He pulled me closer. “Observant as always, Shorty,” he replied, but there was no bite to his words. “Just say the word, and I’ll strip for you.”
We locked eyes, and for a moment, I could see desire darken his eyes before he shut his emotions down and went back to being detached.
“Hold onto my neck,” he said, then reached for the shampoo with his free hand, pouring some into his palm before working it gently into my hair. His fingers moved in slow, careful circles against my scalp, mindful of the healing wound at my temple. The simple touch was so unexpectedly tender that I had to close my eyes and lean against his chest to hide the fresh wave of emotion.
How was this the same man who jumped from a helicopter and chased me through that damn fence? Who had handcuffed me to him in that cabin? Who had used me and my sister as leverage against my brother?
Yet his hands, which I was sure were capable of lethal efficiency, now moved with such gentleness, it made my throat tight. He rinsed my hair, then reached for the soap, his movements clinical but careful as he helped me wash up.
I stood there, my arms around his neck, and let the warm water sluice over me while watching him through half-lidded eyes. His white T-shirt, soaked and see-through, clung to the defined muscles of his chest and arms. Water dripped from his dark hair, running in rivulets down his face and along his tattoos. I looked up, watched him, and despite his best efforts to maintain professional detachment, I caught hunger flaring briefly in his eyes before he controlled it.
He was holding back. Respecting boundaries I hadn’t even thought to establish. This man, who could have taken advantage of my vulnerability in a hundred different ways, was instead treating me with more care than I’d received from anyone in recent memory…apart from him.
The realization shook something loose inside me.
The monster I’d constructed in my mind—the cold, calculating kidnapper who saw me as nothing but leverage—didn’t match the man at all.
No. This man quoted Jane Austen and admitted to being afraid of monsters. This man stood fully clothed in a shower, getting soaked to the skin, just to make sure I didn’t fall.
When he finally turned off the water, I felt cleaner but still chilled to the bone. Ivan wrapped me in a thick towel, then rubbed my arms briskly to generate warmth.
“Better?” he asked.
I nodded though my teeth were still clattering. “But still c-cold.”
“Back to bed then,” he said, already moving to lift me.
“Wait,” I said when my gaze drifted to the large tub in the corner of the bathroom. The thought of immersing myself in truly hot water was suddenly all I could focus on. “Could I…”
I didn’t need to finish the sentence. Ivan followed my gaze and understood immediately. He sighed and shook his head slightly, but without a word, he settled me back onto the closed toilet seat again and wrapped the towel more securely around me. “Even in your state, you’re out to torture me.”
I looked up and stared into his dark eyes. “Torture you? I think it’s more the other way around.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t move, and if you feel dizzy, tell me immediately.”
I nodded and watched as he moved to the tub and started running the water. Steam rose almost immediately, filling the bathroom with humid warmth. He tested the temperature with his hand, adjusting the taps until he was satisfied.
“How did you know?” I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop it.
He glanced back at me, one eyebrow raised in question.
“That I wanted a bath,” I clarified.
Something like a smile touched his lips. “With you staring at that tub like that.”
I had, but I didn’t say anything. Yet he had noticed, had read what I needed before I mentioned it. The attentiveness was…disarming.
Suddenly, I remembered the moment in the cabin, right before he’d fed me soup. Didn’t he mention something about if I were his woman, he would run a hot bath for me? Would he remember, as well?
When the tub was half-full, Ivan returned to me and crouched to meet my eyes. “How are we doing?”
I wanted to say I could manage alone and suppressed another violent shiver. “I feel much better already.”
He stared at me for at least five seconds, then nodded. He cupped my cheek, then let go. “Let me get changed into something dry. But wait until I’m back before you move. I’ll help. Okay?”
I nodded, then waited until he was outside before I slowly got up to a stand. See, that wasn’t so bad. I took a step, but the room swayed alarmingly. I clutched at the sink but sadly pushed the glass of water he’d placed there earlier over the edge.
It hit the floor and splintered, and thousands of shards were everywhere.
