Page 106 of Shadow's Surrender
Pushing up, she looked at him and noticed his lids were heavy. She raked her fingers through his hair. “I think the pain pills are making you sleepy.”
“Yeah—I’m so damn tired.”
“Then sleep. I’m staying with you.”
“Love you,” he mumbled then his eyes shut and his lips parted slightly.
Scarlett dipped her head down and kissed his forehead. “Love you too, baby,” she whispered. She watched him as he slept, loving the way he looked so serene. Shadow was nothing like the other men she’d known, who told lies and exaggerated tales in the name of supposed love. She huffed. No … Shadow was the real deal, and she’d almost lost him that night.Okay, I’m being overly dramatic, but hedidget hurt, and what if another car had been driving up the street and hit him.There was an ache in Scarlett’s chest and her eyes stung with tears.I need to stop this now. He’s safe—that’s all that matters. But what if—She shook her head vigorously.No. Stop it.A small snore stopped her thoughts, and she smiled and brushed a kiss over his cheek then stood up.
Scarlett switched off the lamp on the nightstand, then walked over to the large window and pulled down the blinds. She shuffled over to the dresser and opened the top drawer, looking for a T-shirt to wear to bed. It was then that she remembered the framed pictures, and she slowly picked up them up and went over to the floor lamp and switched it.
The first photograph showed a young lady of about eighteen years, holding an infant who had black hair.That’s Shadow—I’m sure of it.Scarlett ran her finger over his picture.He’s adorable. And his mother is so young. She probably got pregnant in high school. She’s beautiful.The woman’s sparkling eyes and dark hair looked very much like Shadow’s. Two of the other three pictures were of his mother, only at different ages: maybe twenty-three or twenty-four, the other around thirty. The last photograph was of Shadow—she recognized him right away—when he was about fourteen or maybe fifteen. He was tall, and Scarlett could see that his arms were toned and even muscular back then, although not like they were now. A badass vibe emanated from Shadow by the way he stood, cocked his head, and snarled his lips. His mother had her arm around him, and her face was glowing with happiness and love.She was so young, and he was too young to lose his mom.
The tip of her index finger traced over both Shadow and his mother as sadness filled her. “I wish I could’ve met you,” she whispered to his mother. “You raised an amazing son.”
The bed creaked and Scarlett froze as her gaze flew to that side of the room. Shadow had turned on his good side, and the sheet had fallen away, exposing all the bandages running up and down his left arm. She tiptoed to the dresser and put the frames back on top of it, then rummaged through his drawer to find one of his undershirts.
After she had splashed some water on her face and changed into Shadow’s T-shirt, she padded over to the bed and pulled the sheet over him before slipping in beside him. She listened to him breathe for a long time, the images of his mother and a teenaged Shadow floating through her mind.
Slivers of moonlight filtered through the blinds, looking like thin fingers, and Scarlett watched as they wavered on the wheat-colored carpet and across the bed until sleep tugged at her lids. She finally gave in to the stillness, to his low and deep breathing, and to the murmuring chants of the whip-poor-wills.
* * *
Scarlett awoke tosoft sheets and the morning sunlight seeping in through the slatted blinds. She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles then slowly turned on her side and propped herself up on her elbow. Shadow lay on his back sleeping, and she touched him lightly, careful not to wake him up. Her fingertips ran over the muscles of his chest, and the bones of his ribs and hips. Shadow moved slightly and a small groan slipped from his lips, and she froze. Looking at his scraped arm and hands, Scarlett wished she could kiss away the pain and make it all better like her father used to do when she was a kid and had roughed up her knees after falling from her bicycle.
After a few seconds, his breathing was even and steady, and her hands continued to explore his warm, manly body. She pulled down the sheet gingerly and stared at his erection pointing upward at the ceiling. Scarlett put her hand to his groin and grasped his dick and lightly trailed her fingertips up and down his tight, thick shaft. Again Shadow stirred and she pulled her hand away.
“Don’t stop now, baby,” he rasped.
She looked up and met his heated gaze and gave him a wicked smile.
Shadow pushed himself up then collapsed back down. “Fuck!” he yelled as sweat poured down his face.
Scarlett bolted to a sitting position and ran the back of her hand over his face. “Let me get you your pain pills, baby.”
“I’m okay.”
“You’re not and stop acting like something’s wrong with you because it hurts.” She rolled out of bed and went over to the nightstand and opened the prescription bottle. The night before she’d put two bottles of water next to him in case he needed a drink during the night. She poured some in a glass and helped him up a bit as he downed the two pills. He flopped back down on the mattress, a scowl creasing his brows and forehead.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I can help you change your bandages and put the lotion over them. I read somewhere that if you put petroleum jelly over the lotion, it’ll keep the gauze from sticking to your skin when you change out the bandages.”
A smile whispered across his lips as he stared at her. “Doc told me that too.” A grimace played across his face as he gripped her wrist. “You can help me out later. Right now I need your lips wrapped around my cock.”
Shaking her head, Scarlett climbed back onto the bed. “Are you sure I won’t hurt you?”
“No way. I need you bad, darlin’.”
“Do you, now?” she asked, raking her nails up and down his chest.
“Yeah,” he replied thickly.
“That’s good to know because I need you too, baby.” She replaced her fingers with her tongue as she moved lower toward his dick.
“Fuck,” he grunted.
Circling his inner thighs, she lightly brushed his tight balls with her fingertips, her gaze fixed on his smoldering one. Scarlett slowly stuck out her tongue a little then, using the tip of it, she moved it up and down his dick in small circular motions.
“Damn, baby,” he groaned, his gaze still locked on hers.
