Chapter 17 Treading On Dangerous Waters
Vanessa
A strong arm rips me away from Max and I can't help the giggle that slips from my lips.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he repeats.
With wide innocent eyes, I say, "I don't know what you're talking about." Then I turn to Max. "Max, I'm tired and want to go to my room, but Xander wants to bully me instead."
"I'll take you then," Xander growls again and the vibrations from his chest shoots straight to my core, and my pussy clenches.
Max holds his hands up, backing away from us. "I think my job here is done, catch you later, Nessa." He turns to Xander. "Take it cool man, I've nothing with your girl." Xander only responds with a growl.
Max laughs and turns around, shaking his head as he goes.
Then there were two.
I raise an eyebrow at Xander, look at down at the arm still in his hold, then back up at him. He tightens his hold on me, then pulls as he starts to leave. "Let's go," he grumbles.
Together, we walk back to my room, until we're just two feet away from the entrance.
After all that time, sleeping on the cold, hard floor of the dungeon cell, the repressed pain floods my body instantly and the sight of a soft, made bed almost makes me moan.
I stretch languidly, mentally preparing my dive-in style, but the hand still holding my arm hostage moves and encircles my stomach and presses me against a rock-hard chest.
"Not so fast, Firecracker," he whispers, his hot breath fanning my face and I clench. Again.
What? How did he know what I was thinking?
"I–"
"No," he says more firmly.
I spin around to face him with my arms crossed. "I can choose to sleep whenever I want, I deserve that much at least."
"Yes, but first." He points in the direction of the bathroom. "shower and change out of those." Gesturing to my torn and dirty clothes.
"But–"
"Bathroom. Now.." He motions with his hand for me to get moving.
With a longing glance at the bed, and a murderous glare at him after, I turn towards the bathroom, but pause and look at him. "Get out. You wanna see me naked or something?"
Although it's brief, I see the flare of heat reflecting in his dark eyes at my words.
I force my legs to work before I decide to do something stupid.
"I'll get you something to eat," is the last thing I hear him say before I close the bathroom door.
I lean against it, trying to catch my breath and calm my rapidly beating heart.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
I shake my body to rid it if the strange feeling before going to fill the bath with water, once it's warm enough, I step in and soak for a few minutes.
A banging on the door startles me awake. When I open my eyes, I realize I had slept off and I'm currently submerged under the now cool water.
A gasp escapes me as soon as I sit up, trying to clear the sleep as well as the water from my eyes.
"Vanessa!" Xander called, banging his fist against it.
I quickly exit the bathtub, wrapping a towel around me on the way to the door.
"You're going to get it splintered at this point," I sigh.
"Why weren't you answering?" he ignores my comment.
A hot flush of pink blooms on my cheeks and neck, making me rub it awkwardly while I look away.
"Uh," I clear my throat, "I...well, I kinda slept off?"
My mistake was looking up at him. His face is flushed red, the left of his eyes looks like it's twitching and I can see the veins protruding from his neck.
"You slept off?" he inquires.
If looks could kill, I'd probably be six feet under by now.
"You've been in there for more than an hour. Even your food must have gone cold by now. I thought maybe something had happened to you, but you slept off? Dammit, Vanessa," he fumes, running a hand to the once perfectly gelled black hair.
"But I didn't mean to!" I defend. "I'm sorry, let me just rinse off and come back to eat. How's that? Good? Alright." Then I scurry back inside, not even giving him chance to say anything else.
I keep to my promise and make the bath short. He's sitting at the edge of the bed when I come out, his back turned towards me. Taking a few minutes to appreciate the taut muscles and the way they flex at his breathing.
Okay, you're being a creep now.
I get changed in the walk-in closet, and sit at the edge of the bed when I'm done. He turns to face me then, his features more relaxed but with something I can't quite put my hand on.
He jerks his head towards the plates of food on the small stool by the bedside. I open it and the delicious aroma emitting from it makes my stomach growl.
Within minutes, I wolf it down, Xander watching me with a strange expression on his face.
"What? I ask.
"Rest well," he says, then stands to leave but I stand and reach out to grab his hand.
"Thank you," I whisper, look into those dark orbs. Making sure he knows I actually mean it.
He doesn't say anything, only nods. His hand moves into my hair, and withdraws with a piece of carrot.
A laugh bubbles out of me, and his lips also tilt up in a lopsided smile. Then, as if in a trance, he steps closer, not stopping until our chests are pressed against each other.
He leans down, his minty breath fanning my cheek.
This...this isn't right. He's only nice because of the situation. He'll go back to being an asshole tomorrow, I think. My brain tries to convince me, giving myself one last chance.
Then his lips captures mine in a searing
heat that leaves my toes curling, stomach fluttering, and pussy dripping like a fucking fountain.