“I don’t think so,” she said softly, all the anger gone from her voice. Her hands fluttered to my shoulders, soft and light as she tried to feel the ridges of my muscles. “Let me see.”
“I said I’m fine,” I insisted.
“Stop being obstinate,” she said kindly, like she was talking to a child. With her hands on my shoulders, she led me to the bed. “Sit. Stop being stubborn and let me help you.”
I caught her wrists, but didn’t push her away. We stood like that for a moment, locked in a silent battle of wills.
“On the bed, now,” she said again, cocking an eyebrow at me. “I mean it.”
I was so tired, the pain was so bad, and most importantly, I couldn’t bring myself to say no to her. It felt good not to have her mad at me. Having her look at me with such care. Just having her here, not walking away.
I released her wrists and let my arms fall to my sides as I sat. “Fine.”
She smiled, a knowing little one, like she knew she had just won a round against me. She reached with delicate hands for the buttons of my shirt, and as she undid them, I tried not to moan at how good her fingers felt against my skin.
Instantly, just like that, all the pain faded from my neck. Her touch burned through me, causing agony of an entirely different kind.
Once my shirt was off, she pointed to the bed. “Lie down, will you?”
I raised an eyebrow, giving her a small, knowing smile of my own. “Lie down?”
“I’m offering you a massage.” She rolled her eyes, but I noticed the hint of color rising in her cheeks. “Don’t flatter yourself by thinking it’s anything more.”
I felt the corner of my mouth twitch. “Uh-huh.”
She made a play move to whack my shoulder, and I ducked, falling to my side on the bed, laughing as I heard her giggle. The quick move made my neck crick worse, but this time I hardly noticed. It was good, us joking and laughing together.
“I need access to your neck.” She smiled down at me, getting into bed and sitting upright on her knees, hovering over me. I took a mental snapshot of that picture, her in my bed, then tried to think of anything but her just to keep my dick in check.
It was better, I thought, for my restraint, to turn face down and not see her gorgeous, smiling face at all.
I closed my eyes, settling into the bed. The mattress dipped as Beatrice sat beside me. She stilled for a second, hesitating, before I felt her hands on my shoulders.
“Tell me if I hurt you,” she said softly.
I bit my tongue to not tell her that nowadays, the only time I didn’t hurt was when I was with her. She and I had been through our ups and downs, and tonight, I didn’t want to push her any further.
Her hands were soft, but powerful for a woman so tiny. I felt a smile on my face as she gently worked through the knots in my muscles, teasing out the tension. She started at the base of my neck, her fingers massaging outward, before both hands reached for my shoulders. With each touch, each move, I felt myself drift further and further into myself.
It had been a long time since anyone had touched me with such love.
She moved down my spine. Inch by inch, thumbs pressing into knots while her fingers moved outward in soft circles. God, it felt incredible.
“Where did you learn to do this?” I groaned, my voice muffling in the pillow.
“Elena used to have terrible migraines when we were kids,” she said, her thumbs pressing into a particularly tight spot that made me hiss. “I’d massage her neck and shoulders to help her sleep.”
Her hands moved lower, working the muscles along my spine, reaching my lower back. The pain in my side began to dull, replaced by a pleasant heaviness in my limbs. I found myself relaxing more than I had in months, maybe years.
“Those girls,” Beatrice said after a while, her voice barely above a whisper. “Will they really be safe?”
“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled, softly, finding myself in that sweet spot between being half-awake and half-asleep. “They’ll be okay.”
“Good,” she whispered, so low that I think I must have dreamt it up. The last thing I remembered was the touch of her hands, still going strong as I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 18 - Beatrice
I sat alone in the dining room, taking a deep whiff to let the smell of coffee fill my senses. I was still feeling drowsy, despite having been up for an hour already, showered and dressed.
