Chapter 32 Chapter 32
Amber
I swallowed hard to see the sight of him partially naked, wrapped in a towel that slung low around his waist.
Droplets of water were still clinging to his skin as he walked into the room like he had all the time in the world.
And just like that, every thought in my head disappeared. Why had I come here? What was my name again?
I drank in the sight of him, his shoulders relaxed and his face devoid of the smirk he usually wore like an armor.
Because standing there, with the early morning sunlight filtering through the window and falling across his body, he looked unreal.
The light caught on the droplets of water still tracing down his chest, sliding over the sharp lines of muscle, down the defined ridges of his abdomen.
I swallowed again but continued watching as the droplets disappeared beneath the edge of the towel, unable to look away.
How could he be so effortlessly, lethally gorgeous?
I hadn’t really looked at him for more than a few seconds every time we interacted because his silver eyes and intense gaze made it difficult to maintain eye contact.
But now I could truly look at him without his gaze boring into my soul. And boy did I appreciate the sight!
His shoulders were broad, and as he lifted a towel to his hair, dragging it through the damp strands, the muscles in his arms flexed with the movement, drawing my attention even more.
My throat went dry.
Those hands…those same hands had pinned me against the wall last night, had gripped my wrist like I weighed nothing, and had buried into my hair when he kissed me.
The thought of his hands and mouth on my body sent a strange, unwelcome heat rushing through me.
And those damned full lips that had kissed me like he was dying and I was the air he needed to continue living, only to then shove me aside and walk away like he hadn’t left me wanting for more.
That feeling made unease wrapped in desire curl low in my stomach before I could stop it, and I had to physically force myself to breathe steady before my mind went somewhere it absolutely should not.
I needed therapy at this point. Because how was I salivating over a guy who had threatened to kill me a dozen times already?
I blinked as he turned slightly, his back angled a bit towards me and I quickly put my hand on my mouth to not let the gasp reach his ears.
That broad torso and well defined abs were as beautiful as the scars on his back were hideous.
They ran across his back, jagged and uneven, some older, while others had faded into pale lines.
A tinge of unease and worry shot through me as I looked keenly, noticing how they were not random scars but looked like they had been carved into his skin with deliberate intent rather than inflicted in a fight.
My brows furrowed slightly as I took them in, something about them feeling horribly wrong.
They looked like someone had taken their time marking him as if he had done it himself given his self loathing.
My gaze flicked to his arms, to his knuckles, and I noticed they looked better than last night as he grabbed a comb to run through his hair.
The swelling had reduced, but the skin had puckered in some places like boils.
But he didn’t seem to care.
He walked toward the wardrobe then, turning slightly as he reached for it, and the open door shifted just enough to block my view as he dropped the towel.
Disappointment coursed through me as he pulled on a pair of jeans.
I wasn’t sure I would have looked away if I saw the entirety of him naked.
Heat crept up my neck again and I immediately looked anywhere but in that direction, my hands curling slightly at my sides as I tried to regain control over my own thoughts.
I lifted my gaze again, catching sight of him as he reached for a shirt, pulling it on and buttoning it.
I was going to need a hell of a distraction to burn the image of him in a towel because it was now permanently etched into my mind.
And I hated how much I didn’t want to forget it. Wait, why was I even here? The sight of him fully clothed felt like a cold splash of water on my face as my brain started to function again, though not completely.
I needed to go back to my room and get a cold shower, or hide under the pillows until my brain could function again. Yeah, I should do that.
“Do you plan to stand there and gawk at me all day, Red?”
His voice dragged me out of my thoughts.