48. Adrian
Salvation might not have been a strong enough word.
He leaned against the bathroom door frame, content to watch in fascination as Ivory shifted through the most mundane tasks—brushing her teeth, combing her hair, inspecting her face as she removed the last traces of makeup. Her dress hung in a dark curtain over her hips, ruffling where it ended mid-thigh. Her calves tightened as she stretched onto her toes, bare feet curled in two graceful arches.
Every inch of her was perfect. Sublime.
Her eyes found the bite marks on her neck, perhaps noticing them for the first time—but instead of being upset, a small smile lifted the corner of her lips. Damn. This woman must have been made just for him. Without meaning to, a low rumble emanated from his chest.
That was when she caught him staring. With a blush, she turned away from the mirror.
“All done?” he asked, only a little disappointed that the show ended so soon.
“Yeah.” Her breath caught as he pulled her to him. He brushed his palm over the side of her neck and tipped her head back for a kiss.
Fresh mint tingled his tongue as he swept it over hers, taking his time and reveling in her returning caress. Her hands curled around his biceps, lips softening as he licked and sucked until they deepened to the strawberry red he loved so much.
She pulled away with a giggle. “It’s really too bad we never got to take that bath.”
“Never too late.” He ran his hand down the curve of her spine. Even as he suggested it, fatigue pulled at his bones. But if his sweet witch asked, he wouldn’t decline.
She smiled and blinked up slowly, processing his words. Then she sighed and leaned into his chest like it was her favorite place on Earth. “I think if we tried that now, I’d fall asleep in ten minutes.”
He chuckled. “A quick shower?”
Quick being relative, of course. Compromising the hour-long bath he wanted for a five-minute shower wouldn’t cut it. But he could try to keep their activities limited to aftercare, ensuring she felt well enough for what he had planned for tomorrow.
“That sounds nice,” she replied.
He dropped his hands to the hem of her dress, eager to remind himself of her body all over again. “Arms up.”
She obeyed, and he peeled off the fabric that veiled her beauty. It dropped to the floor with an unceremonious woosh.
He held her gaze for a second, peering into her jade eyes as they flickered with the same questions all women had standing naked before their lover. The questions he’d already answered but would reinforce as many times as she wanted.
“Do you remember what I told you the first time you were in my apartment?” he asked. “What I said you were worthy of?”
She swallowed and peered at him through her lashes. “You said I was worthy of worship.”
Her voice quieted as the word left her lips, fragile in its fleeting existence, yet nothing short of monumental in meaning.
She remembered after all this time. “Very good.”
He let his gaze travel down the length of her body. Her chest rose with a tense breath, but he didn’t stop. He wanted her to see the lust in his eyes, the awe that wove through his being at merely being in her presence.
Amethyst strands of hair fell over her shoulder, and though her breasts were covered by a black bra, the sight of her skin alone sent heat coursing through his veins. The slope of her sides flared into her hips, giving way to pale stretch marks that wrapped around her thighs—to be granted ownership of such value was no less than the highest honor.
“I will worship you till the day I die, Iv. Inside and out.” Looking back up to take in the flush on her cheeks, he lifted his hand and unclasped her bra, then slid her panties down until they fell and pooled at her feet. “Starting tonight. Go ahead and get started in the shower. After I grab us some towels and brush my teeth, we can pick up where we left off.”
She nibbled her lip as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. He pried her lip loose, debating whether or not to steal another kiss. But before he could decide, she gave him a coy smile and fluttered her eyelashes. “I’ll be waiting.”
Then she stepped into the shower and let the curtain conceal her from his view.
He almost ripped the damn thing off.
Faster than humanly possible, he finished his tasks and joined his sweet, seductive witch. Suds trailed from the cloth as he ran it over the arch of her spine, massaging his fingertips into the muscles of her back and moving between her thighs. He crouched down and inspected her sex, taking note of every place that was slightly bruised or sore, although Ivory had insisted she felt fine.
He’d kissed each mark that bloomed over her porcelain skin but yearned to kiss them again. To mark her again. To do it all over again and again and again.
Only after he cataloged her condition did he continue to wash her legs, working the cloth around the inside of her knees and down to her ankles. He slipped a finger between each toe until she giggled and squealed. Crystal-clear rivets of water rolled down her body, clinging to the tight points of her nipples and pouring over her ribs.
“Okay, my turn,” she said as he stood up and reached for the washcloth.
He smiled and handed it over with the soap. “All right, but I still need to wash your hair.”
“Oh.” She reached over to her shoulder to grab a strand of hair as if she’d forgotten about it. Or as if she was remembering the time he’d washed it before and everything that had led them to this moment.
“Right,” she concluded after a pause, then looked up and twirled her finger in motion for him to turn around.
He did, letting her stay under the stream of hot water as she repeated the process of washing. Her hands were gentle and attentive as she reached for his hips, then splayed her palm over the muscles in his buttocks. She slipped between his legs and prodded her fingers towards his secret places, discovering how a man felt from behind instead of the front.
“Is this okay?” she asked as he tensed involuntarily.
“Of course.” He’d allow her the same freedom to explore as she gave him. After all, she hadn’t seen him fully unclothed before, and although the thought of himself wasn’t exciting in the least, she seemed to be enthralled.
“It’s just,” she continued. “I’ve never really touched a man before. Not like this.”
