Page 70 of Wandering Souls

The dog whined and looked to Ray for support. “She’s right and you know it. Go on. Bed.”

Bruce turned to Abi and pressed his nose to her cheek before jumping down and disappearing into the darkened house. Abi threw off the covers and got up to close the door, giving Ray an eyeful of her rocking body.

He glanced at her thigh. The extensive purple scarring resembled a dozen serpents coiling around the limb and he couldn’t help but wonder what the surgeon had thought when she landed on the table.

She turned back, catching him staring and gave a tight smile. “You get to really see them, now.”

“They’re not as bad as you think.”

She stopped moving and gaped. “Really?”

“Well, they’re not ugly, if that’s what you think.”

Her eyes narrowed, the doubt in them unmistakable. “They’re deep and purple and twisted.”

He nodded, which she seemed to find amusing. “That doesn’t equate to ugly, Abi. At least, not to me.”

She came back to bed. “What do you see, then?”

He waited for her to come closer before laying his palm over her thigh. “I see strength and bravery. I see courage under fire. I see a determination to survive against all the odds, Abi.”

“Oh.” The word rode out on a breath.

Ray stared into her pale blue-gray eyes, his heart melting at the awe in them. “I see a woman who won’t let anything or anyone get in her way. I see a hero.”

“A hero?”

He nodded and smoothed a hand over her silky hair. “You have no idea how much I admire you, do you?”

“Really?”

“Don’t look so shocked,” he chuckled, circling an arm around her hips and dragging her against him. “To live through everything you have and still be optimistic, adventurous and accepting is pretty damn remarkable.”

“Ray, that’s such a sweet thing to say. Thank you.”

He touched his nose to hers. “It’s all true, Abi. I know strong women, and you are definitely one of them. Don’t ever forget that.”

“You have a way with words.”

She kissed him softly, her eyes closing as she leaned into him. Ray felt his body heat and tried to settle down, not wanting to disturb the quiet moment, but it was no use. Abi felt it too, her eyes opening to twinkle at him with mischief.

“I wasn’t angling for anything, I swear,” he confessed, watching her turn away and come back with a foil packet in hand.

“Well,” she crooned, tearing it open. “Now that we’re both awake...”

His gaze fell on her slender fingers as she rolled the latex over him. The suggestion in her voice only reinforced his body’s desire. Ray threaded his fingers into her hair and turned her face to him. She licked her lips before crawling into his lap and straddling his thighs. Hearing her heavy breathing and seeing her chest rise and fall under the strength of it encouraged him to wrap an arm around her waist and tug her body closer.

He slid into her in one movement. Her eyes closed as she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his. Abi rolled her hips, sending a jolt through him. Ray pressed his lips to hers. He took her arms and looped them around his neck before settling his hands over the curve of her ass.

With her body smashed up against his and her hips setting a pace he knew would bring them both undone too quickly, Ray’s heart raced. Vibrations shook her hard and she held on, staring straight into his soul as she quickened.

Ray couldn’t stop the orgasm from tearing through him. He hugged her to him, feeling her follow suit. The sensation of her body gripping him took his breath away, but it was the look in her eye that tightened his hold on her.

“Oh my,” she whispered, her lips moving against his.

Indeed.Ray patted the bed around them and found the edge of the blanket. Pulling it up over her shoulders, he cocooned them in warmth and kissed her slowly, leisurely, as if it wasn’t almost three in the morning and they had forever. Pleasuring her mouth, he lost himself in the intimacy of the moment. He didn’t know how long they stayed that way, but one thing was for sure, he didn’t want to let her go.

Not now.

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