Page 39 of Healing Hope

Laughing, he stepped to the side so that his body was no longer blocking the steaming water. “The things we do for kids,” he said.

“Hmm.”

She stepped forward, her shoulder brushing his chest as she stood beneath the shower head. The water ran down her hair and over her body, and he couldn’t help but follow it. He’d known that her body was beautiful, but he hadn’t expected her exquisite curves, or the richness of her tan. He could see light paleness from her bikini top, and a little paleness around her groin area where the bottoms rode.

Turning in the water, she tipped her head back and scraped her hands through her hair. The position brought her breasts up, her deep cocoa colored nipples sitting up perfectly on her breasts. She wasn’t a heavily breasted woman, but perfectly shaped. No wonder she hardly ever wore a bra.

Reaching out, Paul brushed a finger over that pert nipple, then cupped her breast completely, weighing it in his hand. Then he leaned down and took it into his mouth. Jess gasped, and her fingers burrowed into his hair. Paul drew her into his mouth, tonguing the nipple, gently biting it as he pulled away.

Jess groaned and held onto him as he took her mouth with his own. Their kisses had been tame, mostly, but the need inside him was a fierce thing. It had been building for weeks, despite his concerns. And now, finally, she’d given him free rein to do as he wanted. So he kissed her with all the desperation he felt, his tongue going deep into her mouth. She tasted of fresh mint, and he wished he’d gotten to that part of his nightly routine, but he hadn’t expected her to join him here.

His cock prodded at her, fierce and hungry. It had been a long time since he’d been with a woman. Oddly, he didn’t have reservations about being with Jess. She’d seen his amputation and the mess that his shoulder was, so there was no awkward reveal or build up. It was already done. They were going to take pleasure in each other’s bodies, and move on. Because that’s what she wanted.

Reaching down, he cupped her ass in his hand and pulled her into his erection. Her water-slick skin felt sublime, and he flexed into her again, letting the head of his cock glide against her skin. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to come just like this. He lifted his head to drag in a heavy gasp of air.

“It’s been a while for me,” he admitted, drawing away slightly. “I’m healthy, though.”

“I’m clean,” she said, smiling slightly. Her eyes had gone dark. “And I have an IUD.”

The thought of going bare with her sent a warning tingle through his balls. He was so amped up.

She reached behind him, and he heard the lid snap on a bottle. Then her hand was soaping up the shaft of his cock. Her clever fingers explored and teased him, then circled under the corona and around the opening at the tip. Circling her fingers, she fisted his shaft, sliding up and down.

“Don’t,” he growled. “I’m too close.”

Removing her hand, she cupped his hips and slid her body sinuously against his in a gentle rocking motion. Paul clenched his teeth at the feeling, a little ashamed at how easily she could manipulate his need for her. Then he forgot that shame as he took her mouth again, trying to express to her how much he needed her.

His orgasm was building. Without breaking the kiss, he turned them until her back was against the tile, then he lifted her right leg. Shifting his hips and bending his legs, he positioned his cock to glide up against her shaved mons. If he could get the position right, he’d glide up along her clitoris and they’d both enjoy the encounter.

“Lift your other leg,” he told her, his hand going beneath her ass to lift.

“I don’t think…” she started, then he moved against her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Oh!”

That was all the motivation Paul needed. He moved again, and even through the hot water pounding around them, he felt when the folds of her body wrapped around his shaft, because her body was hotter that the water, and that silky heat cranked his need even higher. Grinding his hips against her, he pressed kisses up her neck and along her jaw.

Jess turned, and bit at his lip, then teased him with the tip of her tongue. As he glided in the moisture from her body, she worked her tongue in a similar rhythm, her own excitement building. Her body moved in time with his, and she panted his name. Then she tipped her head back and let out a groaning cry, her body clutching at him. And then he was gone. With an inarticulate cry, he released the iron hold on his need and pumped against her, his release coating her belly. His legs quivered and his breath hitched.

It took extreme power to maintain his feet and her weight in his hand, but he managed it, even as his body continued to rock against her. One of her hands left his shoulders, and he opened his eyes to see her swiping a hand across her belly. She grinned at him as she massaged her fingers together, learning his texture. “This did not go as I expected,” she murmured, grinning.

Paul had to clear his throat to talk. “What did you expect?”

Jess lowered her legs to the tile floor, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Honestly, I had a feeling you hadn’t been with anyone in a while, so I planned to come in here and give you a hell of a blow job, then we could head to bed and have time to play while you got ready for round two.”

Paul’s brows popped, and he couldn’t help but grin. “Well, I think we both benefited going this direction.”

“I agree,” she laughed, turning to soap her belly clean.

It gave Paul a perfect vantage point to check out her hourglass shape. Unable to help himself, he skimmed his hand down her side and cupped her hip, then teasingly tickled across her bottom. Jess laughed and shimmied. “Quit,” she cried. “I’m trying to get your spunk off.”

Paul grinned, loving the guttural, caveman feeling of marking her that way. “You already got my spunk off.”

They laughed together and played, then stepped free of the shower. Grabbing the towel he’d planned to use for himself, he patted her down, drying her as completely as he could with one hand. When he was done patting, she took the towel from him and wrapped it around herself, tucking it in at her breasts. Then she retrieved a second towel, and did the same thing to him. It was kind of ridiculous and comedic, but Paul wouldn’t have traded it for the world.

He watched very carefully as she worked around his amputation, but she didn’t avoid the area or flinch, and she didn’t treat it like it was still an open wound. She treated it like normal, healthy skin, even though it was scar tissue.

The acceptance and normalcy were truly humbling to him.

Paul brushed his teeth and followed Jess into the bedroom. Across the room, she stood at his bookshelf, looking at his Marine memorabilia. “I knew you had to have some somewhere.”

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