Page 193 of The First Taste

She looks up at me, nodding. I can see the redden marks on her neck and on her arm.

My fists close, spasming involuntarily. I feel… helpless.

I don’t like it at all.

Spinning, I walk purposely into the en-suite bathroom, yanking the taps of the clawfoot bathtub. As the bathtub fills with steamy water, I turn to look at myself in the mirror. There is a smear of blood on my cheek and a faint reddish mark just below my right orbital bone.

A reminder that her father is a very real threat. I didn’t learn his name… I make a note to ask my assistant for the file that I had the private investigator put together.

When Kaia appears in the doorway behind me, hesitant, I turn toward her. She is wearing a pair of baggy sweats, pushed on her by Bas in lieu of the tattered costume she was wearing when I found her.

I motion for her to come in. “Close the door.”

She does it meekly, without saying a word. I walk over to her and tilt her chin up.

“You’re okay,” I tell her. “It’s over.”

Her eyes are glassy. She looks at me for a moment, then looks away. “It’s not over. Not really. My father has my mom and my sister to use as leverage over me. It’s been this way my whole life.”

I frown. “You’re safe,” I tell her softly.

Kaia looks at me sharply. “You don’t understand. That back there? That’s who my father is. That’s why I live in such a tiny apartment. Why I work at Club X. Can you just…”

She stops, taking a deep breath and dropping her gaze. “Please stop trying to make things okay. They aren’t really ever going to be okay.”

I slide my hand under her jaw, forcing her to look at me. “I’ll never bend. Never become flexible and pliable. Never be soft and malleable. But I think that happens to be just what you need right now, beauty.”

She studies me, her throat working. “I’m so tired, Calum.”

I nod. “I know.”

I reach down and unzip her hooded sweatshirt, peeling it off her lithe body. She toes off her shoes and lets me push down the waistband of her sweatpants. When she stands naked before me, shivering against the steamy air, I guide her to the bathtub.

Acting a steady frame for her to hold onto as she climbs in, I kneel as she sits down. The hot water sloshes for a moment as she settles in with a sigh.

I trail my fingers through the water as it continues to fill the tub. Kaia closes her eyes.

Reaching for the lavender scented soap, I dunk it under the water and then start to lather her arms, her knees, all the places that aren’t sensitive. She releases a sigh at one point but doesn’t say a word.

She stops me for a second, bringing her wet hand to my face. Using the gentlest touch, she rubs away all the traces of blood, washing them away like they never existed.

I wash her hair next, sliding my hands through the silken strands. She seems to fall into a trance as I rub circles into her scalp, even moaning once or twice.

By the time I am done and her hair is rinsed, she looks at me with a sigh. Her eyelids are heavy, her voice low and rough. “Thank you.”

My lips tip up at the corners. “You’re welcome.”

She inhales a long breath, shaking her head. “I don’t mean for washing my hair, although that was nice. I mean… thank you for jumping in today. You probably…” Her eyes close briefly. When they flutter open again, they are filled with tears. She takes a steadying breath. “You probably saved my life today, Calum. I promise, I won’t forget it.”

Then she does the oddest thing. She takes my hand, still wet from the bath, and turns it over. She places the lightest of kisses right in the middle of my palm.

Something breaks loose deep in my chest. A chunk of ice in the very cold, very dark ocean that is my heart.

I stare down at her. She looks up at me.

I tilt my head and move closer. She turns her face up toward me, seeking my lips.

When we kiss, there is no hint of gentleness, no sweetness to be found.