Pressing the damp cloth to the cut at the top of her upper thigh, Edward glared at her.
“You’ve never had anyone take care of you, have you?” he asked.
“I don’t need taking care of.” Her lips wobbled.
He lifted up the blunt knife he’d taken from her grip seconds before. “Do you call this taking f**king care of yourself?”
Shaking his head, Edward stared down at the other scabbed over cuts. How long had she been harming herself?
Cut and run, she doesn’t need you.
If this wasn’t a cry for help, Edward didn’t know what was.
“Please, don’t tell anyone,” she said. Her lips wobbled, and tears spilled out of her eyes.
Isabel Benson needed someone to be in charge. She needed an expert Dom to help her. He’d played with so many subs that he didn’t have a clue how to look after a sub full-time. The woman in front of him needed him.
He couldn’t walk away. From their few brief talks, Edward was already hooked and in too deep with this woman.
“I’m not telling, Isabel.”
She let out a sigh of relief.
Grabbing her face, harshly, Edward forced her to look at him. “Don’t think this is the f**king end of it, love. You’ve just earned yourself a keeper and a Dom.”
“What?” she asked.
“You’ve got that right, missy. You’re not going to be hurting yourself anymore. That stops tonight.”
“You can’t do this.”
“Do you have any idea the kind of danger you’re in? These could get infected, or worse you could slip and nick a major artery.” Edward shook his head. “I’m not letting that happen. You’re going to answer to me as your Master, Isabel. I’ll be taking care of you from this day forward,” he said.
“No, you can’t do that.” She tried to pull away from him.
“If you think of fighting me on this I’ll make sure the right people know. Do you know what happens then?” he asked, looking her in the eye.
“No,” she said, shaking her head.
“You’ll be committed to a hospital where you’ll be observed and treated. I should let them do this. You’re twenty-four years old for f**k’s sake.” Edward shook his head. “Your sister, Sophie, will be alone again without anyone. You’ll take the one stable thing out of her life, Isabel, and that one stable thing she has, is you.”
Tears were streaming down her face. His heart broke for her, but Edward couldn’t lie to her. This was the cold harsh truth.
“Help me,” she said, whimpering.
Wrapping his arms around her, Edward held her tight. “I will, I promise.”
He hoped to God he didn’t lose her or himself in the process. For once in his life he was going to be looking after someone who wasn’t himself.
Let me get this right.
The End