22

Krissi’s anger at the way he had treated her faded, but it didn't disappear completely. She understood where he was coming from and what had caused his behavior, but that didn't make it acceptable or mean she would put up with it happening too often. She took a deep breath and watched him look at her, his eyes hopeful as he waited for her to say something. His hand on top of hers on his knee was warm and somehow comforting.

Letting out the breath she'd been holding, she got up and moved closer. She stepped between his thighs and pulled him into her. He turned his head and rested his cheek against her breast. She wrapped her arms around his neck and just stood this way for a while. After a few moments, his arms went around her waist. He held on to her, she didn’t know for how long.

After a while his grip loosened and he took a big shaky breath and pulled away slowly. She shifted her hands to his shoulders as he sat upright, no longer leaning into her. He looked drained. Not just physically but emotionally. She understood the feeling, she’d been there all afternoon, well, what part of it she’d been awake. Smoothing his hair away from his face, she waited for him to say something. After a minute or two he sighed and shook himself then looked up and met her gaze.

“We okay?” he asked.

Looking at him now she couldn't hold on to her anger. “We're okay.” She pushed her fingers through his hair again. She loved the feel of his hair in her hands. The soft silky strands wrapped around her fingers and she didn't know why but it made her feel better to run her hands through it.

“I need a shower before bed, want to join me?”

She thought about it for a split second then shook her head. “I took one when I got up and my hair is barely dry. Let me grab something from the bathroom then you go ahead.

He nodded and she went in the bathroom and took the tube of Arnicare from the toiletry bag she'd had him pick up at her place. He passed her as she left the bathroom and stopped, plucking the tube from her hand.

“What's this?” He flipped the tube around and looked at the back. “I've never heard of it.”

“It's a topical pain killer, kind of.”

He looked up and met her gaze. “You hurting?”

“Some.” She lifted one shoulder.

“Hold off on this a little bit.” He gave her the tube back. “Give me five minutes and I'll help you with it.” Krissi looked at him for a couple of seconds, rolling the tube absently in her hands.

“Okay.”

He continued into the bathroom and swung the door shut but didn't bother to latch it. She heard the shower come on and she put the ointment on the table on her side of the bed. Picking up her phone, she sat down. There were a couple of texts waiting and she replied to them then logged into Blackboard and sent messages to her teachers telling them she'd been injured and wouldn't be making it into class for a few days. She also asked them to send her any assignments given in class so she wouldn't fall behind. When she'd finished with the important stuff, she logged into face book to see what was new. Krissi was scrolling through her news feed reading headlines and watching the occasional video when the water in the next room shut off. A few seconds later, the door swung open and a puff of steam rushed out followed by Ruger, a towel hanging low on his hips and another in his hand where he was rubbing the water from his hair.

“Good,” he said when he spotted her on the bed. “I'll just be another minute or so.” He ducked back into the bathroom. Krissi nodded and watched the way the muscles moved under the skin of his back. Setting her phone aside, she rearranged the pillows and wiggled her butt down the bed so she could lie down when the time came but remained sitting while she waited for him.

He came back, both towels gone. Krissi could tell he was comfortable with his body because he didn't seem to notice that he was naked or the way her eyes skimmed down his body pausing here and there.

“You ready?”

Krissi blinked and shook her head, dragging her mind away from his body. She looked a up at his face and smiled, feeling her face going pink.

“Sure, whenever you are.” Krissi didn't know if he'd noticed where her attention had been and didn't particularly mind if he had. She knew and heat had pooled deep in her belly from the spectacular view.

“Okay.” Ruger came closer. “Shirt off first. I want to get a look at you before I decide how to start.”

She frowned for a second, then remembered he was going to help her with the gel, she also remembered the boot print she hadn’t wanted him to see, but couldn’t think of a way to avoid it now. The blood rushing from her head had affected her ability to think clearly. Slowly she unbuttoned the shirt she'd commandeered from the closet when she showered. She'd considered t-shirts but vetoed the idea when a deep breath had made her ribs ache. Standing up she shrugged the shirt off her shoulders and dropped it on the bed. It was struggle not to cross her arms over her boobs as she stood in front of him. “What now?”

He sat on the edge of the bed and motioned her closer. “Come here and let me see.”

She stepped between his knees and felt the blood rush to her face. Before Ruger she'd never stood in front of a man naked or even nearly naked, more than a couple times before he started criticizing her and making nasty comments about her weight. She was nervous and waiting for him to do the same, but he hadn't. At least not yet. With a shaky breath, she dropped her arms to her sides and stood, waiting for directions. She watched him as his eyes scanned her body, taking in every mark and bruise. A muscle in his jaw bulged as he clenched his teeth. Carefully, he lifted one breast so he could get a good look at the bruise over her ribs then, just as gently, he lowered it and continued his inspection, motioning for her to turn. She didn't argue, just spun in place. His hands traced down her back, ever so lightly touching the bruises and the sorest of her muscles. He growled low in his throat as his fingers skimmed over the boot print bruise on her side.

“Where's that stuff?”

She retrieved the white metal tube from the night stand and handed it to him.

“How much do I use?”

“Start with about a half inch. If it doesn't coat, use a little more.”

“Okay, come back over here.”

She stepped back in front of him, he opened the tube, squeezed a little into his hand then set the tube aside, uncapped. He started with the large bruise on her ribs. He rubbed the cool gel into her skin, being careful not to press too hard on her tender ribs, but making sure to cover the area under her tit.

“Can you lay on your stomach without it hurting?”

“I think so.”

“Then try it. But let me know if it hurts and we'll figure something else out.”

She scanned down his body once more, enjoying the view of his naked body then stretched out, face down like he’d asked, behind the spot where he sat. Moving the pillows around, she managed to find a way to lay that didn't hurt then turned her face to one side and lay it on a pillow, closing her eyes.

The bed shifted and she knew Ruger was moving. His hand on her calf let her know where he was as he climbed up on the bed and knelt with one knee on either side of her legs. She flinched as the cold gel touched her skin.

“You okay?” his hands froze on her leg.

“Yeah.” She rubbed her face against the pillow, noticing that it smelled like him, especially the clean musky scent of his hair. “The cold just surprised me.”

His hands smoothed up her leg, pressing and kneading her muscles as he went. He was half way up one leg when he stopped and started on the other leg. He worked his way up her body, inching his body up hers as he rubbed the homeopathic gel into her aching, sore muscles.

The combination of the medication and his warm strong hands on her skin quickly relaxed her and by the time he reached her neck she was on the edge of sleep. She felt the bed shift again as Ruger moved. Unable to gather the energy to see where he was going she lay still. Drifting on the edge of consciousness. The bed jiggled again and she felt him climb into his side of the bed. He tugged on her, rolling her onto her uninjured side and curling against her back as he held her close. One arm wrapped carefully around her midsection, he kept her close without putting pressure on her ribs. She fell asleep with the sound of his breathing in her ear.