Can't Put the Lid Back On

Paige

The scalding hot shower spray pounded down on my shoulders, and I sank my teeth into my lower lip until I tasted blood to keep from crying. Dark memories, dark rooms full of angry men with all the power over me they could want, fought for my attention. Dozens of them, hundreds, maybe more. In the end, I didn’t even know how many bastards there were.

I forced myself to grab and open the bottle of rosemary, mint, and lavender-scented body wash I’d ordered a few weeks ago. It was so sharp and herbal that it was the only thing I’d found that could keep my mind off my body while I showered. I poured a dollop onto a loofah and began scrubbing myself.

Tom hadn’t done anything I didn’t want him to do. I initiated the kiss. He barely touched my fucking side, and God help me, it felt good until he hit one of my scars. I had just remembered the bastard who gave it to me, the shine of the knife as he did, and I couldn’t see Tom anymore. When I thought about that moment in the gym, I couldn’