Free Healing Melody by Priya Grey, Ozlo Grey Page B

 
    This was a mistake. But I’ve already opened the door. I have to let him in now. I take a deep breath and try to steady my nerves.  
    “Please come in,” I say as I open the door wider so he can pass through.  
    I inhale as he walks past me. Damn… I’ve missed the scent of a man. And this guy, Kade, smells good, like the outdoors, woodsy but mixed with spice. I feel myself getting woozy from his presence. I convince myself it’s because of him and not the vodka tonics I’ve had throughout the night.  
    He turns around and faces me, his hands in his jean pockets. He gives a quick glance around the place and shrugs.
    “Nice place,” he remarks, but I can tell by the way he says it that he doesn’t really care.
    “Thanks.”
    We stand still, staring at each other again, saying nothing. Those eyes. I see an intense storm brewing in them. He’s on the edge of something. Something deep and sorrowful. His energy might be dark and mysterious but it’s also strangely comforting. My attraction toward him escalates. I can’t explain why.
    “I should have warned you,” I say.
    “About?”
    “The mask.”
    He shrugs. “Whatever makes you comfortable is fine with me.”
    He keeps staring at me, and I realize if I’m going to go through with this, I should warn him about the scars on my body too.  
    “I had an accident,” I say. “I have scars. All over my body. Including my face. I should have warned you over the phone.” I take another deep breath. “If you want to cancel this meeting, I understand.”
    He ponders what I said, and I’m suddenly racked with nerves. I realize I don’t want him to go. In the few seconds he’s been in my home, I’ve felt the air shift around me.   His dark, soulful presence is astonishing. It pulls me in, like the force of a magnet. And up close, he looks even hotter than his picture. Even though I’m nervous about it, I know I just have to see what he looks like underneath those clothes. I have to see him naked.  
    But I can’t blame him if he doesn’t want to have sex with my scar-covered body. I really should have mentioned it over the phone when I was talking to him. Now it’s awkward.
    “Will it hurt? If I touch you?” he asks. I notice the concerned tone in his voice. I wasn’t expecting it.
    I shake my head. Then quickly make sure my mask hasn’t shifted. “No,” I say. “It won’t hurt. But there are scars everywhere.”
    He shrugs. “I’m fine with it, if you are?” he says. “I just want to know if I need to be gentle.”
    Another long moment of silence. We keep staring at each other. His dark gaze is so intense. It’s mesmerizing.
    “Please don’t be gentle,” I confide. “I’m not that type of girl.”
    Did I just say that? I guess it’s the vodka talking, but it’s true.
    Physical sex – the unbridled, no-holds barred kind – is what I prefer. Tonight will test whether my body can handle it after the accident.
    “Good to know,” he replies. After a pause, he admits with a shrug, “I’m not really the slow and romantic type.”
    Our eyes meet again and my body begins to tingle. It’s been so long since I’ve felt the excited rush of sexual energy run through my veins.  
    “Do you want anything to drink?” I ask.
    He shakes his head. “No thanks.”
    “Are you in training? Your profile said you’re a fighter.”
    He nods. “Yeah. I fight underground.”
    “What makes it underground?”
    “No rules.”
    “Sounds dangerous.”
    “Can be,” he says with a shrug.
    This Kade isn’t much of a talker, but I don’t care. I didn’t hire him for that. I hired him to fuck me. And I get the impression he knows what he’s doing in that department.  
    “Is this going to be your first time since the accident?” he asks.
    I nod slowly.
    “Well, I hope I can make it memorable,” he says.  
    I smirk behind the mask. “Trust me, looking the way you do, I don’t think it will be an issue.”
    I’m feeling bolder now, more