Page 24 of The Healing Touch (Manwhore #3)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Dimitri called Olive Garden and got takeout. He had no idea if she even liked the place, but he figured it was better than fast food. He wanted to call his mother, but it was too late. She’d be up soon, but he needed help now.

He called Nikoli instead.

“Hey, man.” Nikoli yawned around his greeting.

“It’s not that late, motherfucker.”

“Someone’s grouchy.” Nikoli murmured something, and he assumed it was Lily the boy was talking to. She was precisely the reason he’d called his baby brother. Lily had issues along the same lines of Becca’s.

“Yeah, well, it’s been a long fucking day.”

“Everything okay, brat ?”

“Fuck, no, it’s not.” He let out a sigh. “You got a few?”

“Sure, man. Just let me tell Lily Bells I’ll be up in a while.”

Dimitri smiled at the nickname Nikoli had given Lily.

She’d hated it in the beginning. He’d gotten the entire story out of Nik while he’d been in Boston.

It was a story worth writing, one he planned to write.

His brother and future sister-in-law just didn’t know it yet.

Kade and Angelique were another sordid tale he’d decided to write about.

Angel was forcing his brother to jump through hoops at the moment, but honestly, the ass deserved it.

Who the fuck actually forgot they were married?

He snorted at the thought. Kade had some serious wooing to do, not to mention Angel was upset about the whole adultery aspect of their marriage.

Granted, she hadn’t known she was still married, but Kade had.

Being Catholic, she needed absolution and had dragged Kade off to counseling at the church.

Something his brother was not happy about, but their mother and grandmother agreed with Angel.

This was something that needed to be settled with the blessing of the Church.

“So, what’s up?”

Nikoli’s question caused him to jump. “Dammit, don’t sneak up on me.”

“Uh, how can I sneak up on you when I’m on the phone?”

“Sorry, just a fuck-all day.”

“Sounds like it.”

“Were you home when Dad came back that last time all messed up?”

“No, but Mason was. Why?”

He explained to his brother about Becca’s anxiety and how he wanted to help her but was doing more damage than good.

“Nah, man, you’re aren’t doing more damage,” Nikoli assured him.

“First, even her therapist said she needed to get out and face her fears since it wasn’t being handled by medication alone.

You pushed her, yeah, but you were there to catch her.

Just keep doing that. Second, stop freaking out.

When you freak, it’s only going to make her worse.

You have to be slow and patient. I told you about Lily and her fear of being touched. She had severe anxiety due to that.”

“How did you guys get past it?”

“We didn’t, not really. She’s getting better, though, with my and her therapist’s help.

For Lily, she’d been afraid for so long, it was all she knew.

She needed structure, rules. She needed to trust me, and that’s what I did.

I spent months showing her she could trust me, giving her rules and pushing her just enough to make her face her fears.

Once she did, she started to understand not everyone she loved and touched would die.

You have to be patient. Lily still has issues being touched by people she doesn’t know, and it can set off a freak-out moment, as I call her panic attacks.

Just last week, we were at the mall and some guy grabbed her hand to get her attention.

She had a meltdown right then and there.

Didn’t lose my patience, just got her home and helped her to calm down.

This shit doesn’t go away overnight. If you go in thinking that, then whatever you got going on with Sunshine, it’ll fail. ”

“Sunshine?”

“You forget, I did go to high school with Becca. You told me to keep an eye on her. I always checked in and made sure no asshats bothered her. I called her Sunshine because of all that blonde hair of hers.”

“Are there any tricks I can use to help her?”

“Music works. Doesn’t matter what kind, just turn it down low, so it’s barely audible.

Soothes the nerves. Other than that, be patient and let her know you’re there if she needs something.

” Nikoli got quiet for a minute then asked, “Are you finally planning on doing something about your feelings for her?”

“What makes you think I have feelings for her?” He pulled back into the hotel’s front entrance, ignoring the valet waiting to take his keys.

“You wouldn’t be calling me half out of your mind with worry if you didn’t, Dimitri. Besides, we all know how you feel about her, even Babushka .”

