That didn’t help the heat in her face or the dull throb between her thighs that pulsed to the rapid rhythm of her heartbeat. The bizarre collision of the familiarity of Wyatt mixed with the unaccustomed pulse of lust left her feeling almost light-headed. She hadn’t expected being around him to be this easy after all these years, as if a part of her soul recognized the other half of itself and relaxed all her tightly honed defenses.

“This is gonna hurt.”

“Good.” Tabitha squeezed her eyes shut, hating the image of Wyatt on his knees in front of her. Guilt. Want. Loneliness. Loss. The emotions were too much, and she wanted something to wash them away, even if it hurt like hell. “Do your worst.”

If Wyatt thought her reaction was strange, she didn’t see it. Her eyes squeezed tighter from the sear of pain caused from whatever cold, horrible fluid he was pouring over her leg. “Holy shit!”

“That ain’t the kinda language you expect to hear out of a woman who’s famous for writing children’s books.”

The craziest thing happened while she sat there in a towel with her leg on fire as her husband that she hadn’t seen in the past thirteen years played doctor like she’d never left. Tabitha laughed. She had forgotten how easy it was to do around Wyatt.

She brushed the wet hair off her forehead as her giggle turned into a pained moan. “Don’t tell anyone.”

Wyatt’s big, calloused hand slipped around to the back of her calf, his thumb rubbing over it soothingly as he blotted the wound dry. “Your secret’s safe.”

“And they’re not children’s books. They’re more YA. Young adult.”

“I know what YA is. I was just distracting you. I’ve been following your career for the past ten years. I know what you write.”

The warmth started to turn to something else besides the fiery burn of embarrassment. It tore away the last remnants of the strong, almost impenetrable walls Tabitha had built up around herself to help her survive a lonely existence she had never wanted.

Without thinking about it, she reached out and stroked Wyatt’s hair away from his forehead. “I’ve followed your career too.” She wasn’t talking about his career as sheriff, though she heard things about that too. The Wyatt she’d left behind had been heavily involved in mixed-martial-arts fighting, and he’d gone nearly all the way in the sport he was so passionate about in his youth. “I was sorry you had to retire. I know you loved it.”

Wyatt shrugged. “It’s just fighting. Ain’t worth crying over, and I’m still participating in it. I’m in the cage, just not professionally.”

Tabitha took another bite of her bar. “Do you miss the circuit now that Clay’s retired?”

“We got some other fighters at the Cellar. Damn good ones. Chuito won a title last year and is set to grab himself another one soon. My brother-in-law by default’s looking pretty good too. He keeps fighting like he does, and he’ll get himself a UFC contract by next year.”

“Your brother-in-law by default?”

Wyatt snorted. “Tino is Jules’s brother-in-law, but seeing how I’m always tripping over him, it sorta feels like I inherited him too.”

“I saw on the news about Jules getting married to Romeo Wellings.” Tabitha tilted her head, watching as Wyatt worked at meticulously taping up the wound with tiny strips of clear medical tape that he was cutting from the roll with a pair of scissors from the kit. “That was something.”

“Yeah, well, it’s Jules. We ain’t all that surprised she had to go and do things over-the-top when she did decide to fall in love. She’s pregnant now, you know? It’s twins. As if that wasn’t predictable. She never does anything half-assed.”

“I didn’t know.” Tabitha raised her eyebrows, trying to imagine Wyatt’s very driven, very intimidating twin sister now married and having babies. “Are you happy about it?”

“Yeah, I suppose. I could’ve done without the mafia in-laws, the shootouts, and Jules’s life-threatening injuries. Not to mention all the media drama afterward, but Romeo and Tino got away from all that. She’s happy now, so I guess I am too. I’m excited to be an uncle.”

“I bet.” Tabitha laughed again, finding the image of Wyatt as an uncle a lot easier to accept than Jules as Betty Homemaker. “I heard Clay got a girl too. Y’all have been on the news a lot lately. I saw the footage of him and that Romeo Wellings fella taking down her ex-husband.”

“Don’t remind me.” Wyatt pulled a face of distaste. “Clay and Melody got that trial coming up here in August, and they surely aren’t looking forward to it. I personally think they ought to keep her ex-husband behind bulletproof glass ’cause Clay is likely to try for a second chance to kill him if he says something dumb, and you know he will. He doesn’t strike me as the smartest Cracker Jack in the box.”

“Seemed strange that Romeo was willing to help him right after their big fight, but I suppose if Jules was dating him—”

“She wasn’t dating him then.” Wyatt finished with the last of tape, pulling the cut closed tightly so it wouldn’t scar. “It’s complicated. It’d take all night to explain it, but let’s just say it’s been an exciting year in Garnet.”

She finished the bar and leaned over to set the wrapper on the nightstand. She sat back up and admired his handy work after he used the last little piece of tape on her leg. “You’re pretty good at this. Who needs a doctor?”

“I have taped up my fair share of cuts over the years.” Wyatt gave her a wide smile that made him so handsome it nearly stole Tabitha’s breath.

“I guess you have.” Tabitha knew Wyatt had spent his life fighting in and outside the cage and yet wasn’t really any worse for the wear for it. “And here I was worrying about a scar. Like I need another one.”

“Nah, you’ll be fine.” Wyatt caressed her leg once more, making her shiver against her will. “Let it heal. Put some vitamin E oil on it for a few months, and it’ll be good as new.”

