“Argh,” she screamed, turning to face him, her hand on her chest. “Christ, you scared me.”
“Sorry. I thought you would have heard me.” What an idiot. Why hadn’t he called out from the bedroom?
“It’s okay.” She wiped at her cheeks. Had she been crying? “Come in.”
Dylan stepped in, grateful that it was a double shower and could fit his wide shoulders.
“Are you all right, Tilly? Have you been crying?” He cupped her face. Had she been in here stressing out by herself? “You’re not alone. Lean on me. I know this is terrifying, but I’m here for you and I won’t let anything hurt you.”
“I’m not worried about me. Well, I’m a bit worried about me.”
“You’re worried about me?” he asked, surprised.
“About you and Miller. I just can’t believe she would do this to me, Dylan. I just don’t see her betraying me. Not unless she had no other choice.” Her voice broke on a sob and he drew her against his chest, holding her tight. He felt so helpless in the face of her tears.
Running his hand up and down her damp back he just held her as she cried. Best she get it all out rather than hold it inside and let it fester. When she was finished, he pulled her out of the shower and grabbed a towel.
Dylan dried her off then wrapped another towel around her. He lifted her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.
After setting her on the bed, he grabbed her hairbrush from the bedside table. He knelt behind her on the bed and gently brushed her long hair.
“I want you to listen closely. We are going to solve this problem. I know it’s scary. I’m scared too.”
Tilly looked over her shoulder at him in surprise. “You are?”
“Yeah. Only an idiot doesn’t get scared. Turn back around, I’m not finished. I’m scared, but I’m also confident that we’ll fix this. I’m tough, I’m strong and I’m stubborn. You need to trust that I can take care of you and myself.”
“I do. I’m just feeling overwhelmed.”
“I know. After we’ve sorted out this mess about t
he money, we’ll find your friend, okay? We’ll make sure that no one is forcing her into anything she doesn’t want.”
Her shoulders slumped with relief. “Thank you. I just need to hear her side.”
“I get it.”
“I called my boss,” she said. “He gave me two weeks off. He said I never took time off so I was well overdue.”
“You didn’t tell him where you were?”
“No, I just said I had a family emergency.”
“Good.”
“I feel like I’ll never get Javier completely out of my life. Even though he’s dead, he’s still causing me pain. He was even more evil than I had imagined. He put my family in danger and now this. Why did I fall for his lies? How could I have been so stupid?”
“A mhuirnín, what happened with Javier wasn’t your fault. You were young and he used you. He was older, charming and persuasive. You can’t keep carrying this around, it will eat you up. I know what it’s like to let guilt overwhelm you. At some stage, you just have to let it go.”
“I know.” She let out a deep breath. “What now? It feels weird just waiting around. I feel like I should be doing something.”
“You should,” he replied firmly. She needed a distraction and he was happy to provide it. “See that armchair over there. I want you to sit on it, your legs on the arms and your ass at the edge.”
Tilly blushed slightly but jumped up and did what he was ordered. He might not be able to get her to believe that none of this was her fault, but he could take her mind off her worries. Even if just for a short while.
“Beautiful,” he told her, walking over to her. “Place your hands under your breasts, offer them to me.”
Dylan knelt down on the floor. Even kneeling, he was still taller than she was. Leaning in, he licked his tongue over each nipple until they were hard.