Focus!
“All done.” He turns off the water, slides his palm to my lower back, and guides me out of the shower. “Let’s dry you off.”
I hum when he runs the softest towel over my body. His methodical, careful, adoring way of toweling me off becomes my entire tether to this earth.
Whatever tension was left in me eases further when he kneels in front of me, dragging the towel over my pussy.Arousal slicks my inner thighs, earning me a low growl and a soft kiss against my hipbone.
Bliss envelops me for all of a second. Then, as he straightens, anxiety sneaks in.
Hope.
She’s got to be out of her mind with worry. She’ll call the cops. This will be the first place they search.
No.
Alaric doesn’t chase me when I turn around, rise on my tiptoes, and write her name on the steam-fogged mirror.
“She’s fine.” He dries himself off and knots the towel around his hips. Tying a clean, dry one around me too, he looks at me while I frown at him through our reflection in the mirror. “I, well, you, texted her and said I’d come down with something and you’re taking care of me.”
Another shudder rakes through my body.
She won’t be looking for me, then. Not for a while.
And if something in Alaric snaps… If he steals me away to another state, another country…
“Mmm.” A tear breaks free from the corner of my eye.
“You’re safe.” One hand on my stomach, he presses me to him until I’m flush against his chest. “It’s okay. I swear that everything will be okay.”
Another tear follows. Then another. Alaric kisses the top of my head. Then, with his free hand, he grabs a brush from the vanity and holds it up.
“Let me brush your hair.” His eyes pierce me through the mirror, begging me to say yes. “You’ll feel better after that.”
I will. I know I will. You’ll make sure of that.
Because you’re not evil. Not an abuser.
An abuser wouldn’t have cared so much.
An abuser wouldn’t have asked for my consent.
That seems to settle me, and I give in.
For now, I surrender to Alaric.
34
LILITH
“Lilith.” My name on his lips. I love that. That, and how adorably ridiculous we look in our matching gray sweatpants and T-shirts as we sit on his plush sofa. “Little devil.”
Life is perfect.
Almost.
Because I’m gagged with two new gags that replaced the old ones after the shower.
Because his palms cover mine to stop me from removing the silk scarf and tie from my mouth.