Page 68 of Alluring Darkness
“I didn’t lie. I did go home to my family.”
I glance at her when I hear the honesty in her tone. Her face shows the same sincerity. In her still half drunken state, I doubt she would be able to lie this convincingly, so I’m forced to accept that she is in fact telling the truth.
“So how did you end up wasted in a fucking bar?” I demand, sliding my gaze back to the road ahead.
She’s silent for a long moment. Then she slumps back in her seat, resting her head against the leather, and heaves a deep sigh.
“Because my mom told me that I’m messed-up in the head.”
I snap my gaze back to her.
My chest constricts at the raw emotions in her eyes as she stares out at the dark night in front of the car, and it takes every ounce of my willpower not to drive back to the city and slaughter her entire family.
27
RAINA
By the time we reach Blackwater, I’m so completely drained that I don’t even protest when Eli lifts me out of the passenger seat and carries me into his house. We run into Rico in the hallway, but neither of them speaks. He and Eli just hold each other’s gaze for a few seconds, as if they have some kind of silent way of communicating with only their eyes, while Eli walks past and makes for the stairs.
His strong arms hold me tightly as he strides towards his bedroom. I’m still a bit drunk. Not nearly as wasted as I was back in that bar, but still drunk enough that I’m having trouble thinking straight. Or maybe that is more due to the feeling of Eli’s warm muscular chest against my cheek and his intoxicating scent that fills my lungs with every breath.
After closing the door behind him, he walks across the room and then into his bathroom before setting me down on the closed toilet lid. I know that I should probably be fighting him or antagonizing him in some way, but I just can’t bring myself to care about anything right now. So all I do is sit there and stare blankly at the bathroom.
It’s not a massive one, but it’s surprisingly elegant. Apart from the toilet I’m sitting on, there is a white marble sink with a gilded mirror above it and a spacious shower with one of those rain shower heads. Warm light from the expensive-looking lamp in the ceiling fills the room with a golden glow that seems to shimmer against the white tiles.
“I don’t have a bathtub, so you’re going to have to stand for a few minutes while you take a shower,” he says while reaching in and turning the water on.
“I don’t need to take a shower,” I answer, speaking for the first time since the car ride back.
Eli cuts me a look that makes embarrassment creep into my cheeks. Running my hands over my forearms, I realize that they’re sticky. I must have spilled a drink, or five, on myself at some point.
“Fine,” I mutter.
My legs are still unsteady, so I sway a little as I strip out of my clothes and shoes and drop them in a heap on the otherwise spotless floor. Eli remains where he is, blocking the doorway. With his arms crossed, he watches me as I undress and then move towards the shower, as if he’s making sure I’m actually following his orders.
The skin on the back of my neck prickles, and heat pools inside me, at the way he is watching me. But I turn my back on him as I step into the shower.
Water splashes down on me.
I let out a sigh.
Standing there under the warm water, I close my eyes and just let it wash over me.
“There’s shower gel on the shelf,” Eli says.
I ignore him. The water soaks my hair and wraps around my body like a warm blanket. It feels so good that I don’t ever want to move.
“Princess,” Eli pushes.
Only the splashing of water on tiles answers him. Tilting my head back, I let the water rush down over my face as if to wash away the lingering intoxication.
“Fucking hell,” Eli growls after a while.
My stomach lurches as a hand lands on my shoulder and roughly spins me around. I blink against the water still clinging to my lashes.
Once my vision is clear, I find Eli standing right there.
In the shower.