Free The Lonely Hearts 06 The Grunt 2 by Latrivia S. Nelson

brows, the way he bit his lip when he was emotional and swallowed hard when he wanted to kiss her. 
    “I’m going to take care of you,” Courtney whispered, inches from his face.  Her sweet tears fell down in between her bosom. “Everything you need to get better, I’ll provide.  You are not alone.”   She hated to sound like words ripped out of a poorly formed poem, but as clumsy as they were, there were no truer words spoken. 
    Brett pushed back his own tears by blinking quickly, causing the chain reaction of lower-lip biting.  He knew his tale sign was giving him away.  Through a nasally sigh, he tapped her hand.   “And I’m going to take care of you back ,” Brett whispered.
    They rested their foreheads against each other and took in the moment.  
    Courtney had seen her husband vulnerable before – when he found out his late wife left him, when he found out his late wife died in a plane crash, when he found out Cameron was not his biological son, when her father and brother chose not to accept him as her lover because he was a white non-commissioned officer – but never had she seen him this vulnerable .  Maybe it was the hospital gown, or the injuries or just the idea that he would have to depend on someone else for a while until he got on his feet, but she could feel his sudden helplessness and she wanted nothing more than make him feel protected. 
    “I feel like I’m seeing you for the first time,” he said, touching her face.  Courtney was absolutely breathtaking.  Dark perfect skin.  Dimples in her cheeks.  Heart shaped chocolate lips.  Natural, thick curly hair. Hazel eyes.  A body to die for.  He could go on and on about how beautiful she was.  He loved that she didn’t let her beauty define who she was and that was even sexier. 
    “You know, I think the scars actually make you look even sexier,” she flirted with pouty lips, tracing his face with her fingers.  The touch of her skin against his made his eyes close. 
    “Do you know how long I’ve waited to feel those fingers on me?” he asked.
    “On your face?” Her cheekiness starting to show its edges.
    Brett’s eyes flashed open and rolled.  “Other places too.”
    Courtney giggled. He had to be okay; he still had his sense of humor. 
    “I love to see you smile,” he said, shaking his head.  “There is nothing like it.”
    Moving her hair out of her face, he slipped his fingers behind her neck and pulled her carefully into him.  “Can I kiss you?” he asked.
    Courtney wasn’t used to such a humble request.  Brett always took what he wanted, especially in that department.  “What makes you think you have to ask?” as her heart lurched for him.  Please kiss me , she thought.
    He raised a brow and shrugged. “I sort of look like the elephant man right now, so it’s more like a pity kiss anyway.”
    “You look amazing,” Courtney reassured.  Dipping into him, she kissed his lips slowly, tasting the mint of newly brushed teeth and tingling mouthwash.  His lips were sweet to the taste, soft and fleshy. 
    Slowly, they fell into their rhythm, a synchronic flow of give and take. 
    He inhaled her scent, feeling himself forgetting his injuries and moving toward that ramping sexual need that had long gone unsated inside of him.  If he could have, he would have pulled her over onto the bed and slipped that sexy little t-shirt dress right up past her shapely hips.  Mmm.   How he wanted to be inside of his wife again, to feel her body tighten around his as he entered her. 
    Their kisses became heavier, longer, filled with more passion.  The echo of their lips against each other filled the dim room.  Carefully, she ran her fingers down the front of his gown and slipped them in between his legs.  
    Pulling back a minute, Brett exhaled. “I want you so fucking bad.” 
    Courtney licked her lips and ran a finger behind her ear to push back wild strands of hair.  She was desperate for him, aching in