Free Survivor by Kaye Draper

the shower curtain aside and stepped in.  Naked.
 I sucked in a surprised breath and stared.  And stared.   Oh my God .  He
was glorious- lean, and muscular and perfect.  He was also not disinterested. 
In a big way.  My face flamed and I stopped staring at the visible proof
that he did indeed think of me as a woman.   My mistake .
    He gave me a lopsided smile and took the loofa.  Kneeling,
he started at my feet and worked his way up, lathering and caressing.  The
water beat down on him, turning his silky hair black, and streaming across his
smooth skin.  When he got to my hips, he gave me a look that went right to my
center.  “Can you stand for a while, if I help you?”
    I swallowed.  “Why?”  My voice was a register deeper
than usual.  I cleared my throat and gripped the edge of the bench.  This was
really happening.
    He raised an eyebrow at me.  “So I can finish what
I’ve started?”  He held up the loofa, but I didn’t think that was what he was
meant.
    I gave him a look.  “That’s not what I’m talking
about, and you know it.”  He grinned, unrepentant.  “I know.”  He leaned
forward, kneeling between my knees.  Sliding a hand behind my neck, he pulled
me down to him.  His full lips met mine and I wrapped my arms around his neck,
pulling him closer.
    He pulled back and looked up at me mischievously.  “I’ve
been trying so hard to keep the proper distance.  But don’t ever think that
means I don’t want you.”
    I frowned at him.  The proper distance.  “This is a
brain injury thing again, isn’t it?”  He thought he was taking advantage of me.
     “No,” his voice was still odd and it was making me
tingle in places other than my fingertips.  “This is a respect thing.”
    I thought about that for a minute.  “I think I can
stand up for a while,” I said gravely.  He laughed, his eyes flashing to liquid
silver.  I tried not to stare at the sharp teeth that had flashed when he
laughed.  He stood, effortlessly pulling me up with him.  He had vampire
strength and reflexes on his side, he wouldn’t let me fall.  For the first time
I thought of all the things I could do with this man, instead of the all things
I couldn’t do.
    He turned me to face the wall, where I could hang on
to the grab bars.  Then he continued to lather my body with soap.  He dropped
the loofa, and his large, deliciously cool hands slicked over my curves.  He
caressed my breast with one hand, gently fondling, as the other snaked down
lower.  He stroked me gently and I arched back against him.  I could feel him
pressed against my backside, and I moaned softly, imagining him inside me.  He
swept my hair aside and nuzzled my neck, dropping kisses along my shoulder and
neck before pausing to nip playfully at my ear.  For a minute, I was sure he
was going to bite me, but he didn’t.  His lips on my skin were driving me
crazy, and every once in a while there was a light grazing of sharp teeth that
made me shiver.
    When my legs grew tired, he slipped an arm around my
waist, supporting me as he continued his attentions.  “Oh God Peter,” I panted,
completely lost.
    I forgot to be embarrassed; I needed him inside me-
now.  He turned off the water and scooped me up, pausing to kiss me deeply.  Snagging
a couple of the big bath towels, he carried me to the bedroom.  We toweled each
other off hurriedly, and I laughed in soft surprise as he managed to make even
that task a sensual experience, caressing my curves with the towel as if it
were his bare hands.  His gaze was intense, and the sight of his fangs was both
frightening and exciting.  He laid me on the bed and stretched out beside me,
pulling me against his hard body as he trailed kisses from my sensitive nipples
up across my chest and to my neck.
    “Are you going to bite me?”  I asked breathlessly.  He
pulled back slightly to meet my eyes with a look that went straight to my core.
    “No,” he said softly.  “I just