On the other hand, there was nothing he wanted more than to feel her soft body in his arms. It was painful to be so close and have to keep his protective hands off of her. Wishing he could heal every wound and remove every scar, he glanced over her body with a longing much deeper than lust.
“Let me take care of you,” he finally said.
Chapter Seven
Katherine
IT SEEMED KATHERINE had got bolder since she had lived in San Francisco, but she still couldn’t believe she had mustered up the courage to pop up at Ben’s house. On the cab ride over, she was filled with nerves, but when she stood at his front door, she was certain she had made the right decision. All the fear evaporated at the first sight of him.
Donned in his black pajama pants and a white t-shirt, Ben had swept her in his arms, holding her as she cried, just as she imagined he would. It was proof that he felt as deeply as she did, and being taken care of
by him was just another layer in the relationship that was brewing between them.
Now, he stood outside the bath, contemplating her request climb in. It was obvious he wanted to, she could see it written on his face, but the apprehension, probably tied in his fear of hurting her, was holding him back. Katherine found it ironic that Ben was worried about hurting her, while her husband had no remorse during his attack.
“Please,” Katherine added to her plea, and the deep breath from Ben was all the affirmation she needed that she had won him over.
Without a word, he pulled the white t-shirt over his head to reveal his washboard abs, then pulled his boxers and pajama pants down together before climbing in the tub behind Katherine. His body felt harder than normal as she backed up between his legs, resting her tired head on his chest.
“Take some deep breaths, sweetheart,” Ben advised her, carefully wrapping his arm around her body to pull her closer to him. There was no space left between them when Katherine finally found her resting point.
Inhaling deeply, she glanced around the bathroom as she held her breath, admiring the simple yet modern design. Much like his bedroom, everything in the bathroom was gray or charcoal, with some touches of black and white.
Katherine exhaled loudly, thinking of Ben’s bachelor pad, and how he probably never intended to be caring for a battered woman in his tub. She knew she was complicating Ben’s life, and Katherine had a ball of guilt spinning in her stomach because of it.
One of the major reasons she had never wanted to make new friends, or tell people about her past, was because she felt sharing the story shared the fear and the burden. People assumed she was closed off for her own benefit, but that wasn’t the case. Katherine kept her pain hidden so that no one else had to feel it, but now as she laid against Ben’s tense body she was grateful for his strength, lifting the fear from her and helping her shoulder the burden.
“Let me wash you,” Ben suggested, after a few minutes of holding Katherine gently. She nodded, still too touched for many words, and Ben began to lather a washcloth before cleaning her body so carefully it brought tears to her swollen eyes.
She had never been cared for in the way Ben did that night. He was meticulous and gentle, protective and kind. When he finished washing her body, he rinsed off the suds with a handheld showerhead. She could feel his weight shifting behind her before the water splashed as he stood and climbed out of the tub.
“Look, I’m going to leave you alone to soak, and have some time to yourself. Take as long as you want, and use those clothes when you’re done,” Ben nodded towards the pants and shirt stacked on the counter as he wrapped a white bath towel around his waist. “Holler, if you need help getting out.”
“Okay,” Katherine managed to say before Ben flashed a quick smile and left her alone in the bathroom.
She knew that time was what she needed, but she had run from it intentionally. She wasn’t exactly ready to face the consequences of last night. With Tim now knowing she lived in San Francisco, it meant she wasn’t safe anymore. Katherine needed to move on as she had every other time she’d been discovered by Tim or his minions over the past two years.
Leaving Ben without an explanation, however, was out of the question. She had to let him know what had happened, and how she felt about him, because if not, she would always regret leaving without saying goodbye.
He was the only thing keeping her from running at the moment, but the tug in her heart meant it was not going to be as easy to move as she had expected. More than ever before, Katherine had a life in San Francisco. With friends, a job, and even an apartment, a small piece of her was reluctant to move on. But Tim had found her and there was no way she could have a normal life here now that he knew she was here.
When the water cooled, Katherine decided she’d had enough, climbing from the tub before she dried herself off and slipped into the t-shirt and sweats Ben had put out for her. His clothes were of such high quality, the fabric felt like a bandage on her tender skin.
As her bare feet crept across the cold floor of Ben’s bedroom, she noticed his bed was still in pristine condition, and wondered if he too had experienced a sleepless night. The realization that he was up and worried about her touched Katherine’s heart, but also sent a pang of guilt through her stomach.
When she reached the living room, Katherine found Ben pacing, his hands on his hips as he clenched his teeth. His jaw was more defined than usual as he walked the same three feet with such intensity she wondered about the surface of the floor beneath his feet.
She could feel his fury in the air, but it was nothing like she was used to when it came to a man’s anger. Katherine’s husband wasn’t able to control his emotions and the way he expressed himself was abusive. When Tim was upset, Katherine was afraid, knowing how he chose to relieve his frustrations.
With Ben, it was different. Not only was Katherine unafraid, she wanted to relieve his frustration more than anything else in the world. Seeing him so stressed made her feel the same emotions, and her heart rate increased with every passing second as Ben continued to pace the room.
When he finally noticed Katherine in the corner of the room, Ben stopped instantly, his eyes roaming her body protectively for an extra second before he walked to her, taking her in his arms.
“I made you some tea,” he said, after hugging her silently for a moment. Katherine could sense his mood easing, simply with her presence.
When she first arrived, Ben felt high strung, but she couldn’t blame him when she was crying like a mad person. The shame had worn off, but Katherine still felt the humiliation of the night. Following behind him, it felt like an elephant had crept between them, and she thought of ways to broach the topic of discussing the evening’s events.
They needed to talk about what happened, and more than that, Katherine wanted to tell her entire truth to Ben. She wanted him to know everything, because she felt he had earned that. There was a deep connection between them, and she had never meant to withhold information from him or leave him feeling in the dark.