Conviction (The Cassano Series Book 4) (5 page)

Tara

I’m clutching Zev’s shoulders, finally feeling protected. He strokes my hair lovingly, giving me back the Zev who was at my front door this morning.

“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I just can’t forget,” I say.

“I know, and you can let it out. Sit up. I want to bathe you.” I manage to stop my tears and lift from his chest. I scoot back from him and wipe my eyes.

Grabbing the washcloth and a bar of soap, he lathers them together. He entwines my fingers with his and uses the other hand to wash my arm.

His eyes find the bruises near my shoulders where Noah had gripped me too hard. The sight makes his lips purse, and he shakes his head.

Entwining our other fingers, he repeats the process. It’s endearing. It’s as if he wants me to know he’s got me every step of the way. He rubs my chest and under my breasts, and I look away from him, embarrassed.

The washcloth moves to my tightening stomach, the thrill of his touch building from deep inside it. I suck in a rush of air.

Bending one of my legs up, he washes it and then the other. “You’re beautiful.”

“I’m hideous right now.”

He grimaces. “Never. Don’t take your eyes off of mine.” His hand drags the washcloth along my inner thigh before he dips it lower.

He barely presses it against my core, but I feel it everywhere. Every nerve is brought to life, and it feels like ecstasy. It’s relaxing yet exhilarating, too. I hear his low grumble as he tries to stay in control.

“Does it hurt?”

“No. Not on the outside.”

“Good.” Bracing the back of my head with one of his hands, his fingers of the other find my clit and press against it. Languid, tantalizing circles are drawn, supplying a dizzying pleasure.

Unable to resist, I reach out to find his erection. He’s hard like I imagined, and as I grip it, he hisses.

“Come with me,” I utter.

“Baby, your arms are sore.”

“I’ll go slowly like you.” His eyes are half-lidded, and his mouth parts. As I place more pressure on his shaft and begin to stroke, I feel the struggle he’s having to stay focused on pleasuring me.

All at once, he clenches his eyes shut.

“I can’t let you do it. I know my body is reacting the way it should, but my mind can’t partake.”

I bite my lip and release him.

“You don’t want me. I’m tainted now, right? You got caught up in the emotions of what happened to me and felt obligated to help.”

He cradles my face in his hands.

“Tara, that’s not it. I missed you before I ever knew what you did for me. I want your touch, but seeing your face beaten and bruised, it feels wrong for me to take anything from you. There will be time for that, but for now let me care for you.”

His gaze is sincere as his thumbs carefully stroke my cheeks. The doorbell rings, and his eyes widen.

“Shit, that was fast,” he says before he climbs out of the tub and grabs a towel.

“Who is it?”

“My housekeeper. Stay here. I don’t want her thinking I beat on you.”

The water is getting cold, so I step out and dry off while I wait for Zev to return. I put back on the outfit I had been wearing and find a comb in a drawer.

Zev appears in a pair of black athletic shorts. His physique draws my eyes to it through the mirror, and I drop the comb.

He smirks. “I think you’re feeling a little better.”

Turning to face him, I lean back against his vanity and smile. He strides right for me and wraps his arms around my waist.

“I like seeing you smile. I’ve missed it.” His lips tenderly press to my forehead. “Come eat. Marla brought us some lunch. She also bought some groceries for the week.”

My eyes grow round. “For the week?”

“I thought you and I could take some time off to spend together.” Zev’s gaze lowers as his fingers latch onto a strand of my damp hair and fiddle with it. “Like I keep saying, I want to take care of you. Let me until you’re well.”

“Uh, OK, but I’m not ever going back to Submission.”

“What?” He’s now staring into my eyes, so I bite my lip.

“I resigned before I went with Noah. I told Shannon I found another job. I mean, surely you can understand why.”

Zev swallows and brushes his hands down my arms, sending a shiver through me.

“Of course. I should’ve thought of that on my own. It will be strange not to have you there.”

