on his arm, he froze. With a tentative touch, she felt her way up to his shoulder to his neck, then touched his face and finally his hair. She smiled a little when she felt the thick waves and then she brought some of it to her nose. She breathed in deep and put her other hand on his leg.
"It truly is you. I remember the smell of your shampoo."
The closeness and the contact sizzled through Phury's clothes and skin, going straight into his blood. He felt like a total bastard to feel anything sexual, but he couldn't stop his body. Especially as she patted her way down his long hair until she was touching his pectorals.
His lips opened, his breath getting short. He wanted to drag her against his chest and hold her tight. Not for sex, though it was true his body wanted that from her. No, right now he just needed to feel her warmth and reassure himself that she was alive.
"Let me take care of your eyes," he said. Jesus, his voice was deep.
When she nodded, he carefully wiped at her lids. "How's that?"
She blinked. Smiled a little. Put her hand on his face.
"I can see you better now." But then she frowned. "How did I get out of there? I can't remember anything except... I let the other civilian go and David came back. And then there was a car ride. Or was that a dream? I dreamt that Zsadist saved me. Did he?"
Phury was not up to talking about his twin, even tangentially. He rose to his feet and put the washcloth on the night-stand. "Come on, let's get you to your room."
"Where am I now?" She looked around, and then her mouth parted. "This is Zsadist's room."
How the hell did she know that? "Let's go."
"Where is he? Where's Zsadist?" Urgency threaded through her voice. "I need to see him. I need-"
"I'm going to take you to your room-"
"No! I want to stay-"
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J R Ward: Lover Awakened
She was so agitated now he decided to stop trying to talk to her. He pulled back the sheets so he could help her up-Shit, she was naked. He yanked the covers back into place.
"Ah, sorry..." He pushed a hand into his hair. Oh, God... The graceful lines of her body were something he was never going to forget. "Let me... um, let me get you something to wear."
He went to Z's closet and was stunned by how empty it was. There wasn't even a robe to cover her with, and he'd be goddamned if he'd put her in one of his twin's fighting shirts. He took off his leather peacoat and walked over to her again.
"I'll turn my back while you put this on. We'll find you a robe-"
"Don't take me away from him." Her voice cracked from pleading. "Please. That must have been him standing over the bed. I didn't know it, I couldn't see. But it must have been him."
It sure as hell was. And the bastard had been naked as sin and ready to jump her. Considering all she'd been through, the near-miss was a total cringer. Man... Years ago Phury had caught Z having sex in a back alley with a whore. It hadn't been pretty, and the idea of Bella's being subjected to that made him ill.
"Put on the coat." Phury turned away. "You are not staying here." When he finally heard the bedding move, and the creak of leather, he took a deep breath. "Are you decent?"
"Yes, but I don't want to go."
He looked over his shoulder. She was dwarfed by the coat he wore all the time, her long mahogany hair falling around her shoulders, the ends curled as if they'd gotten wet and had dried without being brushed. He imagined her in a tub, with clean water rushing over her pale skin.
And then he saw Zsadist looming over her, watching her with those soulless black eyes, wanting to fuck her, probably only because she was scared. Yeah, her fear would be the turn-on for him. It was well-known that terror in a female cranked him up more than anything lovely or warm or worthy.
Get her out of here, Phury thought. Right now.
His voice became unsteady. "Can you walk?"
"I'm light-headed."
"I'll carry you." He approached her, on some level unable to believe he was going to put his arms around her body. But then it was happening... He slid his hand around her waist and reached down, taking her behind