“So tight. I’m sorry today was so hard.”
My chin fell forward as he worked his fingers all the way up my scalp. On the return trip, he used his short nails to give my skin a little extra buzz. I couldn’t say I was exactly getting relaxed, but it felt delicious.
Then he brought out the comb.
The to go container slid off my lap as I braced my hands beside my hips. If someone had told me yesterday that my hair was an erogenous zone, I would have laughed.
No laughing here now though. Not in the least.
My eyes closed to slits as the gentle tugs from his wide-toothed comb drew me closer to him. Full dark had come over our little patch of the park or wherever he’d brought me. The fact that I hadn’t really questioned him either made me insane or…
That or wasn’t something I wanted to speculate about right now.
For once, I was just going to live in the moment. I’d try to forget the shattered eyes of my brother, the slice in my chest that had reopened, and the past I wasn’t ready to dissect.
All of that was for another time.
It was a clean, cool night with the hearty crickets and night birds as our soundtrack. The Tiki torches gave off just enough light to push the imagined monsters away.
I tipped my head back when he found a snarl. But he didn’t pull, just carefully attacked it without causing any pain.
While he worked, I took in the sky and the spray of stars above. I never really sat still enough to watch the sky at night just because.
Even as a kid, I’d always been looking toward my future to the plans I had. I’d spent my free time in the shop I couldn’t stay out of, figuring out how to pull things apart and put them back together. There was no time to sit when I could be doing something.
Then here was this man behind me. From the bonfire to the plans for my house, Lucky proved how meticulous he was. And he lived a balanced life. He worked and played with equal energy.
Even as busy as he was, he’d come with me to figure out the clusterfuck of my past without a second thought. He’d understood I needed someone and simply volunteered.
Wanting to get horizontal with me didn’t include this kind of bullshit. So, why was he sticking around?
I just didn’t understand any of it. Truthfully, I was afraid to.
But I realized I’d dropped my shoulders and was leaning back against his knees. I couldn’t stop the shiver as he gathered my hair into a tail.
His voice rumbled as if playing with my hair had affected him just as much. “I’m no expert on the intricate braids, but I can do the simple kind.”
He parted the long, thick mass into three pieces then twined them together with no fanfare. Just neat and a little loose.
Somehow knowing my hair wasn’t quite so crazy smoothed out some of my edges. He’d coaxed out some secret oasis of calm deep inside of me I hadn’t known existed.
His fingers slid along my waist as he shifted us farther up the mattress. He tucked me back against him, his legs outstretched to cup me in his endless source of heat. “Warm enough now?”
“I’m okay.”
“You were shivering.”
“Not from being cold.”
He slid his arms around my middle and tucked his chin on my shoulder. “Is that a good thing?”
Tipping my head closer, I folded my arms over his. His warmth and comforting scent and whatever other mojo he had created a perfect cocoon. “It’s…nice.”
He chuckled. “Gee, thanks.” I tried to wiggle away, but he stopped me. “Nice is a good start.”
“Look, I’m no good at this stuff. Fucking? Yeah, sure. I’m down for some sweaty sex to release tension but…”
He tightened his hold. “We’ll figure it out together. I’m no maestro when it comes to this shit either, Ruby. I just know it’s different with you.” He pressed a kiss to that spot between my shoulder and neck he couldn’t seem to resist. And I couldn’t deny those kisses were rapidly becoming my favorite thing.