Beauty and Her Boss

“I do trust you. Keep going. I have things to do.” The truth was he didn’t have any other place that he wanted to be other than right here with her hands moving gently over his skin.

“Look at me when you say those words

.”

He opened his eyes and found her staring straight at him. “I trust you.”

With that admission hanging between them, she continued shaving him. Her motions were slow and deliberate. He banished the worries and drew in a deep, calming breath. The more she worked on him, the more relaxed he became under her skilled hands. He sat there with his eyes closed, enjoying the way her fingers felt on his skin. Her touch was gentle, but it ignited a fire within him.

She ran a towel over his face. “You can open your eyes. I’m done.”

When his eyes opened, she was smiling at him. “You’re already done?”

“Already? That took close to an hour.”

“It did?”

She nodded. “And it was worth every minute. Because just as I predicted, you’re amazingly handsome. You’ll have all of the women swooning at your feet,” she added softly.

“I doubt it.” He ran a hand over his smooth jaw. It felt so good to have all that hair removed. The beard had been itchy and too warm.

However, he refused to let himself buy in to Gabrielle’s compliment. He’d seen the damage to his face at the hospital. He’d been a mess of angry scrapes and nasty gashes. She was just being nice.

“If you don’t believe me, have a look for yourself.” She handed him a hand mirror.

He really didn’t want to look. He knew that he’d find an angry red map of scars. Still, it couldn’t be avoided forever. He might have removed all the mirrors from his home, but he was quickly learning just how many surfaces were reflective.

Not allowing himself an easy out, he lifted the mirror. He blinked. Surely he wasn’t seeing clearly. He turned his head to one side and then to the other. Where were all the ugly scars?

“See, I told you.” Gabrielle continued to smile at him. “You’re as handsome as ever.”

“I can’t believe it.” He ran his fingers over his face. “I know that when they transferred me to another hospital, they mentioned something about bringing in a world-class plastic surgeon, but I didn’t think there was any hope of salvaging my face.”

“I’d say that surgeon is quite gifted.”

The angry red lines had faded. The surgeon had hidden most of the scars. Others were fine white lines, but they didn’t make him look like Frankenstein. He’d never be the way he used to be, but at least now he wouldn’t scare children.

He turned to Gabrielle to thank her for helping him through this difficult step. But when he faced her, the words caught in the back of his throat. She looked at him differently. Not in a bad way. More like a woman who desired a man. Was that possible? Or was he reading what he wanted in her eyes?

As though in answer to his unspoken question, she bent over and pressed her lips to his. At first, he didn’t move. He didn’t want to do anything to ruin this moment. And yet she pulled back, ever so slightly.

Need and desire pumped through his veins in equal portions. When she looked at him, he felt like a whole man. Not like a man haunted by his past and worried about his bleak future. She looked at him as if she couldn’t imagine him doing anything bad. And he so wanted to believe it, too.

Giving in to the urgent need consuming his body, he slipped his arms around her waist and gently pulled her back to him. Her warm, soft curves pressed against his hard muscles and a moan formed in the back of his throat.

He didn’t know why fate had brought them together, and in this moment, it didn’t matter. The only thing he cared about was Gabrielle’s happiness. He wanted to give her a good memory—something to overshadow some of the pain he’d caused.

In all honesty, the memory they were creating would be something he’d cherish, too. He’d never known anyone as generous of heart, as understanding and as bossy as Gabrielle. And he knew no matter how long he lived, he’d never find anyone else like her.

As their kiss deepened, he longed to have all of her. But he had to be sure she wanted the same thing. He wouldn’t rush her.

With every bit of willpower, he pulled back and waited until her gaze met his. “Are you sure about this?”

She nodded.

That wasn’t good enough, he had to be absolutely sure she wanted him as much as he wanted her before he carried her into his bedroom and laid her down on his king-size bed. “Gabrielle, do you want to make love?”

“I thought I made my desires clear just a moment ago.”