ACHE (Naked, Book 5) (7 page)

She’d been sick, in pain and discomfort, confused, struggling.

But now they were alone together, and her body responded.

Everything inside her cried out for him. His lips were soft, but firm and insistent.

He tasted of mint and he smelled amazing. Caelyn’s body tingled.

And then he pulled back and stared into her eyes. “I need to apologize for what I did to you. I’m the one—“

“No,” she said. “Please don’t say it. I don’t blame you.”

He stopped, thought for a moment, and then nodded. “Okay.”

“Help me take my clothes off,” she said, her voice shaking, but not because of weakness. Now her voice was shaking for reasons that had nothing to do with her injury.

Elijah slowly pulled her shirt up, revealing her belly and then her breasts, as he pulled it over her head. When her shirt was off, he moved close to her and kissed her again, deeply on the mouth.

She kissed him back, moaning in pleasure.

He unsnapped her bra and let it fall to the floor.

Then he kissed her again on the mouth, before kissing her neck and shoulder. She slung her arms over his shoulders so that she could lean against his rock hard body.

The light from the candles bathed him in soft incandescence. “You look like an angel,” she said, smiling at him.

He grinned back at her. “I’m definitely not an angel.”

“Are you sure?”

“Maybe you made me into one.” He unsnapped her pants and then slowly pulled them down her legs.

“Okay, maybe you’re not an angel,” she shivered, as he revealed her panties.

“Yeah, probably not.” He started to slide her panties down her legs.

She was naked, and she didn’t mind at all. Elijah wrapped her in his strong, warm arms and kissed her again. She kissed him back, their tongues intertwined, and she wanted him so badly that all of her concerns were erased.

It was pure need, nothing less.

But it was Elijah who broke off. “God, you’ve got no idea what I want to do to you.”

“Show me, then,” she said.

He shook his head. “You need to relax and warm up those muscles.”

“Okay.” She sighed, and let him help her over to the tub. It took a few seconds to figure out how he could help her get into it. She needed him to hold her under her arms as she lowered herself into the hot water.

When she finally got inside the tub, the heat immediately relaxed her entire body all at once, closing her eyes. “That feels amazing,” she said, dipping her hair back into the water.

She opened her eyes and watched the candles flickering. “I’m going to wash your hair,” Elijah said.

She looked at him, laughing. “What?”

“You heard me. I’m going to wash your hair. Right now.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“I’m not being silly. I’m completely serious. Let me help you.”

Caelyn realized that she actually wanted him to wash her hair. Something about him taking care of her this way, washing her body, tending to her, was so soothing and comforting.

There was nothing to be ashamed of.

Elijah picked up the shampoo bottle and poured a glob into his hands, then began massaging it into her scalp. It felt amazing. His hands were like magic, knowing just how to touch her.

She shivered with pleasure.

“How’s that feel?” he asked, but the humor in his voice told her that he already knew how it felt.

“Amazing,” she sighed, letting his hands do their work. She hadn’t felt this much pleasure since the accident. It was like having been starved of anything but bread and water for a year and then going to the best ice cream shop in the world, sitting down and taking the first bites of a hot fudge sundae.

Chills ran up and down her spine, giving her goose bumps, while the hot water soothed and softened her tight muscles. Around her, candles cast their flickering light, bathing the room in an otherworldly glow.

Elijah took a small plastic cup from the edge of the tub and dipped it into the water, then poured it over her head to wash the soap off.

He sat near her and watched as she lay and relaxed in the bath for the next few minutes, until finally the water started to cool off and she became a little chilled.

“I think I’m done,” she told him. “Help me out?”

“Of course.”

Standing up again wasn’t easy, and there was some embarrassment, of course, at having to be helped out of the bathtub.

But Elijah never gave any sign that he was at all bothered by any of it.

He wrapped a nice, big towel around her and ushered her into the bedroom.

There was a queen-sized bed with a huge, warm comforter on it. “Come on, get under the covers,” he said. “You’ll dry off easier. I’ll get under with you.”

