Page 91 of Traces Of You

“I’m not them,” he said. “Never think that.”

She was searching his face. It took a herculean effort to keep his frustration locked up. She didn’t need to see that. It was not something many saw, but the last person he’d ever want to witness it was Reenie. Not after what she’d gone through.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean it that way.” She didn’t appear to be upset over his words, more like confused.

“What way did you mean it?”

“That what we feel are remnants of our past, traces of who we used to be, but we aren’t those people anymore. Not fully.”

“We are better than those kids,” he said, his head dipping down to kiss her. “Don’t you forget that or think otherwise.”

“I’m trying,” she said quietly.

They walked to his room after he’d stopped them in the hallway over her words. He took the bag out of her hand and put it on the bed. “That’s all I can ask.”

Reenie opened her bag, pulling out her clothes. “Do you have somewhere I can put these so they aren’t wrinkled in the morning?”

He moved to a drawer that he’d emptied this morning. He’d like her to keep clothing here but knew not to ask. She didn’t have much as it was.

“Do you want to shower together and conserve water?”

She giggled. Their serious conversation seemingly wiped from her face. “I was thinking the same thing.”

“Glad to know we think alike.”

He walked to his bathroom and turned the water on to heat.

She was on his heels. “That’s a big shower.”

“I ripped the tub out and put this in. Best money spent in the house.”

“I’ve never been in a shower this big before. The small one in the cabin is tight for me. I can’t believe you and your brothers fit in that.”

“I had a lot of bruised elbows,” he said, laughing. “Maybe that is why I wanted this one to be so big.”

He pulled his Ridgeway Orchard T-shirt over his head, then helped her with hers.

His shower might be big, but the bathroom itself was tight with the double vanity and toilet.

The two of them stripped quickly. “Do you have condoms in here? I’ve always wanted to try shower sex.”

Ford opened a drawer and pulled one out of the box. Putting it on the ledge in the shower, he opened the door and let her in before him.

Reenie stood under the spray, got everything wet but her hair, which was piled on top of her head with a rubber band that she’d quickly done after they’d undressed.

Her hand found the soap, lathered up, rinsed off, then she stepped aside to let him under the spray. When he reached out for the soap, she didn’t pass it over. Instead, she filled her palms with suds and slid them across his chest, down over his hips, then wrapped her hand around his length, stroking him slowly.

He was hard once he stripped and saw her naked, but her hands on his body had blood rushing there like an out of control freight train.

He wouldn’t have the strength to go slow with her if she kept that up and he’d made it his mission to make sure she came every time they had sex. That meant giving her the time and attention she deserved.

The last time was faster, her body relaxing a lot more than the first time.

“I love how big you are,” she said, her fingers exploring. “The strength in your body and behind your movements. It’s a controlled power.”

“I never want to hurt you,” he said.

“You can’t.”