Before Tabitha could respond, he stood and sat back down on the bed with the kit in hand, this time behind her. He ran his finger over her bare shoulder, gently touching the tender spot that hit the cinderblock. Underneath that frisson of desire from the gentle caress was the novelty of being touched by a man. It was something simple, something most women probably took for granted, but it was something Tabitha thought she’d never have again.

“It’s more bruising than anything. I’m going to just put some ointment on it and a bandage. No sense doing the peroxide thing again.”

Tabitha took a shuddering breath. “Much appreciated.”

She let Wyatt doctor her shoulder, savoring the feel of his touch that was tender despite his large size and dangerous fists. Her nerves had settled considerably, and for just that moment she focused all her energy on trying to remember everything about being with him again. Like the combined smell of Wyatt’s soap and expensive aftershave. The cool feel of the ointment on tender skin. The sound of the bandage being opened. The general hum of powerful energy that seemed to vibrate off men like Wyatt. Assured, successful, handsome, and charming, he’d always had such a strong sense of self. The path Wyatt was supposed to take in life had been crystal clear for him from a very young age. Knowing the right route to take had made him extremely self-confident, and that’d forever be appealing to Tabitha.

“All better,” Wyatt announced as he closed the first-aid kit. “Unless you’d like me to kiss it to speed up the healing process.”

She laughed. “I’m sure that’s the last thing you want to do.”

“I wouldn’t be that sure.”

Tabitha’s heart did a little flip when she heard the catch in his voice that sounded like the cross between a promise and a threat. She craned her neck curiously, looking at him in surprise. “Wy—”

“I’m gonna take off and let you rest.” Wyatt made a move to leave, but Tabitha grabbed his hand on instinct and squeezed like her life depended on it. Something about that desperation must have translated, because Wyatt closed his eyes as if looking for strength he didn’t have. “Tab, you should lemme go. I ain’t so sure I can be the fella you remember. I’ve been lonely for too long. That can make a man go feral after the first decade.”

Tabitha heard the warning that she was holding on to something akin to a caged tiger—one who was angry, lonely, and neglected by the very person who’d sworn in front of a justice of the peace to love him. The confession held terrible implications. It was something she’d never even considered, that Wyatt had been as sexually isolated as she was, with only the memories of something long lost to sustain her. She hadn’t wanted that for him, not once in all the years they’d been separated. The pain welled up between them as he stood there stoically. She squeezed his hand tighter, willing all the loss to disappear, if even for one day.

“I want you to kiss it better,” she whispered, not knowing how else to convey the need to fix what felt irrevocably broken. “Please.”

Wyatt shook his head. “I ain’t kidding. I haven’t been with—”

“Don’t—” She cut him off, not wanting to hear the confession. “You need it. I do too. It’s been such a long day. Let’s just forget the rest for a little while.”

She expected him to deny her. A part of her sort of hoped he would, because she wasn’t even certain she could do what she was suggesting, but at the same time, she needed it desperately. Just once. Some sort of confirmation that she was still human and could live and love and experience real passion like everyone else.

Even before things went bad, Wyatt had always been the only one for her. If she didn’t take this opportunity, she might never have another one, and that was easily the most depressing thought of the day, which was saying something.

Rather than turn and leave, Wyatt released her hand and sat behind her once more. Even without seeing it, she could actually sense the tension as he remained silent behind her, but so close she could feel the heat from his big body. Then he touched her shoulder, making her jump, because the reality of what she’d just gotten herself into hit her like a ton of bricks.

She jumped a second time when he leaned down to press his lips against the tender spot to the right of the bandage on the back of her shoulder instead. She was still trying to recover from the shock of pleasure it caused when he moved up to the curve of her neck, his warm breath fanning over her sensitive skin, leaving a wave of goose bumps in his wake.

Tabitha shuddered from the rush of emotion that was so overwhelming it left her choked up and struggling for breath. “I love you, Wy.”

It came out of her so easily as if the past had never happened, and she couldn’t take it back even if she wanted to, because it was one of the most heartfelt things that had ever left her mouth. She was shaking. The tears rolled down her cheeks without warning, and Wyatt didn’t question or doubt any of it.

He just wrapped one powerful arm around her waist and then pulled her close to whisper in her ear, “I love you too.”

Wyatt kissed her ear before she could say something to ruin the moment. It was obvious he needed this too, and Tabitha was so glad they’d both made it real. They hadn’t been able to be together, and the reasons they’d been torn apart were terrible and unfair. There were deep, life-changing secrets looming between them that were a little too transparent now that she was back in his arms, but they still loved each other, and neither of them were going to do this without acknowledging it.

This was probably a mistake, but it certainly didn’t feel like it as Wyatt’s lips moved down her neck. He let out a low groan and his arm around her waist tightened as if he were afraid she would suddenly disappear.

She grabbed his strong thigh through his jeans, squeezing tightly to let him know this was real. Her voice was gone, trapped in her chest somewhere beneath the nostalgia and crazy rush of desire that surged through her bloodstream. It was like a breath of fresh air, washing out over a decade of fear and solitude.

Starved and more turned on than she thought imaginable before this moment, Tabitha turned in his arms. His beautiful eyes were wide and stunned, as if the tidal wave of lust had slammed into him the same time it knocked every thought out of her head except the throbbing need for more of her husband.

Wyatt reached up and fisted her hair as if losing the tight hold on his urges. He tugged her forward and claimed her lips without asking. His kiss was harsh and demanding, but Tabitha parted to him rather than freeze, allowing him to own what belonged to him.