“There we go.”
She was shaking, but was it fear or something more? She didn’t know what she was feeling, didn’t know how to assimilate the sensations and emotions washing through her.
“I came home for you, Kelly,” he reminded her, his breath caressing her ear as she jerked against him. “I came home to touch you, to taste you, to claim you. Do you know what I would have done if I had known you were home when I pulled in yesterday morning?”
She shook her head, a jerky movement as a small whimper left her lips. He felt so good. A man shouldn’t feel this good, powerful yet protective, hot and so blessed sexy.
“I would have come to your room and kissed you awake. I would have seen your pretty eyes opening, knowing it’s me beside you, my lips touching yours. I want that real bad, Kelly. Even though I know if Dad caught me he’d skin me alive.” He breathed in roughly; the feel of his chest rasping against her br**sts sent a shudder racing through her. “Now,” he whispered, “I really don’t care if he does skin me.”
She stiffened against him, needing to draw away, needing to get closer to him. God, she hated this. Hated the fear holding her back, hated not knowing, not understanding the emotions raging through her mind and body.
“Rowdy—”
“Shh.” He stilled her protest as he rubbed his head against hers. “Just settle here against me, baby. Let me hold you for a minute; let me know you’re okay. Just that.”
“But I’m not okay.” Her hands clenched in the fabric of his shirt as she finally admitted it to herself. “I’m scared, Rowdy. I’m so scared.” She pressed her head against his chest, the words slipping free after nearly a year of burying them. She was terrified.
“I know, baby.” He kissed her head, his hands running over her back. “But I won’t let you be scared of me.”
She heard the pain in his voice, felt it tighten her chest. No, Rowdy would never hurt her, but fear was an insidious disease, and fighting it took more courage than she thought she had.
“We’re going to take this nice and easy,” he crooned. “We’re going to go upstairs and you’re going to sleep, baby. I’m going to lie right beside you so you know no one can get to you, no one can hurt you as long as I’m there. Okay?”
“In my bed?” She jerked back, staring up at him. “Ray will skin us both alive.”
“Dad will deal with it.” His expression hardened, determination glittering in his eyes. “He already is. You’re not sleeping; you’re not eating. We’re going to change that, starting tonight.”
“Oh, are we now?” The high-handedness in his voice pricked at her.
“Kelly.” He tilted his head, staring down at her, a smile quirking at his lips. “Are you going to fight me, baby? Really? Remember the last fight we got into?”
“You put another snake in my drawer, and I’ll start calling you Douglas,” she sniped. “I can’t believe you’d threaten me like that.”
He smirked, his gaze drowsy, his expression so sensual it was enough to make her panties damp. And they were damp. Yeah, she was scared spitless at times at the thought of touching him, having him touch her, but he could make her so wet, so fast, that it wasn’t even surprising anymore.
“I’m just going to lie beside you, that’s all,” he whispered. “If you can’t sleep, then I’ll lie on the floor. But I’ll be there, Kelly. Will you trust me enough to let me be there? Remember yesterday morning, baby? You trusted me enough to almost bare those pretty little ni**les for me. Keep trusting me, Kelly.”
She was breathing roughly; the realization of it forced her to try to regulate it. She hated this weakness, this fear. Even the sessions with the psychologist hadn’t been able to erase it.
“I would trust you with my life, Rowdy,” she whispered, knowing she did.
“Come on then.” His arms wrapped around her as he led her to the stairs. “Let’s go on up and see if we can get some sleep. I don’t know about you, Kelly, but I’m dead tired.”
She hadn’t had nightmares in months, she thought as he turned out the lights and led her upstairs. She wasn’t sleeping well, but when she did sleep, she wasn’t waking screaming as she did in those first months. It should be safe. She could have something she had always dreamed of. Rowdy in her bed, sharing his warmth with her. Maybe even holding her. Surely she could handle that?
SIX
Kelly wasn’t really surprised when Rowdy stopped at his bedroom to get a pair of soft, gray cotton sweats similar to her own. He slept in the nude, so the concession he was making wasn’t lost on her.
“Okay?” He led her to her bedroom door, opening it carefully before stepping in ahead of her.
Kelly drew in a deep, sustaining breath, battling the confusing emotions racing through her. She had waited for Rowdy for so long that she wasn’t certain how to adapt to this abrupt shift between his careful distance and his sudden closeness.
“I’m fine,” she answered as she stepped in behind him, noticing the tension in his body.
“I’ll change in the bathroom.” He closed the door behind her.
Kelly fisted her hands in her T-shirt as she bit her lip, fighting to hold back her nerves as Rowdy disappeared into the other room. She gazed around her bedroom, taking in the frilly curtains over the dark shades, the white lace of her comforter. It wasn’t exactly a man’s room.
Yet, Rowdy hadn’t flinched at it. He had filled it, overpowered it, and pulled all focus toward him. Not that she had expected anything less.
She was still standing in the middle of the room when he came from the bathroom long minutes later. She couldn’t stop her gasp, couldn’t help the leap of her pulse at the sight of him.
He was obviously aroused. In those pants, there was no way to hide just how well-endowed he was either. She swallowed nervously as her gaze moved over hard, flexing abs, sun darkened and powerful, to a wide chest and an expression blazing with hunger.
She took a step back, watching as his eyes narrowed on her.
“Come on, baby. We passed this point.” His voice was rough, deep, a rasp of black velvet across her raw senses.
“I’m fine.” Her hands knotted in the material of the shirt as she felt the flesh between her thighs heating further, dampening.