CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
‡
Townes sensed the change in her breathing as she lay against him.
He didn’t have to look at the bedside clock to know that it was only zero four hundred, give or take a few minutes. Shailyn had gotten roughly three hours of sleep. It was not nearly as much rest as he would have preferred her to have.
She shifted so that she was lying on her back. He waited patiently to see if she would slip back into a somewhat more peaceful slumber. There had been a short period where he’d considered waking her when she’d become restless, but drawing her body close to his had settled her.
She’d unpacked what things she’d brought with her before he ever stepped out of the bathroom, even going so far as to hang up a few blouses in the empty side of the closet next to his dress shirts. It had been satisfying to know she was in the other room aligning her things opposite his. He’d taken a long shower, giving her the time she needed to adjust to the change. No transformations were made without a few bumps along the way.
He made it a point not to talk about her parents’ visit, nor the fact that Brody had to pull aside Dr. Carter Doyle to explain why Townes couldn’t join them. He’d wanted her to have this time with them alone, anyway. It was too bad that Moss had gone and ruined the much overdue reunion.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?”
Townes smirked, knowing full well she was looking at him. He never even attempted to shut off the bedside lamp. Honestly, he didn’t care if they slept with the light on for the rest of their lives. She was lying next to him. That was all that mattered to either of them.
“I’ll sleep when you sleep.” Maybe that would give her incentive to try and get more than two or three hours at a stretch. He should have been more prepared for the mental scars left behind from her ordeal. Pure evil had touched her soul. It wasn’t something one could shake off like the cold. “Come here.”
Townes pulled her close once more, finally opening his eyes to see that she was indeed wide awake. She was studying him quite intently. It was more than apparent she wanted to ask him something.
“Do you need the light off to sleep?”
“Nope.”
Townes lightly stroked her back over the long-sleeved shirt she’d chosen to sleep in. It was easy to see she craved warmth, as well as felt more comfortable in clothes that covered her scars. She would eventually learn that he could care less about the marks on her body. All that the raised ridges and blemishes reminded him of was her inner strength.
“Do you think he’s going to leave Florida?”
She didn’t have to clarify who she was talking about.
“No, I don’t.”
He didn’t bother to add on not without you.
“Would you please shut off the light?”
Townes stopped moving his hand as he listened closely to the hitch in her breath. The last thing he would ever do was rush her for something she wasn’t ready to give. He was perfectly content holding her against him. Her mere presence was more than enough to satisfy his voracious needs.
“Nope.”
Shailyn tensed her body in response to his answer. She’d taken it wrong.
Townes very carefully shifted her so that she was once again on her back. She’d gathered her auburn hair into a ponytail so that the strands didn’t get tangled while she slept, though a few wisps of bangs had escaped. He took his time brushing them away from her cheek as he settled himself between her legs.
Her eyes widened when she realized how much he wanted her. His erection was more than obvious.
“When you’re ready.”
Townes had refrained from kissing her the way he’d wanted to for fear she would turn away. So much had happened in the time they were apart, but also the time they were together. He needed her to experience safety and truly believe that he would lay his life down for her should the need arise.
“And if I’m ready now?”
She wasn’t, but her question told him that she wanted more than a warm embrace.
Townes didn’t break their gaze as he slowly lowered his lips to hers. She was holding her breath, but not for the reasons he thought. This was evident in the lone tear that slid down her face and into her hair.
He’d been wrong. It was intimacy she needed, and he’d been the one holding back.
“I’ve got you, freckles,” Townes whispered against her cheek as he kissed away her tear. The taste of the salty moisture caused his chest to tighten in pain. “I’ve got every part of you.”
Townes didn’t rush this reintroduction to their familiarity. He took his time brushing his lips against every mark visible on her neck. He yearned to reach those areas on her soul which he knew were marred, but he was just a simple man, really.
From the curve of her jaw down to the camber of her collarbone, he showed her that the marks didn’t matter. He ran his hands down her sides until his fingers slid underneath the bottom of her shirt. Her skin was still cool to the touch, but she would warm in time.
Three inches of her flawed abdomen were exposed, but he didn’t hesitate to lean down and rest his cheek against the pale blemishes. She instinctively grabbed his shoulders to prevent him from revealing more of her body. He didn’t allow that to stop him as he turned his head and placed his lips across an old burn mark that most likely had no sensation.
“Townes, you don’t have to—”
“Shhh.” Townes went from scar to scar, proving to her that each mark was to be revered. “Let me love you.”
