“Yes,” she whispered shakily. “Go ahead…”
Cav laid his hand over hers. Even now, with the towel as a barrier, he knew he was touching some parts of that scar. Feeling her tense, he whispered, “It’s all right, Lia. You’re safe here with me. Let the heat of my hand relax you…”
And he saw his low, gruff tone create a small miracle as she did exactly that. Cav waited, allowing all that tension dissolve. He didn’t move his hand. He remained still, giving Lia time to adjust to his physical touch on that hidden scar.
“You’re doing well,” he encouraged her.
Lia whispered, “It’s a step…”
“A good one. Now? Will you pick up my hand and gently place it against your belly with the towel in place? Can you do that for me?”
Cav watched Lia hesitate, but then she pulled her hand free of his and allowed it to rest against the towel. He loved her so damned much for that act of bravery. And he was so proud of her because he could feel how much she loved him.
“Good,” he crooned. “Now, I’m going to just let my hand rest here until you’re okay with it.” He saw her nod, felt her trying to relax. The towel was thick and fluffy, but he knew his hand completely covered the scar over her belly region because it was so large.
Cav couldn’t feel anything with the towel as a barrier. “Now,” he said, “let me gently move my hand across your belly back and forth a little, just getting me familiar with being there.”
“Yes,” she breathed, opening her eyes. “This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” she admitted.
Smiling a little, Cav began to lightly move his hand across that portion of her, feeling the soft roundness of her belly. “In awhile, after you realize it’s like all the rest of your scars, it won’t bother you at all,” he promised. He could see in her eyes how much she wanted to believe him.
It took another five minutes for Lia to fully relax. More and more, she trusted him and he was moving closer and closer to asking her to let him remove the towel, to actually place his hand over the scar itself. Would she allow it? Or was this is far as Lia could go?
Cav wasn’t sure. He just knew he wasn’t going to force her. She had to truly want him to touch her and see it.
“You’re doing so well,” he praised her, his voice low. He stilled his hand. “Want to go the last mile with me, Lia? Can I open up that towel and place my hand over it again?”
Cav’s breath hitched because he felt her tense.
“Y-yes, go ahead,” she whispered raggedly. She took her hand and placed it against her throat, as if to steel herself against her fears.
“This isn’t going to be anything to write home about,” he said. Instead of pulling the towel open, Cav simply slid his hand between the folds, leaving them in place. Her flesh was still moist from the shower as he skimmed her belly with his hand. There was a scar there, no question, and he lay his palm against it, allowing her to adjust to the physical contact.
“See? Not so bad, right?”
He’d tricked her by not removing the towel. He knew Lia was more jumpy about him seeing the scar than feeling it. At least, that’s what his intuition told him. And if that was true, she was going to relax right now.
And she did.
“See? Not so bad. Right?” he teased her gently.
“You’re right,” she whispered.
“The rest is easy, baby. I can feel your scar. It feels just like the other ones. There’s nothing different about this one,” and he eased his hand upward, allowing his fingers to trace the long scar that curved across her belly.
Cav could tell by the puckered skin, the rougher surface of the scar that if the blade had gone just a quarter inch deeper, those bastards would have gutted her, spilled her intestines. Closing his eyes, battling rage, he continued to move his fingers up and down the scar, getting her used to his touch, desensitizing her.
Lia had come dangerously close to being killed. He knew that now. The cut on her neck that had nicked her carotid artery had damned near bled her to death. It was clear to him that Schaefer and Dominguez wanted to murder Lia after she fought to escape them, and survived their assault.
“There. Is it so bad now?” he teased. “It feels like all the rest of them, Lia. No different. There’s no way I’m going to be surprised by it.”
His words had a powerful effect upon her, and Cav watched as her fingers relaxed against her throat, saw her swallow several times. He saw relief in her expression and he reveled in it. The worst was over. The rest would be easy.
“I’m going to open the towel now. I don’t expect to see anything that I haven’t already, Lia. Do you trust me to do this, baby?”