Page 56 of A Reputation Dark & Deadly

He walked over to the side of the bed and knelt down on the floor so he could start taking her own clothes off in a similarity slow fashion. The entire time, he held her gaze, even as he unbuttoned her jeans, unzipped her jacket, slid the denim off her legs and the cotton material over her head. He was skilled enough to reach behind her and unclasp her bra, peeling the straps off her shoulders one by one until the cups fell from her skin and onto the floor, until she was completely naked in front of him.

His eyes darkened and she knew he was appreciating the view she was offering him, but Peyton could also detect that there was nothing truly lustful in his eyes. As in, he wasn't undressing her for the purpose of having sex. Rather, there was another purpose for the shedding of their clothing and he wasn't going to try and feel her up to distract themselves in that way. At least, not yet.

Logan stood back up and took her in his arms once again. Her head instinctively found his shoulder and she curled into the warmth his bare skin offered her. It would have been so easy to fall asleep in his arms, against his chest, to the steady beating of his heart.

When they reached the bathroom, he slowly eased her into the tub in a standing position. The minute her foot found the floor of the surprisingly large tub, her entire body warmed. He made sure the water was extra hot and the water nipped at her flesh, beckoning her to relax. She gracefully plopped down and he followed suit. Not as quickly because Logan certainly wasn't used to this temperature, but he suffered it for her. And that meant more than he could know.

Logan positioned himself behind her so her back hit his chest and she could lie down with her head against his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her tightly against him, resting his chin on the top of her head. Peyton felt her eyes get heavy and she didn't stop herself from closing them as Logan finally turned off the water.

"You're comfortable," Peyton murmured against him. She already felt the familiar tug of slumber pull at her senses and she knew she would be sleeping in a manner of minutes if he let her. She didn't worry about sliding under the water and drowning, not when Logan's grip on her was tight, not when she knew, without a doubt, he would never allow any harm to come to her.

He made a guttural noise of approval in the back of his throat but didn't immediately respond. She didn't have to look at him to guess that his eyes were probably closed now as well. His chest continued to rise and fall in a steady, comforting way but Peyton knew he wasn't sleeping. His fingers were tracing the curves of her waist in patterns that were too conscious to be misconstrued for sleep.

"You got away," he mumbled to himself and she could feel him shake his head. "You got away."

"I couldn't have done it without you," Peyton told him. "Your call saved me."

"Sweetheart, you fucking saved yourself," Logan told her. "I just unknowingly distracted him." He paused. "You know, I heard everything on the phone. You struggling. Him screaming. I heard him knock you down again. I heard your hipbone hit the pavement." Peyton winced at the memory, and through hooded eyes, glanced at the ugly bruise on her left hipbone. "I had no fucking idea what was going on or what would happen. I was fucking helpless. The worst feeling in the world isn't loss or some bullshit you can move on from. It's knowing someone you love is hurting and there's nothing you can fucking do to save them. So you do what you can as best as you can and hope it's enough."

"It is." Peyton picked her head up and glanced at Logan from the corner of her eye. "You are enough." She bit her bottom lip, still sleepy but more aware now that she had to think how she was going to word this to Logan without offending him. "What you did for your mom does not make you a monster. It makes you a helpless kid who didn't think there was anywhere left for him to go. The only time you're a monster is when you're fucking me with your cock and I'm screaming your name."

Logan clenched his jaw together but the damage was done. She could feel him stir against her, even as she settled back down. His lips found the part of her neck where it met her shoulder and he began trailing wet kisses up and down her throat. His hands trailed up to her breasts and he slowly began to caress her nipples.

She was damaged and bruised and in a sizable amount of pain but there was nothing that could keep her away from the feeling of Logan's cock inside of her, filling her up, and making her feel complete.