Chapter 29
Ace
Kian watches as I lower myself onto the toilet. Thank God the bath is running; otherwise, I would absolutely die. Even now, I keep my eyes averted until I’m finished and standing again.
He reaches for me, his thick cock hanging between his muscular legs. My clit tingles at the memory of his dick buried inside me while he called me his.
“Step over, baby,” he says quietly, holding my hand so I have support.
Once I’m in, I slowly submerge myself in the hot bath water, my muscles relaxing almost immediately.
“This feels so good,” I murmur, then sit straighter. “Shoot, I have a hair tie in my purse, could you bring it to me?”
Raising his eyebrows, Kian walks over to the wall switch and dims the lights, so there’s only a gentle glow. Then he goes to the vanity and opens the top drawer.
“Here. I had my housekeeper get some,” he says.
When I try to reach for it, my throat burning with a mix of feelings, he shakes his head and leans down, gathering my hair in his fingers. His touch is slow but firm, and a few times, he pauses and uses the tips of his fingers to massage my scalp.
My entire body is heavy, so I close my eyes, enjoying the attention. When he finishes, I blink up at him, his cock thick and heavy in front of me. Licking my lips, I peer up farther, meeting his dark gaze.
“Quit looking at my dick like that, angel. Scoot forward.”
Sighing dramatically, I drop my shoulders and move so he has enough room to get in. As soon as he lowers his large body into the tub that could surely fit three more people, he pulls me against his chest.
“So needy for my cock,” he teases, pressing a kiss to my temple.
Grinning, I lean back and let out a long, slow breath.
This is perfect.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“Welcome, baby girl.”
Kian’s arms tighten around me as he nuzzles my neck, his beard tickling my skin. God, I love his beard. If he ever gets rid of it, I’ll be pissed.
“Your first rule is you can never shave your beard,” I blurt out with amusement.
He goes still, then chuckles. “That’s a rule for me, huh?”
Nodding, I lift my hand and run my fingers through the neatly trimmed hair on his jaw. “Yeah. Definitely a rule.”
“Whatever you say, angel.”
Heat blooms within me, spreading everywhere. It’s not only between my legs this time, it’s spreading in my chest, right to my heart.
“Tell me about your parents. Your life. The accident. I want to know everything.” His words are quiet but firm. I know I’m not going to get out of this conversation, as much as I want to.
Letting out a sigh, I let the sweetly scented water soothe my aches while I relax against him. “Where do you want me to start?”
Kian uses one hand to gently massage my neck while keeping the other wrapped around me. “Start from the beginning. We have all night.”
I close my eyes and picture my dad’s face, smiling at me.
“I’m an only child. Things were pretty normal before my dad died.
Well, as much as they could be, considering he was in the mafia.
He was gone a lot. My parents always fought about how much he worked.
I missed him whenever he wasn’t home, but he never ever missed my ballet performances. I was eight when he died.
“After that, my mom raised me. She put me through private school, and when I wasn’t in school, she expected me to practice ballet.
It was my passion, so I didn’t really mind, but she pushed me harder and harder the older I got.
The better I got, the more social circles that opened up to her.
She played the loving mother in public, but in private, she was a bitch.
She nitpicked everything I did. I was never a good enough student, I wasn’t blond enough, I didn’t act elegant enough, I wasn’t skinny enough.
I swear, she hated me. Then again, I think she just hated everything.
She was fake as fuck and sometimes, I got the feeling she was happy my dad was dead. ”
Kian’s hand goes still for a moment, but he starts massaging again when I go on.
“I got into the most elite ballet academy on the West Coast, but it wasn’t good enough for her because it wasn’t the ballet school in New York.
She controlled everything. My trust didn’t become available to me until I turned twenty-five, so I was dependent on her for money.
She used that to control me.” My voice cracks, and I have to stop and swallow.
“I was so stupid. Luciano tried to tell me. He tried to help me and offered to give me a lump sum of his own money so I could get away from her, but I was brainwashed or something.” I shake my head at myself, still disgusted that I didn’t do anything about it.
