Page 38 of Salacious Desires

I reach for her and lead her to the sink, trying my hardest to ignore my erection. “Wash your hands. Then, I’m tucking you into bed, and you’re going to tell me about your health.”

She sighs but obeys before snuggling into me when I lift her again, her warm hand resting on my bare chest. Fuck. I should have put on a shirt.

“Do you need your medication? I’m going to grab a heating pad for you,” I say after tucking her under the covers.

“Drake.” She reaches for my arms, stopping me from moving away. “I’m fine. I don’t need anything. Please stop worrying.”

I lower myself to sit on the edge of the bed, facing her. “Baby, I’m never going to stop worrying about you, so get used to it.”

Her lips curl into a smile. “I was wrong about you not being bossy.”

“I warned you.” When I wink at her, she giggles, and I breathe a little easier. Seeing her light and playful feeds my soul. “Tell me about your arthritis. What causes a flare? What helps it?”

“I was diagnosed with it about eight months ago, but I’ve been struggling with it for a couple of years.”

Narrowing my eyes, I tilt my head. “Why did it take so long for you to get diagnosed?”

She looks down at her lap and fidgets. “There are wellness people in the commune who are the cult’s version of doctors. But they aren’t actually licensed to practice, and they don’t have regular medical equipment or labs or anything like that.”

The lightness I felt a few minutes ago is gone. Whatever she’s about to tell me, I’m not going to like.

“I saw the wellness people about the pain I was having, but they told me to stretch more and gave me some oils to use. It progressively got worse, and when it got so bad I could barely walk or get out of bed, Jack took me to the hospital. That’s when I ran into Hannah again. She’s a nurse. Anyway, they ran some tests and diagnosed me with arthritis. The anti-inflammatory medication they gave me helps, and it’s mostly been in remission since I started taking it.”

As gently as possible, I reach under the blanket and start massaging her ankle. She closes her eyes and hums. “That feels like heaven.”

“So, you suffered through the pain for years before your asshole ex-husband finally took you to a doctor?”

My words are more forceful than I meant, but I’m barely hanging onto my anger. How many other women and kids aren’t getting the treatments they need?

“I couldn’t cook and clean for him, so I guess that was a big enough problem that it required an actual doctor. It was only my second time being outside of the commune in my life.”

Jesus.

“You said that’s when you saw Hannah?”

Lily smiles, her eyes watery, and my heart breaks for her. “Hannah ran away when she was sixteen, right before she was about to be forced to marry. She’s a nurse , and when she saw me, she offered to help. Jack didn’t recognize her, so he didn’t think twice about leaving me alone in the exam room.”

Unable to stop myself, I scoot up and reach for Lily, pulling her into my arms. Even though I haven’t met Hannah yet, she’s already one of my favorite people in the world.

“She and I were actually talking about it earlier today. About how we feel guilty that we got away and others haven’t.”

Shaking my head, I take hold of her chin so she’s forced to look at me. “Don’t ever feel guilty. You did what you had to do to save yourself.”

Her eyes fill with tears. “I just wish there was something I could do to help them.”

Clenching my jaw, I stare at her, studying her beautiful heart-shaped face. “Maybe you can.”

“What?”

“I’m working to dismantle the entire cult. I have a friend who is making a plan and putting things in place. We will make sure the women and children are safe. Those women know you, maybe you can help with getting them to trust my friends.”

She perks up and bobs her head. “Anything. Hannah would help, too.” Then, her shoulders drop. “But, how? Where will they go? Will they get split up? None of them have work experience. They don’t know anything beyond the commune.”

Hugging her closer to me, I bury my face in her hair, taking in a whiff of her scent. “Let me worry about all of that. I’ll make sure they get everything they need to be happy and successful.”

“Drake, why are you doing this?” Her voice is tortured and sad. I pull back so I can look her in the eye.

“Because I’m in love with you, Lily. And because what’s happening up there isn’t right.”

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