Page 35 of Taken by Moonlight

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Dante handedthe fluffy white towel to Alex as we emerged from the shower. Alex gently rubbed me down, taking extra care between my legs. On his knees, as he looked up at me. On the bathroom counter, his glasses were fogged from thesteam.

“Do you stillhurt?”

His voice was so low, I barely heard him. Busy toweling off, Dante and Alex paid noattention.

I hesitated. But he looked sincere and I hated to lie to him. “Some,” Iwhispered.

Alex finished drying me off and hunted through the mirrored medicine chest as Dante and Gabriel left the bathroom. He found a tube of something, uncapped it and spread it over hisfingers.

“Sit over there,” he pointed to the lip of the Roman tub, “And spread yourlegs.”

I hugged myself, feelinguncertain.

“Please,” he said. “I want to make you feelbetter.”

“Only if you tell me what that is on yourhand.”

“A special healing salve Dante keeps here for times when a woman’s had roughsex.”

Well, I did ache, so I went to the tub and sat, spreading my legs wide. Alex stared straight at my core, licked his lips. Drew in a deepbreath.

“Wow,” he murmured. “You’re beautiful,Peyton.”

Despite his shyness, I felt certain Alex had seen his share of women’s vulva before. He wasn’t aninnocent.

His fingers stroked the cream over my vulva, rubbing the entrance to my vagina and torn hymen. I sighed with pleasure. It felt tingly and wonderful without arousing me all overagain.

Alex finished and withdrew his fingers. He had such a gentle touch. Nothing sexual aboutthis.

Something nagged at me. Why did Dante keep ointment here? Had he many lovers in this veryroom?

The clear ointment on his fingers glistened beneath the overhead lights. I tried not to stare. Somehow I’d never noticed before that the tip of his right middle finger wasmissing.

Glancing away as he washed his hands and then dried them, I wondered what the hell someone had done to him. I knew shifters could be cruel and their lives violent, but that finger had been a clean cut, not jagged like a wolfbite.

Alex started to leave after capping the ointment. At the doorway, he turned. “There’s a robe on back of the bathroom door. When you’re ready, come into thebedroom.”

He shut the door to give me privacy. Ready forwhat?

I brushed my wet hair, stared at myself in the mirror. The left side of my neck bore a distinct red love mark, and my skin glowed. I looked exactly as I felt – as if I’d just been pleasured by three wild, sexyshifters.

After drying my hair and donning the satin robe, I went into the bedroom. I didn’t know whether to feel relief or disappointment that all three shifters had covered up with thick terrycloth bathrobes. Alex sat on the edge of the bed, reading abook.

Gabriel ate an apple, while Dante stood at the window, staring outside. He seemed onguard.

Did he ever relax? Well, when he wasn’t havingsex?

“How do you feel, Peyton? Are you still quite sore?” Dante asked without turningaround.

The salve Alex had used eased much of the pain. I felt edgy and restless, a pain of a differenttype.

The pain of wanting and needing. It was as if once I’d had sex, it released something wild inside of me aswell.

“Not any longer. What kind of salve was that Alexused?”

Dante gave a brief smile. “Magick salve. It worksquickly.”