Page 22 of Chasing Temptation
Chapter Seven
Something drags me from my sleep and I lie awake for a few seconds before I realise what it was when Quinn flinches beside me again.
“No, no. Don’t touch me.”
My stomach turns over at what she must be reliving.
“Shhh…Quinn. It’s okay. I’m here, you’re safe.” I gently stroke her cheek, the roughness of my thumb scratching lightly at her delicate skin.
Her head thrashes from side to side and I expect her to wake, but after a few more seconds, her breathing slows and she falls back to sleep.
Seeing the evidence of what she experienced first-hand is enough to have me wanting to go back and finish the job I started on that motherfucker. There might not have been any charges after I assaulted him, but I’d happily take whatever I’d get if I were able to get my hands on him again.
When I wake again, the bed beside me is empty and the sheets are cold. The ball of dread that’s still sitting heavy in my stomach after her admissions last night grows. She’s not okay right now, but I’m at a total loss for what to do to help. Without knowing what happened, I don’t even know what I’m dealing with.
The sound of water running fills my ears and I push myself up so I’m sitting. My need to go to her is too much to ignore, and before I know it I’m making my way towards the bathroom. I’m expecting the door to be locked, her way of keeping her distance, but I’m pleasantly surprised when I find it once again opens when I push the handle down.
Taking it as an invitation, I walk inside to find her.
Her back’s to me as she stands under the waterfall shower. My eyes should be locked on where the torrent of water runs down over her back and onto her arse, but instead my muscles lock, my fists clench, and by some fucking miracle I manage not to growl like a feral fucking beast at the sight of the bruises that cover her body.
Blood rushes past my ears as my need to find that motherfucker and end him consumes me. I’ve no idea that I make a noise, but Quinn spins, her eyes wide as she tries to cover her body with her arms. But it’s too late. I’ve already seen that that motherfucker’s had his hands on what’s mine.
The image of her running panicked in here last night hits me. She told me that I wouldn’t want her in the sexy nurse’s outfit I was joking about. This was why. The state of her body is why she tried to tell me that I wouldn’t want her.
I’ve closed the distance between us before I’ve registered that my feet have moved.
“Joe?” Her brows draw together, her body trembling as I step up to her and under the water, still wearing my boxers.
It takes every single bit of self-control I possess to push down the images that are racing through my mind as to how he could have made these marks on her perfect skin as I lift my hand to her cheek and stare deep into her eyes.
The love I feel for her mixes with the raging inferno racing through my veins, and it allows me to focus on her, on the person who deserves everything I have, not the cunt who should be rotting in a cell for every single person he’s hurt.
I drop my forehead to hers, our eye contact holding although hers is glassy with her unshed tears.
She wants to pull away from me and hide. Her body is locked up tight and she’s trying to build her wall up so I can’t climb over, but I won’t allow it to happen.
“You never have to hide from me, babe. You’re fucking beautiful.”
A tear drops as she shakes her head so slightly that if we weren’t touching I might miss it.
“H-He—” she sobs.
I take her face in my hands to stop her looking away from me. “He doesn’t change how I feel about you. He doesn’t stop this…” Taking her hand, I place it over my heart so she can feel it racing beneath my chest.
Her breath catches but she relaxes slightly, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Whatever happened, whatever comes next, we’ll deal with it together. I’m in love with you, Quinn, and nothing about your past, no matter how recent, is going to change that. I promise.”
Another sob erupts from her throat and I pull her body into mine. She winces as I wrap my arms around her and hold tight, and I suck in a breath as she presses against my wound. We’re both in pain, both broken, but neither of us attempts to move as the hot water cascades over us.
I’ve no idea how much time passes and, quite frankly, while she’s in my arms I couldn’t give a fuck. I’ve needed this since before I first opened my eyes and knew she was sitting beside my bed. Knowing she’d been taken from my arms inside that bedroom and having no idea what had happened to her was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. Yes, her body is showing the evidence of her ordeal, but that’ll fade soon. The wounds on the inside might take a little longer to lessen, but I’ll do everything in my power to make it more bearable for her.
Eventually, Quinn moves her head. She twists slightly and reaches up on her tiptoes so she can drop a kiss to my neck.
A shudder runs through me before she lifts higher, her breath tickling my ears. Goosebumps prick my skin as I wait for her to say something.
“I keep remembering how his hands felt on my body.” My heart thunders at her admission, and my hold on her tightens. “How badly I wanted to pull my own skin off to make it stop, to make all of it stop.” She pauses, and I wonder if she has a point or is just trying to tell me what happened, but then she makes a request she knows I’d never be able to deny. “Take it away. Make me forget. Replace it with your touch.”
