I roll my eyes and walk off. “I don’t have time to be running in circles with you today.”
The boys hurry behind me.
“Where we going?” Fiz says.
“Weare not going anywhere,” I mutter, grabbing my leather jacket as Sergeant jumps up and takes his position beside me. “I have a job to do. Pickup at twelve. You,” I turn to Fiz, “have a drop-off at twelve-thirty, and you” – I point at Alf – “have clean-up upstairs in my bedroom now.”
Alfie flattens his brow. “You’re referring to your precious wife-to-be as a clean-up job?” He crosses his arms.
“What else is she?” I say coldly, running my hand through my hair for the hundredth time. “Keep an eye on her, don’t let her snoop around here.” I shuck the jacket on and grab my keys. “Give her a bath or something, she fucking stinks. And get her to eat, I can count her ribs through her damn nightdress.” I leave the two of them ogling while I get in the car and speed away from what I’m reluctantly beginning to accept might be my biggestchallenge ever… and that says a lot. Elodie Valor as my wife. All roads are pointing to one place: anarchy.
CHAPTER 4
ALFIE
How the fuck do I get fobbed with pet grooming duty? Probably because of my impeccable nurturing skills, which the other two fuckheads lack completely.
Once Fiz has gone for his job, I wander back upstairs to Cade’s bedroom. I don’t knock, knowing full well she’ll be dead to the world. Captivity is my guess. For a long fucking time. Starved her, deprived her of pretty much any basic human right. Question is… why? What did she do, what’s wrong with her? What has Caden agreed to with this one?
I stride in and sit beside her on the bed and take her in. She’s tiny, not just in weight but in height. I’ve got at least half a foot on her, as would Fiz. There’d be almost a foot difference between her and Cade. Her blonde hair is matted and dirty, splatted with dark stains my stomach can’t bear to comprehend. She’s pale and clearly malnourished, but I still see the beauty beneath. This girl was once stunning. Can’t say the same for the smell that comes with it. Cade’s right – she does stink.
I go to the en suite and run a bath in the ridiculously over-the-top freestanding tub. Cade’s a luxurious man, but you can tell this house is a hand-me-down from his father. If it were up tohim, my cousin would have a much more modest gothic house, a third of this size.
The bathrooms are probably the brightest in the house. All the walls are black marble-effect panels, the walls in the huge walk-in shower in the corner have white gloss tiles. The couple’s sinks line the wall behind the door with a marble counter, an unnecessary number of drawers underneath, and a long rectangular mirror running the length of the counter. The freestanding tub sits in the centre. All illuminated by two dozen spotlights across the entire ceiling.
I squirt some fancy oils in the steaming water and sweet floral aromas fill the air. I’m cute like that.
I walk back in to retrieve the girl and hover above her for a second. The next couple of minutes will determine the type of relationship we’re going to have. Not just me, but the others. If she comes easily for me, we’ll flourish together. Anything less, and I just know she’ll be a problem. I’m the most patient out of the three of us, just being here to wash her instead of her supposed betrothed is testament to that. So if she kicks up a fuss over my softer methods, she’ll have no hope of survival.
I lean down and brush her dry hair off her face. She stirs.
“Hey, princess, we’re going to get you nice and clean, okay?”
She moans quietly. It’s sweet and light. Feminine. I haven’t heard a girl make a sound like that in nearly a month. My cock twitches to life. God, I need some pussy.
Shoving away the carnal desires rising up into my brain, I scoop her up in my arms. She weighs nothing. Our dogs are heavier than her. Like double.
She doesn’t fight me, could be due to the fact she’s still leaning on the side of unconscious, but I’ll take it. I carry her into the bathroom and she opens an eye.
It takes a moment for her to soak it all in. The bright lights that make her squint, the fruity scents that make her littlenose crinkle. Then the sensation of my body against hers. Her bloodshot blue eyes float up my body in slow motion as the realisation sinks in. Then there it is.
She thrashes in my grip, so I lower her gently to the cold tiles. She scurries away like a mouse, then her unused muscles give after a few stumbled steps. She hits the floor with a crack, her tailbone smashing on the marble floor, since there’s no meat coating her skeleton.
“It’s okay, I’m here to take care of you,” I say, raising my palms.
Despite my intimidating appearance, I know I’m a good calming presence. I don’t know how, I just am. So I use it to my advantage now. I really don’t want to manhandle this girl. I’d snap her in half.
I approach her slowly, crouch down to her level like she’s a rabid animal I’m trying to cage back up. “You’re safe. It’s just me and you. My name’s Alfie. I’m Caden’s cousin. You’re in Caden’s house, in his bathroom. No one here but the two of us. I’ve run you a hot bath to clean yourself up. Not that you aren’t absolutely ravishing of course.” I flash her a charming smile and see her ferocity disarm a little. “Get undressed and enjoy the heat. Then I’ll fix you a good meal. How does that sound?”
Her placid, sharp face remains blank, but she doesn’t look murderous. I push myself up and back away to the velvet plush armchair in the corner by the sinks, giving her as much space as possible. To train a wild animal, you need to give them a sense of security, the openness to explore new surroundings.
Her eyes drag away from me once I’m seated in the chair a safe distance away. She takes in the room a bit more. I don’t know what she’s looking at or for, it’s just a bathroom.
Finally, she turns to me. “I’m not getting undressed with you in here.”
I tap my fingers on my knee. “Darling, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. I’m not leaving you here because you’re fragile. I’m here to make sure you don’t pass out and drown. And that you actually clean yourself.” The words are out before I really register them. Maybe I shouldn’t be in here with her, this is Caden’s future wife. Surely, he should be the first one to see her in her barest form. But then again, he’s the one who told me to clean her. He really has no interest in this woman whatsoever.
She scoffs, more animation appearing in those shiny, rigid eyes. “Not going to happen.”
