Page 39 of With You

“Hmm?” I nuzzled into his touch and hummed again as he lightly scratched his nails over my scalp.

“You fell asleep. Do you want to skip the bath and get in bed instead?”

I stretched my legs and opened my eyes. “No, I hate getting into clean sheets when I feel dirty.”

“Now, that’s a lie. I’ve had you dirty on clean sheets many times.” I nipped his thumb as it drifted across my lips. “Save those teeth, kitten. When you’re better I’ll let you use them anywhere you want.”

Grabbing his outstretched hand, I let Roe pull me to my feet and I shuffled to my bathroom. The air was humid and scented with milk and honey. Roe walked in front of me and gently unhooked my sling and slid it off. I lowered my arm, only wincing slightly when the stitches pulled tight against my skin.

He undid the buttons on my shirt and dragged the fabric off my shoulders, careful to keep it from scraping my arm. The sweatpants came off easier and I released a sigh when Roe slid my panties down my legs, his hands caressing the outside of my thighs. When his hands drifted over a bruise on my hip, he pressed a soft kiss there and my hands trembled with the tenderness he was exuding.

“Hold on to my shoulders.” I gripped him with my uninjured arm and he helped me into the steaming water.

My tub wasn’t very deep, being that it was a shower-tub combo, which was good for keeping my bandages from getting wet. I slid down until the water line was right below my breasts and sighed as the warmth and soothing smell of my bath oil helped to relax my muscles.

The water rippled around me as Roe dipped a washcloth into the water, then he lathered it with soap and began to glide it over my skin. He paused on my chest where another nasty bruise had formed from the impact of the bullet hitting my vest. It shook me the first time I’d seen the blooming yellow and green mark. Then again, considering the placement, I’d rather have the bruise than a bullet lodged in my heart.

“Jesus, Sam, fuck.” I wrapped my fingers around his shaking ones and squeezed tight.

“I know,” I said softly as his eyes met my own. He didn’t need to say it out loud, Roe was thinking about how much worse it could have been, that in a split second I could have been gone. Eerily, my thoughts had been similar when I’d adjusted his vest before we left the command post to extract Lily. I’d been distracted thinking about Roe being in the line of fire.

Our profession was dangerous. There was a myriad of scars on my body from old injuries I’d sustained before I worked for Falls Security. My right knee clicked when I walked and my pinky finger had a curve to it from where I’d broken it and the digit was never set properly. I’d noticed similar battle scars on Roe and I’d struggled with the fact that he could be hurt.

I released his hand and he continued bathing me as tenderly as before. The air was charged with words unsaid and thick with the emotions rolling off us both. By the time he was finished, my eyes had grown heavy with exhaustion. He opened the drain for the tub and helped me to step out. Then he took one of my towels and delicately dried every inch of skin.

Getting dressed sounded like an exhausting ordeal so I opted for my big fluffy robe that hung on the back of the bathroom door. Then I dragged myself back to my bedroom and practically collapsed into the soft mattress and cool sheets. So much better than the scratchy hospital bedding. I barely managed to whisper a thank you as Roe tucked the covers around my body and turned out the lamp on my nightstand. I was out before he’d even reached the door.

23

ROE

“Hello?”

“Samantha!” I winced as Sam’s mom shouted into the phone. I’d intended to let the call go to voicemail as Sam was still asleep, but after the fourth call in a row, I started to worry that something could be wrong.

“Samantha, can you hear me? I need the code to get in the door. I tried every combination that I could think of and now there is a handsome but very scary man blocking the door and growling at me. Actually growling! Yes, I’m talking about you, young man. I hope you know that you’re currently blocking me from getting to my injured daughter and I’ll have you know that I went to three jiu-jitsu classes at the Y last summer and I’d hate to have to hurt you. I’m really more of a lover than a fighter.”

“Ms. Hebert?”

“Wh-yes.” Her voice instantly changed from manic to suspicious. “Who are you and why are you answering my daughter’s phone?”

“It’s Monroe Ross, ma’am. We met once, a long time ago at Sam’s Marine graduation ceremony.”

The line was quiet for so long that I worried she’d hung up. I glanced at the phone to see that we were still connected. “Ms. Hebert?”

“Yes, Monroe Ross, Sam has told me about you.” Her tone had cooled and I began to worry what it was exactly that Sam had told her.

“Yes, ma’am. Please give the phone to the big scary guy and I’ll get you upstairs.”

There was a crackling sound as the phone was exchanged from one person to another and then a grunt was the only indication that he was listening.

“Gage, she’s Sam’s mom, let her up, okay?”

“She doesn’t know the family code.”

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, a headache forming behind my eyes. “That’s my fault. I didn’t know she was coming or else I’d have given it to her. You’ll just have to take my word for it and if she goes crazy and steals a bunch of free weights from the gym then I’ll pay for them, all right?”

“Maybe I should ask to see her ID just to be sure. She called me scary.” Was Gage pouting? I never in a million years would’ve thought that anything could hurt the brick wall that was our most reserved colleague.

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