Page 58 of Fighting for Scarlett

It was earning Scarlett’s trust and then her heart that was going to be a challenge.

Grabbing a washcloth, he ran it under the water in the sink, knelt before her, and carefully picked up one of her feet. They were muddy from walking around without shoes, and given the freezing temperatures, she was lucky there were no signs of frostbite.

As he cleaned first one and then the other, guilt swallowed him whole.

He should have made sure she had shoes.

Should have taken her somewhere to buy some rather than having her walk all night in the cold in bare feet.

“I’m sorry, Scarlett,” he whispered.

“For what?”

“For letting you down again.”

“We were running for our lives,” she reminded him.

No excuse.

With both feet cleaned, he turned his attention to her hands. They fueled his guilt just like her poor dirty feet had. Locking her in here might have been the best move safety-wise but it sucked boyfriend-wise.

Boyfriend?

Was that what he wanted to be?

As he smoothed the cloth over her split knuckles, Tate realized that there was a huge part of him that really did want to give things with Scarlett a chance. It was terrifying but kind of in an exhilarating way.

“Sorry for leaving you here,” he said, meeting her gaze as he set the cloth down. “I truly believed it was the best move in terms of safety, but it still wasn’t fair of me. Not after you’d been kidnapped. Not ever.”

“If you'd explained it to me, I would have agreed,” she said softly.

“Other than my team on an op, I never trust people to agree with me,” he told her truthfully.

Scarlett nodded slowly. “Okay, then apology accepted.”

Dropping a kiss to her forehead, he turned to shut off the water, the bath was filled, and he was ready to put her in it and let the hot water soothe her tense muscles. Picking her up before she could stand, Tate carried her to the tub and set her down, then climbed in behind her.

“You're taking a bath with me?” she asked, clearly surprised.

“Miss a chance to touch every inch of your smooth, soft skin? Not a chance, sweetheart.”

Her blush was the most adorable thing ever. Everything about her was sweet and adorable and sexy enough that he was already rock hard by the time he settled her between his spread thighs and picked up a loofah.

Taking his time he cleaned her back, careful of the healing wounds from the whip and the gunshot wound that thankfully didn't look red or inflamed. His touch slowed further when he moved to her front, brushing the loofah across her stomach before sliding it up to her chest. He circled one breast and then the other, grinning when Scarlett let out a breathy moan and her head tipped back to rest against his shoulder.

He brushed the loofah across first one nipple and then the other. The contact of the rough material against her pebbled nipples drew another moan from Scarlett and he did it again just to hear the sound.

Then he brushed it down her stomach and grazed it across her center. Her hips rose to meet the featherlight touch, but he was already moving on to her legs. Bending her knee up so he could reach her foot, he cleaned it again, then moved up her calf and to her thigh. Before he moved onto her other leg, he once again swiped the loofah across her bud.

“Tate,” she moaned, the sound a thread away from a desperate plea.

“If you want more you're going to have to say it out loud, sweetheart,” he told her. No way was he going to take advantage, but he also wasn’t going to deny her anything she wanted. He wanted to be the person Scarlett trusted to always be there for her, to never leave like everyone else in her family had.

“I … I want you to … touch me. To make me feel good, to make me feel safe, to make me feel like I matter.”

The whispered words made his heart ache. “Oh, baby, you matter. That was the problem. From that first night, you mattered. I’ve been running from that truth for months, but no more. You matter, and that’s a good thing.”

With an arm wrapped around her waist, Tate shifted them both so they were on their knees. He knew he had Scarlett positioned in the right spot when she groaned and wiggled her hips.

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