Page 34 of Queen of Ruin

I obey, switching out which hand presses against the tiles, and our eyes meet. Face-to-face, his struggle is obvious. He’s fighting to be a gentleman just like I’m fighting to keep my eyes up and away from his own nakedness.

“Are you ready?”

I nod slowly, but despite my mental preparation, the moment he touches my stomach, I flinch.

“Sorry.” Diego immediately retracts his hands, so I move my balancing hand from the wall to his shoulder.

“No, no, that wasn’t you. I’m sorry. I’m just… everything is pain, y’know? All over. And your touch is nice, so I thought I was prepared, but I think part of me still expected pain.”

“I would never hurt you,” Diego replies earnestly, his voice low. “Other than stitching you up.”

“I know. Please, it’s okay.” To help show him that I’m really okay, I move my hand down his arm slightly. “This bruise… it’s from a seatbelt?”

“The crash.” Diego nods, and his hands return to my abdomen, where he lathers the same gel against my skin. “You didn’t have one on. Sometimes, I wonder if that’s how you hurt your head. Either from the crash or from them beating you—” His voice catches slightly. “Sorry. I don’t mean to bring it up.”

“It’s okay. This is just the first time I’ve seen your injuries. I suspected you were hurt, but you’ve been acting like everything is fine.”

Diego meets my eyes and smiles as his hands sweep up my ribs. He’s very careful around my reopened wound, keeping all soap and lather away from it until his hands settle under my breasts.

“It felt like the right thing to do,” Diego murmurs, and his cheeks suddenly flush even darker.

“Hiding your pain isn’t right.” My eyes close briefly. Diego snakes an arm around my waist and draws me gently in against his body. I open my eyes and he’s gazing down at me so intently.

“Stay close so you don’t fall,” he instructs firmly. “And tell me if you feel dizzy.”

“I feel dizzy,” I reply immediately and then smirk. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He continues to hold me up while lathering up my breasts, being extra careful around bruises and marks. Then, like before, he guides me under the water to wash it all away.

Exhaustion creeps up quickly and by the time Diego sits me down on the edge of the bath to tenderly wash my hair, I feel like warm butter. Every muscle is soft and loose, every part of me tingles from the sensation of his hands, and I cling to that feeling of contact. It’s the only nice sensation through a sea of aches and pains.

Diego murmurs to himself as he threads his fingers into my hair and lathers up the shampoo, working slowly around my head wound and doing his very best not to get the gauze wet. It mostly works and the pain is dull enough that I have no complaints.

Hard to complain about anything when his massaging fingers work at my scalp until I’m completely and utterly boneless with relaxation. Once my hair runs clear, he moves to my legs and works his magic up my calves and thighs. I’m too relaxed to speak under the hot water but when I glance down, I glimpse everything.

Diego kneels, his head down as he focuses on my knee, and between his arms, I see the soft thickness between his legs. His cock hangs down a couple of inches and the sight of it makes me look away.

And then right back.

It’s disrespectful. He’s been so kind and decent with me, averting his eyes while caring for me, but I’m unable to look away.

What would it feel like if we⁠—

I cut that thought off immediately, but it doesn’t fade as much as I would like. There’s no denying my attraction to Diego. He’s an incredibly handsome man with curly, dark hair that sticks out a little because it’s wet, gorgeous bronzed skin, stunning green eyes, and a muscular body I want to sink my teeth into.

Pleasure is a great painkiller, after all.

No!

I scold myself and let my eyes drift closed. Diego’s been through enough already. I don’t need to complicate this by acting on my crush.

“Valentina?”

I open my eyes and Diego’s looking up at me with such a sweet, puppy-dog expression that my heart somersaults painfully in my chest. “Diego.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Relaxed. Loose.”