Page 112 of Resolve
“The news is still fresh. Charles will probably have them backtracking before the sun is up,” I reason.
Cassandra’s already looking at Dane’s hand, her brow pinched. She looks at me like she can tell it was my gift.
“Did they do that to his hand?” Portia asks, her eyes wide when she sees it.
I hesitate, tensing at the idea of admitting I’d hurt him.
Silas snorts. “I bet Dane touched Raegan without her permission and she clapped back.” His words snap the tension.
“Fuck off, Silas,” Dane retorts, although there’s no bite.
“Both of you, be quiet so I can concentrate,” Cassandra chides.
“Okay,thenfill us in on what happened with the last guy,” Portia whispers.
The shower screeches, making me cringe. It stops once the water shoots out. Jackson was already asleep when we returned from Cassandra’s apartment after filling everyone in. Aiden texted he was meeting with Cibrina and would be back later. Dane was the first to pass out after turning on a movie, with Kellan not far behind.
I don’t know if any of them got much sleep in the car since I’d slept the most between each stop. I won’t be able to sleep until I’ve showered the last day off me, and then maybe I’ll wake them up to join me in bed.
Once the water’s to temperature, I slip inside and stand beneath the hot spray. The water pressure here is great—just like I remember it. I breathe a sigh of relief as it beats against my scalp and neck, then my back when I shift forward.
I stand there for a long time. Long enough that the heat soaks intomy skin until I’m warm and languid. So long that the spray begins to itch, and I’m forced to turn.
Opening my eyes, I freeze when I see someone beyond the glass.
“It’s only me,” Aiden’s smooth voice lilts.
I push the glass door open so I can see him better, and a flood of cooler air rushes into the shower, making me shiver. Aiden is leaning against the sink, one ankle crossed over the other, his hands in his pockets. He’s wearing a soft, loose shirt that is starting to cling to his chest from the moisture it’s absorbed. “How long have you been there?”
“Some time.”
“Well, can I help you?”
“I was waiting for my turn, but I’m not sure if there’s any hot water left.”
Scoffing, I close the door to block him and the cold air. “Most people wait outside the bathroom.”
“And miss the opportunity to see you?”
The shower door opens and reveals a now-naked Aiden. I don’t move from my spot, blocking his entry. He steps inside anyway, letting his body press against mine to fit, and tugs the door shut.
My nipples are pebbled from the cooler air as they push into his chest, and a different kind of heat surges through my veins at the contact. “I didn’t invite you in,” I admonish, my voice breathy as I stare into his obsidian gaze.
He’s looking at me like he wants to pick me apart. Learn me inside out and then put me back together again. “I’ve been thinking about what happened. What the doctor said.”
My stomach drops. “Why? You said it yourself. He was only trying to distract us.”
Aiden shifts closer, and I’m forced to step back. “Even if he twisted our fears, there was truth in it. I don’t want to lose anyone else or put them in more danger. I’ve debated keeping Guild members here for the final fight. I wonder if it wouldn’t have been better to keep refusing their help. Even if they hated my decision, they might be alive today. I argue constantly over the idea of locking you up until Charles is dead.”
Once my back meets the tile, his thumb and forefinger pinch my chin, locking my eyes with his.
“If you break my trust like that again, I’d hate you.”
“You’d be safe. Alive to hate me.”
“You could never hold me. You know that.”
“I still have the cuffs.”
