she thought he’d hurt her but because she knew she didn’t stand a chance against him.
Worse, she wasn’t certain she wanted to stand up to him. It was far easier to allow him to take charge. Being taken care of was such a foreign concept that it tempted her. It dangled before her like the proverbial carrot before the donkey.
She jumped when the door vibrated against her hand.
“Bethany? Are you finished?”
Swallowing, she opened the door to see Jace standing a few feet away. He glanced down her body and frowned.
“I need you to take those jeans back off. I was supposed to bandage you up before you got dressed.”
“I forgot,” she said in a low voice. “I assumed since you left the clothing there that you intended for me to get dressed.”
“Not a big deal. Come into the living room. We’ll do it there.”
He reached out his hand to cup her elbow and then he guided her out of the bathroom, back through his bedroom and then into the sprawling living room.
He had a truly spectacular view of the city with panoramic windows.
“Slip out of your jeans,” he said. “Then get comfortable on the couch. Dinner is just about ready. By the time I get you all fixed up, we can eat.”
Knowing it was useless to argue, she unfastened the pants and let them fall down her legs.
“I know they’re too big,” Jace said as she kicked them away. He reached for her hand and pulled her down to sit next to him. “We’ll go tomorrow and get what you need. The very first thing you’re getting is a damn coat. It’s freezing out there and you’ve been running all over this damn city without proper clothing. That shit stops now.”
There was steel in his tone and yet some of the deeply entrenched cold began to dissipate at the edge of concern in his voice. He spoke like a man who genuinely cared about her well-being.
She mentally shook herself because that kind of fantasy was dangerous territory. She’d learned the hard way that she could rely on absolutely no one but herself to take care of her. And even she had let herself down. Just like all the others.
He leaned toward the coffee table, where a small first-aid kit rested. There was a long moment of silence while he applied ointment to each and every scrape and then affixed gauze and tape on the large ones and put large Band-Aids on the smaller cuts.
Before she realized his intent, he pushed her back on the couch and lifted her T-shirt.
“I don’t have any cuts there!” she cried when his hand skimmed over her belly.
His expression was murderous as he lifted his gaze to hers. “No, but you have bruises. What the fuck happened out there, Bethany? Who did this to you?”
He sounded so pissed that she flinched from the anger in his voice. It was instinctive to withdraw. Self-preservation.
A low hiss escaped his tight lips. “Goddamn it, Bethany, I’m not going to hurt you. I will never hurt you. But I want to know what son of a bitch did.”
“Y-you s-sound so a-angry.”
“Hell yes. I’m furious! But not at you, baby.” His voice softened as he called her baby, and something inside her went soft as well. “I’m pissed at the bastard who put his hands on you. And you’re going to tell me exactly how this happened.”
She went pale and her eyes widened.
Then, when she hadn’t thought he could do anything else to surprise her, he leaned over her and lowered his head to her ribs. He pressed a kiss to each and every bruise, his mouth so tender she barely felt the pressure.
Dear God, how was she ever going to resist this man?
“Do you need something for pain?” he asked.
“I’m okay,” she whispered. “Just hungry.”
He immediately lifted his head, his mouth tightening once more. “How long has it been since you ate? And don’t lie to me.”
She swallowed hard, but she didn’t lie. “Three days.”
“Son of a bitch!”
His jaw bulged and he turned away as if collecting himself before he faced her again. When he did return his gaze, there was fire in his eyes and he still looked as if he’d explode at any second.
“You have to give me a minute,” he muttered.
He visibly inhaled and exhaled through his nose before finally rising from the couch. He put his hand down, palm up, waiting for her to take it and get up too. When she let him help