Rocky Mountain Rescue by Elle James (urban books to read TXT) 📕

would look at me differently. That they’d treat me as if I’d brought it on myself.” She swallowed hard. “That I deserved to be raped.”

Max cursed. “No woman deserves to be raped or beaten or buried alive. No woman or man deserves such a fate. Any person who would think that you brought it on yourself, doesn’t deserve your time of day.”

“I should’ve told you before we made love,” she said. “You should’ve understood what you were getting into. But I was kind of following your advice.”

He chuckled. “And what advice was that?”

“I feared that I’d never be able to enjoy sex again.” She met his gaze. “I feared that I’d be afraid of a man’s touch. So, I followed your advice and confronted my fears.”

Max smoothed a thumb across her cheek. “And you came out stronger for it.”

She nodded.

“And are you still afraid of making love?” he asked.

“Yes and no.”

He smiled. “As long as you’re on top you’re okay, right?”

She nodded. “Does that bother you?”

“Far from it. You’re doing all the work, and you’re in control, which I’m fully okay with.”

She basked in his warm gaze and acceptance, not ready to leave the security of his arms. But life went on, and they had a job to do. “I guess we should be thinking about getting up. It’s daylight outside. I’m usually in the barn by now.”

He held her close and snuggled with her. “I wonder if anybody would notice us missing if we just didn’t show up?”

JoJo laughed. “RJ would come looking for me. Besides, I wouldn’t leave her to handle all this on her own. It’s sure to be an incredibly busy day.”

He kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, and then finally her lips. When he came up, he stared down into her eyes. “Thank you for telling me. I know it took a lot for you to open up.”

“It did.” Her lips pressed into a thin line. “I wish that regaining my memories would be as easy.”

“Maybe about the time you quit trying to recall what happened, those memories will return.”

She smiled. “That’s what Emily says.”

His brow wrinkled. “Emily is…?”

“A friend of Gunny and RJ’s. She’ll be out later to help, and I think she’s going to put me through some hypnosis to see if I can jog those memories loose.”

“Are you sure you want to relive those? Your mind may know that it’s better to keep them hidden. The trauma of reliving it could cause damage.”

She shook her head. “I’d rather know who did this and live with the consequences of regaining my memories than live in fear until the man is caught.”

“I can understand,” he said. He rolled out of the bed and held his hand out.

She placed her hand in his, and he helped her to her feet.

He waggled his brows. “Think anybody would notice if we crossed the hall naked and get into the shower together?”

JoJo laughed. “My luck, Gunny would be standing out in the hallway to see us.” She gathered her bathrobe off the floor where it had slipped off the bed. While she was at it, she lifted his boxer shorts off the floor and handed them to him. “But we could go across the hall semi-dressed.”

He slipped on his shorts, she slipped on her robe and they grabbed clothes. Max ducked into his room for a second, and then they hustled across the hall. In the bathroom, they showered together, which led to another round of lovemaking with full-on sex with the condom Max had secured from his room.

JoJo could get used to Max running his hands all over her body. It didn’t make her feel strange, awkward or anything but sexy and desirable. And the fact that he still wanted to hold her after she’d told him she’d been raped, said a lot about his character and eased her mind. Max gave her hope for the future.

Chapter 13

After making love with JoJo, Max was conflicted. On the one hand, he felt very blessed that she’d let him touch her and make love to her. On the other hand, he felt cursed he hadn’t known before. He probably wouldn’t have made love to her, afraid that it would frighten her and further damage her psyche. But JoJo seemed a little more relaxed after their romp in the bed and the shower. She even smiled several times. He patted her dry and wrapped her in the big towel, kissing her forehead again. “Don’t be afraid to tell me how you feel,” he said. “What you went through is a lot harder than falling from a two hundred and fifty foot cliff.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “I didn’t break every bone in my body, and I’m not limping.”

Max shook his head. “You know what I mean.”

“I know I’ll never get over it. But I will get past it,” she said. “And who knows? Maybe the hypnosis will help me figure out who the guy was. Plus, I’ve asked RJ to contact Hank and see if his computer guy can find out what’s going on with the investigation. Surely, they’ve gotten some kind of lead by now.”

Once more he pulled her gently into his arms and kissed her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer, deepening the kiss. She stared up at him through narrowed eyes. “Don’t treat me as if I am going to break. I’m stronger than that.”

He touched the back of his head with a wink. “Don’t I know it.” His smile faded, “And now, I know why you flipped me and what freaked you out when Roy grabbed you.” He took her hand and raised it to his lips. “Come on, let’s get this weekend over with.”

She grinned up at him. “You feel that way, too?”

He nodded. “I’m not much into political candidates. They always seem kind of fake to me.”

“Ditto,” she said,

Still holding hands, they walked out of the bathroom to find RJ standing in the hallway.

RJ’s brows rose.

Before her