that’s where I lost it completely.
Relief flooded out from the center of my being so strong, so absolute at being able to let go… to be able to trust and I had no fucking idea why I even did, just something about him, some sublevel vibe told me I could and right now I was going with it. I needed to go with it or I was going to implode.
“Shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you, Sweetheart. You just go ahead and let it out,” he murmured, and so I did.
Chapter 12
Cutter
She had me, hook line and sinker the moment she trembled beneath me and hitched out that broken little sob. Tough as she was, the girl had a lot going on inside and I was feeling a lot of things in that moment. Chiefly, that’d I’d brought it out in her, broken her, cracked her wide and sent all of these emotions tumbling out and now it was my duty to put her back together again. I didn’t see it as a long haul project, not with Hope. No she would cry, she would sleep, and she would be fine again. She was a tough cookie. What surprised me was how much that disappointed me.
I really liked her, she felt fucking amazing, and I wanted more. A lot more. I smoothed her hair from her damp cheeks, peppered her face with a bunch of damn butterfly kisses and just let her be what she needed to be. A woman finally setting a burden down, sharing the load.
Her arms twined around me so sweetly and she held herself close to my body and I gave her shelter there. It felt damn good to be needed, but not only needed, allowed to help. Hope let me in and god damn that felt so good after months of sex and loving someone and being held forever at arm’s length… not that I faulted Li’l Bit for any of that… it just was what it was.
I closed my eyes and breathed Hope in and banished all thought of Hayden Michaels from my heart and mind. It wasn’t fair to go there with the woman in my arms, here and now. So I shut out Li’l Bit’s small frame and haunted green eyes and focused on Hope, and the relief and other mixed up soup of emotions pouring from her. I shifted into a better position to hold her and made soothing noises, rocking her gently until she quieted and her deep and even breathing let me know she was down for the count.
She felt so good, a solid weight against my chest, filling out my arms and it didn’t take much or very long for me to fall into a deep and satisfying sleep of my own. By the time the thump and scrape up on deck woke me up, the sun was streaming bright and strong through the portholes and Hope was stiff in my arms, listening just as I was. A series of raps above deck and I relaxed.
“It’s cool, Sweetheart, just some of my men, probably making sure you haven’t killed me.” Hope tipped her chin against my chest, rolling her head back on my shoulder to look at me. I drew her hand to my mouth where it’d been resting on my chest and gently kissed her fingertips.
Her eyes drifted shut at the minute touch and I smiled, still a touch raw but she’d be boot strapping herself in no time as soon as…
“Yo, Captain!” Marlin called from just inside the door below decks.
“Yeah! We’re good, Brother,” I called back, “Give us a sec!”
Hope pushed off of my chest and sat up, I popped open a cabinet door and pulled down one of my tees for her and she arched a brow before taking it.
“Neon orange is so my color,” she remarked sardonically.
“Beggars can’t be choosers, Baby,” I teased, “Your clothes are out there with them.”
She rolled her eyes and pulled it over her head and I really liked her in my shirt. I slid to the end of the bed and stood up.
“Aw Christ, man! Put on some fucking clothes,” Pyro griped.
“My boat my rules, no one said you had to look,” I pulled on my pair of shorts from the night before and asked, “What time is it?”
“Just after eleven, you got somewhere you have to be?”
“After a fashion,” I went up my short, narrow hall, making a pit stop in my water closet before
Relief flooded out from the center of my being so strong, so absolute at being able to let go… to be able to trust and I had no fucking idea why I even did, just something about him, some sublevel vibe told me I could and right now I was going with it. I needed to go with it or I was going to implode.
“Shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you, Sweetheart. You just go ahead and let it out,” he murmured, and so I did.
Chapter 12
Cutter
She had me, hook line and sinker the moment she trembled beneath me and hitched out that broken little sob. Tough as she was, the girl had a lot going on inside and I was feeling a lot of things in that moment. Chiefly, that’d I’d brought it out in her, broken her, cracked her wide and sent all of these emotions tumbling out and now it was my duty to put her back together again. I didn’t see it as a long haul project, not with Hope. No she would cry, she would sleep, and she would be fine again. She was a tough cookie. What surprised me was how much that disappointed me.
I really liked her, she felt fucking amazing, and I wanted more. A lot more. I smoothed her hair from her damp cheeks, peppered her face with a bunch of damn butterfly kisses and just let her be what she needed to be. A woman finally setting a burden down, sharing the load.
Her arms twined around me so sweetly and she held herself close to my body and I gave her shelter there. It felt damn good to be needed, but not only needed, allowed to help. Hope let me in and god damn that felt so good after months of sex and loving someone and being held forever at arm’s length… not that I faulted Li’l Bit for any of that… it just was what it was.
I closed my eyes and breathed Hope in and banished all thought of Hayden Michaels from my heart and mind. It wasn’t fair to go there with the woman in my arms, here and now. So I shut out Li’l Bit’s small frame and haunted green eyes and focused on Hope, and the relief and other mixed up soup of emotions pouring from her. I shifted into a better position to hold her and made soothing noises, rocking her gently until she quieted and her deep and even breathing let me know she was down for the count.
She felt so good, a solid weight against my chest, filling out my arms and it didn’t take much or very long for me to fall into a deep and satisfying sleep of my own. By the time the thump and scrape up on deck woke me up, the sun was streaming bright and strong through the portholes and Hope was stiff in my arms, listening just as I was. A series of raps above deck and I relaxed.
“It’s cool, Sweetheart, just some of my men, probably making sure you haven’t killed me.” Hope tipped her chin against my chest, rolling her head back on my shoulder to look at me. I drew her hand to my mouth where it’d been resting on my chest and gently kissed her fingertips.
Her eyes drifted shut at the minute touch and I smiled, still a touch raw but she’d be boot strapping herself in no time as soon as…
“Yo, Captain!” Marlin called from just inside the door below decks.
“Yeah! We’re good, Brother,” I called back, “Give us a sec!”
Hope pushed off of my chest and sat up, I popped open a cabinet door and pulled down one of my tees for her and she arched a brow before taking it.
“Neon orange is so my color,” she remarked sardonically.
“Beggars can’t be choosers, Baby,” I teased, “Your clothes are out there with them.”
She rolled her eyes and pulled it over her head and I really liked her in my shirt. I slid to the end of the bed and stood up.
“Aw Christ, man! Put on some fucking clothes,” Pyro griped.
“My boat my rules, no one said you had to look,” I pulled on my pair of shorts from the night before and asked, “What time is it?”
“Just after eleven, you got somewhere you have to be?”
“After a fashion,” I went up my short, narrow hall, making a pit stop in my water closet before
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