He didn’t seem to care in the least. He stalked across the room for the bathroom and flipped on the light.
My eyes burned, and I squinted as he left the door open. “I’m going to shower. I need to rid myself of all this filth. Did you get washed up already?” Jayden asked.
“I uh, no.” I had been too tired, too broken to do anything but wallow in self-pity. “I probably should have.”
“You want to get cleaned up with me? Share a shower? Conserve water together.”
I rubbed my tired eyes and shifted on the mattress, tossing my legs over the side. I swayed for a second before stepping forward, following him into the bathroom.
“That’s my girl,” Jayden said and quirked a sideways grin. “I’m so sorry about what happened.”
“Shhh,” I said, silencing him with my finger to his lips.
He kicked the door shut with his foot and backed me up against it, bringing my hands up above my head.
“I’ve wanted to do this with you since you first walked into the bar,” Jayden whispered.
He didn’t kiss me. Just stared at me. Was he teasing me on purpose?
“What are you waiting for?” I asked, trying to catch my breath.
“Permission,” Jayden said, his voice raspy and low. “Unlike those men, I won’t take what isn’t mine.”
“I want to be yours,” I confessed.
Was that what he wanted to hear?
His lips descended hard on mine. Our mouths crashing together, tongues dueling for control.
He kept me pinned to the door. His body pressed tight, naked.
The only thing between us was the shirt that I wore.
“You’re going to have to take this off if you plan on showering,” Jayden said, eyeing my shirt.
I chuckled, my arms still pinned against the door above my head.
“Kind of hard to do without the use of my arms. Maybe you should undress me,” I said.
Jayden growled. His desire poked at me. He moved my hands together, one hand holding me firm, the other guiding my shirt inch by inch up. His touch was warm and gentle, far more tender than I had anticipated.
His lips teased my ear, sending a shudder through my body as I grew antsy with need.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered into my ear. Soft kisses danced over my neck as he dropped his tight hold on my wrists, freeing me. “I shouldn’t have risked your life.” His eyes bore into mine.
“We both made mistakes,” I admitted, meeting his stare. We would have to live with those consequences. Right now, I just needed to feel alive and loved.
I leaned forward, and our lips collided once again. I didn’t want to hear his apologies. I wanted to feel his admiration and his care.
“I need to forget,” I whispered against his lips and gently tugged on his bottom lip with my teeth. “Please, make the pain go away.”
Jayden opened his mouth and expelled a soft sigh. Was he going to tell me that he didn’t know how?
As quickly as the look of darkness and sadness crossed his face, it was gone.
His mouth descended onto mine, and he removed the last barrier between us, tossing the shirt to the floor. Jayden scooped me up into his arms and put me down to sit at the edge of the bathroom sink.
He retrieved a condom from the drawer, ripped it open, and unraveled it before his gaze met mine.