Chapter Twenty-Nine
The upside of only soft tissue injuries and no blade work meant there was far less blood than when it was more violent.
That meant Smokey didn’t have to worry about showering before he went upstairs.
Once he’d thoroughly exhausted himself, and Werner could barely stand, Smokey headed up stairs.
He planned to shower off the sweat and a few flecks of blood, then go find Tania and spend some time with her and Carter.
He glanced around the common room on his way through, hoping for a glimpse of one of them, but he didn’t see either. He didn’t bother to stop, he’d go looking for them once he was clean and dressed again.
When he opened the door to his room, he found Tania sitting in his recliner, cradling Carter as he lay across her lap and drank from the bottle he held up.
“There you are,” he said as he closed the door. “I wondered where you were when I didn’t see you downstairs.”
“Someone is almost asleep. I’ll lay him down in a few minutes.”
“I need to shower. I’m dripping sweat. How about I do that, then we can talk after he’s down?”
She nodded, but he felt her gaze on him as he headed for the bathroom.
Once there, he stripped out of his clothes and made quick work of scrubbing off every trace of Werner and what had happened downstairs.
Less than five minutes after he stepped under the spray, he stepped out again, only now he was clean and looking forward to spending some time with Tania, just the two of them.
He realized he hadn’t brought any clean clothes with him.
He wrapped his towel around his waist and headed for the bedroom.
Tania was just straightening from laying Carter down as he stepped into the room.
“Sorry. I forgot clothes,” he whispered as he padded through the room, intent on getting in there and putting something on before she got pissed at him for trying to entice her or whatever.
She was bruised and hurting and the last thing he wanted was to push her for something she wasn’t ready to give him, despite the evidence that they’d already been there.
She’s just getting out of an abusive relationship, he reminded himself, she’s not going to be ready to jump into bed with anyone right away, or at least not to sex.
He remembered sleeping with her in his arms and vowed he didn’t need to push her for sex.
She could have all the time she needed to heal, both physically and emotionally.
He could be content to wake up with her in his arms for the rest of his life.
In the bedroom, Smokey swung the door closed but didn’t bother to latch it as he went to the closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and tossed them on the bed, then to the dresser where he took a pair of boxer briefs from the top drawer.
He didn’t bother to look behind him before he dropped his towel and bent to step into his shorts.
He couldn’t help the high pitched squeak he emitted when he jumped away from the hands on his ass he wasn’t expecting.
He jumped upright, jerking the underwear on as he spun around to find Tania biting her lips as she tried to keep from laughing loud enough to wake Carter.
“What are you doing in here? I’m changing,” he said, keeping his voice low.
“I’ve seen it. I just laid the evidence of that down.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, toward the door.
“I’m trying to get dressed.”
“I saw that. I wanted to stop you.”
“Why?” He scowled.
“Because I saw something I liked.” Tania stepped closer, closing the distance he’d put between them when he’d jumped and spun around.
“I’m trying to behave, Shell. You’re hurt.” He took a step backwards. Not that it did any good, as she immediately took another step, re-closing the space he’d put between them.
“I know what I am. I also know what I want and what I’m willing to do to get it,” she said, meeting his gaze before looking away, as if there was something she didn’t want him to see.
“What do you want?” He tilted his head as he watched her.
“My life back. My choices back. To take control again.” She met his gaze again. “I want you. You make me feel alive.”
He stared at her for a moment. What could one say to something like that?
How could he tell her no after a plea like that?
He opened his arms and let her step into them.
When she pressed her face against his chest, Smokey wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, though not tightly enough to hurt her bruises, he hoped.
Her arms wrapped around is middle, holding on to him just as tight. After a couple of minutes, she tilted her head back and propped her chin on his chest.
“Kiss me,” she begged.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure, Tim. I want you.” She rolled her hips against him.
He had to admit, while he preferred Smokey to Tim, he liked hearing his given name from her, especially when it was just the two of them.
He couldn’t keep his body from reacting, making it obvious how much he wanted her, even if he wanted to give her more time.
Still, if she wanted more, who was he to deny her?
It wasn’t like he didn’t want her, hadn’t wanted her for years.
He just hoped that this time he could convince her to stay.
He searched her face for any signs of doubt or conflict before he lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers.
She let out a soft whimper, as if she was afraid that was all he was going to give her.
But he didn’t let her worry for long. After the first brush, he covered her mouth, teasing and tasting as he tried to keep from pouring all of his need, his desperation for her, into the kiss.
To his surprise, she returned his ardor with just as much passion and energy.
She slid her hands up his torso, the heat of her hands on his bare skin, knowing that she wanted him, was more than he could resist. He let his hands play over her torso over the thin cotton of the shirt she’d stolen from his drawer.
She leaned into him, her hands on his back pulling him tighter to her for a moment before they roamed his back and lower, slipping beneath the waistband of his underwear to cup and squeeze his ass.
He liked that she was comfortable enough with him to make a move like that, and it gave him permission to touch her in ways he wanted to but had held back in case it was more than she was ready for.
Slowly, he moved them toward the bed, then broke the kiss and searched her face once more before tugging off her shirt and tossing it aside. He barely had enough time to realize she was braless before she pulled away slightly, crossing her arms over her belly.
“What’s wrong?” he asked with a frown. “Too fast?”
“No. I want to do this but. I’m not the same as I was then?”
“What do you mean?”
“My belly’s gone soft and I have scars.”
