Page 57 of Guarded

I am a fucking crybaby through and through. I accepted that fact about myself, but I don’t want Nero to think I’m clingy, so I release him when he makes another attempt to remove himself from the bed.

Before I can even feel the empty bed, he pulls me up to him. His strong arms lift me, and I wrap mine around his shoulders while my legs straddle his middle.

Our naked bodies are pressed against each other as he carries me into the bathroom. The bathroom in this room is smaller than the bathroom in my room. He sets me down on the sink and starts the shower. He pulls some towels out of the cabinet and places them on the toilet next to the shower before coming back to me.

He picks me up again and carries me into the shower with him. Water hits his back, and I watch his head fall seductively under the stream. He keeps a firm grip on my thighs and refuses to let me down.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“For what?” He asks.

“For being so nice to me.” I bit my lip.

He doesn’t say anything.

Thank you?

God, I need to shut up.

I want nothing more than to be invisible because I can’t read the look in his eyes. Is it concern? Maybe it’s regret.

Please don’t let it be regret.

Nero removes his arms from under my thighs and slowly sets me down on my feet. He remains in complete control, washing my body with delicate precision.

I’m also somewhat in control because it takes a lot for me not to tell him that men’s ten-in-one body wash is not great for my hair. I convince the control freak in me to savor the moment instead. Smelling like him meant I got to keep him on me.

When the shower is over, Nero dries me off, then kisses my forehead.

“Go get dressed, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” he instructs me.

I go to my room and immediately add a leave-in conditioner to my hair, wash my face, and moisturize my body. Catching a small glimpse of myself in the mirror, I see exactly what Cooper was talking about. The afterglow is a real thing.

I smile at my reflection. Not just any smile but a beaming and full-of-life smile. I don’t want it to go away. I pick out a matching pink underwear and bra set, then settle on an oversized large T-shirt. In the days Nero was sick and then the savage fucking, I had lost track of time. I find my phone still plugged in and see it’s not early morning like I thought, but it is already past ten o’clock in the evening.

I comb through my hair before I walk back to find Nero waiting for me in the kitchen. Admiring the intense beauty of it, my eyes roam over his muscular body.

He’s put on a pair of black briefs and black socks that stop at his toned calves. His hair, which is usually gelled, looks fluffy due to the light curls. A small gold chain lays across the fadingscars on his upper chest. The only place he doesn’t have covered with tattoos, as if the scars themselves were a tattoo on his body.

Even with his back to me, I knew every inked design on his body—the images were burnt into my memory. While most of the art on him appears to be tribal markings, there were a few distinct images he had on him. Like the lettering on his stomach.

I could only make out the first word, Dulce, which I knew meant sweet, but I would have to Google the second word. The other image, the one staring at me, was a large winged creature on his back. It looked like something dark and mythological. The face and horns resemble a demon, but the hair was long, and the wings were outstretched, resembling a bat.

Nero looks back when he catches me staring at him. Setting down the two bowls of oatmeal, he turns to face me. My face flushes red when he looks at me like this.

He gives me all his attention as he takes his time looking over every inch of me. Like, I’m something special to look at. Our eyes remain locked on each other when he sits down on the stool beside him. His hand taps his muscular thigh.

“Come here.”

I walk straight to him, and he pulls me up and onto his lap.

“What are you doing?” I ask him, but he just brings the bowl to him and lifts the spoon to my mouth.

“You need to eat something.”

I open my mouth and take a bite.

There’s a fire in his eyes as he watches me take every bite. I can taste the maple syrup, brown sugar, and the sweet bits of fresh apples he’s mixed in. Him feeding me feels so erotic. I wrap my lips around the spoon and let out a small moan as I look straight into his eyes.

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