Wounded Souls

by R J Nolan

  After nipping at her pulse point, Logan asked, “You want me to stop?”

  She kissed her hungrily in answer. Too frustrated to deal with the buttons, Dale tugged Logan’s shirt from her pants and slipped a hand underneath to caress warm, soft skin. She moved her hand up to cup Logan’s breast through her bra.

  Logan sucked in a breath and pressed herself into Dale’s hand.

  Dale shifted, urging Logan down and onto her back on the couch.

  “Wait.” Logan grasped Dale’s shoulders.

  Struggling to calm her buzzing body, Dale looked into Logan’s passion-glazed eyes. “What’s the matter?”

  “Not like this. Take me to bed.”

  Images of Logan naked beneath her made Dale’s heart beat double time. She offered her hand and tugged Logan off the couch.

  It wasn’t until they were standing next to the bed that her anxiety once more reared its ugly head.

  The sudden apprehension radiating from Dale was unmistakable. It wasn’t as if Logan didn’t have her own body image issues. But she refused to let her insecurities ruin this moment. She had faith that Dale wanted her just the way she was—as she wanted Dale.

  Hoping to lighten the mood, she lifted Dale’s bruised hand and kissed it. “Our chaperone isn’t here. Want to show me the rest of your boo-boos?” She placed a second, openmouthed kiss on the darkened skin.

  Dale’s fingers trembled in hers. She used her free hand to tug down her Henley and the collar of her T-shirt, exposing the bruise below her clavicle.

  It hadn’t escaped Logan’s notice that no matter what type of shirt Dale wore, she always had a T-shirt underneath. As she leaned in close and kissed the bruise, she lingered, placing soft kisses on Dale’s throat along the edge of her shirt. She worked her way up her neck. “Show me the rest.”

  A shiver rippled through Dale. After pulling her shirt from her jeans, Dale bared her side. The smooth, taut skin just above the waistband of her pants was marred by a narrow, finger-long bruise.

  Logan traced the darkened skin with her fingertips, then bent and feathered kisses along the same path. Goose bumps erupted in the wake of her touch. When she reached the middle of Dale’s belly, she tugged the other side of the T-shirt from her jeans.

  Dale’s breath hitched, and she clasped Logan’s shoulder.

  Soothing a hand along the outside of Dale’s thigh, she kissed the soft skin just above her belt, then pushed the shirt higher and revealed pitted shrapnel scars. The visual reminder of all that Dale had endured made Logan’s throat grow tight. She skated her lips over the scars, not knowing if the damaged tissue would be sensitive to the touch.

  Dale flinched. She shifted so that Logan’s lips came in contact with undamaged skin.

  Logan glanced up. “Does it hurt when I touch them?”

  Dale shook her head. She urged Logan to stand and pulled her into her arms.

  Logan wasn’t sure how long they stood by the bed and kissed. Her hands moved restlessly over Dale’s body as the longing to touch her more intimately grew. But she held herself in check, knowing that Dale needed to make the next move.

  Panting for breath, Dale drew back and met her gaze. “I have to touch you.” She reached for Logan’s shirt.

  Her own nervousness spiked, but Logan stood passively and allowed Dale to remove her shirt. As the garment slipped off her shoulders, she had to resist the urge to cover her plump belly.

  Dale seemed oblivious. Her gaze was riveted on what had been uncovered.

  Logan glanced down, already knowing what had garnered Dale’s attention. She traced her fingers over the fist-sized heart with a jagged rend down its center separating the two halves that graced the upper swell of her left breast. Dale was the first person, aside from Logan and the tattoo artist, to ever see it.

  Dale looked up and held Logan’s gaze.

  The understanding shining in her eyes helped Logan deal with the reminder of Emily. Despite the emotions stirred by exposing the tattoo, the pulse of her arousal hadn’t subsided. She didn’t want this moment to become about Emily. Drawing closer to Dale, she kissed her. The rightness of the connection between them filled her. When Dale opened to her, she groaned as she slipped her tongue into her mouth.

  Dale’s arms wrapped around her back, pulling her against her firm body. The feel of Dale’s shirt rubbing against her nipples through her bra brought them back to stiff peaks. Widening her stance, she grasped Dale’s ass and pulled her tightly into the space between her spread legs.