Kian slides his hand up the center of my chest until he reaches my chin. With it cupped between his fingers, he turns my head, so I’m looking up at him.
“I’m pretty sure we’ve already talked about you putting yourself down, but in case you need a reminder, this is your last one, angel.
You are not allowed to talk badly about yourself or say mean things about yourself.
It’s a rule, and one I take very seriously.
One that will result in you over my knee for a spanking that won’t end in orgasms. Do you understand? ”
His gaze burns into me, and I swallow again because I let out a sharp breath. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good. Where’s your cunt of a mother now?” he asks quietly.
I shrug. “I assume still in Seattle. The accident changed me in a lot of ways. I survived something I shouldn’t have.
The doctors who worked on me in the trauma center said it was a miracle I made it through.
It woke something up in me. I realized I wasn’t living my life the way I wanted.
I only get one chance at life. My entire ballet career ended that night, and my mother acted like it was my fault.
“She didn’t come see me in the rehab facility one single time.
Luciano came every day. Sometimes, twice a day.
And when I told him I wanted to leave Seattle once I healed, he tried to do whatever he could to get me to stay.
But when he realized I had my mind made up, he supported me in his protective, controlling way ever since. ”
“I had to wait until my twenty-fifth birthday before I could leave because she controlled every dime I had. When I confirmed my trust had been released, I got a job here and moved the next week. I didn’t bother to tell her when I left.
She’s called me twice since I’ve been here, but I haven’t answered either time. ”
Kian’s hold on me tightens, and I notice he does that whenever he’s pissed. He pulls me into him, like he’s trying to protect me.
“You’re better off without her,” he says darkly.
Tears burn my eyes as the room becomes blurry.
“I know. I just wish I’d figured it out sooner.
It’s been hard to process everything that’s happened this past year.
That I let her control me like that without realizing it.
Ballet had been my passion at one point, and she used it against me until I was so burned out that my hair was falling out, and I was starving and exhausted.
She knew it, and still she pushed me to do more.
” My voice rises the more I talk about her, and finally, a sob breaks free as tears cascade down my warm cheeks.
“You know now, and you’ve done something about it. She’s an evil bitch who’ll get what’s coming to her.”
Closing my eyes, I try to let myself relax again.
It’s hard not to get worked up when I think about my mother.
She took so much from me. The last thing I want to do is give her any more of my time.
My therapist said that in our last session, and I’ve been trying to remember since. It’s helped me not dwell on it so much.
“Did you date anyone when you were in Seattle?” he asks quietly.
“No. I didn’t have time. There were a couple of guys in college who I hung out with, but it was never anything serious.
” Not that I would have been interested in those guys for anything more than what we had.
They certainly never sent a thrill through me like Kian does.
One look from him and my entire body tingles.
There hasn’t ever been a man who’s made me feel the way Kian does.
“What about you? You’re a lot older than me.
Have you had any serious relationships?”
Kian reaches under the water and pinches my butt. I yelp and kick my feet, sending a wave splashing through the tub. “Are you calling me old, angel?”
I giggle like a schoolgirl and shake my head. Something about being around him frees something in me. I feel silly and playful. “No, Daddy. I would never.”
“Uh-huh,” he says, then nuzzles my neck, breathing me in. Silence hangs over us for a moment before he relaxes against the edge again, pulling me with him so we’re almost lying in the water. “I’ve never had anything long-term with anyone.”
The thought of Kian being with any other woman makes me want to grab his gun and go hunt them down.
I know I shouldn’t be happy that he doesn’t have someone from his past who he might still be pining after.
It also makes me sad because that sounds really lonely.
Then again, I’ve spent my entire life feeling alone.
“Why not?” I ask.
He shifts slightly and lets out a slow exhale. “Between our business and family, I haven’t had time.”
“Hmm.”
“What?” he asks.
“Maybe you just never met the right person. The one who made you want more.”