drunk or exhausted from partying. It seemed to keep the memories at bay.
“Gem,” I said with more force.
She jerked and sucked in her breath. Her hand came up, touching my stubbled cheek. “Savio?” she asked shakily.
“I’m here. You had a nightmare.”
She pressed her face against my throat and began to cry. I wrapped my arms more tightly around her. “I saw them die again. Both of them. Even though I didn’t see how Dad died, my mind replays the images as if I saw… I want it to stop.”
“It’ll get better with time.”
It was my way to allow her to peel away a layer without saying too much. For a moment, Gemma froze, then she nodded.
As usual, I woke before sunrise. I had my arm wrapped around Gemma from behind, my morning rod prodding her firm ass. Groaning, I rolled over, peering down at the tent in the covers. I sat up and got out of bed.
Gemma shifted then turned around. Her hair curled wildly around her head and her eyes were still half-closed. “What are you doing?”
Her voice was an octave deeper after waking up, the fucking sexiest sound in the world. “Getting up. It’s almost six.”
She blinked. “Almost six.” She pushed into a sitting position, looking confused. “Does something happen at six?”
I chuckled. “No, I always get up at six, if possible, to work out.”
She stared. “You do?”
I grabbed gym shorts and pulled down my sweats to change into them.
A pillow landed in my face. “Savio, when will you stop showing me your thing?”
Her cheeks were red and she looked wide-awake.
“Make that a big fat never, Kitty. You are my wife. It’s a hard-earned privilege to see my dick, so you should appreciate it.”
Pulling the shorts over my hard cock proved tricky and required some shoving and shifting. Gemma let out a choked laugh and slid out of bed as well. Suddenly, she looked shy. “Can I join you?”
“Sure.”
I hoped she wouldn’t want to use training to talk. I wasn’t awake enough for that. She smiled and headed into the walk-in closet. When she emerged, she was dressed in a sports bra and tight leggings. I rearranged my cock again, earning rolled eyes from her.
“Come on,” I said. She came toward me then hesitated as if she wasn’t sure how to act. I grabbed her hand, linking our fingers. I didn’t have problems with physical closeness, so I could give her that, at least. We walked down to the first floor in silence then into my home gym. I’d had a wall between rooms removed to have more space for all the equipment. Bench press, barbells, pull-up bar, and everything else I needed for my weightlifting routine.
“Wow,” Gemma breathed, taking in the room. Then her gaze settled on the mirrored wall. “Of course, you’d want to see yourself, Mr. Vanity.”
I grinned. “It’s not about vanity, it’s about form. I need to check on my posture.”
She slipped away from me and checked out the weights and kettlebells. Then her eyes darted to the pull-up bar. “How many can you do in a row?”
I shrugged, joining her. “Fifty in a minute.”
Gemma shook her head, her eyes gliding down my upper body. I took her hand and pressed it to my abs. Biting her lip, she slid her fingertips over the bumps of my eight-pack. “A six-pack just wasn’t enough, was it?” she said, her voice adorably nervous.
I tried to keep my dick under control so Gemma’d be more comfortable with touching. Baby steps. “I didn’t aim for one, it happened.” Remo’s words about trust flitted through my brain again. I bent low and kissed Gemma, a quick kiss just because.
She looked surprised, then a small pleased smile tugged at her mouth. Her fingers lingered on the top of my tattoo before she retracted her hand. I reached out to touch her abs. Gemma had the hints of a gorgeous six-pack, softened by her narrow waist and swung hips, simply beautiful. She grasped my wrist before I could touch her. “The last time you touched me there, you were drunk and rude.”
I nodded, remembering distantly. “I was an asshole, Gem.”
“Yes, you were.”
“We’re already agreeing on one important thing. That’s a start, right?”
She laughed then she loosened her hold on my wrist and gave a small nod. My fingertips brushed her smooth skin, then discovered the soft ridges of her defined stomach. Gemma’s breath quickened when I stroked the sensitive skin under her bellybutton. She took a step back and focused on