“I need you.” It was a weakness, but it was also the truth.
“You have me,” he whispered against my hair.
Beckett helped me stand and slowly eased me out of the flannel and torn dress. His touch was feather-light as he unhooked my bra and slid down my panties. He shed his clothes much quicker, leaving them in a pile on the floor.
He stepped into the tub and then held out a hand to help me in. I lifted one leg and then the other. The water burned the way it did when you washed your hands after playing in the snow. As if my limbs were slowly regaining feeling again.
Beckett lowered himself into the massive tub and then settled me in front of him. He must’ve poured in some bubbles because foam rose around us. He held me tightly, nuzzling my neck. “You’re safe.”
“I know.” But that knowledge didn’t shake off the what-ifs.
His phone buzzed, and Beckett reached over the side of the tub and pulled it from his jeans. He scanned the screen, and I felt his body tense beneath mine. “Hayes couldn’t find him. He has an all-points-bulletin out and officers searching.”
My throat went dry. Men like Walter knew how to disappear without a trace. The only way they got caught was if they were lazy.
Beckett dropped his phone on the bathmat and pressed his face to my neck. “Are you hurt? Hell, I should’ve taken you to the hospital, but all I could think about was getting you warm.”
I burrowed back into his hold. “I’ll be okay. He clipped me on the side of the head and got my neck for a second.”
Beckett’s grip on me tightened. “I never should’ve left you alone.”
I grabbed onto his forearm and squeezed. “I should be able to go to the restroom by myself.”
“I know, but—”
“But nothing. This isn’t on you. And thanks to what you taught me, I fought back. I defended myself.”
“You shouldn’t have had to.”
I pressed my lips to Beckett’s arm. “I know, I shouldn’t have. No woman should. But I did, and I feel pretty damn proud of myself for it.”
Beckett was quiet, and I knew there would likely be more scars on him from tonight than there would be on me.
I tipped back my head and pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw. “You’ve helped me feel strong. In so many ways, I’ve lost count.”
Beckett’s fingers ghosted over my shoulder and arm in soothing circles. “I’m glad. But I’m still so damn sorry this happened. I hate that after everything you’ve been through, things keep happening to make you feel unsafe.”
“I feel safe now.” I’d never felt safer than I did in Beckett’s arms. Safe and warm and at peace. It was one of the greatest gifts I’d ever been given. “You make me feel.” He’d never know what that meant to me.
My hands dropped to his thighs beneath the water, stroking and exploring. I felt him harden behind me.
“Addie,” he said in a low voice. “You’re gonna kill me. I just want to take care of you tonight.”
I leaned my head back on his shoulder. “Maybe this is taking care of me.”
Beckett’s arm dropped to my stomach, tracing circles there. “You’ve been through a lot tonight. You should rest and—”
I cut him off with a kiss, teasing his tongue with long, slow strokes. “I need you. Need to feel.” I needed those things in the safety he brought.
Beckett looked torn, but I took his hand and led it to the apex of my thighs. His eyes fell closed for a moment. “You have no idea how good you feel. Every inch of you.”
I ran my lips along his jaw. “I’ve never felt more alive than when I lose myself with you.”
His fingers began to move, slipping deeper. Beckett slid a finger inside me as his other hand came down to circle my clit. My hips shifted to meet his strokes. A second finger joined the first.
I sucked in a breath as those fingers curled. “Beckett.”
His lips trailed down my neck. “Love the sound of my name on your lips.”