Devil's Girl(38)

I turned up the hot water and stood with my forehead against the tiles. I knew it was futile. I'd never feel clean, not as long as that foul substance was still flowing through me, fogging up my brain. The effects were finally beginning to wear off - the spacey drugged feeling was giving way to plain old exhaustion. Aches and soreness replaced the heavy numb feeling in my limbs.

I nearly fell as the bathroom door crashed open. My brain froze in terror. I flattened myself against the shower wall. Big hands tore back the curtain.

"Theo." I sagged against the tiles and placed a hand over my heart. "You scared the shit out of me."

"You scared the shit out of me." He stepped inside the tub, heedless of the water, and pulled me tight against his chest. "I'm sorry. I had trouble securing the prisoner. I shouldn't have left you in that van at all." I leaned into him as the water soaked his shirt. Emotions I couldn't process swirled through my chest, but above them all I felt safe. Nestled against Theo's broad chest, nothing else in the world could touch me.

"Let me help," he said, grabbing a washcloth from the towel rod and the little hotel-sized bar of soap. I sighed with contentment as he worked up a lather and scrubbed my back. He ran the washcloth up and down gently, then moved on to my arms. He growled at the sight of all the bruises - finger-sized discolorations on my neck and scattered everywhere else.

It was a very intimate act; my heart fluttered in my chest when he met my eyes.

"Okay?" he asked. I nodded. He moved to my front, keeping the process nonsexual even as he washed my breasts and moved lower to my thighs. The water soaked his pants and boots, but he was too focused on me to pay them to any attention. He even had me lift my legs so he could scrub my feet.

The water was only lukewarm when he finally turned it off. Then he wrapped me in a towel and lifted me off my feet. "What-"

"Floor's dirty. You can wear one of my shirts until Nella brings you some clothes. And you have to eat something."

He carried me just next door to his room. I wanted to ask, what are you doing? Why are you doing this? I wanted to scream, I'm not an invalid, I don't need you or anyone! But I kept my mouth shut. He handed me a t-shirt that nearly reached my knees and a pair of socks that could have fit three of my feet in each one. His face was twisted with pain when he thought I wasn't looking. He needed to take care of me.

And truth was, I needed the help. Left to my own devices, I might have just stayed in that tub all night.

He changed out of his wet clothes behind his closet door, emerging in sweatpants and a white undershirt. Any other time I would have jumped on him looking like that. My gaze lingered as it was.

"Go ahead and lie down for a bit," he said, "I'm gonna see what I can find in the kitchen."

I shook my head. "I'm not hungry."

"I'm making you something anyway. Even if you don't eat it. We’ve got to get some water into you, too."

I bit my lip. Don't be a baby. More than anything I didn't want to be left alone. "I'll be fast," he promised. Then he slipped out of the room.

He's right, I told myself, You need to eat now, before you're too sick to do anything. I knew that was coming.

"I still can't believe I'm here," I said when he returned. He'd made BLTs and hot coffee and encouraged me to eat. I took a few bites for his sake, then polished off the sandwich when I realized I was starving.

"You're here." He squeezed my hand to prove it. "Tell me what else I can do. Still hungry? Thirsty?"

I shook my head. "I'm so tired."

He grimaced. "Is it safe for you to sleep?"

"It should be now," I said. "I mean, it is if..."

"If what?"

I bit my lip. "If you stay with me." Please, please stay.

"Of course. As long as you want."

I crawled onto the bed with him with a grateful sigh. He laid on his back and pulled me close so I was draped across his chest. "Thank you," I whispered. "This feels so goddamn good I could die."

He rested his chin on my head and stroked my back with a soothing touch. "Sleep," he whispered, "I'll watch you. Sleep." I drifted right off, warm and safe in his arms. It still felt like a dream.



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It was dark. My stomach was in a knot. It was warm - no, I was overheating, sweating, in somebody else's bed, and I wasn't in it alone. My whole body jerked upright as if electrically shocked to life, tensing and preparing for whatever hell was in store next.

The figure next to me in the bed stirred. "Ivy?" It was Theo. It wasn't a dream. I was home. "You okay?"

I touched the sweat on my forehead. Everything ached when I moved. A familiar feeling - it happened when Viper withheld the drugs. "No."