Page 99 of Her Hidden Smile

She shook her head.

She made another funny little sound. Almost like a whimper.

This time I recognized the sound for what it was. Suppressed laughter. “You knew I was going to be covered in glitter, didn’t you?” I growled.

“Maybe.”

I continued to wash her with the loofah and shook my head. It was good to see Millie smiling and laughing. Even if it was at my expense. After being held hostage, I was so impressed that she was doing so well.

Millie started to move in the bathtub, which would normally be just fine, but she was moving her injured arm.

“Millie, you need to leave it in place to let it heal. Just another few days, baby.”

“I know. I know.” She put her hand back up to rest under her chin. I finished washing her tummy with the loofah when I stopped.

“Millie, you don’t use the loofah on your scars, do you?”

She shook her head. “Even that is too rough. I use my fingers.”

“Gotcha.” I poured some bath soap into my hand and slicked it over her hips and thighs. This time when she made a sound, it wasn’t suppressed laughter. It was the kind of moan that I was intimately familiar with from our time together in her bed.

“Renzo, I don’t feel grungy anymore. I’m ready for bed,” she whispered. It almost sounded like she was slurring her words. Shit, she was too tired to eat, and now I was copping a feel with her in the tub. I was so out of line.

“Hold on, Cariña. Let me get out of the tub first, then I’ll get you out. All of your clothes, linens, pillows, and towels have all been washed twice and put back away. The down comforters were dry-cleaned. Again, that was part of the service. So, when I tuck you into bed, it will be on clean everything.”

“So good. I hope you tipped them,” she mumbled. I could barely hear her words as I stepped out of the tub and then picked her up and got her to her feet. She was woozy, so I put her good hand on my shoulder.

“Keep your hand there while I get us both dried off. You got it?”

She nodded.

I got us dried off in record time, then I picked her up and sat her butt down on the vanity. “Stay there. I’ll be back with something for you to wear to bed.”

I found a cherry blossom tank top with matching pajama shorts and went back in to find her slouched against the mirror with her eyes closed. I knew she wasn’t asleep because she still had her hand resting on her shoulder to keep her arm supported.

“Millie. Let me help you get dressed, okay?”

Her eyes remained closed as she nodded. I got the shorts on her first. “Millie, I need your help with the tank top. Let me guide this hand, okay?”

She opened her eyes and slowly released her shoulder. I guided one hand through one sleeve of the tank, then another hand through the other, then pulled it down over her tummy. I propped her back up against the mirror, then picked up the brace and put it back on her.

“Renzo, not so tight.”

“Okay.” I loosened it a little. Then I picked her up and put her to bed and crawled in beside her. It was going to be a long and uncomfortable night. I had never been so scared as when I’d found out Millie was in the hospital. Even when I found out her injuries weren’t life-threatening, I still was scared. The idea that some man had been in her home for two days, terrorizing her and brutalizing her had been hell for me.

It wasn’t until I climbed into that hospital bed two days ago and she told me what she had done, that I felt some relief. She’d never given in. She’d never lost faith. My Millie was a fighter. And I wanted to make love to her more than I wanted my next breath.

“Renzo?”

“Yeah, Cariña?”

“You’re barely even holding me, what’s the deal?”

“I am holding you,” I disagreed. I had my arms settled around her, and her head was lying on my chest.

“Yes, but you usually hold on tighter. Our legs are usually tangled together. You usually have one of your hands on my ass…”

I tugged her closer. Tighter.