pain. It flirted with going too far but never did. Red hot currents of desire raced through her body, leaving her skin hot and her clit aching. She rubbed her thighs together, desperate to make the throbbing stop. Terror clamped one of his hands on her shoulder and hauled her upright while shoving his leg between hers. He bracketed his knee against the counter, and she moaned at the sudden pressure against her clit.
Unable to help herself, she moved against his leg, rubbing herself on him and smearing the evidence of her arousal on his pants. Terror cupped her breast in his other hand, squeezing it as she tried to get off on his leg. He pinched her nipple, first gently and then too hard, and she whined at the bite of pain. He eased off, leaving an apologetic kiss on her neck, and then his hand traveled down her belly to sparse thatch of hair covering her sex.
He lowered his knee just enough to make room for his hand, and she leaned back against the solid wall of his chest. The hand between her legs made her want to scream. His expert fingertips played with her clit until she was gasping and curling her toes. He kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose before claiming her mouth. The second his tongue touched hers, she exploded with an orgasm that made her legs go jelly soft.
Terror groaned against her mouth as his fingers continued to rub and flick. She clutched at his forearms, marveling at the sinewed steel beneath her hands while shaking with the aftershocks of her climax. He cupped her pussy in a protective gesture and nipped along her neck and shoulder. She pushed aside the needy little voice in her head that wanted her to beg him to make love to her now.
Wait. Just wait. Let him give you what he wants.
She wasn’t disappointed by her decision. Terror made quick work of undressing himself and then tugged her into the shower. The ultra-filtered water was heated to absolute perfection, and the incredibly luxurious soap he rubbed all over her body left her feeling so clean and refreshed. His hands were thorough as he spread the lush lather all over her skin, and she blushed when his fingers moved between her cheeks. She swallowed hard, not sure she was ready for that just yet, but didn’t let herself worry about it. Terror might want to try anal sex with her, but he wouldn’t force the issue or bully her into letting him have her that way.
When it was her turn to clean him, she smiled excitedly. Although she had kept him clean during his captivity, she had never had the chance to touch him like this. Back then, she had been his captor, and the power imbalance had always been foremost in her mind. She had respected him too much to ever indulge her own curiosity about his body. A prisoner couldn’t consent, after all.
Now, though, he wanted her to touch him. He was giving enthusiastic consent to let her explore his body in any way she wanted. The soap made things interesting. Her palms glided over his skin, feeling the curves and dips of his defined and muscular body while also highlighting the many scars. He had been through so much in his life, more than any man should have endured. It hurt her to know that he had been hurt so many times. She wished there was a way to take away even some of that pain.
He tipped her chin with his finger. Without the glasses, he couldn’t understand if she signed, but he didn’t seem to need them. He could read her expression. “I don’t regret any of these, Maisie.”
“No?” She touched one of the meaner looking scars on his thigh and cast a questioning glance up at him.
He shook his head. “Especially not that one.”
“Why?”
“Why?” He repeated the sign and earned a smile from her. “Because I got that one saving my best friend’s mate. I’d take that wound a thousand times to keep her safe.” Terror traced the shell of her ear. “Vicious would do the same for you.”
“He already did,” she replied, thinking of the way he had risked so much to sneak her off the Valiant.
They finished their shower and used the drying function to quickly evaporate the water clinging to their skin. Terror made her squeal with surprise when he snatched her up in his arms and tossed