I didn’t respond.
Chapter 11
Nadia
I’d been avoiding Cristian for three whole days.
He’d ruined my date, and I was punishing him. Like a fucking adult.
Three days was a personal record considering we lived in the same house and shared an emotional Wi-Fi connection that refused to disconnect. Every time the bond tugged at my chest, I ignored it. Pettily. Deliberately.
I repeated my affirmations as if performing an exorcism.
I am not too much. I am me. I choose rest without earning it. I do not go on a spiral about men who ruin my sex life out of misplaced chivalry.
That last one wasn’t in my therapy notes, but it deserved a place there.
Cristian, of course, seemed entirely unaffected by my silent treatment. He moved through the house with all the calm in the world, like being emotionally iced out was part of his daily routine. Like he’d made therightdecision. That only made me angrier. And also, annoyingly, it impressed me a little.
He’d stolen my date, a potential orgasm, and apparently, the upper hand.
But I was committed. I was going to ignore him until he cracked.
Or at least for the next five minutes. I hadn’t decided which one.
I’d spent the morning doing everything except existing near him. My plants had been watered twice. My lesson plans were outlined through next semester. I had pinned seventeen different crochet animal patterns on Pinterest, and none of them were emotionally unavailable vampires.
I was doing great.
All I needed was a hair tie. A totally normal, non-vampire-related hair tie. The one I’d left in the main bathroom.
Wearing my lavender T-shirt dress, oversized cardigan, and slippers, I padded down the hall, proud of how mundane my day was. I waschoosingrest. Or boredom.
I pushed the bathroom door open without thinking?—
And immediately regretted everything.
Cristian stepped out of the shower, steam curling around him. He was toweling his hair, water running in slow rivulets down his chest.
His completely naked chest.
Broad shoulders. Hard lines of muscle. Water sliding lower than my dignity. My brain identified the sharp cut of his hips assex bonesbefore I could stop it.
This wasn’t even the first time I had seen him naked, and I was still mesmerized. My brain had apparently tried to suppress just how sexy he really was.
He froze mid-motion, then made a low sound in his chest. Not angry. Not exactly human either. His eyes locked on mine, and his expression dared me to look away. And I really, really should have.
“If I’d known you planned to join me, I would have tarried longer.”
My mouth opened, but no words came out.
My face burned. My whole body felt like a blush with limbs.
I tried to look away, but my gaze did a traitorous sweep of his chest, abs, the trail of hair leading south, the sheer confidence of a man with no concept of shame.
Do not look. Don’t—God, you looked.
I finally turned my head, but it was too late. His mouth curved just enough to tell me he’d seen it, and he didn’t move to cover himself. If anything, he stood a little taller. Which was cruel. Dickhead.