  Dale’s pelvis ground against hers. Panting, she pulled away from the torrid kiss and reached behind Logan to unhook her bra. After freeing Logan from the encumbrance, Dale filled her hands with the heavy breasts. “So beautiful.” She lavished the soft flesh with kisses before dipping her head to take a hard nipple into her mouth.

  Logan’s knees weakened as Dale began to suckle her. She grabbed her shoulders to stabilize herself. If this went on much longer, she was going to embarrass herself and come before she even got Dale’s clothes off. “Slow down a minute.” She urged Dale away from her chest.

  Dale whimpered.

  “It’s your turn. I want to touch you too.” She extended her hand toward the hem of Dale’s shirt.

  A look of distress flashed across Dale’s face and she caught Logan’s hand. She quickly recovered and reached for Logan. “Later. Let me touch you.”

  Logan shook her head and stepped back, crossing her arms over her bare chest. She hadn’t missed Dale’s discomfort, but she couldn’t do this unless they were equal partners.

  Dale glanced at the window, where the blinds stood partway open, allowing bright sunlight into the room. “Okay. Hang on a sec.” She moved toward the window.

  Her stomach sank when she realized what Dale was going to do. There were room-darkening shades behind the blinds that Logan hadn’t noticed before. “Dale. Don’t do that.”

  Dale’s hand stopped in mid-reach. She turned back to Logan.

  “Please come back.” Logan held out her hand. She knew all too well that once you hid from something, it gained power over you.

  Dale’s shoulders hunched, and she wrapped her arms across her belly. She seemed frozen in place.

  A sigh escaped before Logan could stop it. “If it’s too much, I understand.” Feeling exposed both emotionally and physically, she picked up her shirt from the bed where Dale had dropped it.

  “Wait!” Dale’s gaze darted between the blinds and Logan. “Just this once—”

  Oh, Dale. No. If she accepted Dale hiding her body now, it would always be a barrier between them. She loved her too much to let that happen. Love her. The stunning realization shook her to her core. Talk about hiding things from yourself. Her heart filled to overflowing with the strength of her feelings for this amazing woman. She longed to tell her, but seeing her looking so anxious and vulnerable, Logan knew she couldn’t. Not now. She wouldn’t put that kind of pressure on her.

  “Please. Just this once,” Dale repeated.

  More determined than ever not to give in to Dale’s fears, she shook her head. “No. I can’t do that. I meant what I said. Nothing will happen until you’re ready. I’ll wait for you. You’re worth waiting for.” She started to pull on her shirt.

  Dale crossed the room in several swift strides. “Please don’t.” She tugged the shirt from Logan’s grasp and tossed it aside.

  The pleading look on Dale’s face almost made her relent—almost. Logan cradled Dale’s face between her palms and stared deeply into her eyes, willing her to believe. “I want you. All of you. Just the way you are.” She kissed her until Dale began to respond, then stepped back. This had to be Dale’s decision.

  Dale fisted the bottom of her shirt. Her gulp was audible in the quiet room as she pulled both shirts over her head. After a moment’s hesitation, she dropped them onto the floor.

 
The scars were just as vivid as Logan remembered them, covering half of Dale’s chest and side. They made her no less beautiful in Logan’s eyes, but she doubted Dale would believe that—at least not now. “Thank you for trusting me.”

  Dale took a step forward, but Logan stopped her with a shake of her head. “The bra too. Please.”

  Her pulse beating visibly in her neck, she locked gazes with Logan.

  “I want you,” Logan repeated.

  That seemed to give Dale courage. She pulled the sports bra over her head in one smooth motion.

  Not giving her a chance to withdraw, Logan drew Dale into her arms and pressed their bare upper bodies together. Arousal soared anew.

  Dale whimpered and clutched her painfully tight.

  Logan held her, gliding her hands softly up and down Dale’s back, touching equally the smooth and damaged areas of her skin. After a few minutes, she skimmed her hands along Dale’s sides and stroked the outsides of her breasts.

  Groaning, Dale rubbed against her. “Feels good.”

