Limitless Love (Lotus House #4)(16)
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
She sighed, her shoulders sinking with each pass of the cloth. “Fine.”
I waited, knowing that her mind was probably working a mile a minute—or shutting down.
“No, that isn’t right.” Her voice cracked and rose with her ire. “I’m not fine. I’m tired. Bone tired. Weary. And so angry. Angry at Kyle and at myself.”
I flinched and clenched my teeth, trying to take the edge off my frustration. “At yourself? You had nothing to do with this man’s actions. You cannot take on that blame.”
Monet shook her head and cringed as I dabbed lightly at what looked like a tender spot. Gooseflesh popped up all over her skin, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss every inch of her exposed back and neck. My instinct was to show her affection, ease her mind and body. Warm her up. Even after being attacked, with abrasions and scratches all over her olive skin, her hair tangled and dirty, she was still the most gorgeous woman I’d ever had the pleasure of looking at.
Her back was long, lean, and arched seductively. Her toned legs curved deliciously in the right places. An image of those limbs wrapped high around my hips as I pounded into her from above skittered across my mind—an unwanted but not unpleasant image.
Shit, Clay. Get your mind out of the gutter. The woman needed me to be there for her, not fantasize about her in the sack.
“But I can’t help it,” she continued. “I’m the one who married him. I’m the one he cheated on and left.” She twined her fingers around one another in a nervous gesture.
I scoffed on a growl. She honest to God blamed herself. Had some kind of twisted rationale flapping around in her head that it was her fault. I groaned. She couldn’t possibly believe she was unworthy of a good man. The concept of any man leaving this gorgeous woman and her adorable child did not seem anywhere near the realm of reality.
“Yeah.” She blew out a fast breath through her lips. “And you know who he chose to cheat with and leave me for?”
Physically I braced, knowing that whatever she said was going to piss me off beyond compare. “Who?”
She lifted her face and met my gaze in the mirror. Her eyes were glassy saucers of hurt and pain. “My baby sister. The black sheep and soil on my family’s good name. And I haven’t spoken to her since.” Her lip trembled, and I wanted so badly to kiss away that wound, give her something better to look forward to.
Jeez-us. Her douche ex-husband had left her for her sister. Proved the man was indeed insane. I considered myself a good judge of character and I knew a solid and beautiful woman when I saw one. Monet Holland was that and more. The whole enchilada.
“And Lily? He doesn’t see his daughter?” A protective spur tightened the muscles of my free hand. I tried to loosen my fist, but the biting anger over a man leaving his child filled me with disgust. When I thought I was going to be a father, I couldn’t have been happier. My buddy Trent lost his mind over Viv being pregnant with his baby, in a good way. Atlas just found out about his impending fatherhood, and he couldn’t take his hands or eyes off his woman’s stomach. The right man would feel pride in his young.
Monet shook her head. “That’s just it. We couldn’t conceive naturally. We tried for two years, and it never happened. Then finally, I got him to agree to get checked out. Turned out his swimmers were few and far between.”
“Okay…but it obviously worked because I’ve been hanging out with the queen for two days.” I waggled my eyebrows dramatically in an attempt to lighten the heaviness of our chat.
Monet smiled at my nickname for Lily. Technically it was a nickname the little one had given herself.
“Yes, but Lily is a product of a sperm bank and me. At the time it seemed like the best option. Once Lily was born, Kyle didn’t want anything to do with her. He rarely held her, never did any of the normal things fathers do, like rock her to sleep, change her diapers, or feed her. By the time she turned a year old, he hardly looked at her.”
I closed my eyes and placed one hand at the nape of Monet’s neck. “I’m sorry. There aren’t words that can describe the level of revulsion I have for your ex.”
“Get in line.” She chuckled.
That small laugh filled my soul with happiness. Piece by piece, word by word, this woman was worming her way into my heart without even trying.
Realizing that I was getting far too close much too soon, I backed away and tossed the washrag into the sink, pulled the plug, and let the water drain out. “Now we need to bandage. Tomorrow, during the day, you may want to give the stitches some air time.”
“Yeah, that’s what the doctor said too.” She clutched the towel in front of her chest.
I focused on all the hospital supplies Mila had placed on the counter. Gauze and medical tape for her back. Neosporin for her knees, elbows, and palms.
“I’m going to start with your back. I’ll put them on pretty loose.”
“Thank you, Clay. I don’t know how to…” Her voice shook, as did her body. The woman needed rest and time. Time to heal and to deal with the severity of what had happened to her.
Once more, I placed my hand on the crook of her neck, only I brought my face eye level. With my thumb, I caressed the apple of her cheek. A spattering of freckles fanned across her nose and cheeks like a dusting of cinnamon. So pretty. “I want to be here. You do not need to keep thanking me. For reasons I can’t explain, that I’m not exactly sure of…I just…uh…need to. Okay?”