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Something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t figure it out. Uncertain what to say or do, I fell back on what I always did when someone I knew was upset—try to fix it. “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to get something to clean us up.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed and walked to the bathroom where I quickly washed up with a washcloth I found. I splashed some cold water on my face and looked at myself in the mirror.

My hair was messy, and I could see red lines where her nails had raked over my skin. I didn’t know what was going on in her head, but I knew she wasn’t like any other woman I’d been with. Her response to me was so passionate, so real. It wasn’t as if I had never found pleasure in bed with other women, but none had made me feel such a desire to please my partner before, nor had any of them made me climax so hard.

I found a clean washcloth and dampened it with warm water. I returned to her bed, only to find Jen curled up in a little ball in the middle of the mattress with the sheets pulled up. Her back faced me, and I could see her breathing deeply. Suspecting she was asleep, I stood there, uncertain what to do. I continued to let my ‘doctor instinct’ take over. At least, that’s what I wanted to blame as responsible for the feelings I was experiencing. But deep down I knew the overwhelming reason I wanted to take care of her was more significant. Hell, even Lucy from Peanuts with her five-cent psychiatry booth would probably be able to figure it out, but I refused to dwell on it. I was a doctor who liked to fix things, not open up old wounds. Exploring my inner psyche would be nothing more than ripping open the stitches that held me together.

Sighing, I walked around to the other side of the bed and scooped her nightie off the floor. Kneeling beside her, I pulled the material over her head. Her eyes opened in alarm.

“Shhh, kitten. Let me take care of you, okay?” I comforted, sliding one of her arms through the thin strap.

Uncertainty flashed across her eyes, but she didn’t halt my movements, even lifting herself up enough that I could finish getting her dressed. Then I took the washcloth, checking to see that it hadn’t cooled too much, and erased the evidence of the night’s passion, an attraction no longer deniable by us.

Her solemn blue eyes followed my movements. When I finished, she finally whispered, “Thank you. For everything.” She closed her eyes once again and clutched her pillow.

I dropped the washcloth on the floor and blew out a breath.Oh, the hell with it. We’ve already crossed one line tonight.Shutting me out might be what she wanted, but she was going to have to ask me to leave. I wasn’t going to be a dick and decide that for her so that she could hold it against me tomorrow. And since I was a selfish bastard anyway, I did what I wanted to do.

I pulled on my boxer briefs and slid under the covers next to her. She was so centered on the bed that my large frame hovered too close to the edge. It left me with no choice other than to roll on my side and wrap myself around her. I must have made the right decision because she sighed and nestled into my embrace. It was as if she was made to fit me. Her head tucked under my chin, her sweet ass cheeks nestled just right against my cock, and her knees bent around mine with her feet coming to rest against my shins. Perfect.

I was just about to fall asleep when she sighed and clutched my arm even tighter. I almost missed it, thinking she was sighing again, but I realized she was whispering in her sleep. Words that struck me straight in the heart.