“Noah, out.” Colt stepped out of the truck, and the shepherd leapt past him onto the ground. Ophelia opened her door, but before she could get down, Colt was there with his hands on her hips as he gently set her on her feet.
Despite his gruff demeanor, he was always such a gentleman around her. It was so sweet and sexy at the same time. She hated to admit it—it always felt like she had to hand in her feminist card when she thought along these lines—but she liked it when Colt opened a door for her. It felt respectful, and she liked that in a man. Even her last boyfriend had always been a gentleman. But Colt had taken it to a whole new level while he’d cared for her in the hospital.
“You know I can walk, right?” she teased.
“I know.” The sudden tenderness in Colt’s gaze stilled her heart. “I just like to get my hands on you whenever I can.”
“Oh? In that case, maybe I can’t walk so well.”
“Ophelia!” Miranda rushed across the street to greet them. “Oh, honey, you look so much better.” She gave Ophelia a gentle hug. “The gals will be thrilled to know that you’re home.” Miranda then looked to Colt. “Thank you for taking care of our girl.” She hugged the big, gruff Navy SEAL and shot Ophelia a wink.
“I don’t mind. She’s not too high maintenance,” Colt said with a straight face.
“High maintenance, huh?” Ophelia replied. “And to think, I had dreamed up some great ways to pay you back for such dedicated attention.”
His way of keeping her distracted from the pain of recovering had been by telling her all the dirty fantasies he’d had about her between that first kiss and when they’d finally made love. She’d never been so excited to get home in her life, because she didn’t plan on waiting a second longer to to be alone with him.
Now she had his full attention, and his eyes glowed with desire. “Oh? Care to share any, sweetheart?”
“I better let you two settle in. I’ll see you tomorrow night for drinks.” Miranda smirked. “Assuming you can walk.”
Ophelia blushed. “Thanks, Miranda.” In the past week, Colt had made it very clear that they were officially dating, and she’d heard from nearly every one of the women who lived on their quiet little street once word spread. One group text with Miranda, Jennifer, and Eliza had been filled with dozens of completely inappropriate questions, which she had read aloud to Colt. It had made her laugh, even though that had hurt her ribs, and he’d sat there frowning and grumbling about women, margaritas, and bikinis in the most adorable way.
Colt put a gentle arm around her waist. “Let’s go inside and continue this discussion.” The second she entered her house, she stiffened as she searched for signs of blood and broken glass, or any evidence of what had happened. There was no hint of the epic struggle that had occurred.
“You okay?” Colt asked as he held her close.
“Yeah. I just expected to see the mess, you know?”
“I had a few friends come in and fix everything while you were in the hospital.”
“Even the TV?” She saw a TV sitting on the stand, ready to be turned on. She thought the robbers had broken it.
“No, I bought you a new one. Hope you don’t mind.” He was watching her with increased concern.
“No, I don’t, but I insist on paying you back for that.” She realized it was actually bigger than her old TV. “How many inches is that? Mine was forty-two inches . . .”
He looked at his boots like a guilty schoolboy. “Er . . . sixty-five? I just figured that if I was going to be spending time over here, we should have a bigger screen.”
She couldn’t deny that she liked the sound of we when he said it like that.
“I really do have to pay you back for that.” She was going to insist on it.
“Okay, I’ll let you,” he said carefully. “But you’re welcome to see it as a get-well gift.”
Ophelia stared around the room for a long moment, letting the awful memories wash over her. The trauma therapist at the hospital had told her to relive the attack and, more importantly, relive the surviving of it. She gently pulled free of Colt and walked through the living room to her bedroom. She had only dim memories of Colt speaking to her, touching her, and the paramedics shining a bright light into her pupils. Colt had held her hand the entire time.
Noah walked ahead of Ophelia with a slight limp in his front right leg. Ophelia felt forever bound to the big dog for rushing in so fearlessly to defend her. He had saved her life.
Next week she would face the two men who’d attacked her at their arraignment hearing. She wanted to look them both in the eyes and let them see that she was not afraid of them.
Ophelia’s gaze went to the spot on the floor in her bedroom where she’d been found, and then she looked to Colt as he filled the doorway. God, he was gorgeous, and he was all hers. That fact still made her smile, and she held out a hand to him.
“You okay?”
“Yes. I was just reliving the incident, remembering that you and Noah saved me. I’m alive and well, thanks to you both.”
He gathered her in his arms, and she buried her face against his throat. She had no desire to move from his arms, and if she could have, she would have stayed there forever.
“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” he asked. He pressed his lips to the crown of her hair. “I can stay on the couch.”
“Yes, I’d like that, but you won’t be on the couch.” The soft press of their bodies reminded her of how much she wanted him. It had been a cruel twist of fate that she’d had one day with him before being hurt so badly in the attack.
She lifted her head. “Colt?”
He looked down at her, one hand threaded through her hair in a way that felt wonderful. “Hmm?” He was always doing that, finding sweet little ways to keep his hands on her. She felt loved. She felt desired.
“Will you take me to bed?”
“Sweetheart, I don’t think—”
“Just go slow and I’ll be okay. Please. I just need to be with you.”
His warm hazel eyes were shrouded with uncertainty and his dark hair feel across his forehead making him look bashful and charming in a way she’d never expected from her fierce neighbor. She bit her bottom lip and looked up at him. “Don’t make me beg.”
“But I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t—I’m a tough cookie.”
“That you are. Should we go to my house?” He looked to the spot where he’d found her on the floor.
“No, here. I want to replace the bad memories with good ones.”
“Okay, but if you need to stop at any time, you tell me.”
He pulled off his shirt, and she slipped out of her sandals. Ophelia unbuttoned her blouse and slipped out of her shorts and panties, then removed her bra as he finished kicking off his boots, socks, and jeans. She sat on the bed completely naked, and he joined her. His gaze swept over her, his desire making his eyes as warm as melted honey.
“You’re so beautiful and so brave. You know that, don’t you?” He cupped the back of her head for a slow, deep kiss that made her toes curl.
“Am I?” she asked. She traced his collarbone with her fingers, and his lips curved into a smile that was half hidden beneath his beard.