Page 67

Beck sank back on his heels, the man kneeling before me, his muscular arms covered in tattoos, a shock of hair sweeping across his brow, his eyes determined and steely as ever. Fuck, if having this man on his knees in front of me didn’t leave me wanting to pick back up where we left things the other day.
I felt the full weight of his attention. “You called a therapist?”
I cleared my throat, tossing my gaze in Alice’s direction.
Beck caught my drift. “Alice, can you please find Luna a pillow from upstairs? Maybe one of the extra throw pillows you have on your playroom couch.”
“Good idea!” She ran out of the room, eager to complete her mission.
Beck waited patiently for me to explain.
“After the other night, I figured it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to talk to someone.”
He nodded. “That’s brave of you.”
I smirked. “Turns out, wanting to have sex with a DILF without flinching is a good motivator.”
Beck coughed uncontrollably.
Little footsteps announced Alice’s return, and she immediately went over and started patting her dad’s back. “Are you okay, Daddy?”
I, on the other hand, tilted my head into my chest to smother my smile. Beck deserved to know that I wanted to bang him again and the way he’d treated me with kid gloves made it perfectly clear that he wouldn’t come near me with a ten-foot pole unless I addressed some of these underlying issues.
Hence going out to make a phone call. Pacing my brownstone hadn’t given me the mental fortitude to actually press the call button to the therapist Faith recommended. I’d briefly seen a therapist after the assault and didn’t keep up with it.
I was ready to pick up where I left off.
Beck finally stopped his coughing, his gaze on me lingering and his eyes darting to his daughter. No doubt he was thinking of ways to get me alone so that we could talk more.
Alice frowned. “Daddy, are you going to finish cleaning up Luna’s hands?”
Sure enough, my palms were still upturned. While the skin was clean and clear of any obvious dirt, he’d yet to do anything else.
A groove formed between his brows. “Right.”
The man grabbed the black bottle of hydrogen peroxide. “This might sting.” He proceeded to pour a small amount over the open wounds.
I sucked in a quick breath as he lightly blew on the aggravated skin. Not only was he kneeling in front of me now, but he was also taking such good care of me. His scent was heady.
And I wanted himsobad, but the timing wasn’t right. Notyet.
I stood, the pink blanket sliding off my legs. “I can take it from here.”
“I haven’t even put the Bluey Band-Aids on yet.” He stood, hands reaching out to grasp me before he thought better of it and slid them into his pockets instead.
I went around him. “My hands are clean. I’ll bandage them at home with some gauze.”
Alice frowned too, but trailed behind me, nonetheless. “Take the Band-Aid box, at least.”
I reached out to take the small box between my fingertips, avoiding the concrete burn at all costs.
“Luna—”
“Beck.”
The man opened the front door, when I could tell by the tense muscles in his arm that he wanted to keep me hostage at his house.
My gaze pierced his. “I’ll call you, I promise.”