Page 149 of Her Wicked Plan

I give him a short nod and then leave the hall.

I made sure I was quick to grab my stuff in case he decided he had changed his mind, but when I rounded the corner, he was leaning against the wall and scrolling through his phone. He locks it and tucks it back into his pocket as I approach.

“You aren’t going to listen to Edith’s rules, are you?” I ask while I walk backward through the wide bathroom door. It is a big opening with a wall stationed right when you walk in. You can either go left or right to enter the bathroom. “You don’t have to stand out in the hall. I mean, I am supposed to be giving you a distraction.”

He swallows hard, glancing down the hall. “Veronica, I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

Shit. He is getting in his head and changing his mind.

“It’s just, anyone could walk in and… ” He licks his lips. How I wish my tongue were brushing up against them. “I already risked us being caught in your bedroom. We need to be careful, remember?”

“Right,” I agree, even though I’m growing frustrated. “What do you suggest we do then?”

He stares at me, and I watch as the idea sparks in his head. “Follow me.”

He walks away, assuming I’m going to follow. I do, but I’m confused. Wondering where the hell we are going when the showers are behind us.

We make our way through the halls in silence, and the number of patients huddled on the walls is scarce. There must be another event happening tonight that most of them got sucked into.

Leo stops before the door leading us to the employees’ rooms and looks at me. “We need to be quick.”

“Quick with what?” It comes out as a whisper.

He peers through the large rectangular window in the center of the door and then types in a code, causing a clicking sound. Pushing the door open, he takes my hand, and then we rush to his room.

My heart is racing from excitement, knowing exactly what he is planning. Opening the already unlocked door, he shoves me inside before he enters and locks the door after closing it.

My eyes wander around the room, having only seen it for a moment before when he left his voice recorder here.

It’s the same as then, but messier. The bed is unmade, and clothes are strewn across the floor. Without a word, Leo glides past me and into his bathroom, where he starts the shower.

“Thought you said patients weren’t allowed back here,” I taunt as I enter the bathroom.

“I made the expectation once, didn’t I?” He grins, backing away from the beautiful shower.

The tiles are glossy emerald green, the door is made of glass, and the showerhead is massive. This will be a much better shower than I would get in the communal ones. “And you’re okay with breaking that rule?”

“Seeing as I broke many rules, I guess one more can’t hurt.” He shrugs, peeling his shirt above his head. “Plus, this way, I can join you.”

My eyes freeze on the tile, a smirk pulling at my lips. Raising my hand, I run it through the water pouring from the circular head. It’s hot. “Did I say you could join me?”

When I return my attention to him, he is already undoing the buttons on his pants. “How else do you plan on distracting me?”

“I have my ways.” I set the bottles of shampoo and conditioner down on the white-tiled floor in the shower, removing my shirt and then hooking my thumbs into the band of my pants. “You can’t join me until I give you permission.”

He grounds his teeth together, eyes full of fire. “We have talked about this, Vee. I’m the one in charge.”

Stepping out of my pants, I allow his eyes to wander over my body before I say, “And right now, I’m the one in charge of the distraction.” His hand still pauses on the button, and I look at him through my lashes. “You’ll do what I tell you to do.”

“Veronica...” He warns me with a groan, but I shush him by placing a finger on his lip.

“One day of letting someone else take charge won’t kill you.”

We hold each other’s heated stares for a second longer, and then I back away and step into the shower. I moan from the warmth, goosebumps littering my skin as the water cascades over my body.

Placing myself under the showerhead, I dig my fingers through my curls, separating the strands to ensure every inch of my hair gets wet.

“The water in our showers isn’t this hot,” I state while I continue to massage my head. One eye slips open, seeing Leo resting against the counter, pants still on. His dark green eyes watch as the water rolls across my skin. Those wonderful eyes almost match these tiles. Elegant and mesmerizing. “It’s never this hot. Unless you go early in the morning, but who wants to wake up at the ass crack of dawn to shower?”