Read Online Club Prive Book V by M. S. Parker - Free Book Online Page B

act than to think that it could possibly be true. That this intense connection could be real... for you. It was always real for me.”
    I fell silent and waited for his response. My stomach was in knots. I’d thought the worst of him, believed lies and speculation. I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to see me again.
    “This,” he said as he cupped the side of my face. “This is the most real thing I’ve felt in ten years.” He lowered his head and gently kissed me. “None of it was fake, and I’m sorry I did anything that made it hard for you to believe me.”
    He was apologizing to me? I shook my head. “It wasn’t your fault,” I protested. “It was all me.”
    He put his finger on my lips. “How about this?” he suggested, “No more apologies. Forgiveness across the board, and we have a clean start.”
    I smiled. “I like that.”
    He returned the smile with that sweet one I loved so much. “Now, what do you say we get clean for our clean start?”
    He looked down at me then, his eyes darkening at the sight of his shirt molded to my body. I couldn’t help but drop my gaze, wanting to see his body’s response. I wasn’t disappointed. The jeans were tight and wet, leaving little to the imagination. My stomach twisted in anticipation.
    He peeled the shirt off of me and tossed it aside. His pants came next. They were already ruined, with one leg cut so that the paramedics had been able to get to the cut on his leg. His boxers came off with the pants so that when he straightened, he was as naked as I was.
    He reached for the shampoo and motioned for me to turn around. His fingers massaged the thick lather into my curls and I closed my eyes. My body was starting to relax at last. The chill that had come over me in the club was finally gone. I backed under the spray as Gavin washed his hair.
    I was surprised as the shower continued. He conditioned my hair and washed every inch of me, his hands gentle and caressing, but never once did he try to initiate anything. Part of me considered taking matters into my own hands, but something about the way he was looking at me made me decide not to. There was something different about his expression, something deep in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. It wasn’t until I’d begun to wash him that I realized what it was.
    He was taking care of me. Not like before with sex, where it had been about making sure I reached my pleasure. That had been great and had told me that he wanted to make sure I was happy. This wasn’t the same. What I saw in his eyes was the kind of caretaking that came with something deeper. This was holding someone’s hair back when they threw up and then cleaning them up after. It was bringing chicken soup and crackers. It was choosing to go to the theater on date night instead of spending the night out with the guys. It was giving up everything for that other person.
    I slowly ran the soapy cloth around his side to his back. I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat and moved the washcloth across his broad shoulders. I’d believed his words with my head when he’d said this was real for him, but the last piece of my heart that had been holding back couldn’t stand against the tenderness I saw in those eyes. And I didn’t it want to. I closed my eyes, feeling two tears sliding down my cheeks and mingling with the shower spray. I slowly let out a breath, letting the last of my doubts and fears wash away.
    By the time we were finished and drying ourselves off, I felt more at peace than I had in a very long time. At peace, but exhausted. Without a word, Gavin took my hand and led me to his room. He brushed out my hair and braided it, the simplistic style telling me that he’d learned by braiding his daughter’s hair. Another surge of emotion went through me, but I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t the right time. The silence between us was what we needed right now.
    He tossed our towels into a hamper and we slid, naked,