed her eyes tight. “That was so stupid. If I’d had it with me, maybe none of this would have happened.”
Rae looked so distraught that Bear took her hand and lightly squeezed.
“One thing our grandmother had done was teach us how to shoot and had drilled into us that we should keep a gun with us for protection. I got my little Smith and Wesson out of my purse.”
Bear wanted to gather Rae in his arms, but he sensed she didn’t want that.
“I heard another crash and I was even more terrified. I hid in the closet right before the bedroom door opened. The light came on and a man shouted, ‘Where are you, bitch?’ I was so scared I could barely think.”
She went on. “I held my gun, but my hands were trembling, and I almost dropped it. I gripped it tighter right before he opened the closet door.”
Rae took a deep breath. “It was the man who had harassed me at the bar. He started yelling at me, saying I thought I was too good for him and he was going to teach me a lesson. He said other things, too, that I don’t want to repeat.”
The rage Bear felt against the man was something he’d never experienced before.
Tears rolled freely down Rae’s face. “He dragged me out of the closet by my foot. I struggled and screamed and tried to get away. When he got me in the middle of the bedroom, he stopped and stared down at me. That was when he noticed I had a gun.”
Rae looked helpless. “It didn’t faze him. He should have been scared. He should have left. But he didn’t.” Rae started sobbing and Bear gripped his hands into fists. “He lunged for the gun. So many thoughts went through my mind. I thought if I wounded him, it would stop him long enough for me to get away and call the police.”
Her face was red as she cried and told her story. “But he fell on me and the gun went off and shot him in the belly. I don’t know if I intentionally pulled the trigger, or the motion forced the movement.” Her shoulders shook. “Ultimately, it didn’t matter. He collapsed and I managed to get him off of me. There was so much blood and he was screaming in pain and rage. I ran for my phone in the car and called 9-1-1.”
She shook her head as she continued. “I was covered in his blood. I didn’t want to go back into the room. I still had the gun, so he couldn’t take it if he was even able to get up. But I was afraid he’d die.” Her voice cracked. “I didn’t mean to kill him.”
Rae looked at Bear, her eyes wide and begging for something, maybe forgiveness for what she’d done. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing to forgive.
Bear gathered Rae into his arms. “Shhh.”
“I didn’t mean to kill him,” she repeated as she sobbed against his T-shirt. “I didn’t mean to kill a man.”
Bear started rocking her. “You were protecting yourself. The bastard could have killed you.”
“I was eventually arrested and charged.” She buried her face against his chest. “I’m going to trial for manslaughter.”
Bear’s skin prickled. “You’re being prosecuted?”
“You wouldn’t believe the hell I’ve been through since meeting that man at the bar. Public attacks in the media and online, signs in my front yard, and messages in my mailbox. Even death threats.” She clenched her fist in his shirt. “The prosecutor thinks she can prove that I invited that-that bastard to the houseboat. Basically, that I’d asked for it.”
Bear squeezed her tighter to him. “I’m so sorry, honey. I’m so sorry you’re going through this.”
She turned her face to look at him. “You don’t think I’m a terrible person for killing a man?”
He studied her red, blotchy face. “How could I think that? You’re a wonderful person who doesn’t deserve to be going through this.” He took one of her hands in his. “How could you believe that I would think any less of you?”
She swallowed. “After what I’ve been through, I’m afraid everyone hates me. I lost my home, my career. I’ve left behind what friends and family I have to get away from it all the best I can.” It looked like she had something else to say, but then she sagged against him.
“You have friends and family who care about you,” Bear said. “I care about you.”
“I’m so tired of it all, Bear,” she said. “The trial is in a couple of weeks. I’m so afraid I’ll end up going to prison just for defending myself.”
The thought of Rae going to prison was like a knife through his gut. He wrapped both arms around
her as he tried to control the feelings going through him. “Do you have a good lawyer?”
“Very good.” She sighed. “I’ve sunk a lot of my savings on my defense.”
He pressed his lips against the top of her head. “Just know you have me now. I’m not going to let you go through this alone.”
“I can’t ask that of you.” Her voice was quieter now. “You barely know me.”
“It’s like I’ve known you all my life, Rae.” Bear stroked her hair. “You’re a part of me now.”
“Thank you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Thank you for being you.”
Bear’s mind tried to grasp the enormity of what Rae had been through. How could anyone make it through what she had unscathed? It wasn’t possible.
“Spend the night with me.” He spoke the words quietly but firmly. “You shouldn’t be alone right now.”
She was quiet a long moment. Finally, she said, “I need to call Marlee and let her know.”
Relief poured through Bear that Rae had agreed. He didn’t like the idea of her dealing with this alone right now and leaving this way. As a matter of fact, he didn’t intend to let her go through any of this ordeal alone anymore.
* * *
Rae tried to pull herself together. She’d just lost it in front of Bear and had chosen an awful time to do it. They’d shared such a beautiful day and night together, and she’d let loose what was ugly and wrong in her life afterward.
He’d taken it in a way she hadn’t expected. He’d comforted her and told her wasn’t going to let her go through this alone. She didn’t know exactly what he’d meant, but it was good to have his support.
She padded barefoot to the kitchen, where she’d left her purse, and dug her phone out. She went to her favorites list and hit speed dial for Marlee.
Rae stared at the doorway to the kitchen as she waited for her cousin to answer. The kitchen was dark, and she jumped when something scampered across the floor. She let out a breath of relief when she realized it was one of his cats. Maggie, she thought.
“Hi, Rae.” Marlee’s voice came on the line. “Everything okay?”
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