Page 72 of Kai's Hunger

“Let me help,” Kai urged. “I’ll be discreet.”

I could feel my cheeks heat at the idea of Kai seeing my nude body. Bruises, cuts, and all. Still, I didn’t relish the idea of being alone with my awful thoughts. “Okay,” I rushed to agree. At his surprise, I added, “I trust you.”

“You won’t regret it.” He pushed open the door and flipped on the light, bathing the room in a gentle glow.

My suitcase sat open on top of the dresser, clothes sticking out in a bundle of wrinkles. I made my way toward it and picked out a pair of soft, grey jogging pants and an oversized hunter-green sweatshirt. I remembered when my friend Lisa had gotten it for me. It’d been Christmas time and we’d gone shopping for last-minute gifts. The sweatshirt had been in the clearance bin. I hadn’t wanted to spend the money on myself so Lisa had snatched it up and bought it. It made me smile to think of the happy moment amidst all the chaos surrounding me now.

“Lily?” Kai’s deep, calm voice tore me from memory lane. He stood in the doorway leading to the bathroom. He’d already turned on the water.

I smiled. “I’m okay,” I replied, hoping to relieve his worries.

He stepped out of the way, allowing me to enter the small room. “It’s warm, but not hot. You’ll want to ease into the water because of your cuts.”

Kai stood at the doorway, commanding attention with his powerful presence. His sculpted body, every contour of his muscular form, was etched with determination. The faded jeans he wore clung to his legs, accentuating his well-defined thighs and calves, as if tailor-made to showcase his physical prowess.

A long-sleeved black shirt hugged his torso snugly, emphasizing his broad shoulders and chiseled chest. The fabric strained against the tension of his muscles, speaking to a life dedicated to physical activity. The shirt’s sleeves bunched up at his biceps, hinting at the raw power he possessed.

His hair was as usual a wild, shaggy mess that fell over his forehead and tumbled down to the nape of his neck. The unkempt strands framed his ruggedly masculine face. His intense gaze exuded an aura of brooding complexity. His facial hair lined his jaw, adding to his enigmatic allure.

However, the intensity in his eyes was momentarily softened by concern as they locked onto me. I stiffened. Concealing the bandages and bruised skin wasn’t going to happen. “Don’t do that,” I warned. “Don’t look at me as if I’m about to break.”

Kai’s brows knitted together, the anger plain to see in the tenseness of his jaw. “I see strength, Lily. Strength and beauty. That’s all I see when I look at you.”

Despite his words, his imposing presence, his concern for me was still evident. As if he were fighting to keep his emotions in check. He stepped forward, his movements deliberate, as if seeking to bridge the emotional distance that had suddenly grown between us.

“Kai,” I breathed his name, letting it linger in my mouth.

“Lily,” he murmured, his arms at his sides, fists clenched as if having a difficult time staying still.

I could relate. My emotions were swirling like a hurricane inside. His big muscular body filled the space and I felt small in comparison. I lowered my head, staring at the floor. Shyness clung to me like a second skin, my natural inclination to be bold overshadowed by a suffocating apprehension. “I can still feel him,” I confessed, desperately aching to meet Kai’s gaze, to show him the strength I knew that I possessed deep inside, but my confidence had abandoned me.

“Would you like my touch instead? Feel my hands along your skin? Would that chase away that haunted look in your eyes, my love?”

Did I? Would I panic if he held me close? “The pain from his torture is one thing. I can handle that. But the emotional hurt that accompanies it is gnawing away at my need to move on. I don’t want this to define me.” How could I make Kai understand that Patterson had left his mark on my psyche, and the humiliation sat like a heavy weight on my shoulders?

A touch along my chin forced my gaze upward. Kai stood in front of me, his eyes filled with something very close to love.

“I’m sorry,” I groaned. “Fostine, your father, they were put through much worse, and they aren’t bellyaching about it.”

“Fostine cries,” Kai admitted. “And father has a long recovery ahead of him. Trust me, they are very much affected by what they went through. Don’t doubt that.” He paused, then added, “Get angry, Lily. Scream and curse, but don’t let that bastard steal your spirit this way.”

Anger coursed through my veins like fire, directed not only at Patterson and his goons, but at myself for allowing the situation to unfold. “Iamfurious. In that room, I begged, Kai. Begged him to stop. Begged to be released. I hate myself for that. I hate him.”

“Look at me, Lily,” he urged, his voice dark.

Summoning a smidgeon of fragile courage from deep within, I looked up slowly, meeting his eyes. They burned with an intensity that I’d never seen before. With a trembling hand, I reached for him, cupping his strong chin. “You give me strength, Kai.”

“You will never suffer his touch again,” he swore. “That’s the truth.”

“I believe you,” I whispered.

When I grasped onto the edges of the sheet, Kai’s eyes quickly closed. He really was a man of his word. Something shifted inside of me. I didn’t want to hide from him. We’d started a relationship before Patterson had swooped in and attempted to destroy it. I wouldn’t let the bastard win. I dropped the sheet to the floor. “Kai,” I urged. “You can look.”

He never hesitated to lift his eyelids. Now, with his gaze on me, raking over my body, a bout of uncertainty washed over me. His intense eyes stopped on my chest and a low growl emanated from his chest. “I’ll make him hurt a thousand times before I grant him death.”

As I stood there, even the room seemed to hold its breath, tension thickening the air. Kai watched me, fury radiating off him in waves. As if the sight of my injuries had intensified the savage instinct within him, a fierce possessiveness that only fueled his determination to make things right. His jaw clenched, and his fists involuntarily curled as he appeared to battle against the surge of anger that coursed through his veins.

He stepped forward, his movements controlled but purposeful, his expression hardening. “You are such beauty,” he praised, his voice softening, taking away some of the tension with its sincerity.

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