Home.
Jesus Christ.
Alert from a full night’s rest and being fed, my mind replayed everything that was said to me before we left my house, and I was still finding it difficult to believe that Ciro was in love with me and had plans of never letting me return to Cedar Creek.
I had scoffed at the notion that it was impossible to be in love with me after everything and in such a short time, but I remembered his own accusation that I must love him too or else I never would have slept with him.
And he was right.
People tell you love at first sight isn’t real, and for me and Ciro it was more like hate at first sight, but I couldn’t deny the pull the man had on me. Even if I didn’t want to label it love, whatever it was, it was enough to make me lose all sense of right and wrong when he was near.
Six months ago, if anyone would have told me that I’d be holed up in Ciro Mancini’s apartment while he was torturing two people, I would have laughed. I would have sworn I would never let that happen and I would call the police like a good law-abiding citizen.
Now look at me.
I was hanging out with the most dangerous people I’ve ever known to exist like it was Yahtzee night and it was my turn to host.
It was still quite early, and in fear of Phoenix doing exactly as the threatened, I told the group I was going to take a shower. I was still sore, and even after taking my pain medication with breakfast, a hot shower couldn’t hurt.
Frankie had offered to help me, but it was sad to say, I was already a pro at this. Like last time, I’ll remove the tape from my ribs, cover my stitches with a large bandage, and wash carefully. I had brought along my adhesive bandage along to wrap up my ribs afterwards, but the rest was just an unfortunate mess.
I let the hot water massage my shoulders as it rained down, and while there were massaging jets built into the tile, I didn’t want to risk that the pressure would cause more pain than relaxation. When I was healed, I’d put those jets to use, but now, I just wanted to feel clean. I wanted to wash the stench of the beating and the hospital from my body.
I wanted to stop time.
I wanted life to just stop, so I could catch my breath.
But that was a fool’s fantasy.
An idiot’s dream.
I was quickly beginning to wallow in self-pity when I heard the door to the bathroom open. “Frankie, I’m fine,” I called out. She didn’t immediately answer, but when the steamed-up shower door slid open, I knew it wasn’t Frankie.
“Everyone went home,” a naked Ciro informed me as he entered the shower.
I stepped back to make room for him, and I studied his face for…I’m not sure. He didn’t look tired, but then I suspected he was used to long hours at work.
His eyes ran down my broken body and back up again, and I could see the emotion fucking with him behind those tawny eyes of his. “It looks worse than it feels,” I lied.
The corner of his lip tilted a bit. “Liar,” he replied amusingly.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He reached around me to grab the bodywash I brought into the shower with me. “I should be asking you that.” Pouring some wash into the loofah, he put the body wash back and carefully began washing my body. “Tell me if I hurt you.” I nodded, but even if he did, I wouldn’t stop him. He was trying to take care of me, and it would seem…rude to stop him.
I placed my hands on his shoulders as I lifted my foot, so he could scrub the bottom. “Are you going to tell me what happened,” I asked just before he switched to the other foot.
He looked up at me. “Do you really want to know?” I nodded and he stood up.
This time, I reached for his bodywash and returned the favor. I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t a hardship. Ciro had the body of a god, and if my body hadn’t hurt as badly as it did, I’d be all over him.
I accidentally blurted out my thoughts. “God, I want you.”
Ciro groaned. “Baby, there’s no way I can…you’re too hurt.”
I looked up into his face. “I know,” I told him. “I know, but…I want to risk it so badly.” Ciro closed his eyes and dropped his head back. I knew it wasn’t fair to put him in this position, but I wanted him.
Ciro lifted his head and opened his eyes. “I’ll make you a deal,” he grimaced, and I could tell this was costing him. “When we get out of this shower, I’ll lay you on the bed. You’ll let me eat that delicious cunt of yours, and if your body can handle the orgasm, we’ll see about how I can fuck you without it hurting too much?”
I knew we were both fooling ourselves. Broken ribs were a bitch. Anything we did would cause me pain, but I wanted that orgasm.
“Deal,” I said, smiling. I turned around so that he could wash my hair. “Now, are you going to tell me what happened?”
Ciro’s hands were like magic in my hair, and I let my head fall back and let him do his thing. “The safe deposit box and thumb drives contained blackmail material and transactions,” he said. “The prominent citizens of Cedar Creek aren’t as squeaky clean as their uniforms and election campaigns imply.”
“Jesus,” I breathed out. “No wonder they needed that box.”
I felt a tug at my scalp. “Don’t you dare fucking sympathize with those two assholes.”
My eyes were still closed, but I rolled them anyway. “I’m not,” I denied. “I just…I can see the importance of why they needed it.”
Ciro grunted but didn’t say