“Yeah, it will be strange for me, too.”

“Come eat, and then you can rest.”

Zev

I don’t want other men touching and ogling Tara, and I definitely don’t want her near that monster Noah, but for some reason I feel like she’s being ripped from me by not working at Submission.

“You’ve barely eaten,” she says as we sit at my dining room table. My fork is held steady in my salad.

“I’m not that hungry.” Noticing Tara’s plate is wiped clean, I stretch my hand out to her. “Will you lie down with me?”

She grants me a glowing smile, and it makes me so damn happy. “Of course.”

Once we reach my bed, Tara slips off her little denim shorts. I curse under my breath from the sight of her shapely, long legs and lacy, yellow panties.

She’s being cautious as she climbs into my bed, and I see the pain she’s in as her forehead scrunches.

“I should take you to the hospital to get checked out.”

“I can’t, Zev, and you know it. If I show up at the hospital like this, they’re going to question the shit out of me. I don’t believe anything is broken.”

I contemplate whether I should have my physician make a house call as Tara scoots against my chest.

“I’m glad I’m here and you’re not upset with me,” she says softly.

My mouth presses to her hair.

“I can’t imagine ever being mad at you. You’re a special woman. Tell me what I can do to take the pain away.”

“This … holding me. Once I feel better, you can replace the bad with something beautiful.”

“Can I kiss you in the meantime? I’ve discovered that I like doing it. Actually, I love it. It might be my favorite thing of all time.”

She gives me one of her radiant smiles. It’s the first one this bright since before I left her alone in her bed in tears. I can’t even think about what transpired after that day, but she’s here with me now, and I plan on making it up to her.

Gripping the cleft of her chin, I stare at her lips.

“God, I love your lips. Did I mention kissing them is my new favorite thing in the whole wide world?”

“Something like that, yes.”

“I should have never walked away from you and what could have been between us. Tara, I–I love you.”

In an instant, a few tears trail down her cheeks.

“I love you, too, Zev.”

Tara

“Sweets, wake up.” Hearing Zev’s voice, I open my eyes. He’s holding up my shorts. “We need to get these on you. I have a doctor here to see you.”

“Zev, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You’re getting checked out. Do it for me. He won’t tell anyone.”

“I need a few minutes, and I’ll be out.”

He kisses my forehead and leaves me alone. I dress, brush my teeth and wash my face with a cool washcloth. My eye that has been sealed shut opens, and I’m relieved. I hate for anyone else to see me like this, but it appears I don’t have a choice.

A man briefly smiles at me as I enter the great room, but then I see the worry crease on his forehead. He’s in casual dress clothes and begins pulling some medical tools from a bag.

I don’t know what Zev did to make a doctor do a house call, but it was sweet of him.

“I’m Dr. Matthews.” Once I’ve shaken his hand, he motions for me to have a seat on the sofa.

“I’m Tara.”

“If it’s OK with you, I’m going to do a brief examination.”

Dr. Matthews looks to be in his forties, and his strawberry blonde hair has a few grey strands throughout.

Zev goes to the kitchen and roams around. He’s attempting to give us privacy, but I sense his need to stay close.

The physician is silent as he begins to examine me, and it makes me uncomfortable. He’s gentle, but it’s too quiet. I can hear his breath as he listens to my heartbeat.

“I need you to tell me what hurts.”

“Mostly my lower back.”

I turn away from him on the sofa, and he carefully feels around on my back. I imagine he’s looking at the marks, too, and the bruises on my arms.

He clears his throat. “You can turn around. I don’t believe anything is broken.” Grimacing, he stares into my eyes. “Tara, please report this.”

The tears invade my eyes, and I blink several times, wishing them away. “Sir, I would in any other circumstance, but I can’t with this one.” I glance to the open kitchen and see Zev staring straight at me. He looks furious again. This anger toward Noah is going to eat him alive.

