Chapter 13

I listened for his footsteps on the hardwood floors. There were a few, but then they stopped at the base of the stairs where he must have taken off his shoes-the thuds were now muted. Curled into a ball on the couch, I watched him enter the room, sans T-shirt and barefoot. He was nearly too much to take in. Clothed Dax had a looming and somewhat broody presence, but the beauty of his skin and the ink on his perfectly toned chest and arms was enough to take my breath. He was walking art.

Kneeling beside me, he kissed my lips tenderly-claiming yet simultaneously asexual. And when he released my mouth, his right hand remained on my jaw. His thumb stroked my cheek while his eyes searched for something I couldn't help him find.

"You're exquisite."

I had no response-he had seen me at the lowest points in my life, one of the ugliest I had ever experienced just a short time ago. Yet here he was admiring me, and the way he said those two words indicated he wasn't just referring to a pr