Chapter 13
“Come,” Stefan said, easing me back down to the floor and leading me toward our—no, his—bedroom. When we got there, he knelt, and I held onto his shoulders to steady myself as he slid off my tight, bunched-up dress, helping me step out of it. My legs were still weak, my body reeling with aftershocks. I watched him pull towels out of the closet, appreciating the taut muscles of his torso, the way his sweat-damp hair curled against his temples.
“You’re a mess,” I teased, knowing I probably looked just as unkempt, if not worse.
“Then we better get clean,” he said.
Without another word, he lifted me in his arms like I weighed nothing and carried me into the bathroom, setting me on the bench. Then he brought in the towels and turned the shower on, letting the water get hot and steamy before leading me in.
I tried not to stare as the water rolled down his body but it had been so long since I’d seen him naked and he was truly a gorgeous sight to behold. Broad, strong shoulders, a narrow waist and that tight, perfect ass. I was sore from the way he had fucked me against the wall, but still I wanted him again. Immediately.
Instead, I let him hold me tight under the water, breathing out a deep sigh as the heat and the steam relaxed my muscles. It almost seemed to wash away all the weeks of anger and frustration, leaving me calm and satisfied and happy to be naked and wet with my husband.
“Are you warm enough?” Stefan asked.
I nodded, touched by his concern.
I reached for the shampoo bottle, but he stopped me with a gentle touch on my arm.
“Let me,” he said, squeezing the shampoo into his own hands before rubbing them together to create a foamy lather. “Turn around.”
I did, and he slid his hands into my wet hair, massaging the suds into my scalp. I closed my eyes, savoring the sensation. It felt so good to be touched by him this way. He had never been this tender before.
I felt my heart swell. Things were going to be different now, I could tell. Though I hadn’t taken a real vacation or spent days away from home, my stepmother’s advice had been dead on all the same. The time apart had really seemed to draw me and Stefan closer.
This might even become a real marriage. Exactly the fairy tale I had fantasized about the first time I saw him across the ballroom at my birthday party.
“That feel good?” he asked, whispering in my ear as he continued to massage my scalp.
I barely managed to nod, my entire body tingling as I lost myself in the luxury of being taken care of. It was almost as good as sex. Almost.
He finished washing my hair and began to rinse it gently. But before he could start on the conditioner, I turned to face him. There was one thing I had to get off my chest.
“You really didn’t drug me?” I asked, searching his eyes.
“I would never do that,” he confirmed. “I swear it.”
I paused, not wanting to pummel him with questions, but I had to know for sure.
“Then how did you get to me so quickly?”
He didn’t bat an eye. “I got in a car the second my guy sent pictures of that asshole getting handsy with you.”
“You were spying on me,” I said.
“To keep you safe,” he insisted. “I never would have come if you were okay. But you weren’t. And thank god I showed up when I did. Your little friend is lucky there’s no evidence pointing to him as the culprit.”
“Gavin?” I asked, my heart sinking. “You’re not saying you think it was him.”
Had I been trusting the wrong person all along?
“I don’t know who it was,” Stefan said, his voice laced with disgust. “If I was positive he did it, he’d be dead right now. But I still don’t trust that creep for a second. He was all over you.”
I sensed he was holding back, that there was more to his contempt for Gavin than he was telling me, but it had to be jealousy making him talk this way. Admittedly, part of me liked it. The alpha male coming out full force, Stefan wanting to protect me and keep me all to himself.
“Honestly, it seems like it was a random stranger at the bar. It’s not uncommon, though I fucking hate the fact. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be safe next time, kitty cat,” Stefan said.
Despite his warning tone, his use of my nickname made my heart soar.
