* * * *
Knowing the time was right, Samson kissed the top of her head and nodded at Ivan as he opened the screen door for him. Samson watched her expression as she wiped her cheeks and pulled herself together. She’d been trying so hard to be strong, but she was at the breaking point.
His gut curled at the spark of anticipation he couldn’t deny. Cassie had asked to experience firsthand the Dominant, sadistic side of his nature. He knew she had lingering questions about whether or not she could handle that part of him. He’d held off only because he wanted her to be in the right mindset, in this instance the same place that Victoria was in when she experienced too much stress or a loss in the operating room. Overwhelming powerlessness.
He’d seen the signs—her sleeplessness, the nightmares, the post-adrenaline shakes and twitches as she relived the fire through flashbacks.
Taking her directly into the bathroom, he set her down, made eye contact with Ivan, and tilted his head toward the shower.
Ivan reached in and turned on the water so it could warm up, and then stepped out of the room and went down the hall. Samson tipped her chin up so he could look into her bloodshot, distraught gaze. Her posture stiffened as she blinked back her tears, and she probably didn’t even realize her hands were still clenched in fists, but she wasn’t defensive. She was holding it together—barely.
“You’re so pent-up you don’t know what to do with yourself, do you?”
Her sweet eyes, the color of sherry lit by firelight, were desolate as she looked up at him. The only other hint of her state was in the trembling of her chin as she darted her glance around and then focused on his hands.
Finally, she nodded and then shook her head.
Sweet chiquita. To be needed like this filled the ache in his chest from seeing her in pain. Unlike with Victoria, he was invested emotionally in this pain. She hurt. He hurt. And he knew how to make it better.
He unbuttoned her blouse, his desire to give her what she needed ramping up with every ragged breath she took.
His cock grew so hard and tight it was nearly painful, but he pushed the sensation to the back of his mind. He was hungry for another, darker fulfillment as he assessed her submissive stance. Her pulse jumped in her throat.
“Cassandra, after I undress you, I want you to pin your hair up and get into the shower. Soak under the hot water for a few minutes. When Ivan joins you, he will bathe you. Be still and let him.”
“Yes,” she whispered with a nod and then glanced up at him. “Yes, Sir.”
He unbuttoned and pushed her jeans down along with her underwear, slipped her shoes and everything else off and tossed it aside, then stood and removed her bra. The vulnerability in her eyes called out his protective side.
There was a part of him that was so angry he wanted to punch Jorge Villalobos in the mouth. Not the Jorge that was obviously suffering a dementia-related decline, but the monster who had abused Cassie emotionally and verbally for her entire life. But it wasn’t the need to inflict pain that he focused on now. The need to help Cassie was far greater, to give her what she needed to get past her father’s betrayal and the sacrifice of her dreams, and was tinged with desperation—and guilt because he’d ever left her behind. But she’d dealt with all of it on her own because she was a woman of strength. A woman he wanted to be strong for now.
She turned to the shower without another word, grabbing her hair clip from the vanity and twirling her long, dark locks into a messy knot on top of her head. Her soft exhalation and the way she tilted her head back as she moved under the steaming spray made his cock jerk and ache to be buried deep inside her softness and warmth.
Ivan met him in the hallway and he nodded approval when he saw that his brother was bringing a full glass of water from the kitchen. Ivan said, “I thought she might be dehydrated.”
“Good guess. Make sure she drinks all of that.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I need you to trust me. This is our moment. I know you may not like it, at least not at first, but what I’m about to do is exactly what she needs. You’ll understand why afterward, and you and I can talk more about it later if you want.”
Ivan nodded. “What can I do?”
“Observe. Make sure she knows you’re there. Let me do the talking. Is the oven off?”
“Yes. I just took dessert out and it’s cooling on the counter. Everything else is ready.”
“I’m going to go set up in the bedroom. Make sure the shower is warm enough to relax her, and rub her shoulders. I noticed they were stiff. She’s probably wondering what’s going to happen next, but try to keep conversation to a minimum. I’ll be ready when you see the light go off across the hall.”