Free Hurt: A Bad Boy MMA Romantic Suspense Novel by London Casey, Ana W. Fawkes Page B

mind if I grab a shower? I have a change of clothes with me. I’ve had a long day. You still didn’t hear about the black van. The men. The attack. The guns.”
    I clutched Jude tighter. “What?”
    Noah grinned. He leaned in and kissed Jude’s head. “No worries. I survived. I always do.”
    Noah then kissed me. A quick little peck, but enough to steal my breath.
    I watched him leave the bedroom and then I sat down in the large rocking chair. I stared at the door as I offered my breast to Jude. It had all become second nature to me. It was a beautiful moment to share with my son, but it wasn’t always the easiest. My breasts were tender, achy, and not all that pleasant, to be honest. Sometimes it hurt when Jude fed. Somewhere in the back of my mind I feared when the baby would start teething.
    The shower turned on, the sound muffled by the wall between the bedroom and the bathroom.
    A calming feeling washed over me.
    I was breastfeeding the baby and Noah was in the shower, washing away a busy day. It was almost normal. It was almost like being a family.
    Then again, people wanted Noah dead… and people wanted me dead… how romantic.
     
    ~ ~ ~
     
    The baby fell asleep with ease. In fact, he fell asleep while still nursing. I was able to gently take him away from me, tuck my breast away, and put him in his crib all without him making a sound or a stir. I considered it to be one of my most special talents.
    When I exited the bedroom, I bit my bottom lip and looked to the bathroom. The door wasn’t completely shut. All I needed to do was push it open. Walk in there. Tear open the shower curtain and see what I had been missing for a year. That body. That man. That protector.
    But I didn't need that right now. Both of us didn’t need that. Going down that road again was going to hurt us. All of us. Everything I did in my life I had to consider Jude. In fact, Jude was first on the list. My plan was simple and tragic. When my mother passed, I was going to take what was left of her estate and move. Find a small town where I could settle. Find a job, a babysitter, and just find a way to live.
    I looked at the bathroom again.
    Noah was already fucking that plan up.
    I went into my bedroom and walked to the dresser. My chest was so uncomfortable. It wasn’t because of Noah either. As much as I wanted him to be the cause of all my aches and needs, that wasn’t completely true.
    I took off my shirt and bra and stared at my heavy breasts in the mirror. My nipples were red and sore. I had a special lotion that always helped. I leaned forward and grabbed the container. I twisted the cap off and was about to stick my fingers into it when I heard someone clear their throat.
    I yelled, jumped, and put my right hand across my chest.
    Noah stood in the doorway to the bedroom, wearing jeans and nothing else. His dark hair glistened from being damp. He was cleaned up but still had a rough look to him. Shirtless was totally unfair. Lines of muscle crossed other lines of muscle. His body was like a wild maze, made not only for the eyes, but for the tongue …
    “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t see… much…”
    “I’m not used to having someone here,” I said. “I’m embarrassed.”
    “Why?”
    “It’s… weird.”
    “What is? Me being here?”
    “Noah, I have to put cream on my… chest.”
    “Oh.”
    “Because of breastfeeding. Okay?”
    “Okay,” Noah said. “I just wanted to know where the hamper was. So I could put my towel there. That’s all. And I didn’t hear the kid making noise.”
    “He’s napping.”
    Noah stepped into the room. “Okay. Hey, you have nothing to be ashamed about, sweetheart. Whatever you’re going through, it’s special. It’s important. You’re giving my son everything he needs.”
    Noah was just inches from me. His perfect cut chest was close to touching my right shoulder. I looked in the mirror at our reflection. He was tall, strong, a wild man. I was just a regular woman. I had