“Hell, I just realized today I might feel something more than lust. How the fuck do you all think you knew it before me?”

“Because you’re a blind fool who only saw one thing when you looked at a girl…the best way to get her clothes off. Except with Rebecca. You treated her with respect. That said a lot about how you felt, right there.”

“Shit.”

Nikoli laughed. “Look, you might want to accept the fact your life isn’t your own anymore.

You belonged to Becca back in high school.

You were just too stupid to realize it. You thought with your dick instead of your head.

Can’t say much, though. I was the same way.

Took me a while to realize it too. Lily scared the shit of out of me with how she made me feel.

I almost lost her because of my own stubborn pride.

Don’t make the same mistake with Sunshine.

She’s awesome, and I’d love to call her my sister for real. ”

“Fuck, I’m tired.” Dimitri turned off the Jeep and sat back. “I wish I had a quick fix right now. She’s in so much misery after having a meltdown at the event.”

“Well, not sure it’d work with Becca or not, but you could try the same tactic I did with Lily.”

“What’s that?” he asked absently, gathering the food bags together.

“Structured rules.”

“Rules?”

“Well, Lily couldn’t tolerate being touched. I did what I do best.”

“And that is?”

“Dominance.”

“Fucker. I am not pulling that BDSM shit with Becca. I’m surprised Lily didn’t chop your balls off, fry them up, and feed them to you.” Granted, he very much wanted to play the dominant when it came to Becca, but he was terrified he’d scare her off worse than she was.

“No, shithead, I’m not talking about tying Sunshine up and fucking her. Becca has been so out of control for so long, it might do her good to let someone else have control for a little while. It worked with Lily.”

“I remember when Kade found your little extracurricular activities closet.” The memory of his brother’s shocked face still cracked Dimitri up. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so freaked out.”

Nikoli laughed. “His reaction was hilarious. I’m serious, though, D. This might help Becca more than anything else, that is if it’s something you’re into.”

“I am. You didn’t only get your manwhoring ways from me. I think you also got your need for dominance from me too. I don’t cause a woman pain, but I do like her all nice and tied up. Not sure how Becca would react to that, though.”

“Sneak it in.” Nikoli got excited. “Little things, things she’d normally let you do anyway, just make it more of a command than a request. It really might help her, Dimitri.

From what you told me, she had a shit childhood where she had to be the adult to survive it.

That’s a lot of stress for a kid to take on, to have to deal with. Just think about it.”

“I will, brat . I need to get this food upstairs before she wakes up. Thanks for talking to me.”

“I hope I helped.”

“You did. Night, brat .”

“Night.”

Dimitri shoved his phone in his pocket and got out of the Jeep, food bags in tow, and gave his keys to Mike, who stood patiently waiting for him to get out. Another person to remember to tip well when they checked out.

Time to check on his woman.

Becca woke up to darkness, the only light a soft glow from the partially open bathroom door.

No Dimitri. She shouldn’t be surprised. He’d run earlier when he figured out how she felt about him.

Why wouldn’t he run after she’d embarrassed not only herself, but him as well, in front of all those authors?

Sighing, she dragged herself up, found her purse, and downed her medication.

Honestly, she couldn’t remember if she’d even taken it yesterday.

That might have been why she panicked so hard and so fast when the guys came over to chat.

It could also explain the headache and the nausea today.

You didn’t simply skip a dose of medication.

It could cause all sorts of nasty things.

Maybe a hot shower would help scrub some of the shame and embarrassment away along with all the dust and dirt she’d collected from sitting in the floor. It certainly couldn’t hurt. She gathered her pajamas and turned on the shower, waiting for it to get hot.

The hot water felt amazing. It might have been fifteen minutes or an hour that she stood underneath the spray and let it soak into her tense muscles. Hot showers always helped relax her enough to let her anxiety start to wash away.

It was a technique her doctor suggested, since stress was associated with anxiety, and a hot shower was one of the best remedies for stress when a bath was out of the question.

She refused to take a bath in a hotel room.

Could one ever really know how clean the tub was?

Same with the toilet. She’d been lining the seat with toilet paper.