Page 61 of Dance for Me
It took seconds to cross the short width of lawn and carry her into the warmth of the house. He didn’t pause in the hallway, just hauled her tired, emotional ass straight upstairs to the master bedroom. He managed to nudge the main light on with his elbow, then carried her to the bed.
She wouldn’t look at him for love nor money when he slid her down his side onto her feet. Her inner bitch was all burned out, leaving a shell shocked and apparently mute female in her place.
That was fine with him.
“Seems to me some vital information was withheld from our conversations, little one,” Braun chastised gently. “Makes me think you don’t trust me. So that means we need to have a talk tomorrow.” He began stripping off her clothes slowly, watching the trembling intensify. “I don’t want you to worry about what was said between you and Connie, Bodie. She only told me what I needed to know, what you said she could tell me. I’m not mad.” Just hurt. “I can see why you’d want to hide the truth, but it doesn’t happen again. Trust has to work from both sides or it’s useless.”
Bodie crossed her arms over her chest after he whipped away her dirty hoody. God, she looked edible, standing beside his superking size bed with that expanse of beautiful skin on show.
Eating her a second time was high up on his wish list.
“Do you want me to get you some ice for your hands?” he asked, kneeling in front of her as he tugged the jeans down over her hips and sleek thighs until they puddled at her feet. One by one, he removed her boots and completed his task of getting her naked.
“They’re fine.”
She speaks! Braun rose and captured the dainty weapons in his, inspecting them and growing displeased as he counted the teeth marks in her skin and the swelling consumed her knuckles. “They’re not fine. Jasper’s granite face roughed them up.”
“Wasn’t his fault.”
He hated hearing her so downtrodden. The spark he loved was dwindling, buried under exhaustion and worry. “Wasn’t yours either, little one.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, feeling her relax as she understood he actually wasn’t angry with her. “Been hiding some big secrets, Bodie. It’s got to hurt, letting them go.”
No response to that, he noted. That was okay. She’d talked her heart out to Connie, and it was a vital step forward. Right now, she was worn down to the bone, swaying on the spot as though standing took far too much effort.
Flipping the covers back on the massive bed, he guided her into sitting on the mattress so he could carefully detangle her hair from its plait. When the fall of dark strands tumbled free in sexy waves, he massaged her scalp for a few moments. Her head lolled forward.
“That’s a good girl, darlin’. Time to sleep now.” He lifted her legs up and into bed, laying her against the pillows with an avuncular smile. A quick stroke along her jaw, a feathered kiss against her brow, and she was tucked up in the duvet. “Get some rest, Boadicea. Just shout if you need me.”
“You’re not coming to bed?” she slurred, already half gone into slumber.
He chuckled, but the sound was empty to his ears. “Before tonight, I’d have had a hard time keeping my hands off you, Bodie. Knowing what I know now...my control isn’t limitless. You’ll be safe from my Neanderthal urges, I promise.”
“M’kay,” was the semi-conscious reply.
Fuck, I need a cold shower and sleep. Braun left her sleeping and went to the bathroom. He might not be sleeping in his own room tonight, but he wanted to remain close to her for as long as he could in case she didn’t settle.
Leaving the door ajar, he stripped, contemplating jacking himself off before he took a shower. He tossed his clothes into the hamper behind the door and then set the water running in the cubicle big enough for him, Jasper, and Atticus to fit in together. If they were so inclined. Hell, they could squeeze Loki in if he didn’t mind kneeling between his friends.
That would be a hell to the no, he decided.
He opted against masturbating; it felt perverted jacking himself off to thoughts of Bodie without her knowledge. Especially now he knew what she’d been hiding. Jesus, just the idea of all the shit in her head made him cringe.
Liam had brought a ticking timebomb into Braun’s life. Braun wasn’t sure whether giving the man a raise or throttling him was the most appropriate avenue to take, but either way, this new challenge would surely give him renewed purpose.
Ice cold water pelted his skin as he stepped beneath the showerheads. Gritting his teeth against the bite, he ducked his head and braced his hands on the wall, groaning as the sudden chill abated his erection. He’d been hard from the moment he’d laid eyes on Bodie outside, her warrior spirit beckoning to his own, and fucking her there and then hadn’t been out of the question.
Bad Braun! Trying to get rid of the hard-on, not prolong it.
It wasn’t easy. She’d responded so fucking well to their scene, he thought it was just nerves kicking in. Yes, she was tight, that pussy should be made illegal, but not once did he imagine she was...that. Hell, even Liam thought she’d been stripped of her virginity years ago.
Would it have deterred him from pursuing her?
Maybe. Probably. Braun was of the opinion a woman’s—or man’s—sexual journey should start with someone they trusted, enjoyed being with in other capacities, before leaping headlong into the fray. Sex was fun, something to play with and experiment with, as often as it was taken seriously.
Love didn’t have to play a part, but it brought something beautiful to the party that simple fucking couldn’t.
If Bodie had come to the club, boldly stated she was a virgin, Braun thought he might have considered taking her on as a project. Chances were one of the Masters would have vied for her attention, probably Loki, and Braun would’ve stepped back. He already carried the brunt of responsibility for the club on his shoulders on a daily basis.
Adding Bodie with her issues and inexperience would have been too much to deal with if he’d given the matter any depth of thought.