Caught by Emma Louise
Chapter Fifteen
"And den Kai told me I has to sit by him at lunch, but I didn't."
"Where did you sit?" I ask, holding myself back from asking who the hell this Kai is that thinks he can boss Cassidy around.
"Next to Leon instead. Cos he's my boyfriend." Thank fuck the plate in my hand is made of paper because I think I would have smashed it otherwise.
"Aren't you a little young to have a boyfriend?" I ask, surprising, myself at how calm I manage to stay. She's barely even five-years-old yet, and she's talking about boyfriends?
"That's what my mommy says too, so let’s not tell her that I sits with Leon, k?" Yeah, not likely, kid. I think to myself. I'm not letting some little pervert kid get his hands on Cassidy. I’ll be telling Darcey as soon as I can; she needs to know what the fuck is going on in that Kindergarten.
"Time for shower and bed, love bug." Looking over, I see Darcey leaning on the doorframe. I don't have to ask; I know by the smirk on her face that she just heard our conversation.
"Sorry, Max," she says, climbing down from the chair she was standing on while we cleaned up after dinner. I'm pretty sure there's more bubbles on my floor than there are in the sink at this point. "I can't helps you no more."
"It’s anymore, not no more," I correct her. "And that's okay, sweet pea. Thank you for helping." I get a toothy grin before she runs down the hallway, Darcey a few steps behind her. I want to forget all about the last of the dishes and follow behind them instead. I don't because that would be weird.
Instead, I take my time clearing the last of the dinner mess away and putting the leftover pizza into the refrigerator. When there's nothing left for me to do, I give into the urge and walk down the hallway. Standing far enough back to not be seen, I listen as the two of them giggle quietly, unable to make out exactly what they're talking about.
"One more story, Mommy?"
"One more short story, okay? Mommy needs to go to bed soon too."
"So that yous owwies will get better faster?"
"That's right, love bug," she says sadly, and I know it pains her to have her daughter see the bruises on her face. She’s done a good job at hiding how much pain she’s in, but it hasn’t escaped me how she’s still moving carefully. I also don’t miss the small winces of pain she fights to hide every time Cass asks her to do something for her. I haven't seen her take any medication since I got home a few hours ago, and I know from experience how painful a couple of busted ribs feels.
The words Felix spewed at me earlier ring through my mind. I might be doing a decent thing in letting them stay here, but what have I done to actually look after them? Brought home a couple of pizzas? She’s trying to look after herself, and a hyperactive five-year-old while probably being in agony. All while I’m spending as much time as I can avoiding Darcey because I find her attractive? I realize that I’ve been acting like a selfish prick, and that does not sit well with me.
I stay there a while longer, listening as Darcey starts a story about a princess named Cassidy who fights the big, ugly dragon all on her own. When Darcey starts to lower her voice, I guess that Cass has finally fallen asleep.
* * *
I’m starting to think Darcey has fallen asleep too when she takes so long to come out. She seems startled to find me leaning against the wall not far from the room she and Cass are sharing.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” I say when she clutches her hand against her chest.
“That’s okay, just wasn’t expecting you to be there. I’m glad I caught you, though.” She still seems so skittish around me, despite her attempt to forge some kind of friendship between us a few days ago. “I meant to say thanks for sorting dinner tonight. I really do appreciate it.” She starts to move down the hallway toward the bathroom, and there’s a large part of me that wants to let her keep walking away. Maybe if she wasn't holding an arm tightly across where she’s hurt, I might have let her.
“I ran you a bath.” I wince at the clumsy way the words come out. She freezes but doesn’t turn to face me. “Your ribs will appreciate it.” Her shoulders slump, and I know she likes the sound of that. “It’s all ready for you. Go get in, and I’ll get some pain pills ready for when you get out.”
“Why?” She finally turns to look at me, but keeps her eyes trained on the floor at my feet.
“Why?”
“Why would you do that for me?” How the fuck do I answer that? I can’t tell her it’s because she’s under my skin somehow. I can’t tell her that since she’s been here I’ve come to appreciate how fucking amazing she really is, or that I’m positive, down to my bones, that I was put on this earth to protect her. I can’t tell her any of that unless I want her to run from the house screaming.
“Look, I know you don’t like me, and I haven't done anything to help myself with that, but I’m not a bad guy, Darcey. You’re obviously in pain. I can help with that if you’ll let me.” I’m almost certain she’s about to say thanks, but no thanks when her eyes finally flick to meet mine.
“Please.” I add, and that one word is all it takes for her to give in.
“Thank you. A bath sounds amazing right now. It’s been years,” she says with an edge of excitement in her voice.
“Years?”
“Our last couple of apartments have been on the smaller side, and none had a tub.” She looks up at me, that delicate jaw jutting out like she’s waiting for me to judge her for where she’s been living. I’ve seen her apartment; I went to look around after she was attacked. It might be dated and the size of a postage stamp, but it was clean and tidy. She obviously takes pride in it, and I’m not about to judge anyone for doing the best they can.
“Well, you can take as long as you want in this one. I’ve left some towels on the warmer for you and a clean shirt on the vanity. I wasn’t sure how much of your stuff Natalie brought over, and there’s a pile of laundry to be done.”
“I’ll do it first thing in the morning; today was just—”
“I’ll do it.” I cut her off gently. “You need to rest. The more you do, the faster you’ll heal.”
“It doesn’t feel like enough, but thank you. I really do appreciate it.” She stares up at me with those soft eyes, and I have to fight the urge to pull her closer so that I can finally kiss her.
