Chapter Thirteen #2
“Yeah.” I knew the other man was managing me.
Under other circumstances I’d pop him in the mouth.
Just now, though, I needed his prompting.
No one said a word or laughed or made fun of me in any way.
In fact, everyone around us seemed to understand exactly what had happened.
And, likely, how I felt. I looked around until I found Knuckles and gave him a nod of thanks.
If not for him, I had no idea where I’d be right now.
I carried her to the couch where I set her down and took a seat beside her.
Everything inside me screamed at me to pull her into my lap and hold her close, but I was all too aware I looked like a crazy person.
Instead, I grabbed her hand and rested it on my thigh with my hand trapping hers so she couldn’t pull away.
The bruises on her face had darkened during the drive back, stark against her pale skin. I winced as I got my first good look at her after the haze of panic lifted. “Christ, baby.” I started to touch one reddish bruise, but pulled back, afraid of hurting her.
“Here.” Pain handed me a Ziplock bag with ice inside, wrapped in a thin dish towel. “Hold this to her cheek. It will help with the pain and swelling.”
I did as he asked. I knew he gave me something to do so I could focus on a direct task, but I didn’t care. As long as Ada got what she needed, I’d do whatever I had to, swallow however much pride the Fates thought necessary.
I knew I needed to pay attention to what Pain said so I’d know how to care for Ada later, but I was crashing hard.
My mind was in a haze of adrenaline fog.
No matter how many times the rush had happened over my lifetime, I’d never been able to manage the crash.
Once my cell was locked, I could safely let it take me.
That failing was the one thing I’d never been able to manage. When the rush left, I crashed hard.
“Your wrists aren’t nearly as bad as I thought they were.
Some deep scratches but not as bad as the blood first suggested.
I’m giving you a tetanus shot just to make sure.
” He lay a tube of ointment on the table.
“Once you shower, put this on your cuts and put a dressing on it tonight.” Then, he set a bottle of pills on the table.
“No more than one every six hours for the pain.”
“Thanks,” Ada said in a small voice. “For everything.”
Pain smiled down at my girl. “You’re welcome. Is there anything the two of you need that we can get for you? That way you can hole up here and recuperate.”
“Can you bring a few pizzas?” I have no idea why I asked Pain that particular question. But once I voiced the request, I was suddenly ravenous. “Like four or five pizzas.”
Ada snorted. Then giggled. “I mean, yeah. With meat.”
“Lots of meat.” I held Pain’s gaze, just to see what he’d do. To my shock, his face split into a wide smile.
“I’ll get you six. With as much meat as they’ll put on them.”
“Pizza is a cure for everything.” Hannah gave me a big smile.
“You’re good.” Knuckles clapped me on the shoulder. “Knew you would be.”
Knight handed Ada her phone. “Cain’s men found it when they cleaned up the place. Smart move what you did. Calling and leaving the line open. We knew we were out of time and had to go in.” Knight squeezed Ada’s shoulder before he looked at me. “Take care of my baby sister.”
“With my life, Knight.”
He turned his attention back to Ada. “Call me if you need me.”
“Thank you, Knight. I think we’ll be fine.” She looked up at me and smiled. “We can help each other.”
Knight grunted. “We got your back, brother.” For the first time in my life, I actually believed someone did.
After everyone left, Ada and I sat quietly for a long time. We both needed a shower, but I thought we needed this too. Just to sit quietly with each other. Taking comfort in one another. Once we both settled, we could clean up.
Finally, Ada spoke. “Jag,” she whispered, covering my hands with hers. “Look at me.”
I lowered my eyes to hers. The bruises looked even worse up close, reddish purple and angry against her fair skin. But her eyes were clear and steady, pools of calm in the storm raging inside me.
“I’m here,” she said. “I’m okay.”
Something broke loose in my chest then, a flood of emotion I couldn’t name or control. I leaned forward, pressing my forehead against hers, breathing her in. Alive. Here. Mine.
Her hands came up to frame my face, fingers threading through my hair.
I felt her breath against my lips, warm and real.
When she kissed me, I tasted salt and copper, but I also tasted Ada’s own sweetness.
I kissed her back, careful of her split lip, pouring everything I couldn’t say into the press of my mouth against hers.
I gathered her closer, needing to feel her body against mine. She came willingly, climbing into my lap, her legs wrapping around my waist. Her fingers slid under my shirt as she found my skin with her hands. Seconds later, she whipped my shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor.
“Need you,” she murmured against my mouth. “Need to feel you touching me. Inside me.”
I understood. Needed the same confirmation that we were both here, both alive, both whole despite everything.
I pulled her shirt over her head before fumbling with the back clasp on her bra.
Her skin was pale in the dim light, marked here and there with bruises that made my blood boil all over again.
The last thing I needed was to slip back into the near madness from before.
I stood, urging her to wrap her legs around my waist while I walked us to the bedroom. She kissed and licked my lips the whole way. I started to take her to bed, then thought better of it. Instead, I headed to the bathroom.
“Shower first.” I managed, though my cock was at full attention and demanding to be inside her. “I need to take care of you.”
She smiled up at me. “Like I said. We’ll take care of each other.”
We both finished undressing and I adjusted the water before we both stepped into the big shower. The second we stepped under the water, I pulled her back into my arms, needing that physical connection.
