Page 87 of The Oath We Take

“If it gets you into the shower quicker, I’ll play anything you want.”

“Do it,” he says. “Be my nurse.”

I straighten my shoulders. “Mr. Addams, you shouldn’t be out of bed and moving around right now.”

Atom grins. “I was feeling kinda dirty, Nurse Deeks.”

“A sponge bath in bed might get messy, but if you don’t mind me overstepping the boundaries of nurse and patient, I could help you in the shower.”

“I might need help getting out of these clothes.”

I step into his space and start to unbutton his shirt. “It was foolish of you to put so many clothes on.” My fingers slip through the gap in the fabric, brushing the coarse hairs on his chest.

“My mistake. I’ll wear less next time.”

I look at the rips in the shirt and lose character for a moment. “Any less and you’d have been in a lot worse shape.”

Atom runs a knuckle down my cheek. “I’ve survived worse, Nurse Deeks.”

I look up at him. “I wish you didn’t have shit like this to survive, Mr. Addams.”

He tips my chin and bends to kiss me. “I’ll always come back to you, Em.”

I realize I’ve been at overwhelm since that man’s face appeared at the kitchen window, and I can’t help the tear that spills over my eyelashes.

“No crying on duty, Nurse Deeks,” he says, but his voice is ripe with sympathy.

For me.

When he’s the one who gave chase to the men who would hurt me and got thrown from his bike.

So, I shake off the tears and do my best to replace them with a smile. “Kick off your boots on the way to the bathroom.”

He tips an imaginary Stetson. “Yes, ma’am.”

By the time we reach the simple bathroom clad in white tile with black fixings, he’s lost his boots, his belt, and his shirt.

“You need new socks,” I say, looking down at yet another hole.

“Or a wife who knows how to darn.”

“You’re richer than sin, Mr. Addams. You want new socks, I suggest you buy them.”

“Noted.”

I kneel in front of him and remove the socks one at a time. Then, I open the button and lower the zipper on his jeans. In anticipation, his cock is already hard, bobbing in front of my face as I attempt to tug the denim and underwear down his legs.

When I’m done, Atom is utterly naked, and I’m still fully dressed. There’s a heady power to it.

“Kiss it,” Atom says, tipping his chin in the direction of his cock.

I give it the briefest of kisses, a brush of lips on the head, designed to leave him wanting. “You have to follow procedure. Get in the shower, first.”

Atom stares down at me for a moment, then shakes his head. “You’re never gonna make any of this easy, are you?”

“I’m not sure easy is in my nature. Would you want it any other way?”

“No, ma’am.”

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