Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
I squashed the desire that rose in my system as I moved in beside her.
Her eyes were barely open as she disrobed, so I didn’t want to keep her from the much-needed sleep.
Besides, I figured that in a few hours, I would be a fuckuva lot more fun in bed.
So I just pulled her close and held her as she drifted off to sleep.
Eventually, I slid out from under her, getting myself ready for the day, then feeding and letting Samson out back for a while as I waited for Kingston to scoop me up.
The doctor had been on the fence about the cast until I all but insisted on having it off. He’d eventually agreed, demanding that I take it easy for a few days, even using the crutches he provided sometimes.
I played along for him and in front of Kingston after, as we browsed the lot, then went inside to work on some paperwork for an SUV I was going to pick up the following day, but I was quick to place the crutches in my bedroom after King left to head to his office.
AJ was still out cold, so I went ahead and made my way carefully into the bathroom, braced for pain, but finding nothing but stiffness and weakness in the leg as I walked in the bulky boot.
I stripped and finally enjoyed a plastic-free shower for the first time in, what, seven weeks? Something like that.
It was pure fucking bliss.
Save for seeing the comparison between my legs. My one, darker, healthy leg with a defined calf. The other, pale and withered-looking, that calf almost half the size of the other.
It was insane how quickly you could lose muscle mass when you weren’t using a part of your body.
I was actually excited for the physical therapy I was starting the following week, knowing they would work on strengthening me back up.
I slipped my boot back on, then slipped on a pair of lightweight pajama pants before making my way down toward the kitchen, then starting to make some food for AJ.
I was no chef, but I tossed together a couple of fried eggs with cheese on bagels, and by the time I was setting them on plates, I heard AJ moving around in the bedroom before making her way toward me.
“Oh, hey,” she said, a little sleepily. Until her gaze moved over me, lingering a long while on my chest and abs before moving down and landing on the boot. “Look at you!” she said, her gaze slipping back up to my face, a smile breaking across her pretty face, making both those dimples etch deep. “You’re free!”
“That cast-free shower felt so fucking good,” I admitted, nodding. “Sit. I made some food,” I said, watching as she moved over to the table, sitting down, and watching me walk toward her.
It was a slow and clunky gait, sure, but, God, it felt good to be moving again.
I went back for our cups of coffee, and was surprised to find my leg muscles were actually a little tight already from the movement.
It was going to be a long road to a hundred percent again.
But these were the, quite literal, first steps. And I was happy to take them.
“How does it feel?” she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
“The area of the break doesn’t hurt, but my muscles are definitely not used to walking.”
“You should probably be taking it easy for a few days,” she said. “What’s that guilty look for?” she asked, playfully narrowing her eyes at me.
Christ, she was reading me so well already.
“I am supposed to be using crutches at least some of the time,” I admitted.
“Atlas!” she said, shaking her head at me.
“I’ll use them sometimes,” I told her, not sure how honest I was being.
AJ made me let her do the dishes afterward, insisting I needed to rest.
I went ahead and let her get started, then slowly made my way up behind her, my arms going around the sides of her body, grabbing the counter, caging her in.
She tensed for a second, then melted against me, letting out a deep breath.
She rinsed her hands, then turned off the water, leaning back into me as my lips found the shell of her ear, and started to tease down it.
“Been thinking about nothing but getting my hands on you again,” I admitted, lips pressing into the pulse point in her neck, feeling how quickly her heart was already beating for me.
A little moan escaped her as she angled her head to the side, inviting more contact.
I was happy to oblige.
My hand moved inward on the counter, then slid across her belly, feeling the way a shiver coursed through her.
“Me too,” she admitted, voice small, still a bit unsure of herself. We’d work on that.
My hand slipped under the waistband of her panties, moving down, finding her already wet for me.