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Kat opens her eyes when we enter the room, stirring to life from the chair she’s curled into. Her clothes are still a mess, and I know she needs to rest, but I also know she’s desperate to wash the day off her.
I help Josh onto the bed, and she watches him as he settles onto his stomach and focuses on the singing dogs on TV. Within about two seconds, he’s zoned out, and I’m in front of Kat, helping her up.
“What are we doing?” She protests.
“Getting you cleaned up.”
“But Josh—”
“Josh will be okay right here. And we’ll leave the bathroom door open so you can hear him, all right?”
It takes her a minute to nod her acceptance, but when I lead her into the bathroom, she attempts to start stripping off her clothes. Her limbs are too weak, and she can barely muster the energy, so I stop her, pausing to kiss her forehead and pull her against my chest. When I do, she chokes back a sob at the first glimpse of comfort she’s had all day.
“It’s okay, Katya. I’ve got you now.”
Silent tears spill against my chest as I cradle her against me, and this time, I don’t ask her to hold back. She lets it all out, until there’s nothing left, and still we stand there. I pet her hair, rub her back, kiss her face. A reassuring presence is all I can be for her right now. This morning, I failed her. She probably doesn’t trust me to tell her I won’t let it happen again, but right now, I’m all she has.
“Everything is going to be okay,” I whisper in her ear. “Just let me take care of you.”
Slowly, I strip off her clothes, piece by piece, until she’s naked before me. On any other occasion, I would already be balls deep inside her. But right now, that isn’t what she needs. So instead, I help her into the bath and kneel beside the tub, using the detachable showerhead to begin the process of washing her body. At this moment, she’s never looked so small. So fragile. My eyes absorb every detail of her skin, with my fingers following. I almost lost this today. That sinks in, over and over again, every second worse than the last. I’m trying not to think about it when I touch the birthmark on the back of her neck.
“Josh has the same one,” I croak.
Kat nods. “I know.”
She shivers when my soapy hands skate over her shoulders and down to her chest, grazing her nipples. Even when she’s bruised and bloodied, she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
I wash her hair, massaging her scalp and her shoulders, and then rinse it all off before draining and refilling the tub once more with clean water. As she relaxes back against the porcelain wall, my fingers slip between her thighs, and her eyes open at half-mast.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “He can’t see in here.”
Her eyes fall shut again, and I drag my fingers over her clit, slowly massaging her there while she shudders, biting back her pleasure. It isn’t sexual. It’s just intimate. A way to release some of her emotions and allow her to fully relax. And as I bring her to climax, I’m satisfied that I’ve done my job when she bucks against me, her breath hissing between her teeth.
She’s emotionally and physically spent as I gather her into my arms and towel her off, wrapping her in the hotel’s bathrobe before I lay her on the bed beside Josh. She looks up at me, murmuring that she doesn’t want me to go anywhere, and then falls back asleep.
3
Lev
Kat stirs from her sleep a little after midnight, blinking as she bolts upright in the bed. When her eyes collide with mine across the room, her shoulders relax, and she drags in a deep breath.
“How long have I been asleep?” she whispers.
“For a few hours.”
I shut the brown paper file on the table in front of me, and her gaze moves to the bombshell I’m not quite ready to deliver just yet.
“What is that?”
I lean back against the chair and crane my neck to the side, attempting to relieve some of the tension that’s gathered there. “I asked Alexei to do some research into the names listed on the drive. He’s handing it off to me as he goes through it.”
Kat frowns, glancing at Josh and adjusting his covers before she slips off the bed and comes to sit across from me. The soft glow of a lamp provides the only light in the hotel room, but I can still see the tension in her eyes.
“So, what happens now?” She swallows. “We can’t hide out in this hotel forever.”
“No, we can’t,” I agree. “I’m trying to figure out the next steps. And I know it’s not fair for me to ask, but I need you to trust me right now, Katya.”
