Page 145 of Avenging Azalea

Fawn stared at me for a long moment, the silence between us thick. We’d said all there was to say, and the only thing left was quiet understanding. I thought she might cry again, or maybe fold into my arms, instead, she reached for the hem of her shirt.

Her movements were deliberate. Not seductive, but not shy. She pulled the top, with the Small Paws logo on the chest, over her head and tossed it aside. Fawn no longer hid behind a mask. The bruises, the scrapes, and the echoes of everything she’d been through clung to her skin like shadows, and yet she still glowed from within.

There was no shame in her eyes, just exhaustion. I understood her and what she needed before she spoke a word.

“I don’t want to feel him anymore,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want the memory of his hands to live on my skin. I just want to feel you.”

Fawn pushed the scrub pants over her hips and wiggled them down until she could step out of them. Looking up, she grabbed my hands and placed them on her waist like she needed me to ground her.

“I want you to wipe this night, and everything that was ever done, off of me, Titus. I want to feel something good. Something that makes me feel alive, something that…makes me feel like I’m me.”

My throat tightened, and I nodded. I pressed my lips to Fawn’s forehead, her temple, the corner of her mouth, and finally brushed them against her lips.

“Then I’ll wash every trace of him away.”

She leaned into me, and I held her warm body against mine. With quick efficiency, I removed my black T-shirt and matching cargo pants before lifting Fawn into my arms.

Reaching into the shower, I turned the tap and waited until the water was hot. I stepped in, closed the door, and held her as the stream beat down on the two of us. Fawn rested her head over my heart.

Her body trembled, but she never looked away from my eyes as I slowly placed her on her feet.

I lathered my hands with her favorite soap and gently cleansed her skin. But it was so much more. With each caress, I washed away the trauma of her past. Every inch. Every scar. Every bruise. I kissed her shoulders, her spine, her wrists. I didn’t touch her like someone who needed comfort, because her hands offered it to me. Her featherlight touch had put me back together.

When she stepped in close, wrapped her arms around my body, and let out a deep, gut-wrenching breath…I knew. Fawn wasn’t trying to forget. She was choosing to heal.

With me.

Chapter

Forty-Eight

FAWN

The shadows locked away in my mind had been set free tonight. Neil had forced me to face my past and the girl I once was. One look from him, and I was thrown back in time. Same man. Same evil. But this time, the ending was different because I was different. Because I was stronger and had someone in my corner. Someone who heard me, saw me and loved me no matter what.

Titus’s hands moved over my body with a gentleness so sure it unraveled everything inside of me. He rubbed at the red marks on my wrists and massaged my muscles until the tension had flowed down the drain with the water.

Each swipe erased the horror from my skin, softening the edges of my pain, replacing it with something quieter. I didn’t just crave his touch…I needed it as I needed him to drown out the echo of everything that came before.

His fingers found every tender place, and even though he wasn’t trying to seduce me, the ache bloomed anyway. I wanted him to wipe it all away. Not just tonight, but every last bit of lingering pain that had been clinging to me like an unwanted guest.

Turning in his arms, I ran my hands up to his shoulders and loved the fierce look in his eyes. Sliding them down the hard expanse of his chest and then carved abs, I watched him closely as my fingers wrapped around his hard shaft. The deep groan he made was exactly what I wanted.

We hadn’t bothered with the lights. The glow of the little nightlight Titus kept just for me was enough. His gaze swallowed me whole. And still…he waited.

Titus’s deep gold eyes burned with desire. His chest rose with each breath, rough and uneven, but he didn’t move. He could have. With one hand, he could’ve bent me to his will, taken what he wanted. But that wasn’t his way.

Titus’s greatest strength was in his restraint. He led without ever needing force. And somehow, that quiet command…the power wrapped in patience…made me want to surrender everything.

“I love the feel of you,” I said, sliding my hand down to the base of his cock. His body shuddered, daring me to continue.

Titus swallowed hard, and I could easily see the pulse jumping in the side of his neck.

“You’re driving me wild, Little Bird,” he said.

It wasn’t enough. I wanted Titus at the breaking point, for him to feel as desperate as he made me. I needed to feel in control and take what I craved.

I slowly lowered to my knees.