if they would explain to me how they could feel him. My imagination wasn’t that good.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a huge silhouette in the doorway. I jolted up with a croaked cry. “Holy shit,” I cried. Pain stabbed through me as my muscles tweaked, water swishing in the tub. Seeing the real man who had been so vividly in my head twisted me with confusion and humiliation. It was as if he had jumped from my head to where he stood.
Warwick leaned against the frame, his arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed. He lowered his eyes on me, a clouded expression drifting over his features.
“What the hell? What are you doing in here?” Mortification flipped to anger as I tried to sink deeper into the water, covering myself, but it was too low to fully hide. How long had he been there? Did I say anything out loud? Did he watch me? “Get out.”
He didn’t answer, staring at me as if he was trying to figure something out. His presence didn’t just fill the room, he overtook it, flooding it until I couldn’t breathe. Angry and brutal.
“He’s terrifying and so sexually charged. Gods, he must know how to fuck.” Rosie’s sentiment rushed back into my head before I shoved it out.
My arms crossed over my breasts, glaring at him, the serene moment of my fantasy now gone, though energy pumped through me, sparking the air, drumming down my thighs.
“What?” I growled, my throat still raw.
He watched me for another beat, the intensity of his gaze making me fidget. He shook his head, the unreadable expression turning to his usual smug sneer.
“Enjoying yourself in there?” His cheek twitched, his tone leaving no doubt he had been watching me.
My nose flared. “Get. Out. Perv.”
“You sure, princess? I think you really would like me to join you.” Self-assuredness purred from him. “Remember, I’ve already seen what you have to offer.” His eyes moved down to my mostly exposed body. The feel of his gaze slipped down my skin, adding more flames to my fire. “I’ll pass.”
He’ll pass? Irritation wiped out all notion of modesty or prudence. The need to challenge his claim. Provoke. Push.
Forcing myself up, I gripped the edge of the tub. The sound of swishing water crashed off the walls, my skin prickling with awareness as he went rigid, his eyes rolling down my figure. Putting weight on my good leg, I stepped out, moving until I was flush to him, my head tipping back. The water slipped down my naked figure, dripping onto his pants, my bare toes hitting his dirty boots.
Clean. Dirty. Naked. Clothed. Wet. Dry.
Yin. Yang.
He inhaled sharply but didn’t move, his gaze cautious and defensive like I was a wild animal. Feral and unstable. His chest moved in quicker pulses.
“Really?” My voice stayed low, husky, causing a twitch in his jaw. “For someone who declares I disgust him, you seem to find me often when I’m naked.”
A twitch flicked at his temple, but he kept his face emotionless, tipping up one shoulder. “It’s like being around a naked boy.”
“Have a lot of experience with that, huh?” I curved an eyebrow, inching closer, his T-shirt absorbing the water from my body. “I should have known. All makes sense now.”
He snorted, his eyes glinting with rivalry. “Glad you have me all figured out.” His tone was condescending, but he tipped forward until his mouth lingered just a breath from mine. I forced myself not to move, his nearness setting off alarms in me. “I feel so much better now.”
As if his words could physically touch me, I could feel the sensation of hands sliding everywhere over me, curving up the back of my thighs, skimming my ass, tracing my spine, across my collarbone.
I sucked in, freezing in place.
At my reaction, he went still, his head jerking back, his eyes widening slightly.
“You felt that?” he muttered so low I barely caught it.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He pulled back, his face turning aloof and cold. “Get dressed,” he ordered. “I need to bandage your wound, which is probably infected from the dirty water. And you need food,” he snarled, his gaze briefly going to the ribs showing through my skin as if they had insulted him. He rubbed his heavy scruff, swearing under his breath. Fury rode his shoulders, disgust for me choking the air from the room
What the hell was his problem? As if being starved, beaten, and tortured in prison had been part of my plan to utterly piss