The hot spray cascaded over us, steam rising around our bodies like a protective cocoon. I reached for the soap, needing to wash away all traces of this day from her skin. My hands trembled slightly as I worked up a lather, the reality of how close I’d come to losing her still raw in my veins.
I turned her gently so her back faced me.
Starting with her shoulders, my hands moved in slow circles across her skin.
I watched the suds slide down the elegant curve of her spine, revealing her to me inch by glorious inch.
She sighed, leaning back against my touch.
I massaged her muscles as I ran my hands over her body.
She arched into my touch and moaned several times as she gradually relaxed.
She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down for a gentle kiss. “My turn,” Ada whispered, taking the bottle of shower gel and squirting a healthy amount in her palm.
She faced me, her gaze never leaving mine as she worked the soap between her palms. When she placed her hands on my chest, I nearly came undone.
Her touch on my bare skin always felt good, but now I felt like she was the only glue holding me together.
My insides were raw and bleeding. Ada soothed those lacerations and helped me to heal with every single touch.
“I was so afraid,” she admitted quietly, her hands sliding down my abdomen. “Not that they’d kill me. That I’d never see you again.”
I caught her wrist, bringing her soapy hand to my lips. “I would’ve torn the world apart to find you.”
She smiled, the bruises on her face somehow making her beauty more fierce. “I need this,” Ada insisted, her eyes fierce with determination. “I need to feel you. To know we’re both alive. Please, Jag.”
I couldn’t deny her. Couldn’t deny myself.
With a growl, I lifted her, pressing her back against the shower wall.
Her legs wrapped around my waist immediately.
Her pussy kissed the head of my dick, opening to me.
I positioned myself at her entrance, pausing just long enough to make sure she was ready.
I circled her hip and found her clit. She thrust her hips to my touch, riding the length of my dick between her legs so her clit scraped over my length.
“Fuck, Ada,” I gasped against her throat, trying to hold still, to be gentle with her bruised body. Water droplets clung to her lashes, her eyes dark with desire. “I need to be inside you.”
“Yes…”
I pushed forward slowly, watching her carefully for any sign of discomfort.
Her mouth fell open in a silent gasp as I filled her, her pussy gripping me like a vise.
The sensation nearly brought me to my knees.
Being inside Ada was always incredible, but now, after nearly losing her, it felt like salvation.
I rocked into her slowly, savoring the connection as our bodies moved together in the steamy shower. Her fingernails dug into my ass, her head falling to my shoulder as she gasped my name.
“Look at me,” I whispered, needing to see her eyes. “I need to see you.”
Ada tilted her head to the side and looked back at me. Her gaze locked with mine.
I quickened my pace until we were both grunting. I circled her clit with my fingers while I fucked her with increasing urgency. I tried to keep my movements as gentle as I could, but there came a moment when I surged into her harder than I intended.
She didn’t complain. In fact, she urged me faster with her hand gripping my ass. Her other arm held her braced against the shower wall.
Ada screamed and I gave myself the mental okay to follow her over the edge.
Her cunt milked my cock greedily, taking my cum deep inside her pussy.
I held myself as deep as I could go for as long as I could.
All too soon, my cock softened and I finally fell against her, trapping her body between mine and the shower wall.
“I love you,” she whispered against my lips. “I love you so much, Jag.”
“I love you too,” I replied, the words coming easier than I expected. “More than anything.”
We finished washing in comfortable silence, the urgency gone to be replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion.
I stepped out first, grabbing a towel to give my body a cursory wipe down before getting a clean one to dry her.
I wrapped the towel around her body before removing the now wet bandages on her wrists.
It didn’t take long to rebandage them with the first aid kit under the sink.
She leaned against me, swaying slightly with fatigue.
“Come on,” I said, guiding her to the bedroom. “We both need some sleep.”
“Yeah.” She didn’t move and I had to smile.
I picked her up and carried her to the bed. Shedding our towels, I tossed them to the floor before putting her in the bed and following her down.
We lay tangled in the sheets, her head pillowed on my chest, my arm wrapped around her shoulders.
“I never had much to lose before,” I said finally, staring at the ceiling because I couldn’t look at her while admitting this.
“Made surviving inside easier.” Ada remained quiet, listening.
“But you,” I continued, my voice dropping to barely above a whisper.
“Losing you would have destroyed me. Not just hurt. Not just fucked me up. Destroyed me.” I swallowed hard, my throat tight.
“There wouldn’t have been anything left of me worth saving. ”
Her hand found mine, fingers intertwining. She pressed her lips to my chest, right over my heart. “Then I guess I better stick around,” she murmured against my skin. “Because I’m pretty attached to what’s here.”
I brought our joined hands to my mouth, kissing her knuckles. The simple gesture felt more intimate than anything we’d just done. “There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you, Ada. Just tell me what you want and I’m there.”
She pushed up on one elbow to look at me, her eyes steady on mine as she gave me the most breathtakingly beautiful smile. “I know,” she said simply. “That’s one of many reasons I love you.”
“Love you too,” I whispered against her hair, the words feeling both foreign and inevitable on my tongue. “More than I know how to say.”
Ada nestled against me and stretched languidly with a contented sigh. “You don’t need to say it,” she assured me. “You show me every day.”
I would stand between her and any threat, always. Now, she was here in my arms, her heartbeat strong against my chest, and that was enough. More than enough. It was everything.