Page 66 of Being Bold
Burn scars mottled his lower left leg, but they weren’t gruesome to her. They were a badge of honor, proof of his courage and strength. She lifted her hand to trail her fingers over the leathery skin, but he shifted away before she could. Patient, she met his gaze. “Does it hurt?”
He shook his head, then grimaced. “Phantom pains. Sometimes.”
She moved toward him again and caught sight of a tattoo on the back of his calf. He’d had it done over the scarring. She nearly gasped, thinking about how painful that would’ve been.
Lifting her hand, she met his gaze for permission. When he nodded, she traced the black ink. “What is it?”
He scrubbed his hands over his face before saying, “A bone frog.”
“For Nugg,” she murmured. He didn’t have to tell her what it meant. She understood it was his way of commemorating the brother he’d lost. Leaning forward, she placed a gentle kiss over the markings.
“Selene, you should know I—”
She rocked back on her heels, staring up at his tortured expression. His eyes swam with emotion while the muscle in his jaw worked. “You can tell me, Bo,” she encouraged in a soft voice.
He puffed out a breath. When he spoke, his voice was a low rumble filled with pain. “I still see him—Nugg.” He scrubbed his hands over his face and muttered, “Fuckin’ A.” When he met her gaze, he added, “I hallucinate.”
For a moment, she remained quiet, taking in what he’d said. Knowing he battled this as well as nightmares, it clenched her heart. To ease the ache, she thought only of ways to help him. “Have you talked to someone about it? A counselor, I mean?”
He winced and shook his head. “Not since I got out.”
Tracing her hand over the tattoo again, she coaxed, “Maybe you could?”
He’d pulled a stoic mask over his features when she looked at him. She would’ve sighed, but wasn’t ready to give up on him. This was just another reason he needed her—the understanding she could offer—to help him heal from his past. “You have to start somewhere, Bo.”
In response, he cleared his throat. “Look, you can shower first.” He rubbed the back of his neck as his gaze flitted around the room. “I’ll . . . hide in the fucking closet or something,” he grumbled.
“I don’t want to stop.” If anything, his vulnerability only made her want to comfort him more.
“You . . . don’t?” he asked the question like he wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly.
“No.” To prove her point, she lifted a hand to the bulge in his boxer briefs, stroking him through the material.
Pupils blown, he cursed under his breath, “Fuck.”
Dipping her fingers under the waistband, she reveled at the quiver in his muscles. A small smile tugged at her lips as she pulled the material down, freeing his length. He was hot, hard, and ready. Sliding a hand up his thigh, she braced herself and leaned forward to lick the moisture at the tip of his erection.
The sound he made was so guttural it shook his whole body. Before she knew what was happening, he swooped her up, hiking her legs around his waist as his mouth descended on hers.
His onslaught took her off guard. Recovering, Selene wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as his tongue pierced, pleasured, and possessed her. He tasted dark and salty with that hint of citrus that made her think of orange groves. All she could do was cling to him as sensations pummeled her. She was a piece of driftwood tossed in a storm.
His hands brushed the sides of her breasts, lowered to squeeze her hips, then her bottom. His feet moved them, but she barely registered it until her back hit something cold and solid, making her hiss out a breath as it came in contact with her overheated skin.
When Bo lifted his head, their breaths mingled in heavy pants. “Shower,” burst from his lips.
Selene blinked, turning her head slightly to find it was what she’d been pressed against. “Inside,” she panted.
Their mouths reconnected. If she’d been hungry before, now she felt starved. The seconds apart had felt like hours, and she needed . . . justmore. More of what he did to her, what he made her feel. It was blissful agony.
Somehow, Bo found the door and opened it. He pressed her back against the inside wall, still kissing her while he felt aroundfor the taps. By some miracle, warm water poured down on them from the rainfall shower head.
His mouth finally released her to trail kisses down her neck. When he started to suck at the base of her throat, she moaned, letting her head loll to the side. The spot was sensitive, and the mix of his tongue, teeth, and beard sent bolts of electricity spiking through her, shooting straight for her core. “God, Bo!”
That felt way too good.
He shook his head as if to clear the fog of desire they were caught in. “Selene, I don’t think I can wait.”
Confusion passed over her like a cloud. Her mind was too lost in pleasure to understand what he meant. “I want you inside me.”
