N. Walters - MacNamaras Lady

She climbed out of bed and followed him into the bathroom. He already had the water running and was lighting the two candles she kept on the vanity for times when she didn’t want the harsh overhead light. The flickering light added another layer of intimacy to the situation.

Once, she would have felt self-conscious about being naked in front of him. Now it was as natural as breathing. She stepped into the tub and lowered herself into the water. He was right behind her, his big body crowding hers.

T.S. couldn’t remember ever feeling this good. He could still taste Missy’s hot juices on his lips. His cock still vibrated with the feel of her tight channel locked around him. He could go again but he wanted to give her some time to recover. He’d had to push hard to get inside her pussy and didn’t want her sore. A bath should help.

The water lapped around them. He’d never taken a bath with a woman. A shower with a quickie worked in, sure, but nothing this intimate. He relaxed against the rim of the tub with Missy settled against him and decided he liked it.

When the water was high enough, he leaned forward and turned off the taps. He took the opportunity to lick several beads of water off Missy’s dark skin. She tasted salty and sweet at the same time.

He grabbed the bar of soap resting in the built-in holder and began to roll it between his hands. This reminded him of the first night he’d been at her place, the night of the attack. He’d drawn her a bath that night too. But this time it was different. He wasn’t watching her but sharing it with her. He was a different person now and so was Missy. They’d changed one another and for the good.

He’d thought it would be easy to have sex with Missy and keep it casual the way he’d always done with women. Just some fun between consenting adults. He’d gotten much more than he’d bargained for and was so damn grateful he hadn’t completely fucked it up.

When bubbles frothed around his hands, he dumped the soap and began to rub his hands over her shoulders.

“That feels so good,” she moaned, tilting her head forward to give him better access.

“It certainly does.” He slipped his hands around her sides and found her breasts. She laughed. Leaning back, she twisted her neck around, offering her lips for a kiss. There was no way to resist such temptation, not that he even wanted to.

He’d committed himself the moment he’d told her everything. Hell, he’d been lost long before that. He just hadn’t been willing to admit it to himself. Missy was everything that had been missing in his life. Everything he’d ever wanted, but had never imagined he’d ever have.

He worked his soapy hands downward and was pleased when she immediately parted her thighs for him. He washed her and then rinsed the soap away. This wasn’t about arousing her, but about taking care of her.

When he finished, he got comfortable and eased her back against his chest. “Talk to me.” He wanted to know about her past.

She squirmed around until she found a spot she liked. By that time his dick was as hard as a spike again, but he had no plans to get derailed. Not yet.

Missy picked up his hand and threaded her fingers through his. The contrast of light and dark skin in the candlelight almost pushed aside his good intentions. Almost.

“You’re stalling, babe.”

She sighed. “I know.” She took a moment and gathered her thoughts before continuing. “It’s not an unusual story. My father was a violent man. It was worse when he was drinking, which seemed to be more often than not. He did some time in jail, mostly for assault. Bar brawls. Once for minor theft. Did a few months for domestic violence, but my mom took him back when he got out.”

“I’m sorry.” And he was. As poor as he’d been, as hard as his childhood had been, he’d always had the love and support of his mother.

She nodded and he wrapped his arms around her, wanting to drive away the memories even as he wanted her to share them with him.

“I was the youngest. I had an older sister and two older brothers. My sister left when she was sixteen. Got the nerve to go to a shelter. They helped her finish school and get a job. My brothers were like my dad. They liked to drink and hit things when they were mad.”

“Did they ever hit you?” Pure molten fury welled up inside him, almost exploding when she shrugged. That said it all.

“I learned to hide, to stay away from home.”

T.S. kissed her temple and silently offered her his strength. It was all he could do. There was no way to go back in time and change her past. If anyone understood that, it was him.

She took a deep breath and continued. “From an early age I knew what I wanted. A life completely different from my parents’. My mom was like a shadow, always watching my father, trying to figure out his mood so she could do whatever it took not to make him angry. When he wasn’t around she drank to forget how hopeless her life was.”

“That’s no way to live.” T.S. couldn’t imagine hitting a woman. His mother had raised him better than that.

“No,” she agreed. “It’s not. That’s why I studied hard and rarely dated. I saw other girls my age getting pregnant and ending up in bad relationships just like their parents. That’s when the teasing started. I was uppity, cold, icy, frigid. I can’t tell you the number of guys who offered to help me with my problem.”

T.S. wanted to find them all and beat them to a pulp. But that wouldn’t help Missy. “I’m sorry, babe.” His voice was rough with unvoiced emotion.

She shrugged. “It made me strong. Determined. I left home as soon as I had my high school diploma. I worked while I went to college on a scholarship. I put my past behind me and made a new one. I learned how to dress, how to speak properly, how to conduct myself in a business situation. I educated myself about music, art, and theatre. I wanted to be someone .”

The last word was said so fiercely it made his heart hurt. “You are someone.” He adjusted her so she was lying against his shoulder and he could see her face. “You’re a very special woman, Missy Sinclair.”

She smiled through the sheen of tears in her eyes. She hadn’t shed one. Not his tough Missy. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

He kissed her then because he had to. Her grace, her strength of will, humbled him. She opened for him on contact and it made his heart soar. She was his and he’d damn well take good care of her. Not because she needed him to. She was one hell of an independent woman. No, he’d do it, not because she needed him to, but because he wanted to.

He tasted desire and acceptance on her lips. His tongue sank inward and she welcomed him. Their mouths met again and again as soft as a whisper. There was no hurry, no agenda, only the touch of two people who cared for one another and wanted to show it in the most pure way possible.

“You’re a hell of a woman,” he told her when the kiss finally ended.

A light flush covered her cheekbones. It was hard to tell in the dim light, but he knew it was there because he’d come to know her so well. She seemed uncomfortable with the compliment.

“You’re strong and independent. Doesn’t mean you’re weak if you want to lean on someone else from time to time.” He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. A promise. “I have wide shoulders.”

“I know.” Her words were softly spoken. “I have strong shoulders too.”

Her offer warmed him to his core. “I know.” The words sealed the pact between them. The past was just that. The future was ahead of them.

He shifted her so she was sitting on his lap again, his erection pressing against her back. She laughed. “Seems as though you have a slight problem. Again.”