“I’ve got you, Little Doe,” Asher murmurs against the top of my head.
“Did I imagine everything?” I choke out the question. It’s probably a terrible idea for me to open myself up for more pain, but you know that saying about ripping off the Band-Aid. I may as well feel all the hurt right now.
“No, Hannah. You didn’t imagine a damn thing. Tonight was…everything.”
“Then why wouldn’t he tell me who he is?”
“Because it’s complicated. I wish it weren’t. I wish I could tell you everything right here and now.” The earnestness in each word is the only thing that stops my mind from spiraling to all the times people have said something similar.
“I don’t know if I can accept that,” I admit.
He blows out a breath, his hold on me tightening. “I promise I’ll tell you everything when I can. I’m just asking you to give me a little more time.”
When I don’t immediately respond, Asher carefully stands, holding me close as he carries me through the apartment and into the bathroom.
He shifts me into one arm and bends, flicking the faucet over the bath on and testing the temperature before moving to the sink.
Asher carefully lowers me onto the cool surface, flicking his intense eyes to my face when I hiss out a breath.
“I’ll treat the bruises once you’re out of the bath,” he murmurs. He presses a sweet kiss to my forehead, lingering for a beat before he carefully undresses me.
This is what I’ve come to expect after a scene, and what my heart desperately needed after tonight, even if allowing myself this could make my broken heart that much worse.
But I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Once I’m naked, Asher steps away and adds some Epsom salt to the bath. He tests the water again, swirling it around to allow the salt to dissolve, only returning to me when he’s satisfied.
“Are you going to get in with me?”
He shakes his head. “Not tonight.”
My brows tug together, earning me a soft chuckle.
Asher sweeps his thumb over my cheek in the way that always makes my heart skip a beat. “None of that, Little Doe. You’ve had an emotional evening, and the last thing you need when you’re already sore and exhausted is my hard dick pressing into your back.”
I open my mouth to refute that, because Ialwayswant his hardness pressed against me, but he just shakes his head and carefully lifts me from the countertop.
I’m lowered into the warm bath, and a soft moan escapes my lips. As always, it’s exactly the right temperature.
Asher kneels beside the bathtub, only pausing to push up his sleeves before he takes the sponge from the shelf and adds a little too much body wash.
With so much care that it’s hard to believe the man used to beat people to a pulp for a living, he washes every inch of my body, taking extra care around my thighs. I’ll be sore for a couple of days, but it was far from the hardest punishment I’ve taken, and normally I would revel in the bite of pain every time I move the wrong way.
This time I’m not so sure.
“Thank you for letting me take care of you,” Asher says softly, trailing water over my body to wash away the suds.
“Shouldn’t I be thanking you?”
He shakes his head. “No, Han. Taking care of your needs is my greatest privilege.”
Tears well in the corners of my eyes at his sweet words. Why does he have to be so nice when I’m trying so hard to be mad at him?
Asher pushes himself to his feet and retrieves a fresh towel from the cabinet beneath the sink. Carefully lifting me from the cooling water, he pats my skin dry, making sure to get every droplet before leading me to the sink.
Familiar cream sits beside the sink, and I bend over slightly, giving him the access he needs.
He doesn’t waste a second, softly massaging the cream into my ass and the backs of my thighs with such care my heart swells.
