“Oh yeah,” I assure him and pull him down to kiss him with all the love and gratitude within me. Our lips crash together as if they were meant to be together like this, and I kiss him until we’re both breathless and beyond. Only when I realize what a smelly, sweaty mess I am do I pull back.
“No!”
“What’s wrong?” He frowns and looks deep into my eyes. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” I cry out. “I’m a mess, Shades! My skin is filthy, and I smell like smoke, and I, well, when I was with those evil men at the church, I uhm… peed myself.”
A dark look crosses his face before he clears it and stands up, his hand reaching out to me. “Come on, babe.”
I take his hand and let him guide me from the room, tossing a smile of gratitude over my shoulder at a smiling Nova. Shades takes me down a dimly lit hall before pushing into one of the closed doors, revealing a room with a bed, a table and two chairs, a tiny closet, and a few personal items, most of which are Reckless Souls paraphernalia.
“What’s this?” I ask, looking around.
“My room. There’s a bathroom through there with a shower so you can get cleaned up. I’ll go see if any of the girls have clothes for you.”
“The girls? I’m, uhm, a little bigger than most girls,” I remind him with a sheepish expression.
He smiles and presses a kiss to my forehead. “You’re perfect, Letty. Just perfect.” His lips touch mine, and another fire goes off inside of me, but the kiss is too short and the fire short-lived.
“Whatever clothes they have, you won’t be wearing for too long anyway. That’s a fucking promise.” He walks away, and I stare after him for a long time, and when he returns, he’s holding a green maxi dress in his hands. “Will this work?”
I hold up the dress. It’s long and flowing with plenty of extra room. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Shades. You truly are the unexpected man of my dreams.”
“Aw, darlin’, you’re just saying that because I fuck you so good.”
I roll my eyes and laugh. “So crass,” I tell him. “It’s a good thing I love you.”
“Good thing,” he agrees with a smile, but he’s standing there as if he has someplace else to be.
He does, I realize. “Will you be here when I get out of the shower?”
“No,” he sighs. “I have more club business to take care of, but you’re safe here, Letty, I promise. When I’m done, I’ll come back and take you home. To my house where we can be alone together for the next twenty-four hours.”
I nod and smile at his words. “Okay. I love you.” I close the distance between us and wrap my arms around his neck, no longer self-conscious about my need to get cleaned up. I fit my lips to his and pour every emotion coursing through my body into that kiss.
I don’t know what he going to do, but I want him to have no doubt that I love him and worry about him. Eventually, I pull back and smile softly. “Be safe, Shades. Come back to me.”
“Just try to stop me, babe.” He presses another quick kiss to my lips and takes a step back as if knowing being too close might make it difficult to leave.
“Take a left out of here, and this hall will lead you to the bar and gaming area. The other girls are there. If you get confused, just follow the noise.” He kisses me one final time, and then he’s gone.
I smile and step into the bathroom, high on the fact that Shades loves me, as I step into the shower and clean off the worst and best day of my life.