I slide my hand up her back and rub her neck. “I’ll help you. Every step of the way. Okay?”
She sighs and leans into me. “I don’t like being helpless. I keep thinking if I were at home, I would still be sitting on my bed, probably needing to pee and having had nothing to eat or drink because it’s too much work.”
I kiss the top of her head. “I’m so fucking glad you came to me. For a million reasons. You’re here now. I’m going to do everything I can to make your life easier while you heal and afterward. Don’t fight me on this, Little one.”
She nods and lowers her head to my chest but says nothing. She’s barely breathing. I suspect she’s holding back tears.
I lower her broken arm to her lap and take the mouse. “Tell me what you need me to pull up to get you logged in for your class.”
I hold her close while she pulls herself together, letting her catch her breath and sniffle for a few minutes. I get it. No one likes to be needy. It will take her some time to accept my hovering and need to help. She’s strong and has been independent for three years.
What June doesn’t know is that I want to be the sort of man who takes care of her the way I’m doing now, even after her arm is healed and her body stops hurting. I hope we will develop a new normal for her that doesn’t end just because she’s back to full health.
I want my girl to be capable of taking care of herself so that she feels empowered, but at the same time, I want her to turn her care over to me because she finds she enjoys my type of dominance and the power exchange that comes with it.
Finally, she directs me to the site she needs. I help her open her email and type a few outgoing messages to her clients. She’d be henpecking for an hour to do this. It takes me minutes.
She glances at the time. “I should comb my hair and…” She inhales. “I guess makeup is out of the question.”
“Sorry. I didn’t think to grab that kind of thing from your bathroom. It wasn’t on my radar. I did snag your shower items, though. At least you won’t have to smell like me next time I give you a bath.”
She shudders. “I can’t believe you did that. It’s surreal. The thought of you doing it again is just…”
I tip her chin back. “It’s going to happen, Little one. Every day.”
She inhales deeply. “Weird…”
I chuckle. She’ll come around. I’m certain of it. I just hope she can handle what I’m going to tell her later tonight after her class.
I stand. “Sit tight. I’ll grab a brush and smooth out your hair. Do you want me to pull it back in a ponytail or braid it?”
She stares at me. “You’re joking, right?”
“Nope. It’s been a while since I styled hair, but surely it’s like riding a bike.” I wink at her.
“I don’t even know how to process that. So many questions.”
I grin and leave her wondering while I go get her brush.
When I return, I stand behind her and gently brush out her hair, loving how she keeps her eyes closed and softly purrs the entire time. She likes it when I brush her hair. I’m glad. I enjoy it, too.
“How’s that?” The screen on the laptop has gone black, which turns it into a mirror. I point at it.
She smiles. “Thank you, Blade.”
“Anything else? Even if I had grabbed makeup for you, I draw the line at putting mascara on a woman,” I tease. “And after seeing how pitiful you are with your left hand, I wouldn’t let you go near a mascara wand. You’d probably end up in the emergency room with a scratched cornea.”
“Aren’t you witty?”
“That’s not witty. I’m being serious.” I lean over and kiss her temple. “Besides, you don’t need makeup. You’re gorgeous without it.”
“You’ve never seen me with it. I wasn’t even wearing any when I was attacked. Thank goodness. I can’t imagine having had to wash it off.”
“Well, see? I fell hard for you when you weren’t wearing any. That means you don’t need any.”
She laughs. “Maybe I’m a bombshell when I’m all fixed up.”
“You’re a bombshell all the time, honey.” I leave her with that compliment to return her brush to the bathroom.
