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"Baby, don't worry about Conor,” he whispered into my mouth. “I'll take care of it."
In truth, I had no words, so I pressed my lips to his and stayed that way until he finally pulled away.
"Come on, let's get you inside." He guided me to the front door.
When we got inside, Ryan led me to his bathroom and turned the shower on. He left his hand under the running water, waiting for the right temperature. When it was just the right heat, he turned to me.
“Let me help you.” Ryan gently removed my clothes, then guided me into the shower.
He grabbed the glass door to shut it, and I held on to it, stopping him.
I looked into his beautiful brown eyes. "Please, Ryan, I need you."
With only those words, Ryan let go of the shower door, then removed his shirt. Watching, I took in his broad, tattooed chest and muscular arms. His hands slid down to the waistband of his band, where he unbuttoned his jeans and lowered the zipper.
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. He was gorgeous.
“Make some room.” He entered the shower, and I took a couple of steps back, accommodating his size.
His hands went to my hair, brushing it back. He lowered his face to my neck, wrapped an arm around my waist, then drew me closer to his body. His touch was so soft and gentle. We stayed that way, embraced arm-in-arm, for what felt like hours but was actually only minutes. I let him take the time he needed.
After a bit, he lifted his face to mine. "Kenna, I was so scared when I got to your apartment. It was like I was going through it all again when I found my mother.” He let out a shaky breath. “Baby, you’re my everything."
Even with the water hitting him from the shower head above, I could still see the tears coming from his eyes.
Bringing my hands to his face, I wiped the tears away, never saying a word. I was right in front of him; he could see me, he could feel me—that's what he needed in this moment, and the reality was, I needed the same thing. It wasn't until the water started to turn cold that Ryan let go of me.
He shut off the shower and grabbed a towel to wrap around my body. After Ryan wrapped a towel around his torso, he took my towel, unwrapped it from my body, and then gently started to dry me off, and I let him.
I knew he needed to take care of me, so I allowed it.
Neither one of us spoke. We just watched each other.
God, I’ve never felt so much love.The thought made me shiver.
My body wasn't even processing the pain in my ribs or my face. I felt warmth, and that was all from Ryan.
After putting on one of Ryan's t-shirts, I walked over to his bed. I pulled the comforter back, and climbed onto the soft mattress, bringing the bedding up to my chin.
Ryan watched me and made his way over to sit beside me on the bed.
"Conor and Finn should be here any moment.” It was the first time he had spoken since we had gotten out of the shower. “I'm going to go out and take care of them. You stay here and rest."
It wasn't a question, but I answered anyway. "Okay.” My eyelids fluttered closed. “I'm so tired." Snug in his bed, I hoped sleep would find me.
22
RYAN
How is this happening to me again?
I'm not sure how long I had stood in the kitchen. My hands ached from gripping counter, and my head hung low with my eyes closed. Anger, sadness, and turmoil ran through me.
Seeing another woman, another woman who was just as important to me as my mother had been back then—hurt, bruised, and beaten—gutted me.
The sting of the tears trying to escape made me squeeze my eyelids shut even harder.
Visions of my mother came back to me—all the timeshehad laid a hand on her, rushed back. I had buried those memories long ago, and now, they were all coming to the surface, reminding me how I had failed my own mother. I should’ve got us out of that situation. I should have fought and protected her.
