Captivated Desires

53

Reign chuckled softly at her eagerness, moving to carefully place the princess band-aid on her injured knee. "There we go," he said, his touch gentle. "One princess band-aid, as requested."

Willow looked down at her knee, her eyes fixed on the colourful band-aid now adorning her skin. Her pout was replaced by a wide grin as she reached down to carefully touch the bandaid, her fingertips tracing over the cartoon princess's design.

"Now you're all fixed up," Reign said with a smile, poking her gently on the nose. "No more owies, right?" Willow shook her head, her grin still in place as she admired the band-aid. "No more owies," she agreed, her voice full of child-like conviction.

Willow immediately scampered off as soon as her feet hit the floor, her mind already on her next adventure. She scampered over to Levi, who was still engrossed in his cartoons and tugged on his sleeve to get his attention. Meanwhile, Reign stayed by my side, his eyes following the kids as they resumed their activities.

"You're such a great daddy," I said to him as I gently kissed him, it was our first kiss in a month. Reign's breath hitched as my lips met his, the surprise quickly replaced by an intense wave of desire. He returned the kiss, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. "Damn, I missed that," he muttered, his voice low and gruff. "Went too damn long without your kisses."

He pulled me closer, his other hand going to my hip to press me against his body. "But I'm not complaining about this reintroduction," he added, stealing another quick kiss before reluctantly pulling back just enough to look into my eyes.

"You have no idea how many times I fantasized about having you back in my arms," he murmured, his thumb tracing gentle circles over my cheek. "Waking up without you, not being able to hold you, kiss you...it damn near drove me crazy."

"I'm sorry baby, it's partially my fault," I said quietly.

Reign shook his head firmly, his gaze intense as he looked down at me. "No, darlin'," he said, his voice adamant. "We're not doing the blame game. It wasn't your fault. None of it was."

His grip on me tightened slightly, his touch almost protective. "I just want you to focus on getting better," he continued, his voice a soft murmur. "We'll deal with everything else in due time, but right now, you need to rest and heal. The kids and I will be here every step of the way. Got it?"

Reign smiled gently at my agreement, his hand moving to gently tilt my chin up so he could look directly into my eyes. "That's my girl," he said, his tone affectionate. "You just worry about taking care of yourself. I'll take care of everything else."

It was finally night, Reign wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest as the two of us settled into bed. His hand gently traced a path up and down my back, the rhythm almost soothing. "Finally," he murmured, his voice a low rumble in the quiet of the room. "Just the two of us. Alone,".

He pressed a kiss to my forehead, his lips lingering there for a moment. "Missed having you like this," he whispered, his arms tightening slightly around me.

Reign could sense my restlessness as I tried to find a comfortable position. He shifted slightly to give me more space, his hand still rubbing gently along my back. "Still not comfortable?" he asked quietly, concern lacing his voice.

"It's just the different pains," I said gently. Reign hummed in understanding, his expression empathetic as he continued to rub my back. "Still hurting, huh?" he asked gently. "Anywhere specific giving you trouble?"

"Just my shoulder, right now," I replied. Reign leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to my shoulder, his lips lingering against my skin for a moment. "Where does it hurt the most, darlin'?" he asked softly, his hand moving to gently massage the area around my shoulder.

"Where I was shot..." I mumbled. Reign's fingers paused in their ministrations for a moment as I spoke, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes at the mention of my injury. But he quickly composed himself, his touch gentle as he resumed massaging my shoulder. "I wish I could take all that pain away from you," he murmured, his voice laced with affectionate concern.

He gently rolled me onto my stomach, giving him better access to my sore shoulder. Straddling my hips from behind, he started to massage the muscles there with his strong hands, his touch firm but delicate. "Just relax, darlin'," Reign said quietly, his hands working their magic as they kneaded the tension from my aching shoulder. "Lemme take care of you."

He continued to massage, his focus on relieving the tension in my shoulder and bringing me some much-needed relief. His fingers deftly worked the tight muscles, his touch warm and intimate. "You're so strong, darlin'," he whispered, his thumbs working a particularly stubborn knot of tension. "So damn strong to have endured all of this."

He leaned down and kissed the base of my neck, his lips lingering against my skin for a moment before he spoke again. "But you don't have to be strong all the time, you know," he said quietly. "You can let me take care of you, darlin'. Let me shoulder the weight for a while. I got you, always."

"I know baby," I said quietly but soothingly.

Reign smiled at the gentleness in my voice, his fingers continuing to work the knots out of my shoulder. "I just worry about you, darlin'," he admitted, his tone a bit gruff. "You've been through so much, and I hate seeing you in pain. Physically and emotionally."

He paused in his ministrations for a moment, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders. "Just promise me you'll lean on me, alright? Don't try to be the strong one all the time. Let me be your rock, darlin'."

"I promise," I whispered.

Reign smiled again at my response, his fingers resuming their gentle massage. "Good," he murmured, his touch still firm but infinitely gentle. "Because you know damn well I'm not gonna let you go through this alone, right?"