“Lift your leg and hook it on my shoulder,” he barked,tapping the back of her left leg.
Tremors ran through her body as she caught the blue steeledge of his eyes. Balancing on one foot, Everly’s whole body heated as shefollowed his instructions, exposing herself shamefully mere inches from hisface. The steadying grip on her ass tightened, digging his blunt fingers deeperinto the soft globes of her ass cheeks. Water pouring down both of their faces,their eyes met and Everly’s heart lurched in her chest. Dangerous and dark,Zane’s expression was unforgiving as stone as he dragged his gaze from hers tostare directly at the glistening sex before him.
Shameful, sinful anticipation gripped her body like a viceas he slowly began to move the soapy loofah up and down her thigh and calf.Puffs of hot breath sporadically hit her tingling folds momentarily stealingher strength to maintain her balance. Letting out a small yelp of alarm, Everlyflung out one arm to brace herself against the wall while the otherinstinctively grabbed a fistful of his wet hair. The deep vibrating growl shookher thighs and filled the shower.
Snatching her hand away as if burned, Everly squeaked out ahurried apology.
“Next leg,” he grumbled.
Carefully switching legs with his help, Zane resumed historturous wash. Bracing herself now using both hands on the opposite walls,Everly’s head hung between her shoulders as she fought the chaotic heat he wascausing. The feel of his breath hitting her swollen tender flesh while hismouth, the mouth she knew firsthand that could break her into a million pieces,was only inches away undoing every thread of sanity in her mind.
“Please Zane,” she cried pathetically. She wanted him tojust touch her, to satiate the uncontrollable need he was building within herthat threatened to fracture her very sanity or stop this torture altogether.
Steadying her again, Zane stood up abruptly and pulled herflush against him. Everly whimpered into his chest, as his now fully erectlength brushed against her, teasing and tormenting. Grabbing her jaw, Zanetilted her face up towards his, forcing her to meet his wild burning blue eyes.Deep in her mind she was comforted, even if just a little, that he was just asaffected by all of this as she was.
“What the fuck were you thinking?!” Gripping her shoulders,he turned her away from the spray. “Do you even comprehend what could’vehappened to you if I hadn’t gotten to you in time?” The angry desperation inhis voice startled her, he was truly scared for her. He wasn’t just angry ather for trying to escape, he was scared about her safety. “You could’vedrowned, become hypothermic, or hit your head on the rocks below, you…” Withevery word, his voice got deeper, tighter with emotion and his angry grip onher shoulders tightened painfully so. His anger would not let him finish thefrightening possibilities.
“Zane please,” she begged, she couldn’t stand to see thewounded look on his face. Zane’s anger was horrible and consuming, she neverthought she would crave to see that dimpled smile as much as she did at thismoment. “I only wanted to…”
“And for what Everly?!” He ignored her with a snarl, jerkingher against him for emphasis, his eyes positively glittering with rage. “To escape?To run away to the lonely desolate freedom, you seem to crave? Well, I won’tlet you, do you hear me? I would follow you to the ends of the earth,” herasped lifting her off the tile floor slightly, Everly closed her eyes as henuzzled her cheek, burying his face in the crook of her neck. “You belong tome, Everly.”
His words felt like tethers wrapping around her body holdingher firmly in place. There was nothing she could say in response to hisdetermined words. When she looked into his bright cold gaze she knew he meantevery word.
Without a word, Zane finished washing her hair and thenquickly washed himself. Dried and dressed, all by Zane’s hands, he instructedher to lay down in the bed.
Climbing into bed, Everly caught a glimpse of the evidentbulge in the front of his sweats. Nervous fear crept along her spine, would he…Grabbing the blankets, Zane leaned over her and began tucking the coverstightly around her until she could hardly move. Confusion and relief battledeach other as he stepped away from the bed.
“You’re not allowed to move from this bed, do you understandme?”
He waited for her to answer, his expression cold andunreadable. Quickly she nodded in silent reply, her throat too tight with theneed to cry. She hated his anger.
Walking towards the bedroom door, Zane stopped with his handon the doorframe and looked back at her.
“Everly,” his tone demanded her full attention. “If you evertry to leave again, I will give you a whole new meaning to barefoot andpregnant.” Tears stung in her eyes as she stared at him in horror. Theseriousness in his eyes scorched through to her soul as she clutched tightly atthe covers around her. “I will burn every last piece of your clothing until allyou have on is the ankle monitor I will personally strap onto that prettylittle ankle of yours. So that way you will never set one foot out of thishouse ever again.”
Fear was a dangerous mercurial emotion, it could bedebilitating one minute or volatile the next. Fear had the power to render therational mind irrational. Pushing someone into a corner with fear might makethem cower, or it could make them lash out.
“You should have just left me in the water,” she whispered,meeting his gaze directly.
Ignoring his look of shock, Everly turned on her side awayfrom the door and buried herself into the extra pillows. Seconds dragged by asthe silence lingered around the room—eventually, the door closed.
Knowing she was alone, Everly finally let out the sobbingcry she kept in her throat. Clutching the pillow tighter she tried to muffleher sound. How could this be happening? Flashbacks of her hand slipping fromthe bridge replayed themselves, her body shuddered reflexively as sheremembered the shock of the freezing water engulfing her. The first thought shehad when she hit the water was her baby. Wrapping her arm around her stomach,Everly curled tighter on the bed bringing her knees higher. She didn’t meanthose awful words she said to Zane, she was only trying to hurt him back withequally venomous words. The moment she realized it was Zane’s strong armspulling her to safety, she thanked God.
Her tears slowed until all she was left with was a smallsniffle. Nuzzling into the pillow, Everly inhaled Zane’s scent from his pillow,there were so many pillows on the bed she was never sure who’s was whose untilshe laid on one.
Would Zane ever smile at her again?
Why did she care if he did or didn’t? She frowned, shestared at the crackling fire Zane lit in the fireplace across the room. Theshocked look on his face as she fell into the water, the determination to gether clean and warm, his anger as he carefully dressed her in the thick flannelpajamas like a precious doll, all of that should make no difference to her— shewas the victim in this situation.
So why did it hurt so bad to think of his angry glare, orthe way he resisted touching her in the shower as she wantonly exposed herselfto him? Ashamed, Everly rolled over with a groan. A thought struck her. Reid!If Zane was this angry, she did not want to imagine what Reid’s reaction wouldbe once he found out.
Lost in her anxious thoughts, Everly jumped at the sound ofthe door opening. Was it Reid, was he back yet? No, she had a feeling Reidwould have kicked down the door to announce his presence. It had to be Zane,walking silently across the carpeted floor towards the bed. Not moving from hercurled up fetal position under the blankets Everly stayed very still even asshe felt the bed sink with his weight. The gentle weight of his hand on her hipnearly undid her, all she wanted to do was fling her arms around his neck andhave him comfort her again like he did on the plane, soothing her and smilinggently, telling her everything would be okay. But she didn’t move, her pridekept her rooted firmly under her covers.
The comforting weight of his hand disappeared, and she couldhear him exhale heavily as he stood up from the bed.
“Make sure you eat all of the food I left and drink all ofthe tea.” This time his footsteps were heavier as he walked across the room andshut the door firmly.
Sitting up, Everly looked at the tray of food on thenightstand with a pang of guilt. A large steaming bowl of what she could onlyassume was tomato soup and two triangles of a cut grilled cheese sandwich satneatly on a wooden tray. Grabbing the mug, she took a sip of the tea.
