Page 125 of Already At Risk
She shook her head again.
“Do you want me to help you?”
A nod.
Good. Yes.
Natalie’s features twisted a little, like she hated that she needed help right now, and I didn’t want her to feel that way. So Ijumped right in, dropping my hands to the hem of her shirt as I pressed more reassuring kisses to her face.
“Arms up,” I directed softly, and Natalie raised her hands above her head, letting me pull her shirt up and over. Then she let me unclasp her bra, dropping it to the ground as she stood, shimmying out of her pants.
“Good girl,” I encouraged, dropping my hands to her bare skin, massaging my thumbs into her hip bones for a moment as we stood face-to-face. Natalie wiped at her tears, trying to get rid of them as she looked up at me, a pleading expression on her face. What did she want? I would do anything, give her anything that I could, that I had.
I cupped her face. “Words, baby.”
“You?” she asked, her voice threadbare as her hands dropped to the buttons on my shirt, starting to undo them with shaky fingers.
“You want me to get in with you?”
She nodded, and I took over for her, unbuttoning my shirt and stripping out of it, along with the rest of my clothes. As soon as I was done, Natalie put her arms up, hooking them around my neck, and I lifted her into my arms without hesitation, cupping my hands beneath her bottom as I walked her to the shower, slipping behind the curtain.
It wasn’t a very large space, and we hardly both fit beneath the spray, but steam rose into the air, and that, along with the flare of body heat as we wrapped around each other, kept us warm.Hot.
I put Natalie back down, letting her slide to her feet again. It was slightly torturous, the way her naked, wet body slithered down mine. But I wanted to free my hands so I could take care of her the way she deserved.
“Head back for me,” I rasped, and Natalie obeyed, letting the water coat her hair and stream down her back. I slicked my hands over her head, pushing the wetness into her strands and away from her face before looking around the tiny shower for shampoo.When I found it, I deposited a small dollop in my palm and then turned back to Natalie. “Can I?”
She nodded and twisted in my arms so I could reach better. I took my time, massaging the shampoo into her scalp. Natalie tipped her head back, handing me full control as the water sprayed over us.
I’d never washed anyone’s hair before, and I wanted to get it right.
It felt really important to get it right.
So I made sure her entire head was sudsy before I rinsed it off, slowly washing the soap away, and the day. Then I repeated the process with her conditioner, pulling it through her hair and rinsing it off. A little moan slipped out of Natalie as my fingers worked, a massage that I hoped was gentle and thorough. It was hard to tell what kind of moan it was, though, if it had to do with my probing touch or if it was something more desperate.
“Natalie. Baby.” I wrapped an arm around her waist, tentatively pulling her against my chest. Her weight sagged in relief, like she’d been waiting for that, and I held on to her tighter. She dropped her head back, tipping it onto my shoulder, her face tilting up toward mine. Her eyes were closed, her expression slightly pained. I brushed my lips over her hairline, whispering against wet, dewy skin. “I’m not sure what exactly happened tonight, but I need you to know that you are the most brilliant woman I know. Brilliant and beautiful and strong.”
She exhaled, and I felt the heaviness of it. “I don’t feel remotely strong right now, Cameron.”
I drew a lazy circle around her belly button with my thumb, feeling the way her body relaxed beneath my touch, just how I’d been hoping. “Right now, you don’t need to be. That’s why I’m here.”
Natalie’s eyes opened, blinking rapidly at first, either batting away the shower water or her tears, I couldn’t tell. But then her green gaze met mine in a moment of breathlessness. She lifted her arm, circling around my neck. Holding on. Her fingertipsscraped my skin, a graze, yet it felt like she was digging into me, hooking something inside me. Holding on.
She tipped her chin further, making it clear what she wanted.
And how was I ever supposed to say no?
The kiss was achingly deep, like we were trying to reach the place that we felt tethered, a reassurance that it was there. Thatwewere here, in the same place. It ignited something in me I wasn’t used to, that went beyond the skin-crawling want, the disastrous need to have her. Something that felt raw and untouched by anyone but Natalie.
“Sunshine,” I breathed against her lips, forcing myself to pull back, to retreat from feelings that were so big there wasn’t space for them here, not right now. Not when Natalie’s feelings were the priority and mine were a mess. And that meant not getting swept up in a kiss I couldn’t control.
But she blinked up at me like all she wanted wasmore. More of me, more of my touch, more of this, of us. So I asked, “Will you let me wash the rest of you?”
She nodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth and testing my restraint.
That mouth—fuck.
I regretfully dragged my gaze from Natalie’s, if only to find the body wash. But as soon as I had what I needed, my eyes found hers again. They were still watching me, inspecting every inch of my face. She felt calmer, like my kiss had taken some of her grief or heartache or whatever she was feeling.
