Page 15 of Taeja

“I can’t walk,” she said before clearing her throat. “Or talk.”

A chuckle came from above her. She peeked open an eye and smiled weakly at Zain. His face had morphed back into a blank slate, but that didn’t matter.

He was opening up to her, and that was good enough for her.

Damon slowly pulled out of her. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Taeja shook her head and snuggled closer to Damon’s chest. Closing her eyes,she released a heavy sigh. “I’m tired. I can’t move.”

“That’s fine. I’ll take care of you,” he said, making her heart flutter.

No one had ever cleaned her up after sex before.

Opening her eyes, she leaned off him and looked down at him with a tired smile. “Thank you.”

His brows furrowed momentarily before he gave her a soft smile. “You don’t have to thank me, Taeja. You deserve to be taken care of. You were great.”

She smiled and looked away from him. Not seeing Zain, her smile washed away. How was it possible that this man could disappear so quickly? “Where’s Zain?” she whispered. “He never stays.”

Damon sighed. “He wants to. Just give him time.”

His words should’ve alleviated the pain settling in her chest, but they didn’t. She nodded numbly.

“I’m going to run you a bath,” he said, carefully taking her off him. As she got comfortable on the sofa, he stood to his full height. “I’ll be back.”

“Okay.” Taeja watched as he entered the bathroom, and she listened as the water ran.

Was it foolish to want a man whom she just met to submit to her?

Sure, the Stark brothers were opposites. But the way Zain treated her at times made her feel like he didn’t like her. Before she could get more lost in her thoughts, Damon came into her view. He had on shorts now.

He scooped her up bridal style and carried her to the bathroom, then settled her in the warm, vanilla-scented bath. “What fragrances do you like?”

“Lavender,” she said, and he chuckled.

“I’ll get that for you next time.”

“Next time?”

“You think we’re having sex with you only once?” he asked as he sat on the edge of the bath and started to gently scrub at her skin with a washcloth.

“Mi nuh know. It’s hard for me to tell right now.”

Damon sighed. “Zain’s story isn’t mine to tell.”

She understood that, but it didn’t make his conflicting actions toward her hurt any less. “What’s yours?” she asked.

Damon paused for a moment, then he stopped bathing her altogether. He dropped the washcloth into the bathwater, wiped his hands on his shorts, and leaned back on the wall. “What do you want to know?”

“What do you do for work?”

“Head of the IT department for the company I work at,” he answered. “You?”

“I don’t work,” she said. “I’m going into my fourth year of college, but I’m on summer break.”

“What are you studying?”

“Computer science.”

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