A desire to make those sparks ignite into full-blown flames surges through me. I want to make this beautiful creature so fucking happy that she’ll forget her gruesome past.
“What?” she asks, panic lacing her tone as the smile dies away and shadows return to her face. “Did I do something wrong?”
Shaking my head, I clear my throat. “You have such a beautiful smile, it stunned me for a second.”
“Oh.” My compliment makes her self-conscious, and she climbs onto the cushion beside me before asking, “Can you scoot forward so I can get in behind you?”
I move to the edge of the seat and rest my right forearm on my thigh. While Nine shifts in behind me on her knees, I glance down at my wounds.
Usually, I would be impatient to heal, but not anymore. The longer my wounds need tending to, the more I’ll have Nina fussing over me.
A grin tugs at the corner of my mouth, and when Nina’s hands settle on my shoulders and she begins to massage the salve into my muscles, there’s no way I can stop myself from groaning.
Just like previously, she pauses for a moment before continuing. Her fingers work magic on my body, easing the deep ache left behind by being strung up like a puppet.
“Fuck, Nina,” I groan when she digs into a knot of muscles. “I don’t know where you learned to massage like this...” My sentence is cut off by the long moan escaping me, and I lose track of my thoughts. “It’s so fucking good.” Dropping my chin, my eyes drift shut as the pleasure weaves a spell around me.
By the time she finishes turning my body into jello and she moves out from behind me, I can only slump back and look at her through hooded eyes.
Not even the wildest sex I’ve had has given me this much pleasure.
A pleased smile threatens to form, but before it can, her eyes land on my lap, and they widen with panic.
It’s only then I realize my cock is rock hard and tenting my shorts.
Fuck.
I quickly sit up and grabbing one of the decorative cushions, I cover my hard-on. “Ignore it.” I clear my throat, then add, “Thanks for taking care of me.”
Nina gets up from the couch and closes the first aid kit. “It’s the least I can do.”
Tilting my head, my eyes narrow. “Do you feel it’s your duty? Because if that’s the case, I’d rather you stop.”
Her head snaps up. “No!” She realizes her voice is sharp and lowers it. “Maybe in the beginning it was my duty, but not anymore. I want to make sure you heal. I have to make sure…” her words trail away, and something dangerously close to embarrassment turns her cheeks pink. “I want to be of use to you.” When I begin to frown, narrowing my eyes, she quickly shakes her head and hurries to kneel on the couch beside me. “Please give me a moment to try to explain.”
I relax my features. “Okay.”
“I’m not doing it because I feel I have to or I’ll be punished.” Frustration flattens her mouth into a line as she tries to find the right words. “I want to, Georgi. If you need me, it will make me feel less worthless.”
Lifting my hand, I wrap it behind her neck and pull her closer as I lean down until only an inch separates our faces.
“Don’t tie your self-worth to what you can do for me, Nina. Never do that. You are an amazing mother who has sacrificed everything for her daughter. You’re a strong woman who has survived evil motherfuckers. You’re a good person who showed the enemy kindness in the middle of hell. You. Are. So. Much. More.”
I watch as my words knock the air from her lungs, while she looks at me as if I performed a miracle.
Her lips part as various emotions ripple over her face. Everything from shock to hope to awe.
“Is that what you see when you look at me?” she asks, her tone fragile as if one wrong word from me will undo all the progress I’ve made.
“Yes, Nina.” I brush my thumb over her soft skin. “I see you.”
Chapter 21
Georgi
Tears form in her eyes, and intense gratefulness overshadows all her other emotions. “My mother was the last person who saw me.” She rubs her chest as if her heart physically aches. “After she died, it all changed.”
I tilt my head and keep my tone gentle as I ask, “What happened to her?”
