Page 58 of Building Courage

“You need to lie down for a while, Tucker. I can see you’re in pain. You can stretch out in my bedroom and sleep a few hours. Whatever you need to do can come after that.”

She took him by the hand and led him down the hallway. Her bedroom was all in grays and blues, soothing. She shut the blinds, took the decorative pillows off the bed, and tossed them into a chair near the window. Then she turned back the covers.

“I’d hoped the first time you invited me into your bedroom, it would be under different circumstances.”

She looked up, and a half smile tilted her lips. “Lie down, and I’ll pull your boots off.”

“I’m not that far gone yet.” To prove it, he sat down on the side of the bed, unlaced his boots, dragged them off, then set them side-by-side next to the nightstand. “I could use a shower.”

“The bathroom’s yours. My brother left a pair of sweats and a T-shirt behind when he last visited. They’re clean if you don’t mind using them.”

“I don’t mind.”

She moved to the closet and slid back the louvered doors. She tip-toed to get the items off a shelf over the hanging clothes and set them at the foot of the bed. She went into the bathroom, found a toothbrush and disposable razor, and placed them on top of the clothes.

“When you wake up, I’ll fix you something to eat. Give a yell if you need anything else.”

He waited until she’d walked out of the room before he forced himself up. He grabbed the sweatpants, toothbrush, and razor and went into the bathroom. He turned the water up as hot as he could stand it, stripped and stood beneath it for ten minutes before using her body wash and shampoo to scrub away the sweat and grime. After drying off, he put on the sweatpants and brushed his teeth but left the razor for later.

He fell face down on the bed and, within seconds, dropped into sleep.

The room was pitch black when he woke. He’d opened his eyes to so many strange rooms, so many foreign places, but the scent of Brynn’s shampoo lingering on the pillow brought with it a feeling of familiarity and comfort. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. His body felt rested, but his mind still felt sluggish, as though weighted with grief and exhaustion.

Jordan was gone. Since they were friends, NCIS would probably call him back in and grill him, which added another level to his anger.

He went to the bathroom and then stretched back out on the bed.

At a light step from the hall, he opened his eyes.

Brynn peeked around the edge of the open door, then smiled. “Hey.” She came into the room. “How are you feeling?”

“Almost human.” He sat up on the side of the bed.

She walked toward him with her graceful dancer’s stride. She ran her fingers through his hair, brushing it back from his forehead.

Experiencing the new tender version of the woman he’d been trying to get to know had needs rearing up to torment him. Blood rushed south, and he grew painfully hard. He drew her between his legs and rested his cheek against her breasts and felt no bra. He ached to push her thin T-shirt aside and take her nipples in his mouth.

Her fingers massaged the back of his neck, and he hummed in appreciation. He slid his hands beneath her shirt to caress her back in return and found it smooth as silk.

“I missed you, Tucker.”

The breathless tone in her voice urged him on, and he cupped one warm round breast and ran his thumb over the peak. It beaded beneath his touch.

“Show me, Brynn.”

She placed her knees on the side of the bed and straddled his lap. Her lips caught his in a soft kiss that had him groaning. His hands stroked her back as he molded her close. The kiss became more ardent, and her tongue stroked his.

*

She was trembling, but it wasn’t fear. It had been so long since she’d been touched, held. Tucker peeled her shirt up and off. She pressed her bare breasts against him, skin-to-skin. A sound somewhere between a sigh and a sob was drawn from her at the contact. She hadn’t really thought she’d ever have this again, that she’d ever have the courage to let it happen. But it was Tucker who made her feel secure and wanted, and his touch on her breast felt so perfect.

This different, vulnerable Tucker made her want to take him in and comfort him. But at the same time, she wanted him as hyper-aware of every brush of their skin as she was. She wanted him inside her, filling that empty void that had been driving her crazy for the last week every time she thought about him.

She also wanted to wipe away the feelings that had brought pain into his eyes, at least for a little while.

She turned her lips against his shoulder, then scraped her teeth against his skin.

He shivered and dragged in a breath. He cupped her ass and shoved back on the bed. For a few moments, they grappled as they helped shed each other’s clothes.

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