Joseph grits his teeth and seethes. I bend his finger a bit more, and he quickly nods his head. I let go of him, and he flexes his hand.
“Keep yourself in check or I’ll do it for you.” I pat his shoulder, and he flinches beneath my touch. A smirk forms on my face, and the grimace reappears on Joseph’s. “Dustin should be back soon with all the items you requested. Why don’t you grab a bite to eat so you’re ready to work when he gets here?”
Joseph walks away without responding. I turn toward the curtained off area and wish there was a place I could lock him up. Alone time with Hazel is just what I need right now to wind down, but I can’t have him sneaking away for help.
My finger runs along the fabric as I walk the length of it, imagining Hazel spread naked atop the cot. She amazes me. I thought I’d lost her, but she keeps proving just how strong she is. Just how perfect she is for me, absorbing all my anger and pain so I can feel some peace. She bounced right back afterward.
Third time’s a charm, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this time I can convince her of that. She didn’t last this long for me to have to kill her this time. No, she was thrown onto my path for a reason. And that reason is blatantly clear to me now. This is my chance to make her mine, to bend her to my will, and make her realize she was meant to be here with me. I’ll convince her of it, even if I have to break her to do it. And when this is over and done with it, she’ll loyally stand by my side like the queen she should be.
A smile spreads over my face as I reach the split in the curtain. My finger slips between the folds of fabric, running against it erotically. Just as I’m about to push inside, I feel eyes burninginto me. Joseph glares at me from across the room, watching my every move. My smile grows wider, and I make it a point to slowly adjust myself for him to see. His nostrils flair, and I take immense joy out of getting a rise from him.
I walk to the counter and grab a bowl, filling it with warm water. Then I grab some soap from the makeshift shower, along with a washcloth and towel. Whistling, I flip the towel over my shoulder and grab the bowl off the counter as I saunter toward the curtain. I pull it back with my elbow and pause. With a tilt of my head, I signal for him to follow, and he stands hesitantly. He eyes me as he passes through the gap as if begging me not to do this.
Hazel mumbles in her groggy state as I set everything down on the folding chair next to the cot. I gaze down at her and imagine what it would be like to have her waking up in my bed and smiling up at me, instead of her head flopping from side to side mumbling incoherently. Sedating her is a necessity for now. I can’t have her fighting me and trying to run off again.
I grab the hem of her shirt, and Joseph shuffles, causing me to pause. He can’t decide whether to keep watch over me or turn away. I give him a look, as if to say grow the fuck up, and get back to my task. Pulling her arms through the sleeves, I carefully inch the shirt up revealing her upper body. Air sucks between Joseph’s teeth. He tries to turn his head, but he keeps glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
“Help me get her shirt off,” I say to himas I wrap my arms around her shoulders and ease her up. “Be careful, she has stitches.”
He stares at her body before looking back at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“I don’t want to hurt her,” I say impatiently.
“Sure,” Joseph says, then eases the shirt over her head. He takes a step back, wringing it in his hands before draping it over the back of the chair.
Sliding my fingers into the waistband of her sweats, I begin to slide them down.
“Is that necessary?” His voice shakes with fear and indignation. Joseph is losing his composure.
“She needs bathed,” I respond. “And I want to see her. Your being here is for her benefit as much as yours.”
He looks away and mumbles, “Do you have to undress her completely?”
“Yes!” His fearful eyes meet my wild ones, and he swallows soundly. “Any more fucking questions?”
“No,” he whispers.
I turn back to Hazel and allow her beauty to calm me. Her lips move slightly, as if she’s responding to my shout. My hands, that had become fists while talking to Joseph, loosen. I take a deep breath and ease the pants down, admiring her body. My marks are beginning to fade, but they are just as beautiful, if not more so. The varying shades give each one more depth,like the gradient of emotions she brings out in me.
I sit on the edge of the cot and brush the hair out of her face. The small suture near her temple is almost hidden in her hairline. Examining her face, I nudge it from side to side and notice a mark behind her ear. It’s not large, but big enough to peek out and catch my attention. I bend her ear slightly and see a fresh bruise reddening her skin. Not just any bruise. A fucking love bite. My fingers dig into her jaw as I turn her head more to pull her hair out of the way. More marks line the back of her neck above the bruise left by the belt. Some even have slight teeth impressions. And they aren’t mine.
Attempting to think of anything besides Cash taking over what is rightfully mine to do, I grab the washcloth and soap it up. We will definitely be discussing that later, but for now, I push it aside. I start with her face, washing her as carefully as I can. Her lids flutter as the cloth moves down her neck. When I reach her chest, her back arches slightly into my touch. A sigh escapes her lips before she settles back into the bed. This is how it should be. Hazel letting me take care of her after she takes care of me. I smile as I wash her breasts and watch her nipples harden at my touch. It could be perfect, the two of us together like this forever.
I glance at Joseph as I dampen the cloth again. He’s studying me like the scientist he is, trying to figure me out. I chuckle and wring out the cloth.
As I wipe down her stomach, Joseph clears his throat as if he wants to ask me a question.I raise a brow at him. He turns away, and I go back to washing Hazel. It doesn’t take long before his curiosity gets the best of him.
“You love her.” It’s a half question, half statement.
I run my fingertip along the lines crisscrossing her stomach, contemplating what he said. “What is love, exactly? The word is thrown around with such little thought that it’s almost become meaningless, wouldn’t you say?” Joseph watches my finger as it trails over her flesh, but I’m watching her chest thump with each beat of her heart. I never thought I’d see that again. That upset me. I wasn’t saddened by it, though. I don’t believe I’ve ever felt sadness. Resentment was more like it. Knowing she took herself away from me, and that I would never have her again. “I need her. I want her. I desire her. So by the standard definition of the word, yes, I love her.”
His studious eyes that were traveling over her body meet mine. Joseph understands, but he disagrees.
“Your actions betray your words.” He stares blankly at me as he states what he thinks is fact.
I chuckle and stroke the cloth down Hazel’s leg. “How so?”
“Love is about tenderness and protecting others from harm.”
