That’s what brothers did, even half-brothers.
KANE SAT at the kitchen table in only his pants, still covered in blood from his elbows to his fingertips. I’d cleaned off all the blood splatters on his face and neck, and taking his hands in mine, I slowly wiped each finger clean of blood and checked for any cuts, but all the blood was that man’s, not his. He said nothing but watched me carefully, like what I was doing enthralled him.
Dipping the washcloth in the big bowl of water next to me, I rinsed out the blood and returned to cleaning his arms. Each stroke over his skin revealed another part of his tattoos. Within a short time, I’d cleaned him up and couldn’t stay silent any longer.
“You say not to worry, but aren’t the police going to get involved, Kane?”
“No more talking about that, angel. I want to spend a quiet night at home like other people do.”
My fear at what would happen to him nagged at me, but why wouldn’t he talk to me about it? I couldn’t stand there and pretend everything was okay. I took the bowl full of bloody water to the sink and washed it out, letting the water dilute the dark red liquid until none of it was left. As if it was perfectly normal to clean some man’s blood off the man you love after watching him beat him because of you.
Tears welled in my eyes as I thought about the police taking Kane away from me. Hanging my head, I quietly said, “I can’t pretend like I’m okay with this. I need you to talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
God, why wouldn’t he talk to me? Frustrated, I turned the water off and slammed the bowl down in the drainer. Then I turned around and yelled, “Yes, there is! What am I going to do if they take you away from me?”
All the emotion drained from his face until he looked stark white. His eyes, usually so soft when he looked at me, hardened so he looked like he did that first night I met him. “You’ll never be alone, Abbi. If I’m not around, Cash and Stefan will make sure you’re okay until I get back.”
“Why did you do it? Why didn’t you just push him away?”
His eyes softened and he gave me that gentle look I loved. “Because he was hurting you. I protect the woman I love, no matter what.”
All my fear and anger ebbed away at the sound of those words. I protect the woman I love. I knelt down in front of him and looked up into that beautiful, tortured face. “You love me?”
He cradled my cheek in his hand. “More than anything or anyone else in the world. No matter what they do to me, it couldn’t be worse than seeing you hurt.”
“But I’ll be hurt if you’re not with me. I love you, Kane. I don’t want to lose you.”
“I promise you won’t lose me. I won’t let that happen.”
“The police are probably on their way right now. They’re going to take you away and all because of me,” I sobbed.
“Let’s go upstairs. Time for bed.” Kane pulled me up to my feet and took my hand in his to lead me up to our bedroom. “No more talk about that. I don’t want to think of anything but how your body feels against mine.”
I followed him up the stairs, clutching his hand in mine. Still dressed in my costume and his shirt, I stood by our bed as he slid out of his pants and saw the mess I was. Suddenly, the reality of what I’d caused was too much to bear and I began to cry, knowing that whatever there was about me that made men want to punish me had hurt this man who had never done anything but care for me.
Kane pulled me close and held me, whispering, “Are you hurt? Don’t cry.”
“I’m not hurt.”
He slid my blood matted wig from my head and smiled. “Good. And I don’t want to see you in this again. You’re beautiful just the way you are.”
His kindness made me feel worse, and the tears rolled down my cheeks. “Maybe now no one will want to hurt me looking like this.”
“Is that what you think? That you did something to deserve that pig’s hands on you?”
I nodded. “It must be my fault. Nearly every man I’ve ever been with has hurt me. That’s not a coincidence.”
Kane kissed me tenderly and whispered against my lips, “It’s not your fault. Never forget that.”
Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I couldn’t help but think he was wrong. “Now I’ve hurt the only man who never did anything but protect me. I can’t stand the idea that you’ll suffer because of me.”
“Shhh. The only suffering I’m feeling is seeing you like this. Let’s get you out of these bloodstained clothes and cleaned up.”
I watched him undress me, so careful as he gently tugged my white dress off my shoulders and down my body. A look of horror covered his face and I looked down to see some blood had seeped through the fabric from where he’d held me leaving a handprint of pale red on my skin. He stared at it and hanging his head, said quietly, “I’m sorry, angel. I’m no good for you.”
“No! Please don’t say that. You protected me.”
“I didn’t mean to get you involved in my problems. I’m sorry, Abbi.”
“Your problems are my problems, Kane. Don’t say protecting me is a problem.”
“I couldn’t think of anything but hurting him when I saw him put his hands on you. I wanted to kill him. I could have. I didn’t want to stop hitting him, even when Cash and Stefan were pulling me off him. I’m not sorry for what I did. I’m just sorry it’s touched you.”
“It’s a little blood. Some soap and water and I’ll be just fine.”
He kissed me like my lips held some release from all the ugliness of the past few hours, and for a few minutes I forgot about everything that could happen at any minute.
Taking my hand, he led me to the shower and cleaned every inch of me like I was something precious to him. His silence soothed me, unlike the first night when I so desperately wished for him to say more. Now I didn’t need to hear him say the words. I felt them in his touch each time he caressed my body to clean the terrible events of the night from me.
When he finished, he smoothed my hair off my face with a towel and looked into my eyes. “Angel, no matter what, I love you.”
I heard a knocking downstairs on the front door and for the first time since I’d met him, worry flashed in Kane’s eyes. He covered me in a bath towel and wrapped one around his hips as I followed him into the bedroom.
“Don’t answer that. Please.”