Caelyn was able to sit down on the edge of the bed by herself, and then she lay back and slid beneath the blankets, towel still wrapped around her as she shivered. Her wet hair was cold and dripping onto the pillow.

Elijah took off his sneakers and then slid under the covers behind her, wrapping his powerful arms around her and gripping her tightly.

“I think I’m in heaven,” she said, smiling contentedly.

“You and me both.”

They lay close together for a time.

“You’ve been so amazing, Elijah,” she said.

He pressed his lips against the back of her neck. “I just did what anyone would have done.”

“No,” she said. “You were with me every second. And then you went and rented this house, and got it all ready for me. You thought of everything.”

“I have a lot to make up for,” he told her. “I’ve got a guilty conscience.”

“Because of the accident?”

“Among other things.” He laughed. “My naughty list is awfully long, Caelyn.

It’ll be a long time before Santa puts anything but coal in my stocking.”

“You’re making a good start at getting better,” she said.

He kissed her neck again, drawing her closer still, pressing his chest and stomach against her back. “Am I hurting you?”

“No, it feels nice. Safe.”

“Good.” His breath was hot against the back of her neck.

She leaned her head back and then turned slightly to look at him. “I missed being like this with you,” she told him.

Suddenly, his lips were on hers, hot and wet as his tongue entered her mouth with passion and need.

The kiss electrified her, and she purposely let her towel drop from around her body. She didn’t want there to be anything between them anymore.

Elijah pressed himself up against her from behind as he kissed her more fervently.

She moaned softly as his tongue continued to glide in and out of her mouth. His hands ran up and down her bare skin as they continued to kiss for a long time.

Everything was slow, and soft, because Elijah didn’t seem to want to rush anything—or maybe he didn’t want to hurt her. She wasn’t sure why he was taking everything so slow, but she was loving it.

His hands were everywhere on her, and she wanted him to do whatever he pleased to her. Soon, his hand was between her legs, and she gasped as the pleasure continued to grow and grow and grow. She lied on her back and let Elijah work his magic on her, and soon she was crying out.

He kissed her again, allowing her to take time to calm down from the excitement.

She was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling. “I’m out of shape,” she laughed.

“You’ve been through a lot,” he whispered, stroking her hair. His eyes looked at her with complete attention and what felt to Caelyn like total devotion.

But how can he care so much about me
? She wondered.
Is it possible that I’m
just imagining all of this—am I going to wake up one day and find out that I was wrong
about him?

She didn’t see how it could happen. Elijah had proven himself over and over again.

And the fact was, she wanted him more than ever. She didn’t care that she was tired, and aching, and still recovering from the accident. Caelyn reached out and grabbed his jeans, unzipping his fly without even saying a word about it.

At first, Elijah looked surprised, but then a different look came across his face, as she began to use her hand on him.

“Are you sure?” he asked her.

Caelyn smiled wickedly at him. “I’m not that out of shape,” she said. And then she slid herself down to him, and began to use more than just her hand.

***

The next morning, they had to get up early to shower, dress, and eat. Then they got in the car and headed over for Caelyn’s first day of rehab at the nearby clinic.

The Howard Leonard Physical Rehabilitation Center was a large building with its own parking lot set off from the hospital it was affiliated with. The lot was already mostly full when they arrived just before nine o’clock.

“Get as close to the door as you can,” she told Elijah, as he seemed about ready to turn into a parking spot that was a few rows further back then she would have liked.

Elijah turned toward her. “Come on, now. You’re supposed to be getting exercise and walking more. That’s why we’re here.”

“Yes,” she said, her stomach tightening. “That’s why
I’m
here—to do
my
rehab.

But it’s my first day and I’m probably going to feel like I’m dying, so the last thing I want to do right now is walk an extra few steps to the entrance.”

“Okay, okay, I hear you. Just relax.”

“I’ll relax when this day is over with.” She didn’t mean to be snippy with him, but she’d read a few things on the internet that had made her nervous about rehab.

Supposedly it could be really horrible at first, because they truly pushed you to your limits.

