Page 51

I nodded, and then we parted ways.

She didn’t have much strength at the moment, so I activated the wheelchair lift on the stairs and held her close to me the whole way up.

“Such a good girl.” I pressed kisses to the side of her head and gently rubbed her arms. “Tell me what you need the most right now.”

She sniffled and wiped fruitlessly at her cheeks. “I don’t know. I-I can’t stop crying.”

“Let it all out. You don’t have to decide anything—but if you think or something, you’ll let me know?”

She nodded.

“Good. In the meantime, I’ll take over,” I murmured, ushering her off the lift and into the nearest shower room. “We’re gonna take a nice, lukewarm shower, and you tell me when we get to the perfect temperature.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” she whimpered. “On the cold side, please.”

I’d figured. Those welts had to feel like a blaze of fire by now.

After stripping her down, I guided her to one of the showers. We had no stalls here, just one shower after another on both sides. All white tile.

I held the showerhead away from her until the water was a cold-ish lukewarm, and then I held out her hand.

“Wanna try this first?” I asked.

She answered silently by stepping closer, so I slowly moved the gush of water over her body, and she shivered violently.

“Too cold?”

She shook her head. “N-no, it feels good.” Even so, she was trembling quite a bit, so I’d be careful. “That was so sadistic with the water you splashed on me.”

I smiled and winced simultaneously. “I had a feeling it would do the trick, but I can’t take credit. I think Ash wanted to see how you responded to shock.”

“Credit or blame?” she grumbled.

I laughed softly and hugged her to me, effectively soaking my top and my shorts.

She was a competitive girl. She’d received the shock at a good time, in my opinion. It was possible her stubbornness wasn’t always her friend. If someone pushed themselves too far, they invited more risks.

Ash had undoubtedly drawn the same conclusion.

Reaching for one of the two soap dispensers nearest us, I made sure to pick the one for sensitive skin. It was literally made for babies with diaper rashes, and Tate and the other masos swore by it. There were no suds. Just a gentle cream with a cooling agent.

“Is it a habit of yours to prove to yourself how much pain you can take?” I murmured.

She hesitated before she shook her head. “It used to be, but not anymore.” Her blue eyes flashed with uncertainty. “I swear it’s not. I was about to reach my limit anyway. Limit for what made me cry, I mean. The pain wasn’t too much.”

I nodded and carefully rubbed some soap over her arms where I brushed my fingertips over so many welts. Thin and thick, barely there and definitely there.

Complete trust would settle over us like a comforting blanket with time, but I did trust her to safeword and be 100% honest in a scene.

Moments later, we were back in my cabin, and I had her cuddled up in my arms on the couch, dressed in a skimpy pajama set, while she sipped on Coke and ate ice cream.

Her skin smelled like my body butter.

Ash sat on the other side of the coffee table, and he was making notes in his notepad. He had Paws on his lap too, and the little thing was finally tired.

“In that case—what Penelope said—as long as you don’t try to prove anythin’, I’ll trust you to speak your mind on Saturday,” he said, jotting down a few more things. “So, you’ll grab my hand if you wish to say somethin’, and I’ll be the benevolent Master King Owner that I am.”

I grinned, and Nora giggled.