“Scars?” Had that fucker put scars on her?
She moved her arms and showed him the pale lines on her lower belly.
Smokey went to his knees, he kissed her lower belly as he ran gentle fingertips over the stripes. “What happened? Who did this to you?” he looked up along her body to her face, trying to read her expression.
“I guess you could say you happened to me.” She looked down at him with a soft smile.
“Me? What do you mean?” That made no sense. He hadn’t hurt her. He looked back down at them, then I dawned on him. “They’re stretchmarks, from Carter.” He looked back up to her face.
“They are.” She scrunched her face. “I wasn’t sure what you would think of them. Rod hated them. Said I’d ruined my body.”
A wave of satisfaction filled Smokey, not just because of the lesson in pain he’d already given her soon to be ex, but because he knew he’d never do or say anything to make her feel the way that worthless piece of shit had. At least not on purpose.
“They’re beautiful, Shell. Just like you. That you got them carrying my son? That only makes them more special to me.” He kissed the marks again before using his hands on her hips to guide her to sit on the edge of the bed. If she was ready for this, he would show her how much he wanted her there.
Moving over her, he eased her back to lay on the edge of the bed then he covered her in kisses. Not having to worry about Carter, at least for a while, he took his time.
“Tim, please.” Her voice was a husky whisper. She moved restlessly beneath him.
“Please what?” he asked as he let his hands play down her body, hitting the spots he knew were sensitive and would ramp up her desire.
“Please touch me.”
“I am touching you, Shell.” He reached up and cupped her cheek before kissing the end of her nose, then moving lower, he noticed her tits were larger than they had been as he kissed and carefully bit at each nipple for a couple minutes while he worked to tug her leggings off.
She tried to help but in her hurry, her hands ended up tangled in the fabric.
“Let me.” He moved her hands away then finished peeling off her pants, tossing them out of the way before he went back to kissing his way down her torso, pausing to kiss each scar and bruise.
When he reached the waistband of her underwear he didn’t let it stop him, but he left her panties in place, for now, kissing over the fabric as he moved between her legs.
The tangy scent of her arousal teased his senses.
He couldn’t wait to taste her, but not yet.
Moving back up her body, he kissed her as he slipped her panties off her hips then worked is way down her body again as he pushed the underwear down her legs.
Once he had them off, he dropped them and watched her for a moment.
Tania’s entire body was flushed with desire, her hands thrown above her head as if she was reaching for the sky or something to hold on to. He liked that idea. He wanted to make her need to hold on to something for fear of flying apart.
With a grin, Smokey gripped her waist and slid her up the bed so she could reach the headboard. “Here.” He guided her hands to the vertical bars. “Hold on.” He met her gaze. “Don’t let go. You move your hands and I’ll stop, got me?”
She met his gaze and nodded.
Smokey slid his hands down her body, caressing every curve and swell as he lay between her thighs.
“I’ve wanted to do this for longer than I can remember.” He licked up the length of her slit, then settled in to lick, suck and tease every bit of pleasure he could wring from her. Her taste exploded on his tongue. He couldn’t get enough.
“Tim!” she cried as her hips twitched and jerked until Smokey laid an arm over her belly to keep her still while he devoured her core, reveling in every drop of the honey dripping from her opening.
“Come for me, Shell,” Smokey went back to circling her clit while he slid two fingers inside her and curled them to hit that uber sensitive spot near the front of her.
Her back bowed and he didn’t know what she’d done but when she screamed it was muffled.
He lifted up and found that she had pulled one of the pillows over her face.
He smiled and wondered how loud he could get her to scream.
He moved up her body, sliding his hands along her skin, then knocked the pillow aside to kiss her.
“Are you sure you want this?” He watched her face for any sign she wasn’t one hundred percent certain.
“I am, Tim. I want you.” She wrapped her arms around him and tugged him closer.
“Give me just a sec.” He lifted up enough to shove his shorts off his hips then kick them aside before reaching for the nightstand and pulling out a condom.
“I love the little guy, but I’m not ready to give him a sibling yet,” he said as he unrolled the rubber down his length. Once done, he moved over Tania again, capturing her lips in another kiss as he lined himself up with her opening and slid balls deep in one thrust.
Tania gasped into his kiss.
“You all right? Did I hurt you?” He lifted his head to watch her face.
“No. I’m good. I just wasn’t expecting it.” Her fingers curled into his biceps as she clung to him. “Move.” She rolled her hips searching for stimulation.
Smokey gave her what she wanted, at the same time, reaching for what he’d wanted for years.
He’d had her once and let her slip through his hands.
He wouldn’t be doing that again. He used his body, every bit of it, to show her how much she meant to him.
To bring her a small measure of the pleasure she brought him just by being there.
He knew it was too soon to ask for more, but he would do his best to get her to love him as much as he had always loved her.
Her body clenched around him. Her fingers in his arms dug deeper.
Her back bowed as her core clamped down around him, squeezing tight as she screamed out her pleasure.
He tried to hold back but the intensity of her orgasm pushed him over the edge.
Fire raced up his spine as he gave in and let himself release.
He wished for a moment he could fill her, mark her as his, but he didn’t know her birth control status and this hadn’t been the time to discuss it.
Breathing hard, he pulled out and rolled to the side. He pulled off the condom, tied it off and dropped it in the trash before rolling back to Tania and pulling her into his arms. He could stay like this for hours.
Carter fussing in the next room let him know that wouldn’t be happening.