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Matthew looks down at me and cups my cheek. “I have an idea. Why don’t you go shopping today and buy a few things? Slade can take you to the mall or wherever, and then tonight, when I get home, I’ll take you out to a proper dinner.”
“Like a date?” I cringe at the hopefulness.
He just smiles and kisses the tip of my nose. “Exactly like a date. I’d say we are about ten years late for our first date. Wouldn’t you?”
“Yeah… but…” I chew on my lip as I remember my circumstances and I’m filled with shame. “I can’t afford to go shopping.”
“Listen up, love, because I’m only going to say this once. You’re mine. That means everything that I have is yours.”
“I’ll pay you back,” I say resolutely. Anger flashes through his eyes. I use one of his own distraction techniques and kiss him lightly. “I appreciate everything, Matthew, but I don’t want to feel like a leech. If you don’t want me to pay you back with money, fine, but let me do something else to earn my way. I can cook or clean… or maybe do something at the club.”
“You don’t have to earn your way with me. I want to spoil you. You deserve to be spoiled,” Matthew says stubbornly.
“We will have to agree to disagree about that one, but it doesn’t change the fact that I won’t take advantage of you. I’ve been around those people all my life. I refuse to be that person.”
His brow is furrowed as he not only listens to my words but really hears what I’m saying. He sighs and shakes his head. “You win, but for the record, I’m only caving on this because you need it and not because I want you to pay me back. Everything I do for you is because you’re mine, and there will never be an expectation for repayment. I only want you to be happy.”
My answering smile is so wide my cheeks hurt. I can tell it nearly killed him to concede to my need to pay him back in some way, but he did it. I’m starting to believe that when he says he’ll do anything for me that it’s true. It’s a heady thing having such a powerful man standing at my back at the ready to do whatever it takes to ensure my happiness.
“Thank you, Matty. Feeling useful will make me happy. Promise.”
He presses a tender kiss to my smiling lips. “You’re welcome, love. Now I better go before Daniels gets his panties in a wad and comes back.”
I giggle at the idea that a manly man like Kisten Daniels would be wearing panties. “Hope your meetings go well.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. I’ll let Slade know that you’re going to need to do some shopping today. Hannah is in charge of all the household tasks. You can ask her if there’s anything she needs help with around here.”
I enjoy a nice shower after Matthew leaves. I’m still a little tender in a few places, but miraculously I feel almost good as new. I quickly realize there’s no way I can rub the salve on my back by myself. I do the best I can, but I know I’ve missed a lot of the worst spots on my upper back.
“Damn it,” I grumble to myself. I should’ve thought about that before I showered. Heck, I should have thought about that before leaving the clinic. There’s always been someone there to help me. Oh, well. Matthew can help me later. I change my focus to my tangled hair. Several minutes later, my hair is smooth and ready to be dried. I look through the cabinets and can’t find a hairdryer, so I decide to braid it instead.
I’m startled by a soft knock on the door. “Excuse me, Rose?” Hannah’s smoky, smooth voice floats through the door.
“Yes?”
The door cracks open, and Hannah peeks through. “Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to check and see if you need help with the salve after your shower.”
I feel a brief moment of embarrassment, but Hannah’s kind smile sets me at ease. “I would appreciate it.”
“It’s no trouble.”
We are both silent as she gently works the salve into my skin. When she’s done, she sets the cream aside and washes her hands.
“Thank you, Hannah. I really appreciate your help. Matthew said that I should speak with you about helping out with the chores or cooking.”
Hannah’s eyes grow wide. “That’s not necessary. You’re Matthew’s… guest.”
Something about the way she pauses before saying the word guest makes me think she was going to say something else and changed her mind. “I know it’s not necessary,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Matthew made that clear to me, but I insist on pulling my own weight. Besides, I’ll go crazy just sitting around waiting for him to come home.”
Hannah mulls it over for a while then nods. “Okay, I’ll find something to keep you busy. Now, let’s get your hair dry and get you dressed. We’re going shopping!” She has way more enthusiasm than I have for shopping.
She produces a blow dryer from the linen closet and directs me to a stool. “I can do it,” I say, reaching for the blow dryer.
Hannah tsks. “Let me. I love styling hair. I could even cut it if you want?”
I run my fingers through my long blonde hair and chew my lip. Do I want my hair cut? I can’t even remember the last time it was trimmed. “Um… maybe another time?”
She nods. “Yeah, we should definitely get permission from Matthew before we make any big changes.”
