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I was hysterical, saying some incoherent things that probably weren’t even making any sense. I didn’t think Castle could even comprehend what I was saying, but the words flowed like an open dam.
Castle held me close and caressed my hair. “I’m sorry.”
There was someone else standing behind him. It took a few seconds to realize that it was Theo.
Theo gave me a look filled with sympathy. “I thought you died. They wouldn’t tell us where you were.”
The look on his face was equal measures of disgust and relief. “This is exactly why I don’t like getting attached to the house staff. They just end up dying. If they’re just going to die in the end, what’s the point of me making light conversations with them?”
I felt Castle’s stare locked on me. He ignored his little brother’s rambling and asked me, “Can you walk?”
I shook my head. “I think my legs are healing, but I can’t stand up.” I tried to swallow my pleading; I couldn’t ask him to take me upstairs. It was quite hard. “You should go back. I don’t want to put you in trouble.”
He placed an arm around my shoulders and the other hand to support my legs as he lifted me in his arms. Theo threw him a look. “You’re seriously not considering taking her back upstairs.”
“She’s…she’s hurt.” Castle said and his hands tightened around my body, “because of me…I’m not leaving her here.”
When he said that, it proved two things.
One, Castle wasn’t as stupid as Devin believed him to be.
Two, he might be privy to the family’s affairs and choose not to say a word.
“This is on you, Cas, remember that. I never helped you get the keys.” Theo said, “Now let’s hurry. I have school tomorrow.”
Castle took me up to my room upstairs; his brown eyes gazed down at me as he whispered, “I…I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”
TWELVE
I thoughtCastle would take me back to my room, but I was wrong. Instead, he carried me upstairs to his bedroom and headed straight to the bathroom.
He pulled out a little bathtub stool and made me sit on it. Theo had already left; so I assumed he’d already gone to bed by now and that left me alone with Castle and oddly, I felt safe being close to him. If Castle was with me that other night, I’m sure he would have protected me against his evil pair of siblings.
I’d never been inside Castle’s bathroom before. It was big enough to be a bedroom; the tiles were all white marble. A large vintage bathtub sat in the center, transparent sliding doors leading to a shower space.
I could see my battered reflection in the enormous masculine sink with matching marble countertop. Bottles of shampoo, perfume, and cologne lined the countertop. Everything here was a glimpse into Castle’s life before his accident.
I watched Castle as he pulled out the shower heads next to the wall near the bathtub and sprayed some water over his hand to check the temperature before reaching for my dress and lifting it.
He was trying to undress me!
I shook my head; my heart was pounding against my chest. “I’ll…I’ll do it alone.”
My body hurt from staying on the concrete floor for over a week, but I wouldn’t admit that to him. Castle regarded me with a concerned look in his eyes, and he didn’t take his hands off my dress.
“You can wait outside,” I whispered.
He stared at me for a long moment and that made me wonder if he was going to refuse to leave, but seconds later; he gave me a nod, placed a bottle of body wash next to me, and stepped outside, sliding the door behind him.
Once I made sure that he wouldn’t return, I peeled off my dress and completely stripped down. I tried to avoid getting the water on my plastered legs and let the warm jet of spray soak me entirely. I took some of the body wash liquid into my palm and scrubbed the lather all over my body.
There was a knock at the door.
“I’m not done yet,” I called out frantically, thinking he’d enter, not knowing I was naked.
“Miss. Millicent, it’s me, Sally. Mr. Montgomery, sent me here to assist you. May I come inside?”
“Oh, I see,” I said, relieved it was her. “Yes, come inside.”