Page 132 of Unexpected Hero

“Come here, sugar,” I whisper as I pull her back against my chest and tuck her head onto my inner arm. “Just relax now.” I brush her hair with my fingers, stroking and caressing her scalp.

Soon after, her breathing steadies and her sniffles cease.

But I don’t push her to talk or attempt to adjust our positioning. If she stopped crying, this must be helping.

We lie that way for a long while, but I have no clue how much time passes. I can’t see the clock since it’s behind me, and my watch is underneath her head. I could reach for my phone in my pocket, but it’s not worth the effort. All that matters is holding her and ensuring she feels my presence. She needs to know I’m not upset with her.

Although I can’t, for the life of me, figure out what’s wrong. I can only assume I did something wrong.

Like I usually do.

Until she’s able to talk, all I can do is hope I didn’t fuck up so badly she’s unable to forgive me.

Without speaking, she twists in my arms to face me. With the movement, the sheet dislodges a little, but she quickly covers herself.

I swipe the hair out of her face and caress her cheek before letting my hand fall back to the curve of her hip.She doesn’t speak. All she does is gaze at me with sadness painted across every inch of her face.

Her eyes are bloodshot and red-rimmed. Her nose is pink and puffy. Blotches dot her cheeks and the area around her mouth.

She’s still the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.

The urge to kiss her strums through my veins, if only to reassure myself that we’ll be okay. “You feel better?”

She swallows and licks her lips. “Yeah. I do.”

“Good. Can you tell me what happened?”

“I-I-I know I should talk about it with you, but I don’t think I can. Not right now.”

“I understand. I won’t make you talk if you don’t want to. But can you answer one thing for me?”

She props the side of her head on her open palm. “I’ll try.”

A sad smile tugs at my lips. She’s so sweet. “It’s selfish to ask, but I need to know. Did I do something to hurt you? Emotionally or physically?”

She cups my cheek with her palm. My eyes close on reflex as I lean into her touch. That heavenly touch. Such a simple gesture, but it means much more than words can convey.

But she gives me the words as well.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. You were wonderful. More than wonderful.”

“Was it just a comedown? An adrenaline drop, maybe?”

The more I think about it, the more probable it becomes. I startled her when she caught me following her too close. And then we had that argument before it escalated into this. Perhaps it wasn’t only what happened in here, but everything combined.

She shakes her head, busting my theory. “No, I don’t think so. This was all me. Just some old shit rattling around my head. It’s happened before after I... well, you know.”

Everything clicks at once.

I’ve helped women work through sexual trauma before. BDSM, bondage in particular, can provide healthy ways to overcome feelings of helplessness, shame, and guilt over what happened. It’s not how everyone chooses to deal with their past, but for those who do, it can be an effective part of recovery.

If I had known, I’d have gone about everything differently.

Did her ex succeed in assaulting her? Or was there someone else before him?

The thought sickens me, making my neck muscles strain. I grit my teeth to bite back the rage brewing.Whoever hurt her is going on my MFKL.

“Lettie, have you been,” I force my voice to remain neutral, “assaulted?”

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