Page 26 of Tangled Souls

“Don’t,” I croak out, “come closer. I don’t want you to get blood on you.”

“Is it your blood?” There’s no judgement in her question, only curiosity. But I still hate it. All I can do is shake my head, not trusting my voice.

I’m supposed to be stronger than this. Giving into fear is not like me. I’m used to being the one to lighten the mood, along with Maxim. Being quick to smile and crack a joke while charming everyone around me is what I’ve built my life around.

But with her here, everything is different.

She grips my hand and tugs. It feels like I have no choice but to follow behind her. I’m sure that I look like a lost puppy who has just found a master they can trust. I don’t even care.

I would follow our woman anywhere. Happily.

Oaklynn doesn’t stop until we’re standing in our bathroom. Even though we’ve kept our rooms in the house, we have figured out how to sleep in Oaklynn’s bed with her. Everything is better with her. At this point, I don’t think I could sleep without her.

Which makes the need I have for her to not look at me any differently grow even more. I wouldn’t survive without her.

After turning on the shower, she lifts her face and her eyes lock with mine. She takes her time undressing me, her movements methodical and graceful. Once I’m naked, she pulls the tank top she’s wearing off and then pushes her sleep shorts down until they fall to the ground.

When she steps into the shower, I follow right after her without even thinking about it. I need to be close to her. I’m not sure I can get close enough to her.

I move underneath one of the showerheads and let the warm water flow over my body. It’s tinged pink, but it’s not nearly enough for me to feel clean.

The rough fabric of the shower poof thing touches my back, and I jump a little. When I whirl around, Oaklynn is giving me a gentle, amused smile.

“Talk to me,” she prompts. Her voice is soft, but I can hear the command wrapped within her words.

She’s not going to let this go if I try and avoid it. And if I did try that shit, I wouldn’t be a man worthy of worshiping this woman.

“On the way home, I looked down and realized I had more blood on me than I realized. All I could think about was you looking at me differently when you saw me,” I admit while hating myself with every word.

“I know who you are, Baker,” she tells me, an insistence in her tone that I desperately want to believe in.

“Knowing and seeing are two different things, Little Bee.”

I can only hope she feels my sincerity and my fear in the words. I don’t want to say it. I’m not sure if I can.

Oaklynn makes a humming sound before walking around to my back as she continues to clean me. After a soft plop, it’s her hands on my skin and not the netted ball thing anymore. My entire body shudders as her hands glide over my skin.

“You’re right; knowing and seeing are two different things. But what you aren’t considering is the fact that I see you just as clearly as I know you.” She steps closer, her tits pillowing against my back as her hands glide around my waist. “I know you will do anything to protect me and our family. You will kill for us; you will die for us. It is part of who you are, and I’m not disillusioned. Nor am I naïve or unable to handle the reality of it. I see the blood on you and am proud.”

I spin so fast to look at her that she stumbles a little. My hands shoot out and I grab her, my fingers digging into her hips as I look down at her. “Proud?”

“Maybe I’m a little messed up, but it’s true,” she says casually.

I bark out a laugh and spin us while pressing our wife against the shower wall. She lets out a small gasp and my cock throbs against her hip where our bodies are pressed against each other.

“You’re amazing,” I praise her, my voice filled with awe.

Her hands come up and cradle my jaw, her fingers rubbing against the stubble there. “And you were scared,” she challenges me.

My hands slide down over her hips until I’m gripping the back of her thighs and lift. Her legs wrap around my hips, my cock gliding between her pussy lips and making me groan as my vision blurs slightly.

With my forehead pressed against hers, I admit, “I was.” I kiss her lips softly. Everything in me screams to kiss her harder and to slide deep inside of her. But I can’t.

Not yet.

I’m not the only one who needs to see and touch our wife. Kirill was on the verge of jumping into the abyss of his anger to be consumed by the darkness. I’m not jealous of the fact that he got to spend some time with her. He needed it.

And now she’s right here with me.

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