Page 196 of Under Her Skin

Max held up his hands in conciliation. ‘Okay, fine by me. So, what’snext?’

‘I need to know everything about this asshole. Stuff Jess won’t or can’t tell me.’ He looked up at Max and his eyes were filled with grief. ‘I never want her to have to feel like she does right now, Max.ever.’

He sighed. ‘She’s pretty beat up emotionally. I hope she can come back from this.’ He winced at thewords.

Max shook his head. ‘She just needs time. It’s the violence she’ll have the most problem with coming to terms with. She’ll go through the stages, denial, grief, anger. But she will come out the other side. You bothwill.’

Theo smiled sadly at him. ‘They teach you that little speech atHarvard?’

Max grinned self-consciously. ‘Something like that.’ They both listened to the sound of the bath being run upstairs. He patted his friend’s shoulder. ‘Anyway, I’m on it now,man.’

‘Yeah.’

Later, when Max had left, Theo took some tea up to Jess. She was wrapped in a towel drying her hair. Theo sucked in a breath at the sight of her bruised neck. She saw him looking at her and wouldn’t meet his eyes. He put the tea down in front ofher.

‘Thank you.’Her voice was soft. He braved trailing a finger along her cheekbone and was gratified when she didn’t pullaway.

‘You’re welcome.’ They stayed like that for a few minutes. Theo noticed how wan she looked, her skin, usually so glowing, was yellow and grey. There were deep, navy blue lines under hereyes.

‘I think you should sleep, now, rest a little.’ He cupped her face with his hand, she leaned into histouch.

‘I don’t want to bealone.’

‘Never.’Theo was surprised though when she pulled him down on the bed next to her, nuzzled his neck. Her arms wound around his neck and her mouth came up to cover his. Theo kissed her deeply, tenderly, pulling at the towel around her. She pulled his t-shirt up over his head and he laid her back on the bed. He stroked her body gently, feeling the soft curves swell under histouch.

He washesitant at first but when she took his hand and placed it between her legs, he covered her body with his. She fumbled with his belt and zipper before he kicked his pants off and for the first time that night, she gave him a genuine smile. He looked down at her, the long dark lashes sweeping over the pink cheeks, her dark eyes liquid andsoft.

‘God, you’re so, so beautiful,’he murmured and grinned as she reached down to stroke his cock, feeling himself becoming hard as she caressed him. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he guided himself into her, hearing her gasp as he thrust all the wayin.

‘Can we just stay like this forever?’ She whispered as they moved together and Theo kissed her, pouring all his love for her into thekiss.

‘For all time, my Jessie…’

Later when Theo was asleep,Jessie slid from the bed and wrapped Theo’s robe around her. She went to the window and looked out over the garden, drenched in darkness and silent. They’d made love long into the night and although she was exhausted, she couldn’t sleep, just knowing Jules was out there. She looked back at Theo’s sleeping form. Could she really end things with him? The thought crippled her but if it meant keeping him safe from Jules’ psychoticnature.

She thought backto the moment he had held that knife to her. That was nothing new but today there had been a frenzy in him, a bloodlust. He wanted to hurt her, maybe even kill her. Searching her feeling, she realised she had always known this, that her obvious love for Theo – or for anyone that had come along – would set him off. Could she go to the police now? Would the fact she was with Theo – and boy, would the feminist in her loathe that she need a man, even Theo, to give her credibility – would Theo’s position help convince the police she was telling thetruth?

Jess slumped against the wall.She had no proof and Jules would use the best lawyers, use his money to paint her once again as no more than an attentionseeker.

She looked back at Theo. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved this man, loved him completely and unconditionally. But did that mean she’d risk her life – and worse, his life – to keep what shewanted?

She imagined losing Theo forever. She knew which one she’d rather take Jules’s violence over and over than risk it. She couldn’t end things withTheo.

She drew in a long shaky breath and closed her eyes. A moment later she felt Theo slid his arms around her waist and felt his kiss on the back of herneck.

‘Can’tsleep?’

She shook her head and turned around to face him. She ran her fingertips over his cheekbones, feeling the tension in his muscles. ‘I love you, Theo Storm, so, somuch.’

‘As I love you,Jessie.’

He kissed her then and led her back to bed. ‘I can relax you if you’d like?’ He had a small but teasing smile on his face and she sighed andnodded.

‘Please…’

They made love slowly, their gaze locked on the other’s until both of them were moaning and vibrating withpleasure.

Jules Gachet,sitting in his exclusive private men’s club, was at the point of being too drunk. He didn’t often lose control, didn’t allow himself to but tonight he was celebrating. She was his again, his Jessica. Yeah, she might, even now, be fucking that bastard Storm, but Jules knew, she’d be thinking of him, of that knife pressed against her vulnerableskin.