AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You didn’t hurt me,” she whispers. “What you just said—”
“I love you.” I grab her face and kiss her again. “I’m so fucking in love with you that I might lose my mind.”
She cradles my face. We stare at each other, only the sound of our heavy breaths between us. She’s neverbeen this quiet before. Maybe I did hurt her and she doesn’t realize it yet. I was so rough.
Fuck.
I pull out of her, scanning her face for a wince of pain. Relief washes through me when there’s nothing except the same stunned gaze on her face.
“Hold my neck,” I instruct, scooping her up into my arms.
“What? Why?”
“Do it.”
She wraps her arms around me as I carry her into the bathroom. I whip a towel from the rack and place it down onto the counter, before placing her on top of it.
“I’ve got you,” I soothe as I grab a robe and wrap it around her shoulders, then step away to set the bath running. I throw in extra bath oil, then turn back to her.
“What are you doing?” She frowns at the scented steam rising from the tub.
“Taking care of you, Ava. You’re mine to—”
She slides off the counter and picks up the bottle of oil I’ve just used. “This is the same as my perfume.” She looks up at me, then her gaze darts across the marble counter and comes to rest on a half empty bottle of the same perfume.
I tuck my fingers under her chin and turn her face back to me. “I needed something,” I confess.
Understanding blooms in her eyes, and she blinks, more tears falling. My chest burns at the sight.
“Don’t speak. Just let me do this.”
I push the robe off her shoulders and lift her, lowering her into the water. She sighs as it rises up over her body like a fragrant tide.
“I’m going to wash you, okay? Tell me if anywhere hurts.”
She nods and her eyes follow the soft sponge as I work it slowly from her hands up to her neck. I move around her collarbone and down the other side. The redness on her wrists is already fading.
“Jet? Look at me,” she urges.
I take a deep breath and lift my chin. Her eyes study mine like she’s seeing them for the first time.
“Tell me,” she whispers.
And this time, the words come. Jesus, do they fucking come. One after another, over and over as I look into her eyes and bare my soul. Doing everything I swore I’d never do.
“I did it because I love you… I make difficult decisions all the time. And I always get it right. I make them because I have to, no matter how hard they are… But this one felt like ripping my soul out, Ava. And then I saw you at that show and I knew I’d gotten it so fucking wrong. I wanted to tell you the truth then, even if it meant you’d hate me even more.”
She places her hand over mine, the soapy sponge stopping on her chest. “I never hated you. I wanted to. I said I did. But I just hated what you’d done... What you said you’d done.” Her expression clouds.
“I wanted you to be happy.”
“I was… Until you let me believe you’d betrayed me.”
I drop my head, scrubbing my free hand down it.
“Why did you start visiting Gramps?”
“Dad had a case of your things to return. I offered to take it. I wanted to talk to someone who understands.”
