Page 83 of Fighting for Lucy

Sometimes it was hard to remember that Lucy had been through a lot in such a short amount of time. She seemed like she was handling it all just fine. He was the one who felt like he was seconds away from falling apart. But he was going to have to remember that she had spent a lifetime perfecting the art of putting on a strong and put-together front. Not that she wasn’t either of those things, but beneath the façade she was struggling, too, and he couldn’t let her distract him from that fact.

“I feel that same storm, baby,” he whispered. Being vulnerable like that was hard for him. It wasn’t the way he was raised. As a child, he wasn’t encouraged to express emotions, let alone anything that would make him appear weak. That wasn’t fitting of a future military serviceman in his parents’ opinion, nor was it appropriate “boy” behavior. His parents believed thatmen shouldn’t express emotion ever, that they should never admit to being scared, and that crying was the equivalent of emasculating yourself and all but becoming a woman.

“That’s why we need to be together,” Lucy whispered back, but he could hear the thread of fear in her voice. She was still scared that he was going to bail on her.

But since his inner demons had been unable to come up with logical ways to counter all the reasons Lucy had given why he should stay, he had been able to silence them enough to remain by her side. The urge to leave, to get as far away from her as he could was still strong. He didn't want to hurt her ever again.

So, to counter the urge to put a safe distance between them, he was going to do the opposite. Take care of his girl the best way he knew how.

“I'm not going anywhere, baby girl,” he assured her, and he felt her relax at his words. “Now what do you need? Something to eat? You’ve only been picking at food since you woke up, so you must be hungry, and you need to keep your strength up. Or I can take you up to bed if you're tired and need to sleep? The doctor said you were going to be a lot more tired than usual for the next few days, at least as your body starts to recover.”

“Actually, what I really want is a long, hot bath. I feel like I've been dirty for weeks now. All I had at the hospital was a sponge bath and it wasn’t enough to get the feel of dirt and blood off my skin. And don’t even get me started on my hair. But there’s no way I can take a bath with this on.” She shot an irritated look at the cast on her arm.

Just because he’d never washed long hair before didn't mean he couldn’t, it was the same as washing short hair only there was more of it. “I’ll give you a bath, baby. We can put a plastic bag over your cast to keep it dry and keep it out of the water. And I'm sure I've got waterproof bandages in my first aid kit so we can cover up your other wounds.”

No baths hadn't been in the doctor’s list of instructions, Lucy was just to keep her wounds as dry as possible and change the bandages if they got wet. That he could do as soon as he got her all cleaned up. Rest was important and there was no way his girl would be able to relax properly if she felt dirty.

“You're going to give me a bath?” Lucy asked, there was a tiny hint of incredulity in her tone but also a huge amount of tenderness.

“Yep, and it’s going to be the best bath you’ve ever had,” he said, making her giggle. She was right when she said they needed to enjoy this moment of relishing being alive because the storm was coming, and when it did, they would both be clinging to one another.

Carrying her up the stairs, he headed for the master bath and the huge soaking tub in it. The enormous walk-in shower had caught his attention when he’d been looking at places, but now he was glad there was the bath as well since his girl seemed to prefer them.

In the bathroom, he set her on the counter while he turned on the faucet and adjusted the heat. Then while the bath was filling, he stripped her out of her clothes, then pulled out a garbage bag and tied it around her arm. After that, he put waterproof bandages over all the cuts that had needed stitches, and the spots where Zimraan had peeled off her skin.

Looking at them, it was hard not to lose his control, but since he could sense Lucy’s mounting anxiety, Zander forced himself to remain calm, and touched soft kisses to the bandages once he’d applied them.

Then he turned off the water, removed his clothes, and picked Lucy up. Lowering them both into the bath, Lucy sighed in contentment as the warm water encased their bodies.

With his girl settled between his bent knees, Zander cupped his hands together and scooped up some water to wet her hair,then grabbed a bottle of shampoo, poured a generous amount into the palm of his hand, and began to massage it into Lucy’s scalp. She moaned in delight as he worked the soapy suds through every inch of her long blonde locks, and the more she did so the more he wanted to make this feel good for her.

After another round of shampooing, he shifted so Lucy’s neck was balanced on his forearm, then scooped up handfuls of water to wash the bubbles out. Their eyes met as he did so, being careful to make sure he didn't get any soapy suds in her eyes. Never again was he going to cause this woman pain, not even the sting of soap in her eyes. And he would do whatever it took to protect her from pain caused by others. Lucy had been through enough, she should never have to suffer again.

When he leaned down to brush his lips across hers, those big blue eyes of hers began to shimmer with unshed tears. His heart constricted and he was filled with a powerful urge to do whatever it took to make her smile.

He wasn’t ready for the storm to hit yet.

Tears began to leak from the corners of her eyes, and Zander quickly gathered her to him, holding her tight against his chest as a sob escaped Lucy’s lips.

Cradling her in his arms as she wept should have made him want to run because he knew that he was a major source of the pain she had suffered, pain that had to be let out through tears. But it didn't. Instead, holding her felt right. More than right, it felt like this was where he belonged.

Lucy needed him and he was there.

It was as simple as that.

And maybe he could let her be there for him, too.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

January 29th

4:27 P.M.

Lucy wasn’t evensure why she was crying.

Zander was being so sweet and tender with her, washing her hair with so much love and care. Each touch reminded her both of how lucky she was to have him, not just alive, but there in the bath with her taking such good care of her when he had to be hurting from his own injuries, but also of how close she’d come to losing him. Not just losing him to Zimraan and his need for revenge, but to Zander’s own fears and insecurities.

Knowing that he was there, with her, and he’d promised to stay, filled her with too many feelings. They built inside her heart, her gratefulness warring with her fear that Zander could still change his mind until they had to come out.