away from danger.
I stay sprawled on my stomach for minutes, catching my breath. I did it. I stopped them. Tears of happiness spill down my cheeks, and this time, they’re tears I don’t wipe away.
When the night grows silent, I release the pent-up breaths I was holding and exhale, long and hard. When my head stops spinning, I lift myself into a sitting position and stay seated on the deck. Alek doesn’t ask if I’m all right, and that’s because I am.
We worked as a team, which is the only thing I’ve ever wanted. He didn’t treat me like some fragile flower; he put his trust in me. We worked together, and suddenly, an epiphany hits—this is what I should have done from the very beginning.
Instead of trying to deal with Santo myself, I should have told Alek in the bathroom when he cornered me. But I wanted to prove to him that I was capable of doing this, just as Willow was. I know it’s silly, but I wanted him to see me as a fighter as well as a lover.
Coming to a stand, I decide to shower as I need some time to think. I was so angry that Alek didn’t trust me or treat me as an equal, but what just happened proves that he does.
“I’m just going to shower,” I say, not wanting to make a fuss, and clearly neither does he as he nods.
Walking down the stairs with my head hung low, I realize I’m on an emotional roller coaster. The highs and lows just continue to confuse me.
Stripping off, I walk into the bathroom, feeling somewhat lighter. I don’t know how to explain it, but escaping those men has a small piece of my heart, a piece which I believed was lost forever, stitched back together.
The cool water helps soothe the burn, but my body is an electrical current, and I can’t quash this humming within. As I pass the lavender bar of soap I bought at the market over my body, my needy center begs I touch it to help appease the building pressure.
The excitement of the chase, of escaping with our lives intact, has left me incredibly…horny. I’m shocked at the revelation and quickly rinse off. Stepping from the shower, I avoid my reflection in the mirror as I dry myself with the fluffy towel and brush my teeth.
Once I’m dressed in my sleep shorts and tank, I decide to sleep and forget about the growing heat in my shorts. I thought that after what happened with Santo, I would never experience this sort of sexual arousal again. But no one is forcing me; I want this.
Pulling back the covers, I slip into bed, the rich Egyptian sheets sliding against my heated skin. Too hot to sleep with the blankets, I arrange the sheet over me and turn on my side, my back facing Alek’s side because I can smell him on his pillow, and it doesn’t help my current predicament.
Leaning up on my elbow, I punch my pillow a few times as it’s too lumpy, but the pillow’s not the problem. With a huff, I collapse into it and beg sleep comes…and it does until I’m awakened by the shower running.
At first, I believe I’m dreaming, but as my sleep clogged brain comes to, I realize I’m not. Alek is showering, and apart from the running water confirming this, he has left the bathroom door open, allowing me to see in.
Instantly, I avert my eyes, embarrassed, but I soon get over my shame as I want to see more.
His back is to me, which exposes his hardened torso and glorious, firm ass. His legs are muscular and strong, and I envy every waterdrop which clings to his golden skin. He shifts, reaching for the soap and gives me a glimpse of his thick cock.
He isn’t hard, but the sight has me rubbing my legs together, attempting to soothe the painful burn which has resurfaced.
He runs the soap over his body, washing thoroughly, and as he washes between his legs, I imagine it’s my hands helping him get clean. Stepping under the spray, he rinses his body, the suds trickling down and into the drain.
He stands with his face tipped toward the waterfall head, brushing back his wet hair with both hands. His biceps ripple, as does his abs when he shifts to turn off the faucets.
Horrified by what I’m doing, I squeeze my eyes shut and fake sleep, not wanting Alek