“After you finish washing, you can wear these.” Enzo handed the items to Sookie.
Sookie held the terry cloth towel that Enzo had just given her, her gaze falling on the perfectly folded clothes he had handed her-a white tank top and a pair of boxer briefs.
“Do you want me to wear your clothes?”
“Or would you rather continue wearing your dirty little dress,” Enzo retorted.
“Never mind then,” she pouted.
Enzo chuckled, such a foolish princess.
Placing the clothes on the sink counter, she turned to look into his eyes, swallowed nervously, and asked carefully, “Um, does the door have to stay open this time?”
Her voice was small, but she felt he would agree.
Leaning against the door frame, Enzo gave her a steady look. “Are you planning to run?”
“Maybe?” Sookie ventured with a tilt of her head.
“We are on the fifth floor. If you can fly, you can give it a try,” Enzo said seriously.
“Or perhaps the princess would like to invite me to bathe with her,” he teased, winking at her.
“I’d rather not! Jerk!” She swiftly snatched the items from his hand and darted into the bathroom, afraid he would see the faint smile playing on her lips. But before closing the door, she added, “Thank you.”
“Alright, then the door can stay closed,” he chuckled lightly and nodded. “I’ll go to the kitchen.”
Only when he was far from the bathroom did she exhale the breath she had been holding.
She quickly stripped off her clothes and hung them on the hook behind the door.
As Sookie lay in his bathtub, she finally relaxed. She was enveloped in the warm lather, washing away the sticky sweat and the damned reek of alcohol from her body. It was the most comfortable moment she had felt in a long time.
She closed her eyes, realizing she was naked, and the person outside, the one who had held a gun to her head, who had dragged her here and tied her to his bed, was the same person who had rescued her from her nightmare, provided warmth, and now made her feel safe.
Sookie felt she should be afraid of him. After all, he was a dangerous individual who had indeed posed a threat to her life. But aside from fear, she felt more anxious-eager for something, though she wasn’t sure what it was.
The current situation was that he had saved her. He had come for her.
It was a strange juxtaposition of a kidnapper and a hero.
She glanced at the door, biting her lip, pondering the possibility of him walking in. She counted to ten in her mind; it seemed unlikely.
She covered her face with the warm towel, her small body surrounded by the scorching sensation of water, feeling almost like heaven.
Gradually, she felt the tension in her muscles ease. The water and steam blanketed her, washing away the madness and fear of the past two days from her skin.
So, was this the treatment a prisoner should expect?
Not bad at all.
She surveyed the luxurious, masculine bathroom-the hot water steaming from three different luxurious massage showerheads, the silver fixtures, the gorgeous vanity.
If that thug hadn’t shown up today, she might still be in a drunken stupor, being teased by Kalvin and his buddies. Perhaps she would have been photographed in compromising situations and those images spread around their circles.
Thinking of this, Sookie shuddered. It was okay; she was safe now, and strangely, the image of this man in her mind had become peculiar.
He was like a strange combination of a kidnapper and a hero, a very contradictory feeling indeed.
Sookie reached for the shampoo, lathered it, and stood under the spray, the foam gliding down her body with a faint stinging sensation. After rinsing off, she stared at the bruises and cuts Enzo had left on her that night.
When he had grabbed her in the alley near the bar, the fierceness in his eyes had sent shivers down her spine. She remembered how he had pulled her towards him, his hands gripping her skin tightly-cold and terrifying. He had hoisted her onto his shoulder, his sturdy shoulder pressing against her abdomen, and she could clearly smell his unique scent mixed with a hint of tobacco. Yet his roughness showed no mercy, like a villain proving his conquest by snatching away a princess.
Thinking this, her body reacted unexpectedly. The desire for illicit behavior spread through her, a damnably improper sensation emerging from a shameful and forbidden place. Under the shower, she bit her lip, her legs tightly pressed together, because such forbidden temptation and desire had no place in her body.
She closed her eyes, recalling the touch of his palm, rough and warm.
His eyes were filled with wildness, dominance, and desire.
His lips against hers felt soft yet invasive.
Sookie felt as if she were floating, her feet leaving the ground, a moment where she felt ethereal.
She recalled Enzo throwing her onto the bed-when he appeared above her, her pulse quickened. The thought of Enzo having his way with her, the fear and adrenaline coursing through her, stirred within her body.
The possibility of his rough violation excited her most intimate parts.
Her breathing became heavy, her soapy hand lingering on her abdomen. As it slid to the slope of her breast, she gasped, allowing a finger to brush over her nipple.
She tightly shut her eyes, as if trying to banish the feelings that arose from thinking of him. She tried to tell herself how wrong it was to have such thoughts about the person who had taken her-held her at gunpoint and bound her.
But her hand disregarded her mind. It traced her skin, lower and lower, defying everything she had told it to do. For she was thinking of how his shoulder pressed into her abdomen as he carried her. She remembered how tightly he had held her-so possessively.
She recalled the animalistic expression in his eyes when he threw her onto the bed.
As her fingers found her wet and tender, she moaned quietly in the shower-his shower. As she teased the sensitive nub, feeling the painful desire trembling within her body, she felt ashamed.
Her wet hair fell over her face as she slid her fingers inside, water cascading down her skin in waves of steam. She gasped, her teeth grazing her lips, as she rubbed her clitoris, the dirty sensation washing over her.
She grew wetter, her pulse racing faster, her body craving more, and suddenly, reality crashed over her like a tidal wave.