Chapter 4
Salvador
“How are you feeling?” I ask Jema after I remove the empty tray of food. She ate well, and now I can see that she’s getting tired. Leaning over, I brush the hair away from her face and linger on her cheek.
“Better, I think. Maybe? I don’t know, but I think the pills are making me sleepy. How can I be tired if I’ve slept so much?”
“The pain meds can do that.” I roll up my shirt sleeves and nod to the bathroom. “I have the tub ready. How about a nice hot bath before you go back to sleep?”
“That sounds really nice, but I’m not sure if my legs are ready to work yet.” She wiggles her toes under the covers like she’s trying to test them out.
“You’re in luck,” I say as I pull the covers off of her. “Your husband is here to do all the work.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks flush the prettiest shade of red. “Um, is that something we normally do?”
“Yes.”
The lie comes easily because it’s not technically a lie. I’ve bathed her every day since I brought her home, but I’ve only been able to give her a sponge bath. This will be the first time I’ve gotten her in the tub, but if she’s worried about me seeing her naked, it’s a bit late for that.
The doctor offered to have a nurse brought in to do it for me, but the idea of someone else touching her so intimately wasn’t an option.
If anyone was going to touch my bride, it was me.
Even the doctor touching her while he was giving her an exam was enough to make me angry.
I had thoughts of killing him for daring to put his hands on my beloved but then decided it would take too long to find a replacement.
So I did what any husband would do. I threatened to break his hands and force him to watch me kill his family if anything happened to her. It seemed to do the trick.
“Then yes. I’d love to be clean. My hair feels gross.” She reaches up to touch the ends, and I shake my head.
“I’ll do that for you. It’s still tender.” Reaching down, I gently scoop her up in my arms and carry her to the bathroom.
Thankfully the fall didn’t crack her skull or do any permanent damage.
I had the doctor do scans right after it happened, and the only thing they showed was a little swelling in her brain.
He said that’s most likely causing the amnesia, but he seems to think her memory will come back when the swelling goes down.
I’ve been given this time with Jema for a reason, and I plan on using it to my advantage.
Once we get to the bathroom, I set her in the seat I placed beside the tub.
As soon as I reach for her nightgown, she stiffens, but I try to offer soothing words to keep her calm.
When I talk, it seems to relax her, and that’s what I need right now.
I’m not normally a man with much to say unless it’s an order, but I’ll do whatever I need to in order to keep Jema happy.
“Sit up for me, kitten. I need to take this off of you.”
She hesitates for only a second before she obeys, and I remove her nightgown.
She’s completely naked underneath, and I don’t bother trying to hide my desire for her.
My eyes flare at the sight of her naked breasts and the triangle of soft curls between her thighs.
Her hips are so soft, like they were meant for me to hold on to as I thrust into her body.
“So, um, how’s the weather?” Jema is trying to make small talk as she looks up at the ceiling.
That’s when I notice my cock straining against the front of my pants.
I’m so used to being in this state around her that I’d all but forgotten it was happening.
What does she want me to do about it? Wouldn’t a husband be excited when his wife is naked?
Shouldn’t I always be erect and ready to please her?
“The weather is beautiful,” I say softly, and her eyes meet mine. “But not as beautiful as my wife.” This time the blush goes all the way down to her chest, and I love watching the color dance over her skin. “Let me take care of you, kitten.”
“Okay,” she says softly as I lift her from the chair and place her gently in the warm water. “Oh my god, that feels incredible.”
“Relax, I’ve got you now.” She leans back and closes her eyes as I move the chair to the end of the tub. “I’m going to wash your hair first, and I’ll try to be as careful as possible. If something hurts, tell me and I’ll stop.”
She hums her acknowledgement instead of speaking, and I’m pleased with how relaxed she is.
It’s not until I begin massaging the shampoo into her hair that I can see her stiffen like she’s bracing for pain.
I’m so familiar with her injury I could find it in the dark, but I still talk her through the process so she trusts me.
It takes a long time to wash and condition her hair, so I spend it telling her about the gardens outside and how much she loves the flowers in the spring.
I’m basing this on the paper flowers she had taped to the wall in her shitty apartment.
It looked like she cut them out of magazines because she couldn’t afford real ones, and the sight of them made me angry.
She deserves acres of flowers if that’s what she wants.
After her hair is clean, she asks to brush her teeth, and I help her with that too. When I try to use the washcloth to wash her body, she asks if she can do it herself. Part of me wants to let her, but the bigger, more possessive part can’t let her have any control. Not yet.
“This is my privilege as your husband,” I tell her as I put the body wash on the cloth and kneel next to the tub. “You wouldn’t deny me this pleasure, would you?”
“Uh, I guess not?”
How can she be so shy and innocent when she’s been so sassy until now? Maybe it’s the fact that she’s naked, but I won’t let that stop me.
“Good. I like when you do what you’re told.” It’s the truth, but it’s almost meant to be teasing. Enough to get her to come out of her shyness.
“So bossy,” she says back, and I see the spark of playfulness in her eyes.
“You like me when I’m bossy.”
“If it means I get to soak in this tub all the time, I can see why I let you do it.” She closes her eyes as she relaxes against the tub, and I scrub one arm and then the other.
“You let me do anything I want to you,” I say, and her eyes pop open. My hands keep moving, but my eyes stay locked on her as I move the cloth over her bare breasts. “That’s how we both like it.” I drag the cloth lower until it’s between her thighs. “Spread them for me, kitten.”
Am I an asshole? Yes, there’s no question about it. Am I taking advantage of her? Absolutely.
Do I give a single fuck? Not one.