She glances away from me with a pained expression, before focusing her gaze on the floor.
“Nobody has ever said that to me.”
I take her hands in mine and gently scrub away the blood.
“I know, Tesoro. I know.”
Her face is blanketed in confusion when she asks, “Why do you call me that?”
Stroking my fingers down her cheek, I sigh.
“It means treasure, which is exactly what you are. A fucking treasure.”
She shakes her head as if my words are impossible to comprehend and closes her eyes tight.
“I’m not a treasure, Knox. More like the opposite. Garbage?”
Heather’s words piss me off, not at her, but at the fuckers that made her think like this.
“Yes, Tesoro, you are a treasure, and I don’t ever want to hear you call yourself garbage again. I know what I see.”
Her eyes pop open when I drop to my knees.
“Is this okay? Or do you want me to stop?”
“I’m okay,” she whispers in a soft, but shaky, voice.
I drag my lathered hands up and down her legs, before moving to the inside of her thighs with my eyes closed. If I look at her goddamn pussy, I’m done. I’ll have to taste her, and I cannot fucking do that right now. Tilting my head back, I open my eyes and focus on her face.
“So beautiful, Tesoro. Fucking exquisite.”
I rise to my feet and turn her around to wash her back. There are marks covering her from her back down to her thighs.
“Tesoro? What is this?”
Her voice reflects humiliation as she says, “From the paddle. I was disobedient.”
“I’m sorry,” is all I manage to say because I don’t want to make it worse, but it causes the knot in my throat to grow. No woman should have this done to her. It reminds me of my mother's stories about our father. Something I refuse to think about.
I help her rinse off before stepping out of the bathtub, and the water from my shorts drenches Carter’s floor with a splash.
Grabbing a towel, I help her out and dry her off carefully, avoiding touching the spot where Carter shot her with the dart. It shouldn’t be overly painful, but it’s probably tender. After towel drying her hair, I put my brother’s Mopar t-shirt over her head and pull it down, covering her. She’s a short thing, so it falls just above her knee. Lifting her into my arms again, I carry her back to the bedroom and place her back on the bed.
“Thank you, Knox,” she says, and I ignore the tightening in my chest.
“You’re welcome, Tesoro.”
I grab a pair of Carter's shorts and change in the bathroom. When I go back into the bedroom, her eyes travel my body, the way I want to with hers.
“Killian is right about you, Tesoro. You’re going to cause a lot of trouble. Aren’t you?”
She shrugs her shoulders before flashing me a devious grin.
“Maybe. Not all trouble is bad, sometimes, it’s just fun.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CARTER
