Page 28 of Dolly

“Dolly.” His hands grip my shoulders. “Nothing they did to you is your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

I hear his words and they make sense. They’re in the right order, and I understand them, but my brain won’t let them soak in.

“I didn’t fight them. Not like you.” I lower my gaze. Not for one minute did Ken stop pushing toward escape. He didn’t accept his lot in life the way I had. He was strong. So much stronger than I could ever be.

“You did everything you could to survive.” His voice dips, the bossy part of him starting to invade. “We have to get cleaned up and get you into something warm. We’ve been cold for too fucking long.” He pushes open the door to the bathroom. It’s no different than any other. Shower, toilet, sink. It’s all here. Normal.

“What’s in the other rooms?” He reaches into the shower to turn on the water. Steam builds immediately, and I can’t wait to get under the water.

“Two bedrooms. Not playrooms. Just regular rooms,” I tell him as he searches beneath the sink. Finding a new bar of soap, he tears into the package and hands it to me. “Okay, get in.” He gestures to the water.

“Are you going to stay here with me?” I ask. He’s free. He can run away, he can go back home, go far away from all this.

“Absolutely.” He nods with a grim smile. “Everything we do from now on is together, remember?” He pulls the shower curtain back. “In you go.”

I climb into the tub and dunk my head beneath the hot spray. I could purr, it’s so wonderful. The curtain sweeps to the side, and Ken steps in behind me. He takes up a lot of space, but I don’t mind. It’s better this way, being close to him.

“Is this okay?” he asks me. If I said no, if I asked him to go, he would. He wouldn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to do.

“Yes.” I nod, folding my arms over my chest. He’s seen me completely naked, seen the horrible marks they left on me, there’s no reason to be shy now. The water and soap clean away the dirt and blood, but my hair is matted to my scalp and the paint they put on my face has to be smearing down my cheeks.

“You don’t have to hide from me.” He brushes my arms away. “I’m going to check your nipple. He bit—” He stops, his eyes meeting mine. “I want to be sure it’s all right.”

I nod and move forward, out of the stream. With his large hand, he cups both my breasts, cradling them in his palms.

“A small cut.” He runs his thumb over the spot he’s looking at. “It will heal by tomorrow.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. His warm breath washes over my pert nipples.

He stands upright again, still holding my breasts. “I want to be honest with you. Of all things, we must always be honest. Do you agree?”

“Yes.” I can’t lie to him. The sight of disappointment in his eyes would shatter me.

“I want to kiss you. I want to kiss away all your marks and scars.” The porcelain squeaks as his feet shift closer, the water rinsing him of the evil of the past.

I lean into him, brushing my cheek against his chin. The roughness of his beard reminds me this is real. We are here together. Not in our cells. There isn’t cold cement at our feet or bars between us.

“I want that too,” I assure him. He needs to know I want his touch. He can’t think I’m afraid of him. I won’t tarnish his touch with fear.

Lowering his head, he flicks his tongue over my taut nipple, and I close my eyes. He goes easy, biting with sweet pressure before switching sides. A long swipe of his tongue across my nipple, then he devours me. I sink my hand into his hair, fisting it in my fingers.

“That’s…that’s nice.” I sound like an idiot, but it’s his fault. His touch makes my thoughts scatter too far away to reach.

He stands and walks forward until I’m beneath the stream of water again, then presses me against the tiles. His hands fist in my hair, holding me steady as he drags his mouth across mine in soft brushes before capturing me. I’m still holding his hair, and he moans when I tighten my grip.

“Fuck yes, Dolly,” he mutters between kisses, pressing his body against mine. His cock is hard, the length of him presses against me.

I lift my leg and wrap it around his waist to feel him closer. The need in me increases the deeper he takes the kiss.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he says, but doesn’t stop kissing me.

“I’m already hurting. I need you to make me feel good again. Take away the pain. Take away their touch.” I bite his lip, sweeping my tongue into his mouth.

A low growl erupts from his chest, the vibrations playing against my chest.

He releases my hair and cups my ass, lifting me until the tip of his cock is poised at my entrance.

“Please,” I beg, trailing kisses along his jaw.

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