I slid my arms under her, wrapping the blanket around her first so every inch of skin stayed covered and protected.
I held her tighter as I lifted her. “You’re not ruined. You’re mine.”
She clung to me as I picked her up, arms wound around my neck, legs curling automatically despite the soreness. Every little flinch, every shaky exhale, every way she still chose to hold on—tome—only tightened the vow anchoring in my chest.
Carrying her felt… right.
She was light in my arms but not weightless. I liked that. Liked feeling every ounce of my girl pressed to me. Blanket wrapped around her, cheek tucked against my neck, breath catching over and over like every step hurt and she was trying not to make it my problem.
Wrong.
Her pain wasonlymy problem.
“Breathe for me, baby. In my ear. Nice and slow.”
She tried. I felt the stutter of it at my throat.
I sat her on the vanity for a second, keeping one hand on the back of her neck like I was afraid she’d tip forward and shatter.
Her arms folded tight around her ribs, knuckles white where they clutched the blanket. Just stared at the floor like it had betrayed her.
“Hey.” I crouched in front of her, one hand braced beside her knee, the other covering her fist. “Angel. Eyes on Daddy.”
It took a second, but she did it.
“I know this feels like too much. But I promise you, nothing in this room is going to hurt you.”
Her throat worked. “You’re not mad?”
Mad?
I was half a second away from declaring war on any god who thought they could put pain in her body without running it past me first.
“For what? Bleeding on my sheets because you gave me your first time?” My voice stayed soft, but something dark laced through it. “No, baby. I’m… proud.”
Proud didn’t even cover it. That word was too small. I was cracked open with it.
“Let me get you in the bath. It’ll help.”
She shook her head, just once. “You’ll see more.”
“More of my girl? More of the body I spent all night worshipping because you trusted me. Yeah, angel. I can survive that.”
She huffed. “You’re impossible.”
“Obsessed. Now, arms up for me.” I brushed my thumb over her knuckles.
I took the blanket off, and she tried to cross her arms; I gently caught her wrists, lowering them.
“Don’t hide from me. Daddy wants to see my perfect sub. All of you. Especially when you’re hurting.”
She held still, letting me look. I helped her stand, keeping one arm around her waist. She made a little sound when herfeet hit the floor—too close to a whimper for my liking. My hand tightened.
“Tell me where it’s worst,”
She gestured vaguely. “Everywhere.”
“Good,”