The catch in her throat was unmistakable. He didn’t veer from his objective, though. Little by little, he continued to shift the soft material until he gently signaled that he wanted her to lift her arms. She did so willingly. Her breathing had become somewhat uneven at having her breasts exposed.
“You’re beautiful,” Townes whispered against the ample flesh. The wounds were bountiful, but so were the sexy freckles that no one would ever be able to rid her of no matter what was done to her skin. He’d thought of these abundant freckles often over the years. “You’re absolutely gorgeous, freckles.”
He kissed every exposed part of her upper body, leaving her hardened nipples for last. He caressed his thumb over her left nub as he took the other in his mouth, using his tongue to stroke over the sensitive area. Her grip continued to tighten on his hair the longer he took his time in pleasuring her.
“More, Townes,” Shailyn appealed as she leaned her head back against the pillow. The need lacing her tone was evident. His body responded to hers, but he wouldn’t rush this long overdue reunification. “Please.”
“I’d give you the moon if I had the ability,” Townes murmured against her lips, as he lifted his upper body to steal another kiss before removing the black leggings that encased her legs. The golden hue of the bedside lamp darkened the pale scars left behind from a time that would never be forgotten. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to erase those memories with ones wrought with affection. “Close your eyes, freckles. Feel my touch on your body.”
Townes started on the outside of her right thigh, taking time to kiss away whatever pain remained from each raised mark. Time continued to slip away as he loved her the way he’d longed for over the intervening years.
The sweet whimpers that escaped her lips were just as stimulating as the raspy moans emanating from her throat further on. Each tantalizing sound traveled through him until he was fully hard and wanting to enter her body. Still, he took his time until there was only one part of her that remained untouched.
Townes gently spread her legs to see her glistening folds. Shailyn had long ago released her hold on him when he’d been concentrating on her ankles and calves. He could see that she’d taken hold of the pillow in accepting her pleasure.
“Look at me.” Shailyn fluttered her lashes before allowing him to see those emerald green eyes of hers that had turned dark as the seaweed swaying on the bottom of the ocean. He’d see to it that she had the freedom to dance in the water without fear of being taken away by the tide. No matter the consequences, he would make that a reality once she was free of her tormenter. “You are beautiful.”
“I’m yours. Take me however you want.”
There was a pause between her first two words, but it wasn’t in hesitancy. It was more as if she’d wanted to add the word finally. She was absolutely right.
“You have always been mine to take.”
*
Shailyn had never experienced being loved in this manner…not even during their previous time together.
She could attribute it to the fact that they’d both grown in their own ways, but that would be a lie. Every touch, every stroke, and every caress made an imprint on her that would forever alter the way she saw herself.
It was almost impossible to lay there while he ran his tongue through her folds, but she wouldn’t deny herself his love. There would be time for words later…time to express what was in her heart. His gentle touch told her all she needed to know for now.
The ache had started as a low pulse, but she was now throbbing to the point of pain. She needed him inside of her. She needed him to take her to that place she remembered in those few dreams that her mind still allowed her to hold onto in between the nightmares. It had been the reason she’d been able to save her sanity.
The moment his finger gradually entered her was the instant her vision burst into tiny flashes. It wasn’t enough to send her completely over that precipice, but it was sufficient enough to start the journey over the edge.
“Townes, I need—”
“Keep your legs spread,” Townes whispered firmly, adding another finger so that her sheath had something more substantial to grip. He was resolute in his inclination to take her to the edge and back. She was going to die from her want of more pleasure. It was most preferable to the other death she’d anticipated. “Just feel.”
There had been parts to Shailyn that had lost sensation, but she couldn’t begin to locate those areas. Her entire body was getting ready to shatter, and all she could do was prepare for the ultimate detonation.
His lips closed around the sensitive ball of nerves at the apex of her folds. He gently suckled until her inner thighs shook with anticipation. A sharp zing of intense rapture shot through her core unexpectedly. Endless contractions took hold and by the time she could draw air, he’d donned protection.
His engorged tip was now at her entrance.
He slowly filled her to the point of a burn that she had no doubt would become addictive in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. Only when he was almost fully seated deep within her did he gather her in his arms and roll over onto his back, positioning her to take that last inch.
“I’ve always been yours.”
Townes expressed those words with sincerity, but she was aware of the double meaning behind them. She gazed into his grey eyes and lost her soul in their depths as she took them both on another journey that led them into a welcoming nirvana.
*
He had come to a decision.
It was one that would guarantee him the victory.
Or it could very well end his somewhat diverting life as the world’s most notorious serial killer.