Maybe she’ll understand what I’m doing? How I’m not looking at her nakedness? Honestly, it’s torture not to take in all her amazing curves, but I’ll respect her boundaries. I’m pretty sure she’s not a fan of strange men ogling her naked body.
It takes a second. I fumble a bit with the key and the lock, but I get the restraints to unlock. I turn my attention to her wrists as I remove the shackles. Red, raw, and bleeding, there are deep cuts and areas of denuded skin.
“How long?” The damage to her wrists is impressive.
“Excuse me?”
“How long did he keep you chained to that pole?”
“Why do you care?”
“Because I do. How long?”
“I don’t know. Hours?” She reaches up to rub her shoulders.
“Where else are you hurt?” I take a step back, realizing how intimidating it must be with me towering over her.
“My shoulders hurt. My arms.” She glances at the wounds on her wrists. “My wrists. My calves.”
I give a shake of my head. “Put your arm around my neck.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to carry you, and I don’t want you draped over my shoulder.”
“Why not? Isn’t that exactly what men like you want?”
“You have no idea what I want.” How can she not know how I feel?
It’s a rhetorical question. It’s not like the past six days are magically erased because I don’t want to carry her to my suite caveman style.
“Put your arm over my shoulder, or don’t. I’m still going to carry you.” Without waiting for her to decide, I scoop her into my arms. Well aware she’s naked, I take several deep breaths to center myself.
Actually, there’s nothing sexy about any of this. My feelings aside, Eve’s pain doesn’t arouse me.
Not one damn bit.
Carrying Eve in my arms, however, almost puts me over the edge. This feels right.
I cradle her, and to my surprise, she doesn’t resist as we continue the long trek back to the suite.
Once we draw near the suite, Knox moves ahead of us. He opens the door and steps inside. I carry Eve over the threshold and take her straight back to the master bedroom.
Her entire body tenses when she realizes where I’m headed.
“Relax.” I lean down and whisper in her ear. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Eve jerks away. Her rosebud lips press into a hard line and her eyes narrow with suspicion. I completely understand. If I were her, I’d be thinking the same thing too.
I gently lower her on the mattress and release her. Eve scoots back, placing distance between us. Her attention shifts to the door.
“You can try and run, but you’re not getting past Knox.”
Her eyes cut back to me, fury and spite flaring in the turbulence of her gaze. She holds her arms over her bare chest and folds her legs to hide as much as she can from my view.
I leave her and head into the bathroom. There, I start filling the massive bathtub with warm water. It would be better if she took a shower, but I don’t think she’s steady enough to stand on her own. I could help her, and I still may need to, but putting me naked in a shower with Eve sounds like far too much temptation.
I’m not a teenaged boy anymore. I can control my body’s reactions, but I can only resist so much.
I grab one of my shirts and bring it to her. Eve’s eyes flash, but she doesn’t say a word when I toss it to her.
“You can put that on while the tub fills.” I give her my back, letting her cover herself.
At first, I hear nothing, but then she scrambles to put on the shirt. Her whimper of distress, however, spins me around. Her head is half in, half out of the hole. One arm is bound up inside the shirt. She struggles, and obviously can’t see me.
“Here, let me help.”
Eve flinches when I draw near. Huddled in the middle of the king-sized bed, I have to place a knee on the mattress to reach her. She doesn’t draw back, however, as I gently guide her arm through the armhole and get the shirt to pull over her head. With her eyeing me the entire time, I help her place her other arm through the sleeve.
“Why?” she asks.
“Why, what?” I move away and off the bed.
“Why are you being nice to me?”
“What did you expect?”
Her lips press together and her brows tug tight.
“You need a bath and I need a shower. How’s that for an answer?”
“I just thought…” Her voice trails off, and I’m reminded to watch what I say. Knox is sweeping the suite for new bugs, but he hasn’t made his way in here. He’s giving Eve space, and me as well.
“You’re going to have to rethink a lot of what you think you know about me.” I glance toward the door. “It’s a big tub. Takes long to fill. Stay on the bed. Don’t try to walk around on your own. I don’t want you to break a leg.”
“Whatever.” She draws her knees to her chest and pulls my shirt over her legs. My shirt swallows her much smaller frame and I can’t help but take a moment. I love seeing her wearing something of mine.
I’m a protector and a Guardian, but I’m still one hundred percent male. I’m not completely immune to her charms.
My gaze slides back to her face. That energy is there again, crackling in the air. If only I could take her in my arms, comfort her like I want, and promise her that everything will be okay.
Instead, I turn on my heel and walk out of that room before I do something I can’t take back.
Twenty-Four
Eve
Max leaves me on his bed. My only weapons are the daggers I shoot from my eyes, and they’re as effective as they sound. He dismisses my unblinking glare and leaves me.
Okay, now what?
My fingers stretch out, feeling the softness of the sheets.
He slept here last night.
And tonight?
Tonight, I will too.
Not sure how much sleeping there will be, but… It smells good in here. He smells good. I lean down and sniff the sheets, flooding my senses with his uniquely warm, masculine scent.
My eyes drift closed and I do nothing but breathe.
One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths. One more.
Why does he have to be one of them?
Another place. Another time. Things may have been different. I can’t help this feeling. My gut says he’s not one of the bad ones, but wishing and hoping do nothing to change hard, cold facts.
Max is a monster, and sometime later tonight, sooner rather than later, he will rape me. It’s what men like him do. If I believe what Benefield told me, Max’s bodyguard will too.
My fingers curl in the sheets as I fight back tears. There’s no place for them. Not in a place such as this.
Max leaves me in the middle of his bed. He leaves me alone. He and Knox speak in subdued voices from the other room while I curl into the fetal position, hugging my knees to my chest.
The only escape is my mind. It’s time to build the shields I pray will keep my sanity intact.
Max.
I bury my nose in the sheets, taking in his scent. Why can’t you be one of the good guys?
When he looks at me, all I see is compassion, concern, and a need to protect. And I definitely notice how he doesn’t stare at me like any of the other men. I didn’t feel naked when he carried me. Even his bodyguard keeps his gaze to himself.