Chapter Thirteen
Ava
Once again, Iwoke up to find a vampire in my room. Only this time he was asleep on the chaise I kept in the corner.
The light was dim and my head no longer ached. I felt light and insubstantial, like a piece of dandelion fluff. My brain was fuzzy and my thoughts didn’t want to line up.
I couldn’t remember how I ended up in my bed at first and then the information slowly began to filter into my brain. Rhiannon. The book. I took a deep breath and pushed myself into a sitting position.
I felt sweaty and more than a little grimy. Glancing at Macgrath, I noted that he hadn’t moved, his body loose with sleep. He hadn’t slept at all the night before and even though he was a supernatural creature, the last few days hadn’t exactly been uneventful.
Moving silently, I climbed out of bed and crept to the bathroom. Now that I was upright and moving, my limbs felt stiff and achy from lying in one position for hours. I slipped into the bathroom and shut the door behind me, heading straight for the toilet.
Once the desperate need to pee was gone, I realized I wanted two things: a long, hot shower and Chinese food. I decided the food could wait. I hadn’t showered since yesterday morning and I hated the stickiness of my skin. I’d been ecstatic when indoor plumbing was invented and beside myself with joy when it became socially acceptable, even expected, to bathe on a daily basis.
Witches valued good hygiene, probably none as highly as I did.
With a flick of my hand, I turned on the taps in the shower and began stripping off my clothes, letting them fall to the floor at my feet. When I stepped under the stream of water, I sighed. It felt fantastic.
Luxuriating in the hot water, I lathered up my hair. As I scrubbed my scalp, I thought back to the moment when Macgrath lay behind me in the bed, his hand gently combing through the strands. Of all the things I expected from the vampire, tenderness wasn’t one of them. His concern and the care he’d taken with me when I was too weak to even stand. It was surprising, but in a way that made my chest fill with warmth.
Still mulling this over, I rinsed the lather from my hair and smoothed conditioner over the ends. It was a side of Macgrath I hadn’t expected and it undermined my determination to keep distance between us. I wondered if he would be that tender and affectionate after sex, holding me and stroking my hair.
Then I gave myself a mental slap. I couldn’t let my thoughts go there. Now wasn’t the time. The time might never exist. At the moment, I needed to focus on Rhiannon. She was my first priority and then I could think about Macgrath.
When I turned to grab the soap, I gasped and lurched back, slapping my hand against the wall to keep from falling on my bare ass.
Macgrath lounged on the other side of the glass, his hips resting on top of the counter. And he made no effort to keep his eyes on only my face. No, he was looking at every part of my body as if he had every right.
Ignoring the tendrils of excitement stirring within me, I waved a hand and muttered a spell, grinning when a blindfold appeared over his eyes.
“What the hell?” he grumbled, reaching up to pull the material from his face.
I nearly laughed when it tightened around his head, refusing to give in to his tugs. Even his vampire strength was no match for the blindfold.
“Ava,” he growled. “Take this damn thing off me.”
I rolled my eyes and poured body wash on the washcloth in my hand. “No. First stalking, now spying on me while I bathe. I’m going to leave that blindfold right there until I’m good and ready to take it off.”
He growled again, louder this time. “Ava.”
“Nope,” I replied, rubbing the soap along my arms and chest. “I’m going to finish bathing in peace and then, once I’m dressed, I’ll take off the blindfold.”
He fell silent and I took my time washing every part of my body and rinsing off. My shower wasn’t quite as leisurely as I wanted, but I was squeaky clean when I finished.
I turned off the water and reached for the towel outside the shower. Macgrath was still leaning against the counter and he looked pissed as hell. I was torn between wanting to laugh and locking him inside the bathroom until he calmed down.
Working swiftly, I dried off and hurried into the bedroom to dress. When I turned to go back into the bathroom, Macgrath blocked my way. He stood directly behind me, his hands fisted at his sides.
“Ava, enough is enough. Take this fucking thing off me.”
I took a quick peek at his mouth, trying to see if his fangs were out. That would tell me exactly how angry he was.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m trying to decide if you’re going to murder me if I drop the blindfold.”
His head fell back and he laughed. “No, I’m not going to murder you.”
