Page 13 of Forever By Morning

He leaned down until our lips were so close, I could taste the mint on his breath. But rather than kissing me, he tipped my chin up to brush his bearded chin along my neck. I shuddered as he moved to my ear. “Say the word and not an inch of you will go untouched tonight.”

My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. Could I even handle a man like Beckett?

God, I wanted to.

He curled his fingers around my neck gently. “Take your shower and think about it.”

Then he dropped his hand and stepped back. His summer blue eyes were nearly midnight thanks to how dilated his pupils were.

For me?

“Regardless of your answer, you’ll be safe with me, Helena.”

I nodded.

“I’m just going to check in with Laverne to make sure people know you’re okay.”

As if anyone cared. Reid was probably halfway back to the city by now. Rachel and Clay were supposed to leave for Greece later that night.

“Thanks,” I said softly and closed the door.

I pressed my forehead to the back of the door and willed back the quick rush of tears. From turned on to tears in the space of a few heartbeats. That had to be a new record for me.

I set the towels on the sink and got a look at myself in the mirror and nearly lost it then and there.

My eyes were smudged with mascara and my neck was pink from dust sticking to my skin from the ride on Storm. My lipstick stain was the only makeup that had survived the harried horse ride and made my lips look swollen and bruised against my pale skin.

I turned on the taps and was grateful to find a packet of makeup remover wipes on the side of the sink. I plucked out three and scrubbed at my face and lips until I was splotchy. At least the worst of it was gone, leaving my pale eyelashes and light pink lips instead of the remnants of the wedding look.

I felt a little guilty for using his mother’s brush, but I ran it under hot water before I ruthlessly dragged it through my hair to release the hair spray and product. The rest I’d have to shampoo out.

I turned away from the mirror and stripped out of the dress, leaving it on the floor along with the shaper I’d been wearing under it. The thought of wearing any of that under the borrowed jeans was abhorrent. Luckily I wasn’t wearing hose due to the near summer temperatures today.

I found a roll of can liners under the sink, ripping off a bag then stuffed the entire ruined outfit into it and tied it viciously. Annoyed at the tears dripping down my nose, I stood naked and beyond angry at how everything had turned out.

I wasn’t sure how Beckett could be turned on by how I looked. Was it just because he felt sorry for me?

I turned the water on full hot and stepped into the multiple sprayers with a groan. The water felt divine regardless of my precarious emotional state. I let it beat on me from the front and the sides for a few minutes then saw a button to turn on the rain hood and almost wept at the gentle flood of water.

I grabbed the nearest bottle of shampoo and poured it into my hands. The warm scent of honey and lavender filled the steamy shower. I lathered it into my hair twice to get out all of the sticky hairspray and gel then found the matching conditioner.

His mother had a series of floral body washes in fancy little bottles. I chose the lavender one and quickly finished up my shower. With a wistful sigh, I turned off the taps and got out.

I felt a million times better. Water was definitely a bit of mystical wonder in this world. Everything looked a little better after a shower.

I hit my hair with the hairdryer I’d seen under the sink when looking for the bag for my destroyed dress. My hair was too thick to dry completely, but at least it wasn’t dripping. I quickly put it in a simple braid to keep it from tangling.

I cleaned up after myself and pulled on the baseball shirt. The three-quarter sleeves were a faded raspberry color that might have been red at one time. I winced a little at how thin the cotton was. Sometimes I could get away with a tank or bralette if I was wearing layers, but there was no denying my lack of bra under this shirt.

I wiggled into the jeans, thankful that the hundreds of washings had left them soft and slightly stretched out. They were still a little tight through the seat, but thankfully fit everywhere else. The bottoms of the jeans were frayed around my ankles and a stress hole at the seam of my hip showed my lack of underwear.

There was no hiding it if you really wanted to take a hard look at me.

Maybe I could borrow a hoodie from the box of clothes from Zoe.

My braid was already starting to unravel. My hair was thick, but fine as cornsilk. Looked like I’d be looking for a hair tie too. I’d never been this unprepared in my life. The least I could have done was grab my purse before making a getaway, for God’s sake.

I opened the door and peeked out. Beckett was pacing at the end of the hall. He looked like he was on the phone, even if I couldn’t hear what he was saying.