Afterward, neither of them was capable of moving for several minutes. Mac lay slumped against her back, their hearts racing in unison. “That was completely insane,” he gasped against her ear. She was surprised to feel his hand tremble as he pushed her hair aside to kiss her neck. “Want a shower if I can manage to get us there?” Ava nodded her agreement, and then shrieked in surprise when he swung her up in his arms. “Just one of the amenities offered here at Casa Powers, Miss Stone.”
Trailing her fingertips over his muscular chest, she asked, “And what are the other amenities?”
Giving her a wink that made her heart pound, he said, “Anything for you, baby. You name it and it’s yours.”
“Hmm.” She pretended to mull over her request. “Do you scrub backs?”
With a wolfish grin he said, “Damn straight and I also do fronts.”
Her tired body protested as her libido sprang to life at his statement. “No,” she moaned. Pointing down to his semierect cock, she added, “You are officially banned from my hoo-ha for at least eight hours. Snuggling is all we have left for tonight, mister.”
Mac bellowed with laughter. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m not going to drop you, and I promise to stay away from your whatever the hell you called it for a while. You don’t mind if I think about it, though, do you?”
Waving a hand in a grand gesture, she said, “Oh no, be my guest. Thoughts are free. Now, how about that back scrub?”
True to his word, Mac pampered her by washing not only her back, but her entire body along with her hair. When they were finished, he rubbed her down with a towel before drying her hair and finding one of his T-shirts for her to wear. He then pulled on a pair of low-slung shorts for himself.
The shower had revived her somewhat and she found herself wide-awake as she lay in the bed surrounded by Mac’s arms. If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she was almost afraid to go to sleep. What if she had another nightmare? She knew that to a big man like Mac, her attack on him was probably the equivalent of a bunny attacking a tiger, but still, his gorgeous face and chest were riddled with signs of her dream freak-out. Ever perceptive to her moods, he seemed to feel her tense up on him. Rubbing a hand over her stomach, he said, “It’s going to be fine, Avie. Never be afraid to go to sleep in my arms. I’ll always be here to catch you if you need it.”
She twined her fingers with his, pulling them up to kiss his hand. “I can’t stand the thought of hurting you. Maybe I should sleep in the spare room, just to see if it happens—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Mac cut her off. “No way. Not going to happen. If you’re in my house, then you’re in my bed. Same goes for your place. I don’t care if you put me in a headlock and kick me in the balls, we sleep together. Try to keep the fighting above the belt, though, if possible.”
Ava giggled, elbowing him in the ribs. No matter what, Mac found a way to inject some humor into things when she got too serious. “Maybe you should be wearing a cup or something.”
“It’s a thought.” He chuckled. They lay there in silence for a few moments before he said, “Can I ask you something, babe?”
She was surprised and wary to hear the sudden serious tone of his voice. “Did you ever talk to anyone . . . I mean, professionally . . . after that happened to you?”
When she tried to pull away, he pulled her tight against him. “Why?” she asked.
He seemed to understand her question even though she hadn’t elaborated. “If you haven’t, baby, you’ve been carrying a lot on your shoulders for a long time. Maybe the sudden dreams are your mind’s way of telling you that you need someone to listen.”
“So now I’m crazy,” she snapped, pissed that he was analyzing her. She knew this would happen if he knew that she wasn’t normal. All those years and all those deliberate acts to deceive him into believing she was okay were wasted. Now he knew she was messed up.
Blowing out an exasperated breath, he shook her lightly. “No, damn it, that’s not what I’m saying. Fuck, baby, do you have any idea how much finding you broken on my doorstep messed me up? I had dreams about it for years. I could barely function for months afterward. It tore me to pieces, Avie, and it wasn’t even me that it happened to! Why do you think I packed my shit and followed your brother into the damn marines?”
Breaking his hold on her, she whirled around, trying to see his face in the darkness of the room. “What? Mac—no!”