Daring, Charming , Real

Ch. 20

Just as I had blacked out in the office , I also blacked out on the way home . It wasn't until Thomas was carrying me into the doorway that I truly regained consciousness. He ordered Mary to run a bath and he carried me into his office , shutting the door behind us with his foot. I watched as he paced over to the desk and sat me down gently to where I was sitting and facing him. He held the desk on either side of my body, his pale blue eyes searching inside my own gaze for any hint of emotion I was feeling. The gesture brought comfort for the first time in hours.

"I want to know what happened. The truth, do not lie to me." He said.

"But Niccoli-"

"Will be fine if you tell me the truth." His words seemed promising and I could see the sincerity in his eyes, "Just say the words now and then you will never have too again. I promise."

Letting out a hollow breath I nodded in understandment.

"I came to the office and found Michael beating Niccoli. When I tried to stop him he hit me." I watched as the muscles in Tommy's jaw feathered at my words but continued speaking, "He was saying awful things, Thomas. I couldn't take it. I don't know what happened . I just went into that office and then I woke up and he was dead. Your letter opener was in my hand and Niccoli was trying to pry it away from me." 

"Niccoli took the blame." Thomas spoke barely above a whisper.

"Yes , but he didn't do it. Thomas you can't let anything happen to him, he's an innocent man." I pleaded.

"Nothing is going to happen to him. I'll take care of it." He placed a soft kiss against my forehead before picking me back up and walking towards the bathroom. I slumped into his arms not strong enough to argue about walking myself.

We passed Mary through the doorway but she didn't look in my direction. I'm unsure if she knew what had happened or if she was just told to give us privacy. I was grateful nonetheless.

Thomas sat me on my feet and began undressing me slowly. He unbuttoned my shirt and tossed it into the clothes hamper along with my skirt. After removing my underclothes he took my hand and helped me over the side of the large basin bathtub. The warm water soaked into my bones and sent a washing relief over my nerves. As I descended into the mountain of bubbles, Thomas stepped away and took off his own shirt , leaving only his pants on as he kneeled beside the tub.

I watched him drench the white wash cloth in soap and water before rubbing it over my hands. He was so gentle to remove every stain from under my nails and over my finger pads until only my pale skin was left. He worked the rag up my arms and over my shoulders , lathering the lavender soap on me. I just sat watching him tend to me in silence.

After my body was thoroughly washed he reached up with his bare hands to clean the splatter from my face, each stroke of his thumb leaving a trail of water to drip down my cheeks. I couldn't help but smile at his attention .

"You are beautiful." He whispered.

My cheeks warmed slightly but I couldn't turn away because he still held my face.

"The stars pale in comparison to you." He leaned forward pressing his lips against mine before leaving a line of kisses over my cheeks and down my jawline onto my neck. He paused to breath before making his way back to my lips once again, "I love you."

"I love you, Tommy."

-

Thomas finished bathing me and drying me off with a fluffy warm towel he retrieved from beside the fire place. He finally allowed me to walk on my own to the bedroom but refused to let me do much else.

He slipped one of his white sleep shirts over my head once we got to the bed. I plopped onto the mattress and let out a small yawn before burrowing myself under the covers and deep onto the pillow.

Thomas crawled in beside me , pulling me against his chest. The warmth of his skin flooded mine and I felt whole again. His fingers tangled into my wet hair and he stroked the top of my head slowly as I just stared at the wall beside us. The window was still cracked and I could see out into the dark black sky. Each star seemed so much brighter than they had the night before .

"Mr. Shelby, " Mary's voice came from outside of the door, "Your brothers are here to see you, sir."

"Tell them to wait in my office. I'll be there eventually." He grumbled from above me.

As the footsteps departed I watched his chest rise and fall with each breath he took. The rhythm of it almost put me to sleep but I would jolt awake everytime with the thought of what I had done.

"When I was in the war" Tommy's voice rang out amongst the darkness, "There was a man who dropped into our pit. He was armed with a pistol and had been given orders to kill as many of us as he could find. Lucky for me, not for him, I was the first person he stumbled into."

He paused for a moment before shaking his head, "The only thing I had to defend myself at the time was a knife strapped inside my boot."

As he spoke I reached out to his free hand and took it in mine. I ran my thumb over his palm back and forth as I listened.

"Do you know how many people I've killed , Emilia? A lot. But that one bothered me. He was just a boy like i was , doing what we were told. If I had met him in other circumstances I wouldn't have killed him."

"You had too , Thomas." I said, "He would've killed you and more."

"Exactly. I did what I had to do to protect people I cared about." He tucked my hair behind my ear softly, "That's something we have in common."