“Go. Get in the tub.” I hook a thumb over my shoulder toward my door, the only room in the house that currently has a working bathtub. “I’m going to do a quick workout.” Deciding I’ve had enough torture for one evening, I walk away in the direction of the gym I have set up in the garage that’s attached to the house. I don’t look back to see if she’s still standing there. I’m not confident that I’ll be able to keep walking away if she is.
* * *
I need to do something to get the thought of her naked in my bathroom out of my head, but no matter how hard I push myself I can’t do it. She’s there, front and center, just like she always seems to be lately. I run on the treadmill and lift weights until my arms feel like overcooked noodles, but nothing works. Looks like I’m heading for another night of lying in bed, frustrated and turned on to the point of distraction.
I’m not surprised to find the kitchen and living room empty when I come back in, but I am surprised to find not only my bedroom door closed, but the bathroom door is too. She’s still in there?
Unease filters through my gut when I look and see I’ve been gone almost ninety minutes. It’s quite likely that she’s just relaxing in there. She said it’s been a long time since she could do that, so I hesitate to go rushing in there like my head is telling me to do. I’m about to turn around and leave when I hear a muffled cry come from inside.
“Darcey?” I ask loudly, knocking my fist against the wood. “You okay in there?” She’s crying in there, dickhead. Of course she’s not okay. She doesn’t answer right away, and I’m seconds away from kicking the fuck out of the door when she finally says something.
“I’m good. I’ll be out in a second. Sorry.” Her pained voice is quiet, even through the closed door. If she apologizes or thanks me for doing fuck all one more time, I’m going to lose my damn mind.
“You need help?”
“No,” she says quickly, but then lets out another yelp of pain.
“Cover up as best as you can. I’m coming in.” I don’t give her time to argue before I’m opening the door. I keep my eyes trained on the ceiling as I move toward her. I can hear the soft movement of water swirling around, but she doesn’t tell me to get the fuck out, so I take that as a win. I move to the side, collecting a small towel before I go to her. Crouching down, I turn away from her so all I can see is her upper body and head. “Use this to try to cover up, and don’t worry about getting it wet. I’ll clean up later.” I hand her the towel as best I can without actually looking at her.
“Thank you.” My jaw clenches at those fucking words. She shouldn’t be this grateful for someone helping her with basic shit like taking a bath.
“Tell me what happened.”
“I was trying to wash my hair.” She hiccups softly before sniffing away the last of her tears. “I must have moved awkwardly. I managed to get my hair wet, but I couldn’t get back up.” Risking a look at her, I’m overcome with the urge to rip the room apart when I see her tear-streaked face. Yet again, I’ve fucked up by leaving her alone for so long.
“Give me your hand,” I all but growl at her. I need to tone it down, but I’m right on the edge of losing my mind right now, so that’s not likely to happen anytime soon. She doesn’t argue as she slips her hand into mine. The feeling of her wet, silken skin sliding against mine turns the anger simmering in my veins to pure need. Keeping my eyes off her while she’s fully dressed is an exercise in restraint, knowing she’s here, close enough to touch. Wet. Naked. It has every single one of my senses on overdrive.
“Sit up. I’m going to go get something to finish up your hair.” I don’t wait around for her to answer. I need a minute away from this situation before I do something stupid. When I get back, she's curled in on herself, so her knees are pulled up tightly to her chest, her head resting on her knees and turned away from me. I guess she’s silently crying, based on the way her shoulders rock gently up and down.
Less of her skin is on display now, but it does nothing to make the sight of her any less breathtaking. Her hair looks almost black now that it's wet. It's slicked to the side, leaving the tanned skin of her back exposed. She's flawless. The need to run my fingers down her skin is so intense, my skin burns with it.
I don't speak as I kneel at her side. Reaching out, I grab the shampoo, pouring a generous amount into my hand before I get started on soaping her hair up. I’ve never done this for anyone in my life, never felt this level of intimacy.
The atmosphere in the room thickens around us as my fingers work their way through her hair in firm strokes. The heavy silence is punctuated by the gentle lapping of the water against her skin. The sound is almost hypnotic, allowing me to get lost in this moment.
The small moan that passes her lips is like a lightning bolt, cracking through the steam-leaden silence. Her body tenses, as do my fingers, both of us not moving.
"You can rinse it now." The softly spoken words are enough to snap me out of the tense moment. Clearing my throat unnecessarily, I reach for the plastic jug without saying anything. I stay quiet as I rinse the suds from her hair until the water runs clear.
And then comes the moment I’ve been dreading almost as much as I’ve been anticipating. She's going to need help standing.
"I can take it from here," she says finally, attempting to dismiss me.
"Darcey, I don't think that’s a good idea."
"I'll be fine. Could you bring that towel closer?" knowing I can't push her to let me help; she's too vulnerable, and I get that. I reach across to grab the towel she asked for from the wall-mounted warmer, but when I turn to pass it to her, I catch the grimace that flashes across her face.
"I promise I'll keep my eyes on your face at all times; just let me help you," I offer, but can already see the denial in her expression. "Please," I add, and that seems to break through to her.
"Eyes on mine, Arden," she warns, and I have to resist the urge to laugh at her stern tone.
"Eyes on yours, Walker. I swear." I give her a mock salute. Rolling her eyes, she does a shitty job of keeping the smile off her lips.
Throwing the towel over my shoulder, I reach out for her to take my hands; following orders, I always keep my eyes on hers.
Fuck.
This is so much fucking worse than looking at her naked body. Instead, I’m looking into her naked eyes. For the first time the guard is down, and I'm suddenly lost in twin deep, dark pools that I need to stop myself from drowning in.