his words were having an effect. His thumb made another long, slow sweep across the back of her hand, the only caress he’d allow himself in this public place. If sweet words and tender touch were all it took to rev her engine in a way she’d clearly never enjoyed before, then Sallabrook was a fool to not have realized it. If he’d changed his methods at all, I might not be sitting here with her. Bane hated that tiny bit of satisfaction burning inside him, knowing it came at the cost Myrt had already paid.
Never again. She’d never suffer as she had, not if he had a damn thing to do about it. If he could rouse her with gentle caresses and affectionate teasing, he’d do it again and again until she showed him she was ready to take the next step. It’s all up to her. The vows blazed through his head, echoing like truth spoken into a well following the tumbling fall of a silver coin.
Bane gave her hands a squeeze and, when Myrt lifted her eyes to meet his, told her, “You’re so much more than simply okay, sweetie.” Her blush deepened even as the corners of her lips curled up. “And I know you’re hungry, so let’s dig in before it gets cold.” He indicated the chocolate shake with a glance, gaze returning to Myrt’s face to see her smile had grown. “Or before it melts. Whichever you wanna tackle first.” Another squeeze, then he reached for his silverware, arranging things on the table as she had. “Now, tell me about your brothers. I wanna know what to expect when we see them.”
She lifted a bite of her eggs on a suddenly shaky fork, barely managing to complete the arc to her mouth. Eyes downcast, she chewed, the tiny space between her brows furrowed deeply.
“Luke’s always been a sweet boy. Innocent, you know?” She gave him a sideways glance, and he nodded, then took a bite to encourage her to do the same. It worked, and her hands were steadier with this attempt. She swallowed and licked her lips, gaze fixed on her plate as she spread jelly on her already-buttered toast. “He never got into the rough-and-tumble the other boys did, hung back and watched, but didn’t like being touched like that. A gentle soul, Momma’s pastor used to say about him. Thad’s always played the role of his protector. Marian told me how he stood between Luke and boys at school, or between him and Daddy.”
Bane nudged her shake towards her, and she picked it up with a smile. He immediately regretted it when she attempted to drink through the straw. Her cheeks hollowed obscenely with the attempt when the thick liquid defied her. Frowning prettily, she tried to stir it with the straw, but it was too weak to make any headway. He grabbed his unused spoon and plunked it into the glass, wrapping his fingers around hers to hold it steady as he stirred the thick mixture. He ignored the jolt that ripped through him when she smiled at him, pink tongue flicking out to innocently lap at a drop of ice cream on her bottom lip. Down boy. Shifting his ass on the seat, he tried to also ignore his half-mast dick, which thought bending her over this table was the best idea it’d heard in years.
“So Thad’s a protector?” Pulling his hands back, he forced himself to not watch as she attempted the straw again. “He’s the youngest of you all, right?”
“Mmhmm. Even before I left, he was stepping up for Luke.”
“Before you were taken.” Bane gently corrected her, knowing if he couldn’t get her to see she wasn’t complicit in how things had shaken out for her, she’d take on a heavy burden of guilt if things had gone badly for the boys. As expected, she tipped her head to the side quizzically, teeth crunching through one corner of a piece of toast. “You didn’t leave, baby.” For once, Bane didn’t pause to enjoy her reaction to that word. He plowed ahead. “You were taken from your family and cast into a role you would never have accepted under your own accord. Taken, baby.”
She nodded slowly, the tiny frown appearing between her brows again. Just as slowly, she repeated his words, sounding out the syllables as if they were a foreign language. “Before I was taken.”
Bane tightened his jaw at how confused she looked, sending her every ounce