Page 66 of Wandering Souls

The hint of fear in her voice brought him away from the counter and against her. He wouldn’t let her scare him away. “We all have them,” he whispered, hoping to allay her worries. “Some are more visible than others.”

Her hand over his trembled. “I want you to see them, Ray.” And it scared her half to death. He could see that much on her face.

With her hand still holding his, he lifted her tunic over her head. The faint crackle of static electricity filled the air, heightening his senses. With her hands in the air, he left the sleeves on her wrists to hold her in place while her hair fell around her shoulders, tousled. He stepped back enough to run his gaze down her slender arms to the light, flawless skin of her chest. A black bra held her full breasts high, the rounded tops of them bulging out and drawing his attention.

Ray dipped his head to press a kiss to each one. Sliding his hands down her arms, he settled on the curve of her small waist. A two-inch wide scar marred the right side of rib cage. He ran the pad of his thumb over the raised line. Abi sucked in a deep breath, bringing him back up to her face.

“Knife.”

She was stabbed?

“The men who found the wreck of my chopper weren’t friendly.”

Ray stilled. The thought of what they could have done to her riled something deep and primitive within him.

Abi smiled sadly and shook her head. “Don’t worry. I defended myself with lethal force.”

He couldn’t have been prouder if he tried. “How many of them were there?”

Her smile broadened. “Two.”

He thought about her injured leg and the strength she’d needed to protect herself while wounded. “Badass.”

“I would’ve said desperate, but I like that so much better.”

Ray pressed his lips to hers, gratitude for her skill and courage under fire flowing through him like lava. Loosening her hands, he let her tunic fall to the floor and pulled her against him. The woman in his arms had beaten so many odds and survived where others wouldn’t have. It impressed the hell out of him. The fact it turned him on almost embarrassed him.

Abi’s arms looped around his neck as she deepened the kiss. Her body pressed against his and the skin-on-skin contact only fed his need for her. Reaching down, he lifted her thigh onto his hip. Turning them, he backed her up to the counter and pinned her to it with his weight.

The unusual shape of her thigh under his hand slowed him. He took his time exploring the intricate scar patterns under the thin material of her pants. She watched him, her breath held in her lungs.

“Breathe,” he whispered, “just breathe, Abi.”

Her breath stuttered as her eyelids fluttered closed. “That feels...” she pursed her lips and then smiled. “Amazing.”

“No pain?”

She shook her head. “Please, don’t stop.”

Ray smiled. He had no intention of doing any such thing.

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