them down to the quick.”
She stared back at Stefan’s face, resolution firming her words as a smile played about his lips. “All I’m saying is, I’m not perfect. I know I’m not perfect. You don’t have to use that word.”
“Noted.” Slowly, tenderly, he dipped his head—not to her mouth, but to the hairline scar she’d pointed out on her brow. “But this—this scar you received while being careless on a monument… you were careless, I suspect?”
“I was the worst. I didn’t know my limits.”
“Ah.” He drifted his mouth along her brow, the movement sending a thrill down her spine. “This scar is perfect, because it’s yours. Because you received it doing something that only you would have done.”
“Mm.” Nicki fought to follow his words as his mouth drifted down to her shoulder, her arm. “I wasn’t the only idiot up there that day.”
“And this—your arm was reset after—what?”
“Snowboarding accident, spring break in the Rockies,” she said automatically, sucking in a breath as he traced the old scar with his tongue. “I was totally not being an idiot then. The course was well marked, but there was a snow ghost—tree buried under a drift—they hadn’t gotten to. I veered too high in a turn, got incredible air—but when I came down I was right on top of the thing.” Her eyes drifted shut. “I didn’t stop though. No one knew how bad I was injured until we got to the bottom of the mountain. Not even me.”
“I’m not surprised.” Stefan transferred his attention to her thigh, where the angry whorls of her pin scars stood white against the dark tan of her skin. “The leg, was it also snowboarding?”
“Bike—hit by a car on campus, old lady visiting her…ohh…” Stefan put his hands on either side of her thigh, the pressure of his palms steady as he massaged the muscles around the long ago injury with a sure, strong touch. His fingers dug into the knots of her thighs, knots she didn’t know she had, and Nicki flopped back, suddenly feeling oxygen-deprived.
“My God. You should take that act on tour,” she groaned.
“I suspect this is the same leg with the hamstring tear?”
She could barely make out his words as pleasure crested within her. She’d known she’d needed a massage, but she’d never imagined it could be so electrifying. She didn’t complain as his hands firmed on her body, easing her first to her side, then her stomach, his large hands transferring their pressure to her back. He stroked long and firm, and when he got to the curve of her ass, she belatedly realized she was still naked, and he was—
“Hey—” she spluttered, half rising from the bed.
“Humor me,” he said, pushing her back down with the flat of his hand. Then both hands returned to her glutes. “Your left leg, right?”
“Yes but—ow!” she went rigid again as he pressed two fingers in a sharp, deep line down the curve of her upper thigh, the muscle spasming beneath his touch for a harrowing moment, driving all thoughts of pleasure from her mind. “That hurts!”
“It won’t in a moment. Endure it,” he said, his voice low but absolute. He stroked again, more deeply, and Nicki ground her hands into the sheets, tightening them into fists around the luxurious fabric. She tried to scoot away and he restrained her, talking low as she gasped and panted.
“Relax,” Stefan growled. “You’re doing yourself no favors fighting me.”
She snorted. “Spoken as someone who always wins—ouch! Enough!”
“For the moment,” he said, the pressure of his hand changing to the broad flat of his palm as he pressed up with more general force into the intersection of her hamstring and glute. The warmed muscle tightened then gave way, and a spiral of pleasure radiated outward as Stefan continued the deep massage. He chuckled as Nicki groaned into the sheets once more.
“That’s so much better,” she managed on a sigh.
“It would not be so, without the pain. As you
She stared back at Stefan’s face, resolution firming her words as a smile played about his lips. “All I’m saying is, I’m not perfect. I know I’m not perfect. You don’t have to use that word.”
“Noted.” Slowly, tenderly, he dipped his head—not to her mouth, but to the hairline scar she’d pointed out on her brow. “But this—this scar you received while being careless on a monument… you were careless, I suspect?”
“I was the worst. I didn’t know my limits.”
“Ah.” He drifted his mouth along her brow, the movement sending a thrill down her spine. “This scar is perfect, because it’s yours. Because you received it doing something that only you would have done.”
“Mm.” Nicki fought to follow his words as his mouth drifted down to her shoulder, her arm. “I wasn’t the only idiot up there that day.”
“And this—your arm was reset after—what?”
“Snowboarding accident, spring break in the Rockies,” she said automatically, sucking in a breath as he traced the old scar with his tongue. “I was totally not being an idiot then. The course was well marked, but there was a snow ghost—tree buried under a drift—they hadn’t gotten to. I veered too high in a turn, got incredible air—but when I came down I was right on top of the thing.” Her eyes drifted shut. “I didn’t stop though. No one knew how bad I was injured until we got to the bottom of the mountain. Not even me.”
“I’m not surprised.” Stefan transferred his attention to her thigh, where the angry whorls of her pin scars stood white against the dark tan of her skin. “The leg, was it also snowboarding?”
“Bike—hit by a car on campus, old lady visiting her…ohh…” Stefan put his hands on either side of her thigh, the pressure of his palms steady as he massaged the muscles around the long ago injury with a sure, strong touch. His fingers dug into the knots of her thighs, knots she didn’t know she had, and Nicki flopped back, suddenly feeling oxygen-deprived.
“My God. You should take that act on tour,” she groaned.
“I suspect this is the same leg with the hamstring tear?”
She could barely make out his words as pleasure crested within her. She’d known she’d needed a massage, but she’d never imagined it could be so electrifying. She didn’t complain as his hands firmed on her body, easing her first to her side, then her stomach, his large hands transferring their pressure to her back. He stroked long and firm, and when he got to the curve of her ass, she belatedly realized she was still naked, and he was—
“Hey—” she spluttered, half rising from the bed.
“Humor me,” he said, pushing her back down with the flat of his hand. Then both hands returned to her glutes. “Your left leg, right?”
“Yes but—ow!” she went rigid again as he pressed two fingers in a sharp, deep line down the curve of her upper thigh, the muscle spasming beneath his touch for a harrowing moment, driving all thoughts of pleasure from her mind. “That hurts!”
“It won’t in a moment. Endure it,” he said, his voice low but absolute. He stroked again, more deeply, and Nicki ground her hands into the sheets, tightening them into fists around the luxurious fabric. She tried to scoot away and he restrained her, talking low as she gasped and panted.
“Relax,” Stefan growled. “You’re doing yourself no favors fighting me.”
She snorted. “Spoken as someone who always wins—ouch! Enough!”
“For the moment,” he said, the pressure of his hand changing to the broad flat of his palm as he pressed up with more general force into the intersection of her hamstring and glute. The warmed muscle tightened then gave way, and a spiral of pleasure radiated outward as Stefan continued the deep massage. He chuckled as Nicki groaned into the sheets once more.
“That’s so much better,” she managed on a sigh.
“It would not be so, without the pain. As you
Similar Books
