Page 79 of Locked in Wonderland

I paused at the bathroom door. “What about clothes?”

“Help yourself to something of mine.”

I nodded and stepped inside. The bathroom door closing behind me felt like a release, despite it not having a lock. There was a mirror above the sink. When I finally forced myself to look at it, a stranger stared back.

My eyes looked bigger. My lashes darker. My cheeks flushed. My skin smoother. I looked pretty. Ridiculously pretty. Twenty-five grand, pretty, apparently.

The tiny keyhole sat on the side of the collar. It was fiddly, but the lock released immediately when I inserted the key and turned it. I felt better once it was off, and positively euphoric after I opened the small window and launched the collar through it. If Nico had plans for it, he’d have to find it.

I tackled the makeup first, scrubbing until my skin was red and every trace was gone. Then I examined the scar on my chest where they’d removed the tattoo. Presumably, they’d done it so prospective buyers didn’t balk at Nico having branded me. They must have been furious when he turned up and undid all their hard work.

Or maybe not.

Twenty-five grand probably soothed a lot of hurt feelings. Would he expect me to pay him back? A nagging sense of responsibility said I should at least offer, even if I had absolutely no idea how I’d manage it.

After showering in water as hot as I could tolerate, I wrapped a towel around my waist and headed for Nico’s bedroom.

He wasn’t there. Sounds from the kitchen suggested he was busy doing something. Hopefully, something involving food. My stomach had started filing formal complaints. Opening Nico’s wardrobe provided exactly as much variety as I’d expected.

Suit.

Or suit.

It felt ridiculous as I grabbed a crisp white shirt and a pair of pinstriped trousers. Like I was dressing for a job interview. But it was still better than putting the leather harness and shorts back on. Those could stay in the bathroom where they’d been abandoned. I helped myself to a pair of Nico’s dress shoes as well. We weren’t quite the same size, but we were close enough.

I found Nico still in the kitchen. A cheese omelet sat waiting for me on the table. The empty plate in front of him suggested he’d already eaten. I wolfed the omelet down in what felt like only two or three bites.

“Not drugged,” Nico said after my last bite, “in case you were wondering.”

“Very funny.”

He shrugged. “You do seem to have a talent for finding illicit substances. Perhaps you enjoy surrendering control.”

“I don’t.”

His raised eyebrow said he didn’t believe me. He shifted his chair closer.

Far too close. It made me―

No. Better not to finish that thought.

“Why did you leave when I explicitly told you to stay put?”

“I thought I saw Warren.” I shook my head. “No. I did see him. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure at the nightclub, but it was definitely him this time. What was I supposed to do? Just ignore him?”

“You were supposed to do what I told you.” His voice sharpened. “Then you wouldn’t have ended up on the auction block, and I wouldn’t have had to take on a role that doesn’t exactly come naturally to me.”

“A role?”

Nico pulled a face. “That of a rescuer.” He said it as if it were something offensive. “I’m nobody’s hero. Anyone who thinks otherwise is setting themselves up for disappointment.”

“But you did rescue me.”

“I did.” The intensity of his stare became almost unbearable. So much so that it was a relief when he hooked a hand behind my neck and dragged me so close his features blurred.

I blamed that moment of relief for why I didn’t pull away before his mouth found mine. The kiss wasn’t rough or demanding. Which somehow made resisting it even harder. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed not to melt into him and stay strong.

When he finally pulled back, he had a shuttered expression.