Page 272 of Redeemed

“Fuck.” He presses his forehead to mine, cupping my head with both his hands. “I should’ve waited. I—I’m sorry, Haven. I wasn’t thinking.”

“No,” I whisper. My lips meet his in a kiss of reassurance. “Colton, that was… it waseverything.I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“I tossed you around and fucked you to within an inch of your life while you have aconcussion.And god knows if I aggravated any of your other injuries.” He traces his fingers down my side, eyeing the red skin that’ll probably be a big, ugly bruise in a few hours. “I got too caught up in the moment.”

“It’s okay. I’m—”

“No! I…” He looks away, clenching his jaw and breathing hard.

“Colt—”

“I can’t keep hurting you,” he forces out, and his voice is filled to the brim with desperation and regret. “I’ve hurt you enough, Haven. I’m supposed to take care of you.Protect you.And instead, I…”

“Stop. Just stop. Please, you… you can’t regret this, Colt. I need you to not regret it.”

His eyes soften, and his shoulders sag. “I don’t. I never could, angel.”

Relief spirals through me, and I hold out my arms toward him. But when he moves in, he doesn’t go for a hug. Gingerly, he picks me up and cradles me to his chest. His lips feather across my forehead as he carries me across the room.

I have no idea what he’s doing, but I don’t need to. I think… I think for the first time in my entire life, I fully believe that the man claiming he’ll take care of me actually means it. And for the first time since I met Colton, I realize I trust him, wholly and unconditionally.

In the bathroom, Colton sets me on the counter. He makes sure I’m far back enough that I can lean against the wall and then starts up a bath in his huge tub. While it fills, he steps in between my legs and wraps his arms around me. My body molds to his when he tugs me forward, and I rest my head on his shoulder.

“I’ll be okay,” I whisper, hoping to ease some of the tension I can feel in the way he’s holding me.

“I know. I’ll make sure of it.” He pulls away. “I’ll be right back, okay? Don’t move. And lean against the wall again.”

“Where are you—”

“Promise me, Haven.”

“I promise.”

“Good girl.” With a kiss to my cheek, he backs away and steps out of the bathroom.

Alone and with my back pressed to the wall, I stare at the tub as it fills with steaming water. Colton is probably hoping that it’ll help soothe the pain in my side. It’s sweet, although I wish he wouldn’t feel so guilty. This really wasn’t his fault. When I kissed him that first time, I felt mostly fine. I didn’t think it would be a problem.

Colton reappears a few minutes later with a sandwich in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

“Is that for me?” I ask.

Stepping in between my legs again, he sets a glass of water and two blue pills on the counter beside me. “Yeah. After you eat, you can take the pain meds.”

I’m not feeling particularly hungry—in fact, my stomach feels a little off—but the idea of pain relief is enough for me to get through half the sandwich. Thankfully, that seems to be enough to satisfy Colton because he doesn’t try to stop me when I take the pills.

“They’ll kick in soon.” His hands are resting on my legs, like he can’t stop himself from touching me. “A half hour at most.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s get your hair up.” He gathers it all in his hands, gently combing his fingers through it, and I realize he has one of my hair ties around his wrist.

“I can—”

“Shh. I’ve watched you do this plenty of times. I can do it.”

“Just… not as tight as I normally go, okay?”

“Of course.”

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