  “I want to make you feel good.” She kissed along the column of her throat and up close to her ear. “I’ve wanted to touch you like this for so long.”

  Dale drew back. She traced her thumb softly over Logan’s lips. Her eyes shone with emotion. “I’ve wanted you too—for months. Let me make love to you.”

  Her gaze on Dale, Logan opened her jeans and let them drop to the floor. Her own nervousness about her body, quiet until now, made her hesitate. She ducked her head and spread a hand self-consciously over the bulge of her lower belly.

  Dale caught her chin in her hand and urged her head up. “You’re beautiful.”

  Logan flushed at the conviction in her voice. When Dale glided her fingers underneath the waistband of her panties, she shivered. Dale pushed the panties down, and she stepped out of them.

  Dale kissed her neck, then moved lower, lavishing her breasts with openmouthed kisses. Her hands stroked Logan’s body, sending her arousal higher.

  She clutched Dale’s shoulders as the throbbing pulse between her legs grew more insistent. Everything else ceased to exist. The feel of Dale’s hands and mouth on her became her world.

  Dale urged her to sit on the edge of the bed, then, pressing her back, stretched out half on top of her. The rough denim of her jeans rasped against the soft skin of Logan’s thighs. She braced herself on one arm, making her muscles stand out in sharp relief. “You’re so beautiful.” Dale’s free hand swept down her body, exploring every dip and curve.

  Her arousal at a fevered pitch, Logan couldn’t stand it any longer. She needed Dale with a fierceness she had never experienced. She grasped her hand and pressed it between her spread legs. “Please.”

  Dale’s fingers delved into the soaking wetness between her thighs. She dipped her head and took a rock-hard nipple into her mouth.

  Logan’s body arched at the dual assault. Her eyes squeezed shut as the world narrowed down to the exquisite point of pressure building between her thighs. She struggled to make her voice work. “Inside.”

  The feel of Dale’s fingers deep inside triggered her climax. She clutched at Dale, her body shaking with the power of her release. Panting, Logan forced her eyes open to find Dale staring at her with an intensity that sent aftershocks rippling through her.

  Dale leaned down and took her lips in a searing kiss. Her fingers began to move slowly inside her.

  Logan groaned into the kiss. Breaking away, she caught hold of Dale’s wrist. “I can’t again. Not so soon.”

  Grumbling a protest, Dale gently removed her fingers. She slipped off to the side but remained pressed against Logan. She traced patterns on Logan’s sweat-dampened belly, then moved higher to lightly stroke her breasts. “I could touch you all day.”

  Logan captured her hand, stilling it in place. As her body calmed, it dawned on her what she had allowed to happen. Damn it. She’d let her passion get away from her. They had never even gotten fully into the bed. She looked over at Dale, still dressed in her jeans and shoes, with her legs hanging over the edge of the bed.

  Dale met her gaze for a moment, then looked away. A sudden tension radiated from her. She moved away and sat up.

  Determined not to let things end this way, Logan moved fully onto the bed and knelt behind Dale—close, but not touching.

  Dale glanced back at her with wide eyes.

  “Relax. Let me love you.” Logan leaned forward just enough so that her breasts brushed Dale’s back. She bit her lip when her own nipples immediately hardened. Making sure just her breasts touched Dale, she trailed them up and down her back before bending her head and closing her teeth on the tender flesh at the juncture of Dale’s neck and shoulder on the unscarred side. She soothed the tiny bite with her tongue.

  A throaty growl escaped Dale, and she leaned back.

  Logan clenched her thighs together at the erotic sound. She did the same thing on the other side, being extra careful with the damaged skin. It wrenched an even deeper growl from Dale and a buck of her hips.

  Bringing her hands into play, Logan traced the sculptured muscles of Dale’s upper arms, then her prominent abdominal muscles. After denying the possibility for so long, it was incredible to finally be able to touch Dale.

  Dale’s breath hitched. “Please.” Her hands covered Logan’s.

  Not absolutely sure whether she was asking her to stop or keep going, Logan continued to kiss along her neck but stilled her hands. “It feels so wonderful to touch you. Let me touch more of you.” She nestled her face close to Dale’s. “I need to touch more of you.”