Elijah found a closer parking spot and then they got out of the car and made their way slowly inside. Elijah announced her presence to the receptionist, and then they sat in the waiting room and killed time.

Caelyn read an In Touch magazine from the previous year, flipping the pages without really reading anything. She was surprisingly nervous, as if she was about to compete in the Olympics or something.

Butterflies in her stomach, sweaty palms, and a dry mouth—Elijah seemed to sense her anxiety, and he just played around on his cell phone without trying to talk to her.

Finally, the door to the waiting room opened and a man walked out and called her name.

“I’m right here,” she said, waving to him, as Elijah got up to help her to her feet.

The man rushed to her side and began assisting her in standing up, and Elijah took a step back to watch.

“Okay, easy does it,” the stocky guy said, his blond hair falling in front of his face as he bent his knees and held her hands. “Bend those knees, Caelyn. Very nice.”

She bit her lower lip and then finally stood up straight. Her legs were already shaking and she felt week. “I’m not having a great morning,” she said.

“You did awesome,” the man told her. He was a few inches shorter than Elijah, but much more muscular, almost like a body builder. He had a neck the size of a tree trunk, and his arms and legs were practically busting out of his hospital uniform. “I’m Knox, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said.

“I’m Elijah, her boyfriend,” Elijah said, staring at Knox and then putting his hand out.

“Oh, yeah? Sweet.” Knox shook Elijah’s hand briskly. He looked away from Elijah and back to Caelyn. Knox’s eyes were intense and he had a hyper energy to him that was infectious.

“I guess it’s time,” she sighed.

“Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be anything you can’t handle,” Knox told her.

“I read some horror stories online,” she admitted, laughing self-consciously.

“Oh no, never do that again,” Knox said, throwing his head back and swinging it side to side, his blond locks whipping against his face. “Please, promise me you’re not going to torture yourself with internet searches. There’s just so much bad info out there.”

“Okay, I won’t,” she laughed, feeling a little more at ease now.

Elijah was just staring at the floor, his arms folded.

“So, are you ready to get going? No time like the present,” Knox said.

“I’m ready,” she said, nodding, and starting to walk slowly toward the door to the rehab facility.

As Elijah started to go with her, Knox stopped him. “Oh, we don’t normally have friends and family members attending the sessions,” he said.

“Well I’m going with her,” Elijah said, his shoulders hunching and his forehead wrinkling as he got stubborn.

“I totally get it, man,” Knox said. “But the thing is, I have a job to do in there and so does Caelyn. But you’re just going to be in the way and you’ll act as a distraction.”

“I’ll make sure not to be a distraction,” Elijah said lightly, but Caelyn could tell he was actually ticked off.

She looked at Knox, who seemed more than happy to get into it with Elijah if he needed to.

Caelyn didn’t intend to let it go any further. “You know, I’m kind of nervous and it would help me if he came in. Is that okay?” she asked.

Knox gave Elijah another long look. “Sure, I suppose so. It’s just not ideal.

We’re going to be working really intensely and its best not to have family members or friends in the room while you’re doing therapy.”

“It’s not the kind of therapy where she lays on a couch and tells you about her childhood, though,” Elijah said, his smirk less than friendly.

“No, it’s not that kind of therapy,” Knox said. “But it’s still personal.”

“Yeah, I think she’ll be just fine,” Elijah said.

“Okay, come along. Be my guest.” Knox led the way as Elijah walked Caelyn through the doors and into the rehab clinic.

They walked down a long hallway and then emerged into a fairly large room that reminded her of a gym. The difference was mainly in the different kinds of equipment, and of course, the clientele.

There were people in wheelchairs, people on crutches, walkers, using canes.

They were doing all kinds of exercises, from lifting weights to sitting on fitness balls, or simply trying to walk. A few people were sweating on stationary bikes, while one person was running on the treadmill with a prosthetic leg.

Caelyn looked around at the activity, overwhelmed by it all. She couldn’t imagine doing anything that demanding for more than a minute or two.