“Yes. You’ll help an injured woman out, surely?”
If she didn’t want to dwell on her injuries, then he would make sure she had something else to focus on.
29
Thank goodness Hugh finally realized that just doing as she wanted was the easiest path, the only path really, to making her happy tonight. The lights were very dim. She’d thought of having him turn them completely off before he got in bed, but having spent days in a pitch-black basement, the soft lights were soothing. An added bonus was being able to see Hugh.
A well-dressed Hugh was delicious. A naked Hugh was perfection. “I’ve changed my mind about the lights. They can stay on.” He’d just hooked his thumbs into her panties when she added her light preference addendum. He paused, his body leaning partially over hers, and met her eyes.
Her stomach flipped at the almost brutal beauty of his face. She still wasn’t used to seeing him this way. The beardless, smooth planes of his face took her breath. His sharp, defined cheekbones and sensual lips were stunning. His dark eyes had always smoldered. They scared most people shitless. When they were trained on her, like they were now, her body was at his beck and call.
Without a word, he resumed gliding her panties down her hips and thighs, taking extra care around her bruises before slipping them free.
Naked, she settled back on the pillow, purposefully arching her back in invitation. “You’re still dressed. I would help but...” she shrugged, all ‘what’s a gal to do’, holding up her wrapped hand again. “Looks like I get to enjoy a striptease.”
“Looks like it,” he said, his hard stare only wavering when he slowly pulled the soft tan t-shirt over his head before toeing off his shoes and socks.
Rowan sucked in a breath at the sculpted upper body now revealed. Honestly, it still felt impossible that she could not only look her fill buttouchhim as she pleased. It was a heady, powerful feeling. He was back to watching her, serious and quiet.
She knew that he liked how much she loved his body. He worked hard for his powerful physique. It would be a sin not to worship it. She lifted her head and leaned back on her elbows. A much better position to watch Hugh unbutton his jeans.
They were loose on his hips, and once the zipper started to slide down, his jeans slipped low. She had to swallow a moan as his boxer briefs barely contained his hardened length. He let the jeans drop to the floor, stepping out of the denim. She took in his powerful thighs and calves. Even his feet were sexy.
Rowan raised her brow, letting him know he wasn’t quite finished. He didn’t perform the unspoken request. Instead, he moved closer to her side, and before she realized his intent, he scooped her up, cradling her to his chest before sitting on the edge of the bed.
“I want you to tell me what’s been bothering you besides the obvious. You’ve avoided being alone with me. You’ve seemed happy, but there are times when you look…pensive, for lack of a better word. Tell me, Row.”
Raven and River had asked her if she needed to talk about anything with them. They were gentle and didn’t push, but they could tell Rowan might have omitted a few things about the kidnapping. And in all honesty, some of those things were only now surfacing. She wished they wouldn’t.
She sighed and leaned her head against Hugh’s solid chest. “Katy told me that my fears are mine to share and yours to bear and vice versa. She told me to give them to you and let you crush them.” The palm of his hand cupped the back of her head and tilted her face to match his. He gave her the sweetest kiss.
“Give them to me,” he quietly demanded.
So, she did. She told him about the big man’s threats, her terror, her helplessness, her fear that they wouldn’t be found. She told him that the man never planned on letting her go, even if William gave his boss what they wanted, and Katy was returned. She admitted that she’d remembered a few things this afternoon that made her sick.
After telling him about her bra being down, she admitted, “My nipples felt tender but…but one explanation could be that I was dirty and had been lying on a concrete floor. Another explanation could be that I was still sensitive from you, from the night before I was taken. The truth is, I won’t ever know everything. I really hate thinking that another man may have touched me. A man that wasn’t you.”
“God, baby,” he whispered against her head, “you’re so brave. Christ, Row, I’m humbled by how brave you are.”
“Katy and I chose to get rape tests at the hospital, though they said anything over two days wasn’t that accurate. However, during the examination, they said I didn’t appear…hurt.” Hugh’s body shuddered beneath hers. “In all honesty, I never felt that I had been touched down there. More than likely, he didn’t even touch my breasts other than pulling my top down.
“I think it was to make me fear what was coming. The last time we saw them, he said they were going to a strip club, and would get ideas for what they would want to do to us when they got back. He was very calculating in what he said and did to keep us scared.” Even though she knew it had been hard for Hugh to hear, that it had burdened him too, Katy was right, she did feel better.
“You know, even though this past week was horrible, Katy and I found ways to make each other laugh—even when she got some pee on her leg. It’s amazing how something as simple as a laugh can give someone hope. We talked about everything and nothing. I wanted you to know that it wasn’t all terror. I did have someone. I was never alone. It helped me to know that, so I figured it would help you to know that too.
“When they never came back, our fear became less about what they might do to us and more about whether we’d be found in time. We knew you and William would never stop looking. It just became a matter of...well, time.”
“I would never have stopped. I refused to ever let myself think that you might not be found. What life would be like without you in it.”
“Do you wish I wouldn’t have told you the stuff about the men?”
“Never. We both share your fears and doubts now. When you need me, I’ll know why, and I will always be there for you. I’m glad that you were examined and that your mind was at least put at ease as much as it can be. With the timeline Jeffreys and MacGregor put together from Lucy Pérez’s confession, we know the route they took before reaching Huntsville.
“That information, coupled with knowing the exact day and time of Reynolds and Pérez’s time of death, they believe there wasn’t time for any stops other than refueling. When you woke in the basement, you couldn’t have been there long, which isgood. It isn’t likely they had much interaction with you or Katy before they moved you out of the van. They wouldn’t have risked you being seen.”
The hand splayed across her back was rubbing soothing circles, slipping higher to massage her neck and scalp, successfully bleeding all the tension from her. “I believe those men didn’t have much of a chance to do more than transport you. I hope that gives you some peace of mind, but no matter what, your fears are valid, and I will always be available to talk to you about them.”
She sniffed back her tears. He’d known exactly what she needed. An ear to listen and strong arms to hold her. The truth was, she was flooded with peace. Rowan had called Dr. Sehoy before leaving the hospital, and they agreed that they should speak twice a week for now. It was a relief to have the therapist, but it had felt even more cathartic opening up to Hugh.
