“Oh, God, that’s good.”
I’m not sure what to do for her, and this is a first for me. So I simply sit and wait, letting the hot water work its magic, relaxing us both, and finally, after long minutes of me rubbing her feet and calves, she leans her head back on the edge of the tub, closes her eyes, and begins to talk.
“I’m not a particularly lovable person, Dominic.”
And pisses me off from the first words out of her gorgeous mouth.
“My mother never made it a secret that she didn’t want children.”
“Are you an only child?” I ask quietly, casually.
“Yes. My parents didn’t plan to have kids, and I was a mistake.”
You’re not a motherfucking mistake.
“From the time I was small, it was clear that I was an interruption. They loved each other, very much, and intended to always be a couple.” She pauses and bites her lip, a small frown between her eyebrows, as though she’s choosing her words carefully. “It wasn’t that they didn’t love me, in their way, they just weren’t interested in me.”
I rub my hands up her calves, massaging the muscles in her slender legs and concentrate on keeping my breathing even and face calm.
“From the time I was old enough to eat by myself, my mom would fix me a plate and set me up in front of the television to eat, so she and dad could eat together in the kitchen. That was their time. It still is.” She shrugs her shoulders, making her nipples surface above the water line and pucker from the cold air. Her cheeks are flushed pink from the warmth of the water. She’s pink everywhere.
Gorgeous.
“They kept me busy in school,” she continues. Her voice is perfectly calm. There’s no anger, no sadness. Just composure. “I also play the piano. I had lessons twice a week from the time I was four until I graduated from high school. Then, when I wasn’t involved with piano, they had me in soccer, basketball, and softball.”
She cringes and then laughs. “I fucking hate to run.”
“You hate to run?” I ask with a smile.
“I do. I hate it. And they always signed me up for things that involved running. I asked if I could do cheerleading or anything else, but those sports were on a regular rotation, so I was always doing something after school.” She sighs. “That’s probably why I don’t like to exercise much now and my ass is too big.”
“Your ass is not too big,” I reply calmly, but inside I want to beat the shit out of her parents. Who the fuck treats their child like they’re an imposition? “Besides, you run around plenty for your job. In heels, no less.” I drag my thumb along her arch, earning a groan from her.
“I’m used to the heels,” she replies and smiles at me, then leans her head back again and continues her story. “So, I was in school all day, practicing something each afternoon, then doing school work until bedtime each day.”
“Surely your parents attended your games. Your recitals?”
“No, those were their date nights,” she replies quietly. “I don’t recall them ever going to an event.”
My hands still on her foot, and tighten just a bit as pure rage seers through me. Alecia’s head comes up and she frowns at me. “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head and resume rubbing her foot. “Nothing. Go on.”
Her eyes narrow on mine for a moment, then she shrugs and leans her head back again. “You’ve got good hands.”
“You’ve got good feet,” I reply, waiting her out.
“So, when I was a senior in high school, I met Jonathan. He was…attentive.”
“Attentive?” I ask.
“He paid attention to me. I was always kind of shy. I didn’t make a lot of friends, mostly because I was always too busy to spend time with them after school. But Jonathan paid attention. He was also a senior. He used to say he liked the looks of me.” She giggles.
“Why wouldn’t he like the looks of you?”
“It was the turn of phrase that made me laugh. He could be charming. And he was interested in me.”
And you soaked that up like a sponge in the ocean, fiorellino.
“My parents happily sent me off to college. They didn’t care which one, as long as I went away.”
How in the fucking hell can she be so calm? My heart is aching for her, and she’s as cool as can be. I continue to rub her, sure to be quiet, so I don’t spook her. I have a feeling at this point she’s just relaxed and talking on autopilot.
“So, Jonathan and I went to the same college, and eloped to Vegas our junior year.” She chuckles and shakes her head. “I thought he was the sexiest, funniest person in the world. I was a stupid, young girl.”