I lean in and whisper, “Xavier didn’t do this to me. He’d never hurt me.”

Dr. Matthews pats my hand and smiles lightly.

“I know Mr. Cassano, and I believe you. Alternate ice and heat on your back. If it’s not better, uh, once the injuries on your face heal, I want you to get an X-ray.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you for seeing me.”

Dr. Matthews stands and begins putting his instruments back into a bag. “Think about what I suggested. Whoever did this to you could do it to someone else.”

Without another word, he strides purposefully to the foyer. Zev follows him, and I hear their voices, but I can’t make out their words. A woman’s voice replaces Dr. Matthews’s, and she says Zev’s name loudly.

She continues talking as she parades into the great room. At the sight of me, she stops abruptly and silence falls on us like a heavy blanket.

Her eyes grow round, and I wish I could hide my face. She’s carrying shopping bags, and my heart sinks over how comfortable she feels barging in.

She spins around to face Zev, who has followed her in, his eyes dancing from mine to the woman’s. Her shiny red hair is cascading down her back. She’s beautiful.

“You can sit the bags down, Kylie. Tara, I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was showing up right then.”

“Who the hell did this to her?”

“Definitely not me, and you need to forget you saw her like this.” Zev’s voice is one of warning.

“Tara, this is Kylie, my friend Kruse’s sister. She went shopping to get you some things.”

“Yeah, I did.” Kylie turns back and smiles. She fumbles with the bags, glancing into them as she strolls over. “I think I got your size right.”

Her smile is kind and reaches her green eyes, but I still can’t help wondering if she and Zev have a history. She’s in a cute denim skirt and a trim purple top.

“Thank you for doing that. It’s so kind of you.”

“No problem, sweetie. Uh, I hope you get feeling better soon.” Without another word, she stands and strolls back toward Zev. “Will you show me out?”

“Yeah.” His hand slides across the back of his neck as he follows her out of the room. I hear their hushed whispers and Zev’s voice raise an octave.

When he returns, he sighs. “She barged right through the door as Dr. Matthews walked out. I think she was excited about her shopping trip.”

“It’s fine.” My eyes glance to the floor. “Do you know her well?”

“No, I don’t. She’s only shopped for me a couple of times. It was to get gifts for Shannon.”

Sighing with relief, I glance up at him and smile.

“Thank you. This was extremely thoughtful.”

“I’m trying. I don’t know how good I’ll be at this boyfriend thing. It’s nothing I’ve ever done before.”

“Boyfriend.” I’m grinning widely now as my face heats. His gorgeous dimples show, and he saunters toward me without meeting my gaze.

Taking the spot next to me on the couch, his leg rubs up against a bag below us. My eyes want to close as his hand slides into my blonde tresses.

“Please say I can be that to you.”

“Yes. I’m just surprised. It’s a stark contrast from how you were before.”

“I was an idiot and a coward before, and look where it got you.”

His dimples have vanished, replaced with a mixture of hurt and anger. “Don’t. Don’t own any of this. It was my choice.”

“He’s going to pay, Tara. When the perfect moment arises, he’s going to pay with his life.”

I shake my head. “Don’t let the anger turn you into the monster he is.”

“He has to be stopped. You’re not the first woman he’s hurt, and if he lives and walks free, he’s going to do it again.”

We have to get off this topic. “The doctor said I need to alternate between ice and heat. Can you help me with that?”

“Yes, and listen, I know this will be awkward, but I want to take some photos of your injuries in case Noah goes to prison. You could then press charges.”

Zev has some explaining to do soon. What happened to get the Cassano brothers under the FBI’s radar? It’s the one thing Victoria wouldn’t disclose.

I don’t know what lies ahead for us or the tangled mess he’s gotten himself into, but I don’t have to have the answers right now. I only long for his touch and sincerity. I loved the old Zev, but this one is remarkable.

“You can take the photos as long as you agree to hold me after.”

“It will be my pleasure, sweetheart.”