Hurt oozed from every pore. In the tone of his voice. In his choice of words. In the heartbreaking pain in his eyes and the furrow of his brow and the way he cradled her bump.
She threw her arms around him. “Oh, Luke.”
He hugged her back, dropping his head to her shoulder. Holding her so tightly that even breathing took effort. But she wasn’t going to let go.
He’s love deprived.
The words flickered through her mind. She’d read about it somewhere. All this time, he thought it was about living up to his dad, but right now, in her arms, beneath the gruff tone of his words and the feel of his strong arms around her, she heard the pain of a child so visceral it made her eyes sting with tears.
All the signs were there. The feeling of emptiness that Luke had tried and failed to fill with women, addictions, or fame. When she’d first told him about the baby, she’d thought him emotionally detached, but as someone wise had once said, pouring from an empty cup is an impossible task. And the only time he really told her what he needed was when it came to sex. But the look on his face when she’d presented him with the details of the luxury car rental was like a kid on Christmas Day getting the gift he wanted most in the world. And then there were the ways he dwelled in nostalgia about his dad and how things had been. Because it was the last time he’d felt safe and loved and nurtured.
He’d apologised to his mom, but while the pain was gone, nothing had replaced it.
And suddenly, helping him became simple. She’d love him from the inside out, the top to the bottom, in small ways and big ways.
Yes. Love him.
But words wouldn’t mean shit.
Not right now.
She needed to show him.
“Come with me.” Taking his hand, she led him to the bathroom where she set the bath to run and filled it with one of her favourite oils.
Reaching for his belt, she looked him in the eye as she unbuckled it and slid it from the belt loops. “I can’t promise what is going to happen in the future. But I can promise you this. I’m here. So very much here. And I see you, Luke.”
Gently, she placed his belt over the door handle, before reaching for his T-shirt. Usually, he took charge, and usually she liked it. But for once, he needed someone to take care of him. She pulled it up over his head and he let her.
“I feel you,” she continued, stroking her fingertips down his abs, noticing the way the hairs on his arms stood on end. His breath caught when she reached the button on his jeans. Beneath the denim, she could feel him harden. “I hear you. And can taste you.” She pressed her lips to his chest, running her tongue over his nipple before drawing it into her mouth.
Luke’s hand sunk into her hair, holding her to him, making her smile against his skin. “Flower.”
She dropped to the floor and undid the laces of his sneakers, taking each one off before removing his socks. The silence between them should have felt awkward, but it didn’t. It felt soothing. They had their first important conversation in here, when she’d arrived and thrown up, and then, Luke had sat on the very tub they were about to get into.
When his feet were bare, she stood again, and helped him out of his jeans and boxer briefs.
Luke’s heated gaze never left hers as his fingers reached for the buttons of her blouse. “Wait,” she said. “Get in the tub.”
She watched as Luke did as she said, his erection hanging heavy between his legs. And, boy, did the sight make her clit tingle with possibilities. He dunked his head beneath the deepening water. When he resurfaced, his hair was wet and slicked back off his face. “Come here,” he said gruffly.
Willow began to open her buttons. “Close your eyes.”
“While you are getting naked? Not a chance.”
She grinned, lifting her hands dramatically away from her buttons. “I’m not continuing to remove my clothes until you close them. And I’m not getting in the tub until I’m naked.”
Luke frowned, then did as she said. “Spoilsport.”
Quickly, she stripped the rest of her clothes, grabbed a facecloth, and climbed in between his legs so she was kneeling facing him. “You can open them.”
“Why didn’t you want me to see you get naked?” he asked, running his palms along her thighs, his calloused palms awakening her skin.
“It wasn’t about not seeing me. It was about relaxing. Focusing on yourself for a moment.” She dunked the cloth in the water, then began to ease it over his skin. “It’s about letting me take care of you. Now, close your eyes.”
Carefully, she washed and massaged her way across his chest, along his arms, and down his chest. His erection floated close to the surface of the water, but she intentionally ignored it.
She shuffled further down the tub, so she could reach for his feet and legs. There wasn’t a lot of space to manoeuvre, but there was enough to accomplish what she had intended. After a few minutes of resistance, the tension began to seep from Luke’s body into the warm water and quiet cocoon around them.
When she reached for him, he jerked and opened his eyes. “Willow,” he warned. “I’m a hair trigger right now.”
“I know. This isn’t about me. It’s about you.”
Willow eased her palm along the length of him with one hand while reaching for his balls with the other. They were full and heavy. Luke sighed, a long exhale with a flex of his abdominals. His body was a well-honed masterpiece. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, her hand and his cock between them. He began to rock in her hand. “Do you know what I need?” he asked, his lips barely leaving hers.
“What?”
“You. I need you.”
“You have me,” she answered. She moved her knees to either side of his thighs and lowered herself down onto him. Their groans echoed off the tile as the steam enveloped them. Slowly, she began to rise before sinking deep again.
Luke’s arms wrapped around her, pressing their chests up against each other as he kissed her so deeply, she wasn’t sure where she ended, and he began. All she knew was her body was on fire for him.
“Luke.” The word came out on a whisper and sounded like a prayer. It felt different, without protection. Since his test results had come back clean, condoms had been banished. It added another layer of intimacy to feel him skin on skin.
He always knew exactly how to move to get her off. It was like he knew her body better than she did. Reaching between them, he pressed down firmly on her clit, running his thumb in circles until she wasn’t sure she could remain on her knees.
“Oh, fuck. Flower. Yeah.” Luke’s muttered words tipped her over the edge. Lights spun in the corners of her eyes, blood rushed to her head as she dug her fingers into his shoulders and cried out the rest of her orgasm. Moments later, after several fast thrusts, Luke followed her over.
Willow lay with her head on his shoulder, riding out the last flutters of release.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Luke said so quietly she almost missed it.
“You’ll never have to find out,” she promised, meaning every single word. “Sometimes you need to let someone else take care of you, Luke. It’s not a sign of weakness. None of this is.”
With his thumb and forefinger, he tipped her chin until she was looking at him. “Thank you,” he said.