  Dale’s grip on her hands tightened. Drawing a deep breath, she slowly guided Logan’s hands to her breasts.

  Stroking the pliant flesh, Logan felt not only the difference in texture of the skin but the disparate size of Dale’s breasts. Her heart ached for all that Dale had suffered. She forced the thoughts aside. This was about pleasure, not pain. She gave each breast equal attention while taking extra care on the side that had been injured. “Is this okay? It’s not hurting you—right?”

  “Feels so good.” Dale pressed hard against Logan’s knees.

  “You feel good. I love touching you.” Logan spread her legs and drew Dale back between them, cradling her body against hers. She continued to pleasure her breasts until Dale began to squirm in her arms. When Dale reached between her own legs to stroke herself through her jeans, Logan caught her hand. “Ah-ah. No touching.”

  Dale whimpered. “Please. Touch me.”

  “Open your jeans.” Dale complied with alacrity, making Logan smile. At least for the moment, she’d managed to make her forget about her scars. She slid her hand down Dale’s abdomen and into her underwear to gently cup her sex. “The jeans have to go.”

  Dale froze in place.

  She slicked her finger a single time across Dale’s engorged clit, then withdrew.

  Dale’s hips jerked. “You’re killing me.”

  Tell me about it. Logan ached to do what they both so desperately wanted but held herself back. There could be no half measures here. “Take off the jeans.” She stroked Dale’s clit again with a little firmer pressure, then quickly retreated, not wanting her to come by accident.

  “I can’t.” Dale’s shoulders slumped. “I’d have to take off my…”

  Now came the true test of Dale’s trust and faith in her. Logan knew full well that she couldn’t take off her jeans without removing her leg first. She slipped her hand from Dale’s underwear. “Then do it.”

  Dale stiffened in her arms.

  Logan caressed Dale’s shoulders, then allowed her hands to drift to her breasts. She put her mouth next to Dale’s ear. “I need to touch you. All of you. Please.” She trailed a hand down to the top of Dale’s open jeans and stroked the soft skin of her lower belly.

  A shudder rippled through Dale’s body.


  Logan nipped the tender spot on her neck hard enough to make Dale jump. “Do it now.” She released her hold so that Dale could sit up.

  Dale pulled her pant leg up. Her hands around the prosthetic, she hesitated. She looked back at Logan, her expression pleading.

  Logan met her gaze head-on. She wasn’t budging on this. “Off.” Leaning forward, she pressed her breasts against Dale’s back. She captured Dale’s breasts in her hands and repeatedly brushed her thumbs across her hard nipples.

  “I can’t think—”

  “Good. I want to touch you everywhere. Stroke you. Make you come.” Logan gave her breasts a firm squeeze. “Hurry.”

  Groaning, Dale released the prosthetic and dropped it.

  Logan kept her chest against Dale’s back, lightly stroking across her arms and breasts, never losing physical contact as Dale removed her remaining clothes.

  When the liner covering her residual limb hit the floor, Logan wrapped her arm around Dale’s waist and urged her between her spread knees. She scooted back, drawing Dale with her until Dale’s legs were completely on the bed. She cradled Dale against her chest. “Oh, yeah. So much better.” She skated her fingers down the tops of Dale’s bare thighs. “This is just perfect. You’re perfect.” She caressed every inch of skin she could reach, building Dale’s arousal higher, touching her everywhere except where she most wanted to be.

  “Please.” Dale guided Logan’s hand between her thighs.

  As her fingers slid into the drenched folds, Logan bit back a groan. Her legs tightened around Dale. Sliding up to stroke Dale’s clit, she felt it pulsing against her fingertips.

  Dale’s breath hissed from her. “Yes.” She clutched Logan’s knees.

  Applying firm pressure, Logan worked her closer to release. The sight of Dale, as she neared orgasm, the light from the window bathing her body in a soft glow, took Logan’s breath away. So beautiful.

  Dale’s body arched as an incoherent cry was torn from her lips.

  Logan continued to caress her, drawing out her pleasure as long as possible. When Dale’s body went limp, she wrapped her arms around her and held her tight.