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“I love you, too.”
Sam gathered her up and kissed the top of her head. Ellie basked in the contact until a giggle bubbled up.
“What?”
Sam sounded grumpy, which only made Ellie laugh harder. “One thing’s for sure, living in luxury helps with having endless hot water in the shower. I like the idea of Finch footing that bill!”
Sam rolled his eyes, and started to get up, steadying Ellie as she got to her feet. As he shut off the water, she grabbed a fresh towel, offering Sam one too. His smile back, he wrapped himself in a towel before reaching for her, but she evaded his hand and his eyes shone in anticipation.
“Why don’t we verify my conclusion, over and over and over again?”
As she disappeared into the room in a mad dash, with Sam on her heels, Ellie felt light for the first time in her life. Sam turned this lightness into newfound intensity when his fist closed on her towel before snatching it away and the lust between them burned again.
Chapter Eighteen
It wasimpossible for Ellie to conceive that another week had passed. Was it two or three? Or even four? This dull routine was hell on the memory and her only anchor was the movement of the sun and returning to Sam every night.
In any other situation, she would’ve gone mad, but Ellie discovered that having a mission, even a tiny one, was enough to sustain her. Difficult didn’t begin to describe the entire situation. At first it was physically hard, as Finch through Panem, extended her task of cleaning the manor. Another crew did a lot of the work at night, but it was clear Finch liked to see her reduced to this being on her knees. When she was hard at work in some employees’ bathroom or on the dirty kitchen floor, he’d turn up and observe her with that despicable grin on his face and always departed after a lewd comment to her.
Panem did something even worse by standing at her side and watching her work. He creeped her out even more than his boss. Both men made her shiver, but she didn’t tell Sam as he had enough to worry about, including his own sanity.
The more time passed, the more Finch became demanding, turning into a dictator over his son. Sam was internally fighting it every step of the way, but it didn’t lessen the impact of being so close to the deranged man from sunup to sundown. Finch didn’t offer any useful information which was the biggest frustration but had started to ramble about the past. Past conquests, murders, and especially reminiscing over the times he’d abused Sam and it was tearing at the man she loved. Every night, she did all she could to erase the hardships of the day and lift his spirits, knowing that when the sun lightened the horizon, he’d walk straight back into hellfire.
Ellie knew she had to find a way out soon. All this servitude had to show results, anything that would give them an opportunity to escape.
On that front, she’d made some headway by being allowed access to other parts of the manor, including Finch’s quarters. It wasn’t that useful as Panem shadowed her every move, not letting her out of his sight.
Even though she was under surveillance, Ellie tried to notice everything such as entrances, windows, and computers. Apart from the guards’ section, she only found two laptops: one in Finch’s office, one in Panem’s. She wasn’t surprised to discover both laptops had a password and she didn’t have the skill to do any kind of hacking. If there was anything useful in there, she hoped that Sam could find it.
Her stomach grumbling, she looked at one of the clocks and decided to return to her room. By now, Panem had normally brought her a tray for lunch, and Ellie could use the break. A power nap normally gave her enough energy to attack the rest of the day’s work with a clear head.
True to routine, Panem had left a covered tray on the low coffee table. The man never did anything fancy, normally cold cuts from leftovers. Not that Ellie minded, she wasn’t picky, but she had to admit, she longed for chocolate. It had been her go-to comfort food, a sort of soother. Maybe she hadn’t thought about it so far because she had Sam as her rock. As usual when her thoughts went to him, her heart warmed, and a sense of peace descended upon her.
As if she’d conjured him up once again, Sam strolled inside their quarters, which was unusual during the day. Clad in a perfect three-piece suit that enhanced his delectable body, Ellie felt the familiar sizzle between her legs. His eyes searched for her and Sam frowned when he saw her sitting cross-legged on the floor, almost done with her food. Somehow, it always triggered him to see Ellie on her knees, especially if it wasn’t in a sexual scenario.
“You know we have a table.”
Ellie couldn’t help but smile as she shook her head. “Sitting on the floor on my own accord isn’t a sin. I like it, it stretches my legs and back. And if I feel too lazy, I can just roll over and fall asleep.”
A low grumble was his answer as he sat behind her on the couch and after a quick kiss to the top of her head, started kneading her shoulders. All thoughts of food were pushed aside as she leaned into his touch. “Oh, that feels nice.”
The male snicker behind her melted her heart. It was amazing how quickly they’d bonded. Normally, it would’ve worried her as she’d never been that close with, or open to, a man before.
“What’s wrong? You’re tensing up. Am I hurting you?”
Immediately, she put her hand on one of his. “No, I didn’t know I needed a back rub that much.”
“So if it’s not the backrub, what’s going on?”
They’d been physically open to each other, but it was still a little uncomfortable to open her heart, even if she knew that this man would never do anything to hurt her. “I was thinking that under normal circumstances we wouldn’t be together.”
His fingers continued their delightful massage as Sam seemed to ponder her words. “Maybe you’re right. Is it serendipity, coincidence, fate? I don’t know. I’m just grateful I have you for myself.”
He was such a caveman sometimes. “Free and depressed. Those are my strong attraction points.”
“I think I was lucky there wasn’t a man in your life. Although I may have been tempted to snatch you anyway.”
It was Ellie’s turn to snicker. “You’re just lucky I suck at relationships. Be warned.”
