Haynes, K. R. - The Light in Her Eyes [In Her Eyes] (Siren Publishing Classic) (27 page)

Her gaze met his.

Randall could see the strength it took her not to shed the tears wanting to fall.

“I know it was foolish of me to leave Mary J’s house alone. I know I still need to apologise to her for leaving her place without leaving a word of where I took off to. I also know that once I am fully healed I will accept any punishment you’ll give me for once again defying your orders.”

“Chloe, love, listen to me as I’m only going to say this once.” Seeing her nod her head, Randall continued. “I think you have been through enough punishment and guilt without me adding to it. I will not reprimand you this time. However, if you so much as defy my command again I will double your punishment, little girl,” he said, smirking at her.

Chloe couldn’t help but return a faint smile herself.

“Now, speaking of Mary J,” he said to her, “I have invited her over. She has been bugging me and Mick for days now about how you are. So she’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“Oh, shit.”

“This is your chance, Chloe, to mend the bridges broken between the two of you.”

“I know. I guess I’m a little afraid of the reception she’ll give me is all.”

Hearing him laugh softly at her, Chloe asked him what was so damn funny. He only told her, “Nothing, precious. Nothing at all,” before he stood up, dropped a kiss to the top of her head and left the room to go answer the front door.

Randall left the two women to talk and catch up on the past few days’ events while he went out to run some errands and to get the script filled the ER doctor had given Chloe for the pain. After dropping off her script at the chemist, the store next door caught his eye. They were selling particular items that would help replace something lost in the fire. Stepping inside the store, it didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. Paying for his purchase and having it gifted wrapped for him, he headed back to the chemist to pick up the awaiting script.

At least his gift could replace one thing that he believed had meant an awful lot to Chloe.

Dropping the medicine and his gift on the seat beside him, Randall drove to the next shop on his list of things to do. Knowing Chloe wouldn’t be up for shopping for at least a week or more, he took it upon himself to purchase a few pieces of clothing she could lounge around in while recovering from her injuries. However, he found himself getting kind of sidetracked when his eye caught an array of lacy, satiny underwear in various colours hanging up along the back wall. Knowing Chloe’s preference and taking into account what he liked seeing her in, Randall chose a few sexy pieces of lingerie for Chloe as well as some normal clothing for her to lounge around in. He was glad he had checked out all her clothing sizes before he left the house.

Grinning to himself as he left the store, Randall was beyond pleased with the purchases he’d made for her. He knew Chloe would be thrilled with the few surprises she’d find inside the bags for her. Hopefully his sexy little surprises would be enough to put a smile on her face for a while. It bothered him that she seemed so down on herself today.

Even though it had only been a few days since the attack, Chloe had been closing herself off from him more and more each day. He couldn’t allow it to continue on. She was hurting on the inside as well as on the outside. He knew this. What he didn’t know was what he could do to help her move on, to
heal
.

Randall recognised he needed to do something, to bring back the sexy, sassy little submissive he loved and adored so much. Hopefully one of the little surprises he had in store for her would help with that. Firstly though, he was going to make damn sure she took her medicine prescribed for the pain. Then they could do something relaxing together.

Stopping at the last shop to pick up the last of the items on his list, Randall then headed back home. Hopefully he’d find Chloe and Mary J joking around and having fun, and not pulling each other’s hair out.

Chapter Forty-One

With Randall’s help, Chloe stepped gingerly inside the bathroom. She gasped at the sight of scented candles all alight and a warm bubble bath awaiting her. Turning slowly to face him, Chloe raised her hands to cup his face. Tears stung her eyes, not from the pain, but from the love she felt for him at the thoughtfulness of his actions. A bubble bath was something she hadn’t had in ages and a luxury she longed for now, with him hopefully joining her.

“Thank you, Jon. I don’t know what I have done to deserve this or you, but thank you.”

Kissing her still-healing lips gently, he told her, “You deserve this and so much more, precious, so much more.”

Suddenly feeling nervous at the thought of being naked around him, Chloe paced away from Randall, needing some distance between them. The bruising from the attack still marred her skin. She could still feel the bastard’s rough hands on her body. Knowing that it was going to take time for her to recover from her attack was all well and good. However, had she not gone to her place at all, none of this would have happened in the first place, right? Even that wasn’t guaranteed. The stalker, her attacker, hadn’t been caught yet. She hadn’t heard from him either and hoped he had moved on. The bastard was still out there though. Watching, waiting to strike at her again.

Shuddering at the thought alone, Chloe shrieked at the feel of Randall’s arms gently encircling her waist. God, she couldn’t even relax enough to have him touch her. Trying to calm her mind and her racing heart, Chloe managed to slip out of Randall’s embrace. The puzzled look on his face as she peeked up at him made her wince. She had inadvertently hurt him by pulling away from him.

“Chloe, what’s wrong?”

Two simple words, forming such a simple question, yet for the life of her Chloe couldn’t find the right words to answer him with.

He said her name again. “Chloe?”

She turned away from his gaze and began pacing as she spoke. “I’m nervous, Jon. My skin is still marred. I’m ashamed of the marks the bastard left behind on my body.” She peeked over her shoulder at him and continued on, “What if I can’t get past this, Jon?” She stopped there, too embarrassed and ashamed to say anything else.

