He hooked his thumbs in her panties and shimmied them over her hips and down her legs.
"Can you stand?"
"I think so."
He took off his boxers and then helped her off the counter and into the shower.
The heat of the water relaxed her, warming her chilled skin. He stepped in behind her, taking the body wash from the shelf and squeezing some into his hands. He moved her out of the direct line of the spray so he could lather her with the silky soap.
"You take such good care of me." He massaged her shoulders and back and she felt the stress of the day fade away under his skilled hands.
"I didn't do a very good job today." He slid his hands down her arms to her hips, turning her to face him. "When I saw you on the floor with that glass to your throat..." He stroked the spot where she had a tiny cut on her neck. "All I could think about was losing you. That wasn't an option."
"You wouldn't let anything happen to me." She kissed a path down his jaw to his neck, resting her palms on his chest. "I'm safe with you."
"From now on you will be." He tilted her chin. "I'm not letting you out of my sight."
"That's not realistic." She kissed his shoulder as she ran her hand down his stomach.
"What are you doing?" He watched her hand travel down his body.
"Touching you."
"Don't." He captured her wrist in his hand. "I need to get you out of here and if you start that … well, you know what will happen."
"Maybe that's what I want to happen." She nipped at his bottom lip. "I need to feel you inside me right now. I need to know this is real."
"It's real, baby." He held the sides of her face and kissed her, holding back nothing. Ever since he came out of that cabin, he'd been careful and gentle with her, but that wasn't what either of them needed now. He pushed her against the wall as she reached down and took his erection in her hand. "We can't. Not now."
"I tried to be brave today but when she held that glass to my throat I knew she was crazy enough to cut me. She really believed that if she killed me, the two of you could be together." She ran her thumb under his shaft in an upward motion until she got to the tip. She swirled her finger over the head and he hissed when she spread the moisture across it. "You made sure she didn't hurt me."
"In those few minutes I felt so helpless. If she had..." He drew a labored breath and she saw the conflict in his eyes as he lifted her up and pinned her with his hard body. "I don't know what I would have done."
"Take me." She held onto his shoulders. "Let's forget about today and replace it with just the two of us."
"May would kill me if she knew what I was doing to you in here." He shifted his hips and reached down between them, positioning his cock at her entrance.
"I won't tell." She wrapped her arms around his neck as he thrust into her. "Don't hold anything back."
"Tessa..." he groaned when he entered her. "I lose all self-control when I'm with you. How do you do that to me?"
"It's a gift." She secured her legs around his waist. "That feels so good."
"Look at me." His request came out as a rough demand.
She opened her eyes and stared into his. He didn't say anything else, as he moved in and out of her. Never taking his gaze away from hers, he held her firm and using the powerful muscles in his taunt legs and rigid back, he slowly buried himself deep inside her again and again.
The steam from the hot water surrounded them in a thick mist but she could still see his intense gaze. She sought out his lips, wanting to touch as much of him as she could. Her stomach tightened and her sex clenched around his cock. Heat coursed through her as she whispered his name. This was reassurance of what they shared and an outward manifestation of all the love they felt for each other.
He pressed his lips to hers, snuffing out her pleasure induced moans. "I love you," he murmured. "I can't ever be without you." With one final, quick thrust he let go. "Tessa, you're my world."
His strong arms supported her as she slid her legs down his hips to the floor. He held her steady as he kissed her neck, jaw and lips.
"That was just what I needed," she mumbled, feeling content and more settled than she had in hours. "I needed you to love me."
"I'll admit I feel calmer." He stroked her face. "I thought I was going to fall apart when they took you from me to have that scan. I didn't want to leave your side."
"I kind of got that when you wouldn't let go of my hand and the nurse had to tell you to leave." She shivered as the water turned cooler. "I can't believe you listened to her."
"It wasn't easy but I knew they had to take care of you and I was keeping them from doing that." He kissed her forehead. "Let's get you out of here before you freeze."
He turned the water off and stepped out of the stall wrapping a towel around his waist. Holding out another large, fluffy towel, he nodded for her to step toward him. He pulled her into his embrace, wrapping the towel around her at the same time. He took a smaller towel and dried her hair, neck and shoulders. Tracing her fingers down his chest, she indulged in his tenderness. He could go from a sex obsessed animal to absolute gentleness in a matter of seconds. She loved every part of him. Rough, raw and uncontrolled to soft, gentle and sated.
"Let's get you to bed."
"Sounds like a plan." She grinned. "I love going to bed with you."
"That portion of the evening is over. No more tempting me." He guided her into the bedroom. "Flannel tonight?"
"One of your shirts," she said. "I want to feel surrounded in you."
"Trust me, you'll be surrounded in me whether you wear one of my shirts or not." He retrieved a set of pajamas from the drawer. The silky light gray ones with dark stripes. One of her favorites. He tossed the shirt at her, and when he dropped his towel, she licked her lips.
Never enough... He quickly pulled on the pajama pants and threw his towel at the bathroom door. He finished drying her before he slipped the shirt over her head. "Are you sure you don't want me to get you something warmer to wear?"
"Just put me to bed, please." She held up her arms for him to carry her. "I'm so tired."
"I'm not letting you leave this bed all day tomorrow." He lifted her up and carried her to her side of the bed, pulling back the covers, he gently set her gently on the mattress. "I'm going to get you some tea and the antibiotic the doctor prescribed so your feet don't get infected."
"May's going to yell at you for taking so long." She yawned as she snuggled into the blankets. "She knows we did it."
"That's your fault."
"I can't help it if you're tempted by me."
"You're a sex demon." He leaned down and kissed her head, but she caught his hand in hers before he could leave. "What is it, sweetheart?"
***
When she sat up, he saw the worry in her face. He wanted her to rest and stay calm. "Are you in pain?"
"No."
"Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow. I want you to sleep now."
"I'm sorry we fought last night."
"That was my fault." He had so many regrets when it came to the way he had handled things with Audra. "You don't need to apologize. I'm going to spend months making this up to you."
"You don't have to make anything up to me." She kissed his hand. "We're stronger now. We can overcome anything."
"I love you."
"I love you too." She closed her eyes as she settled back into the covers. "So much."
"Get some sleep now. Remember, I'm going to have to wake you up every couple of hours and ask you stuff to make sure you're okay."
"You never told me how things went with my dad."
"We got a little distracted." The conversation with Pat seemed like it took place weeks ago rather than just yesterday. "You were right, he already knew about us."
"Told you." She managed a weak laugh. "He's smart and he always knows when I have a man in my life."
"You'll be happy to know he likes me much better than idiot number one and idiot number two." Pat was more upset that he and Tessa had kept their relationship a secret from him than he was that Chase had fallen for his daughter.
"How could he not?" She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "I like you much better than them too."