Page 20 of Stand: Part One

And who better to assist with that than the same man still searching for the woman who had just guaranteed Kayla’s freedom? It was a wild theory, but I always considered every possibility imaginable, no matter how outlandish. But if that were the case, then perhaps I’d finally be able to kill two birds with one very large, jagged stone.

Looking down at my watch, I saw that there was still an hour before dinner. Heat bloomed in my chest at the thought of coaxing the truth out of Jaden, missing the way her body trembled in my arms when I confronted her.

The fear in her eyes did things to me I still couldn’t explain, always pushing me to the edge of losing control. It was a fucking aphrodisiac I couldn’t get enough of, watching those pretty hazel eyes widen and gloss over, her pupils dilating. She was so beautiful when she was terrified.

A fresh idea had my ass out of my chair and around my desk to head straight upstairs to my ensuite bathroom.

“Out,” I ordered as I passed by Clive and Owen at the door and moved straight for the bathtub. I heard the bedroom door shut as I turned on the faucet and began filling the tub with hot water and the vanilla bath oils and salts that made Jaden’s skin feel like fucking silk.

I could feel her suspicious eyes burning into my back as I turned the faucet off when the tub was full. I then took the ring from the box and tucked it in the corner ledge of the tub out of Jaden’s sight.

Returning to the bedroom, I began to loosen the tie around my neck as I made my way over to my wife’s side of the bed.

“What’s going on?” she asked me casually, trying to keep her voice light.

Pulling the tie away, I removed my jacket and started unbuttoning my shirt.

“I thought we’d take a bath together before dinner,” I answered, tossing the shirt on the floor.

Jaden’s eyes roamed over my body as I kicked off my shoes and moved for my belt next, her little pink tongue sticking out to wet her lips. I kept my smirk to myself.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked as she watched me step out of my pants.

“You’ll be fine,” I said as I removed the rest of my clothes and reached to grab the hem of the long nightgown she’d been wearing. She didn’t fight me as I gently pulled the gown from her body, her bare skin making my cock harden immediately.

Lifting her from the bed, I carried her to the bathroom and carefully eased us down into the steaming tub.

Jaden gasped as the water hit her skin but said nothing more as I gently placed her between my legs. Pulling her shoulders back, I had her shift more of her upper body weight onto my chest instead of her pelvis.

“Okay?” I asked, running my fingertips along her arms. Her body was still pretty stiff.

“Yeah,” she murmured, her hands pressing into my legs while her nails dug into my skin.

“Relax,” I coaxed, attempting to soothe her stiff demeanor. “Take a deep breath.” Her chest rose as she sucked in oxygen. “Now lie back as you exhale.” She did as she was told, finally loosening her limbs and allowing herself to lie back, resting her head against my shoulder. “How’s the pain?” I asked, drawing her hair back from her face so I could see her more clearly.

“It’s dull. I’m okay,” she replied, her voice breathy and constrained.

“Good,” I said, running my nose along her temple, taking in the scent of her hair.

An ache built in my chest from how much I missed holding her small body like this against my own. I had to fight the urge to crush her against me so we could never part. And the more she relaxed, the more I craved.

All I wanted to do was lift her hips and sink her onto my throbbing cock, to bask in that liquid heat of hers that was meant for me and me alone. But I knew it would be another month before I could even dream of just tasting her there.

Jaden was practically putty in my hands as she let me wash her body without protest, not a single curve left untouched. But when my fingertips grazed the circular scar at her pelvis, white-hot anger struck me.

Both entrance and exit wounds had healed nicely, but they would always remain a permanent physical reminder of my failure.

I didn’t want to reflect on that now. I wanted to perform my responsibility of taking care of what was mine and satisfying all her needs. Now that she had no choice but to let me.

Moments like this sometimes brought me back to our time in the basement—times when I would bathe with her just like this. When she was wholly dependent upon me for literally every single thing, when I was the only thing she knew. I was her entire universe, the literal oxygen she needed to breathe and thrive.

We were miles away from that now. Ever since I watched Jaden emerge from the burning debris of the building she had destroyed, I knew I was no longer looking at the same girl.

She was the rising phoenix that left nothing but ash in her wake, and she didn’t need shit from me anymore. I’d never felt so useless in my fucking life.

But now that fire bird had broken wings and needed to be nursed back to health. And just like that, Jaden went back to being the vulnerable little girl she’d been forced into when I held her down there in that cold, dark room.

The way her eyes would light up when I finally came to see her was truly intoxicating. Because I knew then how much she actually needed me.