Page 141 of Contract of a Billionaire

Little specks of green appeared in her eyes. “I was so stupid,” she murmured. “Reckless. I could have lost–”

“No,” I murmured, pressing my mouth to her forehead. “Kind-hearted. There is a difference.”

She shuddered in my arms. “God, I’d kill for a bath,” she murmured.

“Let’s make it happen.” My private plane had a full luxury bathroom so I swooped her up and carried her into my bathroom. I sat her on the cushioned seat, then turned on the bathtub faucets. I opened a bottle of bubble bath and poured it into the water.

The scent of apple and mint filled the air. Her tear stained face watched my every move as I moved to retrieve the plush towels as well as the clothes I had packed for her.

Then I came back to her and kneeled in front of her.

“Shall I help you take your clothes off?” I offered softly.

A pause. Insecurity I wasn’t accustomed to seeing flashed across her face. It fucking gutted me. If those men touched her, I’d go back and fucking kill them all.

“Did someone–” Fuck, I couldn’t even say the words. I’d endure millions of years of abuse, if it’d only spare her.

She shook her head and relief flooded through me like cool spring water. “No, Kian kept me safe.” Her hands wrapped around herself. “You might not like what you see.” Her small voice and vulnerability in her eyes sliced my heart. It fucking made my heart bleed.

“Impossible,” I told her. “When you're a hundred-years-old, frail, with silver hair and covered in wrinkles, you’ll still be the most beautiful woman to me. The only woman for me.”

The red rimmed her eyes, fighting her tears, and it made my heart ache. “Let me help you,” I offered gently.

I watched her slim neck move as she swallowed, then gave me a small nod. Slowly, I pulled off her burka. Then I bent down and slipped her black Tory Burch combat boots off. Jeans followed. Then socks. Her shirt was next. A man’s shirt.

When my eyes flickered to hers, she explained, “Kian gave it to me because it was cold.”

I nodded, then discarded it. Next was a white t-shirt. I recognized it. It was the same one she wore during the snippet that played on television. It had become a widely broadcasted clip. We had to keep the television off the new channels so Kol wouldn’t see his mother in the midst of gunfire.

A shiver wracked her body. My eyes traveled over her pale skin. Her rib bones were prominent against her skin. Her hip bones showed. But there was a tiny bump on her lower belly.

My eyes flicked to hers, then to her belly. “Are you– “

I swallowed. It couldn’t be. Men like me didn’t get so lucky. Men like me didn’t deserve it, not after all I had done.

“I think so,” she murmured softly. Slowly, I placed my trembling hand on her stomach and hers came to rest on top of mine. “I’m not sure though. It could be just stress. Maybe? I don’t know.”

“It’s okay,” I assured her. “We’ll find out together. We’ll get through everything together.” Her shuddering breath filled the space between us. “Together,” I repeated.

She nodded. “Together.”

I unclasped her bra, then helped with her panties.

She was naked in front of me. She was still the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. But it was the look on her face that shattered me.

“Ready to soak and relax?”

“Yes.” A hint of a small, soft smile. The one that I remembered.

I held her hand and helped her in, unwilling to let her go. Not yet. The water splashed softly as her body slowly lowered into the bath.

“Ahhh.” Her soft sigh came from her lips.

“Good?”

“Perfect. Thank you.”

Her cheeks flushed under the warm water and my eyes studied the way her skin glistened, the bubbles hiding her body from me. She looked so small in the tub, her eyes slowly turning greener with each passing second.