Page 22 of Resolution

I nodded and glanced back at her, smiling. “Okay then. We’ll take you both over in the morning.” I looked down at her bunny slippers, feeling another stab of guilt. “You just figured you’d stay the night,huh?”

She grinned at me. “When the detective called, he asked if I was willing to stay over. He had no idea how long you’d be tied up at the station. Is he that tall, good-looking one, or his chubby partner?”

I chuckled. “The chubby partner,” I replied. Cassidy and Mike had joined Sarah’s guys the night we went after Cassanova and the others.

“Ah,good then. I prefer a man with a little meat on his bones. My husband has plenty of that.”

We laughed. “Mike’s married…in fact, they both are, but I’ll tell him what you said.”

“You do that. I do like a man who enjoys his food, and that man clearly doesn’t skip many meals.”

“Thanks for offering to have her at your house, Dolly,” I said. “I hope it’s only for a night or two, but we’ve already been on this recovery for more than a month. It might take more than a couple of nights.”

“I understand, dear.” She stood up, smiling. “And speaking of meals, I have a feeling the two of you haven’t eaten. I left the pan of lasagna on the stove in case you want some. Just pop a piece in the microwave and it’ll taste just like it came out of the oven.”

I smiled at her, getting to my feet as Miguel rose from the chair. “I don’t know how to thank you, Dolly.” I leaned over and pulled her into my arms, kissing her on the forehead.

“You’re always welcome, sugar.” She turned to Miguel. “I know you and Raven were out of here at the crack of dawn. You must be exhausted. Eat a meal and take your man to bed.”

Miguel and I watched her walk down the hall, until we heard her stop and open the door.

“Night, boys,” she called quietly.

“Night, Dolly.” I turned to Miguel. “Are you hungry?” I was starving but I wasn’t going to push him if he didn’t feel like eating. He looked like hell, and I knew his poor face was probably throbbing and going to look even worse in the morning.

“I could eat a horse,” he said gruffly. He threw his arm around my shoulders, steering me toward the kitchen as I fell into step at his side. Stanley ran into the kitchen, practically tripping us both as he shot in front of us, meowing. He sat in front of his empty bowls, and I grinned.

“Dolly probably already fed him but I’ll feed him again…before he dies of starvation,” I said.

“No chance of that. That cat is getting fat,” Miguel replied. “I think he weighs more than me.”

I chuckled, pulling out the cat food and taking care of the little guy while Miguel heated our meals.

We walked into the bedroom fifteen minutes later. My stomach was full, and the dishes were done. I’d stored the leftover lasagna in the fridge and all I wanted to do was take that hot bath I’d been thinking about for hours. I stripped out of my clothes and helped Miguel off with his boots and socks because he told me it hurt his head to bend over. While he took off his clothes, I ran the bath, making sure I added a sandalwood scented oil Miguel liked, along with some bubble bath. While the tub filled, I watched as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror and peeled off the tape holding the gauze bandage over his eye. Underneath, his eye was swollen half shut, the white of his eye fire engine red.

I frowned at him.

“We’re going to the hospital in the morning.” He’d refused the paramedic’s offer to drive him to the hospital to have a doctor check his eye, saying there was no need.

He glanced over at me. “There’s nothing in there. I would feel anything gritty.”

I leaned over and lightly brushed my lips over his bruised cheek. “Humor me just the same.”

“Okay.” He pulled me into his arms, up against his body, brushing his interested cock against mine. “Right now, all I need is a strong painkiller and a hot bath. Then I’m going to slide into our bed and sleep for about a year.”

I kissed him softly then, making sure to keep the pressure light. He was so bruised, I figured any kind of pressure might hurt and that was the last thing I wanted to do. When his tongue brushed over mine, a moan rose up out of me unbidden. I finally pulled back and examined him closely. “Get in the bath. I’m going to grab those painkillers and some water. Be right back.”

I pulled on my underwear, cursing myself for not thinking about the painkillers earlier, and went to the kitchen to get a cold bottle of water. I grabbed some extra strength Tylenol and Ibuprofen from the cupboard. When I got back to the bathroom, I stripped down and handed him the water and pills. He downed them, wincing a little at the cold water.

I stepped into the tub, sliding in behind my man, pulling him back against my chest. I lifted a washcloth and soaped it up with Miguel’s sandalwood and citrus bodywash and then rubbed it softly over his chest. The feel of the hair under my fingers made my cock stiffen. I willed my body to behave. All my partner needed tonight was sleep. Sex could wait.

Miguel sighed. “That feels really good, Sunshine,” he said quietly.

I kissed his ear. “Relax and let me take care of you.” He nodded and I felt more weight against my body as he did just as I’d asked. I washed his arms and hands, massaging each finger, and then his neck, making sure that my touch was light in case he was hurting there. Little by little, I cleaned whatever areas I could reach and then asked him to lean forward so that I could get his back. I soaped it up, loving the way the muscles of his wide shoulders rippled under his beautiful skin. When I was done, I wrapped my arms around his middle and just held him as he leaned back into me, letting the steamy water do its job. When he spoke a few minutes later, I could hear the tiredness in his words.

“Lemme up, baby, or I’m gonna fall asleep right here.”

I reluctantly let go, and he rose from the bath. But I was treated to a delightful view of his backside, watching the water sluice over his ass, and down his long, muscular legs. I waited for him to get out before abandoning the tub altogether.

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