Evelyn wanted to die when Casey helped her remove her clothes. Knowing he would see the evidence of Marcus’s assault had her skin crawling and her stomach in knots. She didn’t want to tell him at all but knew he had the right to the truth.
He didn’t comment about it, for which she was grateful, rather just asked if he could lay with her. She desperately needed his strength wrapped around her. When he didn’t climb into the bed immediately, she looked over her shoulder to see him undressing. His body was a work of art, all sculpted muscles and gleaming tan skin. Dark tattoos covered his shoulders and arms. The designs that stood out the most were the stars on his side right over his ribcage and on his right front shoulder. They were inked as just outlines, and for some reason, she felt like they were empty…missing something.
Her eyes darted away from him when he caught her, but a magnetic force drew them back almost immediately. A sensual smirk played on his lips, and his eyes sparkled in amusement. The scruff on his face gave him a sexy yet rugged appeal. There was just enough coverage that said he didn’t give a fuck whether he was shaven or not.
As he turned his back to her so he could sit on the bed, a gasp of shocked pain left her mouth at the sight of a scar from what was undoubtedly a bullet on the back of his shoulder. Without thought, her hand drifted to him tracing the jagged skin. He tensed, and she knew he was waiting for her questions. After their last bout of Q and A, she kept them to herself. She wanted him to tell her at his own pace.
Sitting in just his boxer briefs, she couldn’t help letting out a sigh of appreciation. He truly was beautiful. His dark hair and eyes gave him a mysterious appeal that was well-deserved. It made her want to unlock all of his secrets and expose him to all of hers.
She watched with rapt attention as he began the process of taking off his prosthesis. The pulling of Velcro from the strap around his thigh was almost deafening in the quiet of the room. Placing it against the night table, he began to slowly roll the protective sock down his thigh, over the ball of his knee, and off. Unveiling what looked like a painful stump, it was red as though he’d worked it too hard for too long.
Some of the skin looked dry and cracked. It was upsetting to see. Not because she couldn’t stomach the image, but because she couldn’t begin to imagine how much he went through to get where he was now. The surgeries and rehab must have seemed endless at a time when he probably wanted to disassociate with society.
After he had everything removed and put where he wanted, he grabbed a cream from the drawer of his night table. When he popped the cap, Ev jumped at the opportunity to help him.
“Can I?” she asked timidly, reaching her hand out.
He gave her a funny look like who does that but handed her the tube he was holding. Climbing from the bed, she kneeled in front of him. Almost intimidated by the rippling muscles in his thighs.
Popping the cap, she squirted a dollop into her palm. Rubbing her hands together to warm it up, she began massaging just above his knee where the redness started. Touching him with her fingers, she applied the cream gently and felt a light shiver run through him. Digging her thumbs into the tight knots she felt in the muscles, he moaned what sounded like a cross between pain and pleasure.
“This okay?” she asked quietly.
“So fucking okay,” he groaned, leaning back on his hands and watching her on the floor at his feet. Her fingers moved on their own as she met his eyes. They were hooded and shining with arousal.
Her offer of help went from wanting to know him better to a sexual awareness she hadn’t expected. With every dig of her fingers into his taught skin, he tensed, and she could see the outline of his cock twitching and slowly rising with his arousal.
Soon she was glued to watching him grow. The more she touched, the larger he became. Eventually, she began to squirm, her thighs pressing together as liquid heat pooled in her panties. She wanted this man with everything in her. She was just terrified she wasn’t ready.
Deciding it was now or never because there was no appropriate time to tell the man you wanted to be intimate with that you were violated, Ev blurted out, “He forced himself on me.” She glanced down at his leg, not wanting to see the dangerous look that would surely enter his eyes. The longer she waited, the deeper her fingers dug into his skin until they were cramping.
He finally grabbed her wrists and pulled her up to sit in his lap. “How?” was his growled response.
Daring a look at his face, she saw pain and anger waging a war inside him. “When you dropped me off, I tried to be quiet. He caught me off guard.” Her throat clogged up at the remembered fear at his attack. “He thinks that because my sister’s a whore, I should be, too. He pushed me against the door and forced his body against mine.” She had to pause to take a breath and gather her thoughts.
“Did she know of his interest in you?” His words were hard. She nodded, and he cursed. “Fucking Christ. What else did he do?”
Evelyn knew that the deadly calm he was portraying was deceiving. He was planning Marcus’s demise, and she didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for the despicable man.
“He forced his hand down my pants and shoved his fingers inside of me.” She had to close her eyes and take deep breaths so she didn’t vomit remembering what happened. “I got sick on our feet. The feel of any part of him not only touching me but inside of me made me vomit. He got so angry that he spun me around and slammed my head against the door. I was so dizzy.” Tears began to flow in steady rivulets down her face. “When I tried to break free, he shoved another finger in me. The burn as he tore my flesh was so brutal, Casey, I thought I would die. I don’t remember why he let me go. The relief that he did was so immense that I laid in a ball on the floor for hours.”
Her body shook with fear and pain just thinking about it and having to relive it made her want to die all over again. “I got you, Kitten, shhh.” Case soothed her.
She was so grateful that he’d finally come for her. She hadn’t slept in days for fear Marcus would come back for more. With no way to contact Casey, she was left to either wait for him to rescue her or for Marcus to destroy her.
There wasn’t a time in Casey’s whole life that he’d felt so helpless over a situation. Guilt wracked his entire body as Ev cried in his arms. Her sorrow was tangible. With every tear that fell, it felt as though he was being whipped. He wanted to wash away her pain, beat down her shame, show her that she was the most perfect creature in his world.
He had so many regrets where their relationship was concerned—pushing her away, closing off his heart. Her being assaulted was his biggest. If only he hadn’t let her go home. If only he’d fought to keep her with him. So many what ifs or what could have beens. He knew he had to let them all go, or the uncertainties would consume him, and this relationship wouldn’t be in any better of a place than they were before.
No doubt remained that he would make Marcus pay for what he had done to her. It was just a matter of timing and making sure Ev never found out.
“Casey?” Her quiet question brought him out of his nearly murderous thoughts.
“Yeah, Ev?”
“I’m so tired.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she yawned.
Moving further up the bed so his back was resting against the wall, he drew her between his legs, laying her head on his chest. “Rest, baby, I got you.”