Page 60 of The Candle Palace (Jamison Valley 6)
I’d never let go.
I found this man. He was mine.
Milo was in no hurry to let me go, but his softening cock eventually slid free. “Bathroom? I’ll get us a washcloth.”
“Down the hall.”
He nodded and hopped off the bed. When he came back with a cloth, he went to clean me up.
“I can do it.”
“No.” He elbowed my hand away. “You cared for me. Let me do this.”
It was strange, to give a man this kind of control. It was strange to let another person care for my body. The intimacy, the
trust could only ever be his.
When he was finished with the task, he put the rag in the hamper by my closet. Then he came back to bed, sliding beneath the covers and pulling them over my naked body.
With one arm around my neck, I curled into his side. “We didn’t use a condom.”
“I’m clean.” He stiffened. “I, uh, haven’t been with a woman in a, well . . . a long time.”
Because the women in Prescott are stupid. I smiled to myself. “It’s been years for me too. And I’m on the pill.”
Maybe my hiatus from men had been a subconscious choice. Maybe all this time, I’d been waiting for him.
Milo relaxed, tugging me closer. “This might sound strange, but I need to tell you something.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m grateful for the explosion. All the pain. It was worth it. To be here, lying in your bed. It was all worth it.”
My heart swelled. My smile hurt it was so big. I don’t think I’d smiled that wide since . . .
Dad’s face popped into my head. He was smiling, a look he’d worn often, especially when he’d been proud of me.
“I wish my dad could have met you.”
I wished Dad could have met the man who’d become the most important person in my life. My best friend. I wished he could have walked me down the aisle, if I was lucky enough to ever marry Milo.
“I wish I could have met him too,” Milo said, kissing my forehead.
I snuggled closer, ignoring the burn of threatening tears as I relaxed into the feel of his chest rising and falling beneath my cheek. “It’s nice having you here. My bed doesn’t feel so lonely.”
“Babe, as far as I’m concerned, your bed will never feel lonely again.”
Ten
“Well, you were right.” I tossed the phone on a couch cushion and plopped down next to Milo. “HR has officially noted the report and discussed the incident with Dr. Vernon. They’ve verbally reprimanded him and reminded him that intraoffice relationships are against hospital policy. At this time, they won’t be taking any further action.”
“Fuckers.”
I leaned into his side, staring blankly across the room. How was I supposed to go back to work tomorrow and face Vernon? How was I supposed to work in a hospital where I didn’t feel safe?
“I really don’t want to work tomorrow,” I groaned. Stupid bills. Stupid paycheck. If not for them, I could spend the day in bed with Milo much like we had today.
“Sorry, babe.”
