“Yes,” I murmur back, rubbing my cheek into his hand. “I'm sorry if that was triggering for you, love,” I tell him, loving the way his breath hitches at the term of endearment.
“Shit, dude, I didn't fucking think,” Kai says, obviously upset if he's cursing so much.
“It's cool,” Ash replies, looking up at Kai briefly. His steel grey gaze comes back to mine, swirling with love, and lust, and a hundred other things. “Maybe, in the future, we keep the knife and blood play to a minimum when I'm around?”
“Sure,” I reply at the same time as Kai does, also agreeing.
Ash gives me a soft smile before he leans down to place a gentle kiss on my lips, then goes back to clearing the mess of shattered plates and squashed food. I’m seriously impressed that they’re actually bothering to clean. Being the rich bastards that they are, I had expected them to just call for one of the maids to come and deal with it.
Carrying me back into the main bedroom, Kai walks over to the en suite, switching the light on as we pass. He takes us to the enormous shower, setting me carefully down onto the chaise that’s next to it as he turns it on, waiting a few moments for the water to warm up.
I watch as his back muscles bunch and cord as he goes about his tasks. Turning to face me, he stops, going to push his glasses up his nose then realising that he’s not wearing any.
“I love you, Kai,” I say with a smile as he leans down to help me up. He pauses, his hand coming to cup my jaw.
“I love you, Lilly,” he whispers gazing into my eyes with such intensity it’s a wonder the world doesn’t stop spinning.
Then he proceeds to make good on his promise, taking care of me thoroughly and showing me that he is a man of more than just words.
If only he would believe mine.
CHAPTERTWELVE
LILLY
We take a long, gloriously hot shower, where Kai washes me from top to toe until I’m squeaky clean all over, using my new favourite ginger shampoo and conditioner to wash my hair. Wrapping me in a huge white fluffy towel that he prewarmed on the heated towel rail, he grabs a medical first aid kit Ash brought in whilst we were showering. Lifting me up, he places me on the sink countertop, setting to work wiping my cuts with antiseptic and covering them with gauze bandages and tape.
“You are amazing, Lilly,” he tells me softly, placing the last bit of tape on my inner thigh to hold the gauze in place. “I don’t know why I thought I could scare you off with my darkness,” he adds, looking up at me, his eyes holding equal measure of wonder, awe, and pain. “The light you have in you shines so brightly, is so strong, that you can take any amount of darkness, and burn it away. People often mistake goodness as a weakness, but you are stronger than all of us, my darling. We would truly be lost without you.”
I don’t realise that I’m crying until I taste salt on my lips, his thumb coming up to wipe my tears away as he leans in closer, his hand then moving up into my wet hair, his fingers tangling in the brunette strands.
“You are my light, Lilly. My soul. Everything that I am, or ever will be, is yours and yours alone. And when we take our final breaths on this earth, our souls will remain bound, travelling the winds together for all eternity.”
“Oh, Kai,” I say in a broken whisper against his lips as he presses them to mine in a kiss so tender and sweet that the stars sigh.
“I promise that I will tell you everything soon. I just need some time,” he murmurs, pulling away and looking into my eyes once more, his hand still in my hair.
“Take all the time you need, my love,” I tell him, his eyes closing and a beatific smile comes over his features at my words. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I lean in, placing my head on his damp chest and wrapping my arms round him in a tight hug, sighing in pure bliss and contentment when he returns the embrace. We stay that way until Loki pops his head past the door, an indulgent and relieved smile on his lips as he looks at us.
“Time to get ready, Pretty Girl,” he tells me. “Your carriage awaits!”
I can’t help giggling when he waggles his eyebrows in that goofy way of his before disappearing again. Kai helps me off the counter, holding my hand as he leads me to the bedroom, exiting wearing only a towel to go to his room and get dressed.
On the bed I find black lacy underwear, a navy cropped t-shirt, and some new mustard yellow Run and Fly dungarees with a bee print. There’s a piece of the hotel notepaper with Ash’s elegant scrawl over it.
Wear these today.
I can’t help beaming down at the note in my hand, loving the sweet yet commanding gesture. He knew I was eyeing these very dungs up. I do as he says, pairing them with the yellow and rainbow Irregular Choice Shirly Bass shoes that Loki bought me for Christmas. I walk back into the main living room area to, once again, find all the guys waiting for me, and my gaze immediately connects with Ash’s grey one, the corner of his lips lifting to see me wearing what he laid out for me.
He walks towards me, stepping so close that I’m completely consumed by his spicy ginger scent. Leaning down, he takes a deep inhale, a low rumbling sigh escaping his lips.
“I fucking love that you use my shampoo,” he says so that only I can hear as his hand finds the bare skin on my side that the crop top leaves exposed.
Tingles and goosebumps spread from his touch as he glides his hand upwards, a hissing breath leaving him when he discovers that I didn’t quite follow his instructions. He groans as his fingers skate across my bare breast, my nipple pebbling as his thumb rubs over it.
“Why do I need underwear for a spa day?” I ask in a saucy whisper, my voice slightly breathless, loving the way he almost splutters when he realises what I’m implying.