Page 67 of Playing with Forever
I explained about his juvenile record. “I should’ve figured it out sooner. You were almost hurt. That’s on me.”
Andrea shook her head, fiercely. “No. You saved me. You’ve been saving me from the beginning, whether you realize it or not.” Her hand slid down to my chest, resting over my heart. “You’ve been there every time I’ve needed you, even whenyouwere hurting. You’ve gone above and beyond.”
“You did a little saving yourself.” I thought about the way she’d stood her ground in the conference room, refusing to cower, even when he’d cornered her. I’d heard the statement to the police. I’d heard the tremble in her voice when she recounted how she’d defended herself.
“That guy never stood a chance,” I said, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s my girl. Brave as hell.”
“Well,” she said, eyes glinting as a smile curled her lips. “After dealing withyou, he was a piece of cake,” she teased.
That made me laugh, a sound that felt damn near foreign after the day we’d had. But then the amusement faded and the serious moment returned. I cupped her face in my hands again, gentle, loving. “I mean it, Andrea. I will always keep you safe. I promise. You are my everything.”
She nodded, eyes shining. “I know. I always feel safe when I’m with you.”
God, I loved her. And the moment I thought it, I realized I should say it out loud, for the first time ever to a woman. “I love you, Andrea Corbin.”
Andrea stared at me for a moment, a bit in shock, then a smile spread over her face, one I’d never seen before. I realized it was because I had never seen herthishappy. So elated and content.
“I love you, too,” she said.
I kissed her, soft, lingering, like a vow I didn’t need words to make.
We ate dinner quietly. Andrea didn’t say much, so I didn’t either. I just sat with her, letting the weight of the evening settle. When we finished, I stood and gathered the dishes.
“I’ll clean up.” I told her. “Why don’t you go take a shower? Get warmed up and relax.”
Andrea nodded gratefully, her expression soft, eyes distant, but not vacant. Just…tired. She’d been through a lot and all I wanted to do was take care of her.
While I rinsed the plates and loaded the dishwasher, I kept an ear out for her. The sound of the water turning on was oddly reassuring. A reminder she was just down the hall. A reminder that she’d survived.
When I finished, I wandered toward the bathroom, the need to be close to her pulling me like a tether. The whole room was filled with steam, and I could just make out the shape of Andrea through the frosted glass door.
My mouth watered and my dick stirred. My hands flexed at my sides. I wanted to worship every inch of her skin. Not just because I craved her, but because I needed her to feel everything I couldn’t say in words. I needed her to feel cherished. Chosen.Safe.
Andrea was mine to love, and protect, and honor. She’d let me lead her in the bedroom, at The Players Club, in our dynamic. But this…what we were building now…this had to be different. This needed to be the beginning of everything real. It was time I finally let someone in all the way.
I raised my hand and tapped gently on the glass door. “Mind if I join you?”
There was a pause, then the glass door creaked open slightly. Steam swirled around her. She was bare, glistening, flushed pink from the heat of the water, but it was her expression that undid me. Open. Vulnerable. Trusting.
“You don’t even have to ask,” she said, smiling, almost shyly, like this was our first time.
Maybe, in a way it was. All the emotional barriers between us were finally gone, and what was left was raw and honest. Something more intimate than anything we’d done before. This wasn’t about sex. It wasn’t about dominance or submission. It was about trust. About choosing each other in the aftermath of fear, in the quiet space where love was louder than lust.
I stripped off my clothes and stepped inside, pulling her gently into my arms, letting the water rush over us both as I held her close, skin to skin. I could hardly believe I got to have this,her, for the rest of my life.
Andrea lifted a hand and placed it flat on my chest. I covered it with mine.
“I was scared today,” she admitted, looking up at me. “I haven’t let myself say that yet. Not to the cops, not even to myself. But I was scared, Chase.”
“I know,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I was, too.”
My cock was already hard, and her breath caught when she felt my shaft pressed against her. I wanted her, that was a given, but whatever happened tonight was up to her.
“What do you want?” I murmured, seeing the lust in her eyes, but also something deeper. Something aching and raw. A need to reclaim something that had been taken from her.
“You,” Andrea whispered. Her voice trembled, but never wavered. “I want…I want to stop feeling him. He put his hands on me. I want you to wash it away. Make me forget.”
I exhaled slowly, gently brushing a hand over the bruises on her arm, then over the faint red marks lining her lower back. She was lucky she wasn’t bruised on her throat, too, but he hadn’t grabbed her tightly enough for that, thank God. He hadn’t really been trying to choke her, just scare her.
