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“Bullshit. I get you’re tired, babe, and we’ll get that sorted. But don’t tell me about pretty. I see it, sure, but I feel it too. It’s in how you treat people, how you make people laugh and smile and feel like they’re the most important people in the world. That’s what makes you pretty on the inside, and that’s what shines so fucking bright it makes you beautiful on the outside.”

She swallows and looks at me as if she doesn’t know what to make of me, and I can’t say I blame her.

I hook my fingers into the waistband of her yoga pants and peel them down over the curve of her hips, dragging her panties with them. My mouth waters at the sight of her neat little landing strip. I’d love nothing more than to drop to my knees and find out if she tastes as sweet as she looks, but the bruises marring her thighs have my rage threatening to boil over.

As if knowing where my head is at, she reaches out a hand and runs her fingers through my hair. “They’ll fade. They always do.”

I look up at her and see the ghosts encroaching again, so I press a kiss to one of the worst bruises. “The only bruises I ever want to see on you are my fingertips on your hips from when I’m holding you tight and pounding inside you.”

She shivers, the clouds in her eyes passing.

“Step out of them.”

She holds my offered hand and does as I ask, leaving her completely naked in front of me.

“Let’s take a shower and get you warmed up. And then you can borrow one of my T-shirts, and we’ll watch a movie in bed, okay?”

She nods, a tear slipping down her cheek. “Sounds like old times.”

Unable to help myself, I slide my hand into her hair at the back of her head, careful of the bump, and pull her against my chest. Her hands press against my ribs as her temple rests against my collarbone. We stand there together as steam fills the room, neither of us in any hurry to pull away. Yet I do, knowing she’s dead on her feet and needs to rest.

Silently, I lead her to the shower and help her in before stepping in behind her. She steps under the spray, letting the water run over her face. I don’t miss the hitch in her breathing. She’s using the water to hide the fact she’s crying. I don’t make a big deal about it. She has to get it out, and I’d rather she did it here with me than alone.

I reach for the floral-scented shampoo and lather some into my hands before carefully massaging it into her hair. She whimpers, making me pause. “Am I hurting you?”

“No, it feels good.”

My semi-hard cock thickens at her words and her soft, breathy sighs. I nudge her to step farther under the spray to rinse before I wash her hair again. Once that’s done, I grab the conditioner, slick it through her hair, and leave it for a minute to do its thing.

She turns toward me with a frown. “You know what shampoo and conditioner I use?”

I give her a look that says, “What do you think?”

She sighs and presses her forehead against the hollow of my throat. “Can I tell you something?”

“You can tell me anything.”

“You say that now, but one day you’ll wish you could take those words back.”

“If that day ever comes, then I’m not the man I thought I was, and you’d deserve better than an asshole like me.”

I feel a soft kiss just above my heart before she looks up at me. “I hate the smell of lilacs.”

I frown and look down at the top of her head. She tips her head back so I stare into her pretty green eyes.

“It’s the scent she always wore.”

And likely the reason for the nickname. Fuck.

I swallow, my hands moving to her hips so she doesn’t pull away. I want to ask her questions, but I’m worried the second I open my mouth, she’ll shut down.

When she bites her lip and braces herself, I realize she’s waiting for me to react. I want to ask her when she stepped in and became Lil, and what happened to the woman whose life she stole. Aside from winding up on a slab in the morgue, nobody really knows. I don’t ask, though. I keep my questions to myself for now, knowing it’s too soon to push.

“So what scents do you like?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do when you’re feeling up to it. We’ll go to the store, and we’ll smell them all until you find one you like.”