I squeeze my eyes shut, hating every goddamn second of this.
After dinner, I cleaned up, then slipped into the bathroom myself where I took a shower. I changed the bed sheets, afraid that I made them sweaty with my nightmare. I also drank two more bottles of water. From the combination of the protein and greens as well as water, I’m feeling halfway like myself, which is better than this morning.
I hate to admit it, but Lilly was right. I need to focus on taking care of myself. If I push myself too hard, I won’t be able to take care of her. I might have been able to push through when in the jail cell, but I also think I was running off adrenaline. I hit a wall today, a hard one. It was life telling me to slow the fuck down and recover. So I’m taking the warning seriously.
While she’s in the shower, I go over my notes again, trying to write down a list of suspects, but all I have is Brimar and Magnus.
That’s how fucking fried my brain is.
We checked, Brimar is still in jail, and I’d have recognized his voice. Magnus . . . the king of Arkham, has been trying to take Torskethorpe for years now. I know he wasn’t happy when Lilly came along, but what does that have to do with me?
I pinch my forehead.
Fuck, this is irritating.
Not wanting to develop another headache, I return my notebook to the nightstand, then stand. Since it’s late, I should lock up and make sure everything is secure. Tomorrow, I’ll set up motion cameras around the island so I have eyes on every corner just in case anyone finds out where we are. I’ll feel much safer once I have those set up.
Once I feel good about the house, I move back into the bedroom where Lilly rubs lotion all over her body.It must have been in the bathroom.I avert my eyes and go to the bathroom where I take care of business and brush my teeth. My eyes fall to the scars on my chest.
Those were from when Banamaor decided to press his cigarette into my chest as if I was his own personal ashtray. I should have known walking around with my shirt off would result in questions, but I’ve been restricted from comfort for the past three months. I deserve the freedom. That’s what happens when you’ve been chained to a wall for a long period.
I need the freedom so I don’t go crazy.
So my mind doesn’t drift back to those lonely nights.
To the sound of Banamaor breathing heavily with pleasure as he tortured me.
I turn off the bedroom light and crawl under the covers of the bed.
“Did you change the sheets?” Lilly asks.
I don’t look in her direction, not able to take her just standing there naked.
“I did.”
“These are silk sheets,” she says.
“It’s all there was.”
“Naked on silk sheets? You realize how horny that’s going to make me?”
“Then put clothes on,” I say. “Borrow one of my shirts.”
I glance and catch her side-eye me. “Did you do this on purpose?”
“Change the sheets? Yes, I did. I felt how sweaty I was today, and I didn’t think you wanted to sleep on sweaty sheets. I’m happy to pull them from the hamper and change the bed again.”
She grumbles something under her breath, then slips into the bed next to me. The smell of her lotion infiltrates my space, and my cock grows hard from the thought of that smell being spread all over her body.
Jesus Christ, maybe the silk sheets are making me horny as well.
She scoots back, her bare butt hitting my thigh.
“Am I in your way?” I ask her.
“Yes. There isn’t any room on this thing with your big body.”
“There was room earlier.”