“Can’t get past what, precious?” Randall’s voice was so calming, so full of reason it was like a balm to her overwrought senses.

Turning her back to him, Chloe began pacing again. “I want to be intimate with you again, Jon.” She whispered to him, “But what if I can’t get past the feel of that bastard’s hands groping me. I know he didn’t rape me.”

Stopping in front of the bath and gazing down at the foamy bubbles, an ache started to build up in her chest from the loss of closeness to the man she loved. Her attacker had taken away the intimacy she craved from the man she loved. She only had to look in the mirror to be reminded of what the bastard had stolen from her.

“How can I move past this, Jon? I hate that I can’t handle you touching me, when all I want you to do is touch me and make me forget this ever happened.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. She didn’t care if they fell or not when she turned to face him. There was no shame in letting him see her tears. Only having Randall see the bastard’s marks on her body shamed her.

“I want to be intimate with you, too, precious. However, there is no need for us to rush into it. Together we will take it one step at a time, day by day, you and me together. Then when you’re ready I’ll make slow, passionate love to you, to the point you’ll be writhing in your own desire and all but begging me to let you come.”

“Promise?” she whispered to him.

“I promise. Scout’s honour.”

Staring up into his loving gaze, revelling in the love he held for her, she whispered to him, “Well, there is one thing you can help me with.”

“And what’s that, lover?” Randall said to her while closing the distance between them.

Heat rose to her cheeks from the smouldering look in his eyes. Swallowing down her nervousness, she uttered to him, “Help me undress, please.”

He kissed both her flushed rosy cheeks then her lips. “It would be my pleasure.”

Slowly Randall undid the buttons on the front of the shirt of his she wore, his lips lightly caressing a path down the bruised skin revealed to him. Beneath his gentle, tender touch, Chloe couldn’t stop her body from trembling with both her desire for him and her nervousness of him seeing her naked. Once he had her naked he stripped himself of his clothing then gently gathered her in his arms and carefully lowered her into the warm water.

* * * *

Randall sat behind Chloe in the bathtub. He could feel the little nervous tremors racing throughout her body, as she leaned against him.
Softly he caressed her arms with his hands. He needed to keep touching her to know she was alive and here with him. The knowledge of how awfully close he came to losing her…Well, it was going to take him time to get over the initial shock. Just like it was going to take her time to relearn the enjoyment of his touch.

What had happened to her was something neither one of them could’ve stopped. The bastard threatening her had made the threats and acted upon them unsuccessfully in the end, for now.

Neither one of them had failed each other on the day she had been attacked. Something they both needed to remember. They had both done everything in their power to control the situation with the stalker. In the end the stalker had won out. However, Randall refused to let the attack on Chloe come between them.

He was glad though to see her relaxing enough to rest the back of her head against his chest and close her eyes. She even encouraged him to wrap his arms around her waist, just not too tightly. “Ribs, remember. Sore,” she muttered to him.

Even though his eyes stung with tears, Randall couldn’t help but smile at hearing her words. She was coming back to him, day by day, minute by minute. His sexy, sassy little sub would return to him. The Chloe he loved with his whole heart and soul would return back to him piece by piece.

His heart swelled with emotion.

Leaning in, resting his chin on top of her head and closing his eyes, Randall let his words tumble free from his lips, not caring how they sounded to her. “A long time ago I offered my whole heart and love to one woman, Chloe. That woman is you, precious, only you. Together we will get through this. Just believe in us and it will happen.”

* * * *

His heartfelt words gave her a reason to believe. Here in the bath, surrounded by his warmth and his love, Chloe believed they most definitely could get through this, together. As long as she just believed in herself, in their love, and in Randall himself they would get through this.

Together, one day at a time, just like he said.

All she had to do was
believe
.

And believe she would. Whatever she needed to do to feel whole again, she would do it.

For Jon, she would do it.

Chapter Forty-Two

Almost a month had passed since her attack. With each passing day, Chloe found herself becoming more and more comfortable being around Randall again. He had shown her a great deal of patience and understanding. More than she thought he could offer her. Looking back on it now, it seemed wrong to underestimate him or his love he held for her.

Now, she was ready.

After accepting the advice Randall had given her a few weeks back, Chloe had taken the plunge and seen the therapist, the one the station he was based at used for post-traumatic stress.

She had seen the therapist a few times now. It had helped, much to her surprise. And to her annoyance that Randall had proved to be right yet again.

Nevertheless, she was ready now.

Finally ready to feel his possession of her body with his own.

More than a month had passed since they had last made love.

All the bruising and swelling from the attack had healed.

The bastard’s marks on her flesh were gone.

Mentally and physically, Chloe was ready for the next phase of the healing to process- being intimate with her lover again.

She needed to feel Randall’s possession of her body again, however that came. The ache inside her was too strong to ignore any longer. So tonight Chloe was taking the next step in her healing process. Knowing Randall had been on edge lately, she would give him this gift tonight, the gift of her body, her submission, and, most importantly, her unspoken love. She would surrender her entire being to him tonight. Surrender completely to him.

Dressed only in the soft, lavender lace-and-satin bra with matching panties that Randall had given her a few weeks back, with her long caramel locks flowing over her shoulders and down her back, Chloe padded barefoot into the lounge room. Switching the stereo on and filling the room with an erotic rhythm, she lit a few candles to help create an intimate mood.