I nod. “I know,” I whisper. “I was smart enough to know he was full of shit when he said mean things about me. I’m not going to say his words didn’t affect me. They did, but I told myself over and over he was just being an abusive prick. When I was alone in the bathroom, I looked in the mirror and told myself he was a liar and that I was pretty. I kept giving myself motivational pep talks in the mirror after I left. My counselors helped me rebuild my self-esteem. But I draw the line about my hair.” I crinkle my nose even harder this time.
Blade chuckles. “You are pretty, honey. Even your hair. But I’ll let you have that one as long as I don’t hear you putting the rest of yourself down. You have the cutest round face and button nose. Your skin is flawless, or it will be when the bruises and scrapes heal.” He grabs my shoulders and leans in to set his lips on my ear. “And your breasts would bring a man to his knees.”
“You say that as though there’s some reason they won’t,” I breathe.
“Oh, they already have, and I might worship them on my knees often, but they won’t ever bring another man to his knees. Not if I have a say in it.”
My breath hitches. My mouth is dry. “We’ve only just met,” I whisper. “I’m flattered, but if you say things like that, I’ll end up getting hurt in the long run. I’m not the kind of person who hooks up with random men and moves on.”
He drags his teeth along my earlobe. “I hope not. I’m hoping I can convince you to never move on again in your life.”
I bite into my bottom lip, unable to respond. Instead, I watch in the mirror as he combs through my hair so carefully that he never tugs on a single strand. He’s worshipping me. And I pray he’s not full of shit because I wasn’t kidding. He has the power to hurt me worse than Pete. Leaving that asshole wasn’t painful. Not inside. Losing Blade could devastate me.
And I’ve only known him a day.
Six
Blade
* * *
This is intense, and I can’t stop it. I keep telling myself to slow the fuck down so I don’t pressure her and cause her to run, but she’s showing no signs of doing that. In fact, she’s been pretty blunt with me, both verbally and physically.
She’s scared. Who wouldn’t be? I’ll have to prove to her I’m nothing like her ex. I’ll chip away at the damage he did one hour at a time. I’m determined. I will win.
I comb her hair far longer than necessary, loving how the soft strands fall through my hands over and over. I hope I get to do this every day for the rest of our lives.
I could keep this up for the rest of the day, but her eyes are drooping, and her stomach finally growls. So I set the comb down and help her to her feet. “Let’s get some food in you, and then you can sleep the rest of the day away. What time do you need to work?”
“Umm, six. I only have three students tonight. They take my class together for two hours. It’s a light night.”
“That’s good. You need the rest.” I take her hand and guide her out of the bathroom. She’s adorable wearing nothing but my shirt. It’s huge on her. It swallows her, and I love it.
“Is there anything you don’t like to eat, honey?”
She doesn’t answer me for a long time. When we reach the kitchen, I gently lift her onto a stool at the island and then hold her steady. “You’re not going to fall off, are you?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
“You didn’t answer my question. What do you like to eat?”
“Promise you won’t get mad?”
I frown. “Why on Earth would I get mad? I don’t want to feed you meals you don’t like.”
“I’m really picky.”
“And this would make me mad?” It dawns on me. “Ohhh… Your ex berated you about it, didn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’m not him. Let’s ban thoughts of him from this house. He tried hard to destroy a beautiful human being, but he didn’t succeed, did he?”
“Nope.” She sits up taller. “I’m strong.”
“Good girl. We’ll talk more about this later, but I want you to know I will never force you to eat something you don’t like or make fun of you for any reason whatsoever. I may work my ass off to figure out what things you might eat that will ensure you stay healthy, but we’ll use trial and error until we figure it out. In the meantime, it’s comfort-food day. You tell me your favorites, and I’ll order all of them. For now, let’s see what I have on hand that will fill your tummy, yeah?”
She smiles.