He resisted the urge to turn around. “Never?”
The sound of the water changed as if she was shaking her head. “No. I didn’t…I’ve never been that intimate with anyone. Sex was more of an in-and-out thing. And everything else…I guess no one ever wanted me the same way I wanted them.”
At that, he turned and took her shoulders in his hands. This would be the most important thing he uttered all day. Perhaps in his whole life. “I want you in every way, Iv. All of you.”
Her eyes flicked to his, then trailed slowly down his body with a shy smile. Keen to rise to the occasion, his cock swelled and bounced to his stomach.
She laughed. “I know.” Then she added reverently, “Thank you.”
He leaned in and kissed every part of her his lips could touch. She melted, connecting them along each dip, along all of their curves and planes. Her arms wrapped around his back and ventured lower to grab his ass. She chuckled into his neck. “It feels a lot better when you do it to me.”
“I agree.” He gladly obliged, kneading her thighs until a shiver went through her body, and she hummed in contentment.
“No more for tonight, though,” he chastised. “Let me wash your hair and tuck you into bed.”
Sleepily, she nodded and let him arrange her on her knees, his back blocking the water for a moment as he ran his fingers over her scalp and through her hair. Careful to tip her head so it wouldn’t run into her eyes, he let the warm water rinse out the shampoo and repeated the process with conditioner, taking extra time to let it work in.
Once they were both washed, he shut off the water and grabbed a towel, draping it over her shoulders. He dried her hair, wove it into a loose braid, and then scooped her into his arms.
“What are you doing?” she giggled, relaxing as she realized he wouldn’t let either of them slip.
“Tucking you in, just like I said.” He strode out of the bathroom with her in his arms.
A yawn overtook Ivory’s reply. She rested her head against him and closed her eyes. “I’ll have to tuck you in, too. Can’t let you do all the chores.”
“It’s far from a chore.”
Even though his apartment looked the same as it always had, undecorated and cast with the mundane disregard of a college student, it felt different. Complete. His kitchen table was no longer a slab of wood but a place where they’d eaten and shared memories of their families. His couch and recliner a nest where they’d cuddled. And his normally empty bed, where he now brought the only girl to have ever slept in it. He peeled back the covers and set her down.
“But I want to.” She curled up under the sheets, pulling them to her nose and looking at him over the top.
“I’ll be there soon,” he assured.
After drying himself and turning off the bathroom light, he locked all the doors and gave one last glance through the blinds covering the balcony door. The moon lit up the sky in a silver crescent, rising above campus with an iridescent blue halo.
Memories of summer heat and the ring of gunshots no longer filled his ears. Instead, there was peace. Quiet. Even the incessant urge to uncover the truth of the past, to dig it up just to bury it once and for all, stayed dormant. It hadn’t been fair from the beginning, and he might never find the whole truth, but at least he could guarantee the Yu family would never hurt his family again. He’d make sure of it.
Rejoining Ivory in bed, he dragged her into his chest and stole the warmth he’d lost outside.
“Oh, you’re cold!” She turned to face him, nuzzling into his chest hair and curling her toes. “See, this is why I needed to tuck you in.”
He pressed a kiss to her nose. “You’re absolutely right.”
She pulled back to look in his eyes. “Thank you for today. I enjoyed all of it, even the parts that didn’t go as planned.”
“Thank you .” It was her who made the day worth remembering.
Ivory paused. “You’re welcome, but for what?”
He stroked her face, drawing his thumb down her temple to the corner of her lips and following the path with his gaze. How could she not know? “For ruining the man I was so I could be rebuilt into the man you deserve.”
His heart had been broken for years, but now, a ray of light and warmth seeped out between the cracks. Although he never did anything to truly merit her love, he would live out the rest of his days earning it.
Her mouth parted, and her eyes grew glossy and bright. “I didn’t mean to break you,” she whispered as if the thought sorrowed her. “I just hope I’m worthy of the man you’ve become.”
“You should never question that,” he murmured and brushed a kiss over her forehead.
She lowered her head and pressed her lips to the center of his chest, right over his beating heart. “You’ve always been the man I wanted. It was always you, and it always will be.”
Emotion caught in his throat. And since one kiss wasn’t enough for his sweet witch, she blessed him again and again as he faltered, a peppering of kisses that threatened to shake his very soul. He couldn’t speak, even though there were a million things he should say. The subtle softness of her bare skin, the love and gratitude that seeped through her simplest touch, her unabashed honesty—it all shattered him from the inside out.
He drew her lips up to his with trembling fingers. As soon as he tasted her, as soon as she kissed him back with a ferocious passion, his heart really did explode, and the shrapnel spread through every part of his body.
“Sweetheart,” he choked out, squeezing his eyes shut before opening them to the best sight in the entire world. “I’m just a man.” He wrapped her tight in his arms. “But you—you were sent from heaven, and tomorrow, I’m going to make those lips sing praises all day long.”
She laughed, breath tickling his nipples as she nestled into a comfortable position. “I don’t think what’ll come out would be fit for church.”
“It’ll be more than enough for a sinner like me.” He fixed the blanket around her shoulders. The soft whir of her breath filled the room, already succumbing to sleep. “Goodnight, my sweet witch.”
He draped his arm over her waist, then let his consciousness fade.