The Billionaire's Game(34)

“Maybe you just trusted the wrong damn people,” he rumbled, slamming the dishwasher closed and turning to face her.

He heard her inhale sharply as she looked at him, her eyes scanning his body. “Oh, Kade. Your poor leg. It must have been so painful.”

He looked down at himself, realizing he was dressed in nothing but a pair of black silk boxers. He hadn’t bothered to put on clothes because he hadn’t planned on seeing anyone else at one o’clock in the morning in his own house.

Her eyes were focused on his mangled leg, and he flinched. “I’m sorry. I would have covered it if I’d known you were down here.”

Dammit! Asha was the last person he wanted to see his messed-up leg. Even healed, the scars were glaring and ugly. “Don’t look at it,” he snarled, moving closer to her and tipping her chin up. “I can’t even stand to see it.”

“It isn’t the way it looks; it’s the pain you must have suffered,” she cried, her eyes filling with tears. “How did you bear it?” Dropping to her knees, Asha’s fingertips stroked lightly over his scars.

“I didn’t have much of a choice,” he answered gruffly, his heart thundering from the touch of her fingers. Some of the feeling on his skin was gone from the scar tissue, but he could feel the fluttery, careful stroking on some of his leg.

She’s not repulsed by my scars. All she cares about is the pain I felt.

Kade watched her carefully. Dressed in the silky nightgown he had bought her, she looked like an angel, her face revealing nothing but concern.

“And you worry about me being hungry when you’ve been through that much pain?” Asha scolded, standing again and facing him.

Kade wanted to tell her that it didn’t hurt anymore, not nearly as much as the pain he was suffering from wanting her. “It’s over.” He wanted to forget about that time in his life. His leg ached occasionally, but he’d survived.

“Does it still hurt? Tell me the truth.”

Yeah. I hurt, but the pain isn’t in my leg. I ache every fucking time I look at you.

“No,” he replied huskily. “It’s not that bad.” Not my leg, anyway.

She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. The feel of her hand on his bare skin nearly made him lose it. She was trying to comfort him for an old pain, but she was creating one just as acute. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her softness against his hard body.

“I’m sorry, Kade. I wish this had never happened to you,” she murmured against his chest.

“Shit happens,” he replied casually, trying not to give in to the urge to carry her back to his bed and bury himself inside her warmth, take the comfort she was willing to give. But he didn’t want her that way. He wanted it to be mutual, for her to burn for him as much as he did for her. She continued to cling to him, murmuring words into his chest that he didn’t understand and suspected were Telugu, crooning them softly.

“You realize I don’t understand a word you’re saying,” he told her, trying to contain the tender emotions that were bursting to get free.

“I know. I think it’s better that way,” she retorted, her voice amused. “And I really think you need to get over a few things from your own past. You’re young, you’re incredibly handsome, you can still walk, and you’re alive. You survived. Other than the pain that I know you suffer sometimes, your leg doesn’t matter. How it looks doesn’t matter.”

Kade knew Asha really meant what she said, and his soul began to heal a little bit more. He lowered his cheek to her hair, inhaling her floral scent and closing his eyes.

Kade wasn’t certain exactly how long they stood that way, wrapped up together as though they were connected. He was pretty sure it was a fairly long period of time, but not long enough. His cock was hard, a reaction that was pretty much a certainty whenever Asha was close enough to feel, close enough to smell, but this wasn’t a moment he wanted to think about his dick. Right now, he just wanted to wallow in Asha’s sweetness, hold her close to his body and drink her in. Being near her had become an addiction, and satisfying her every want and need had become an obsession.

They finally parted and made their way back upstairs. He had to clench his fists to resist the urge to reach for her as she gave him a shy smile and closed the door of her bedroom. Kade flopped into his bed, which was suddenly much too lonely and big. It took him a very long time to finally fall into an exhausted sleep.





The following week turned into some of the happiest days of Asha’s life. She painted, not feeling rushed to complete the project, and she certainly wasn’t worried about where her next meal was coming from. Kade was almost a pain in the ass about her eating. He was spending time in the Harrison offices now with Travis, but every moment he was home, he brought her food. Plying her with chocolate, decadent pastries, and calorie-laden desserts seemed to be one of his favorite activities. In between, he never seemed to run out of other food for her to try. If she wasn’t careful, she’d soon be popping out of her jeans.