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“Long two weeks?” he taunted, reaching out to finger a tangled strand of my hair. “Deal or no deal, you and I will never be through. You can’t walk away from me any more than I can walk away from you.”

“Funny, I recall you doing just that.”

He regarded me closely with an inexpressive look on his face.

“You know you’re important to me. And you know what happened on that bridge isn’t anything like what it looked like. Appearances can be deceiving.”

Of course, he was right about everything. I hated that I was lashing out at him when I rationally knew all that.

He stepped back and ran a hand over his mouth. “All the shit you need is in the bathroom.”

I didn’t bother objecting again. I desperately wanted to be clean; I could smell myself and it was a miracle he was able to breathe properly with the stench wafting between us. Besides, I still had an inkling of common sense and knew when to pick my battles.

I moved into the bathroom, closing the door and doing a quick sweep of the spacey area. It was just as nice as the room. There was a glass shower and a cast iron tub against the far wall.

On the vanity, I spotted a travel sized toothbrush and toothpaste of the same variety. I attacked it like a madwoman, physically cringing at my reflection.

I really did look like complete shit. Road-kill could have given me a run for my money. I was a few pounds away from being classed as emaciated. Dark circles formed half-moons beneath my eyes, and my hair was a knotted mess. I was grateful that the swelling in my face had gone down considerably.

I looked like something that lived in the bottom of a swamp. Brushing my teeth made me feel a little more human and effectively slayed my dragon breath.

I scooped up a washcloth and all the mini toiletries, carrying them to the shower. Once I had the water heated to near scalding, I stripped down, stepped in, and shut the door. I went to war straight away with my mess of locks, ripping long strands out in the process of untangling them.

The water washed away weeks of sweat, dirt, and all the hair I shaved off my body. I watched it all go down the drain in a chaotic swirl, taking a heavy weight off my shoulders with it.

This was exactly what I needed.

I was studying my flat stomach, thinking about how that conversation was going to go, when the shower door opened.

When he stepped inside in all his naked glory, I studied him like it was the first time I’d ever seen him naked. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on. The sinister dark aura that emanated from him only added to the allure.

He was so goddamn perfect it hurt. My resolve was crumbling to pieces and he hadn’t had to do a thing but stand in front of me.

I pressed my palm against him just so I could feel his heartbeat. He lightly gripped my hand and slid it down his slickened chest, making me feel every hidden scar and solid ab. My eyes followed the path he made, faltering at the sight of his thic

k dick.

I swallowed and bit down on my lower lip, unable to look away and pretend it wasn’t taking up a space between us.

His barbell had a compulsion of its own. I wanted to feel it on my tongue. I think my mouth watered.

Romero’s smug voice was what finally broke me out of my trance. “It’s a masterpiece, I know.”

I looked up at him and felt my face flame as I realized I’d just been ogling his dick like it was the Holy Grail.

“You’re so fucking arrogant.”

“Not arrogant, just confident enough to know that every time I fuck you, I turn your world upside down.” Shifting his grip to my wrist, he pushed me backward and used his knee to spread my legs apart, pinning my arms on either side of my head.

The hood of his piercing rubbed against my clit and a tiny gasp slipped through my lips.

I knew we needed to talk. He didn’t deserve to be inside me but that’s where I wanted him.

As if reading my mind, he let me go and gripped my jaw, dropping his lips to mine. I eagerly let his tongue through, sighing contentedly at the familiarity of it.

I wound my arms around the back of his neck. His hands grabbed my ass. He stole every breath I took as he devoured my mouth, nipping my lower lip and roughly kneading my globes. His hard cock pressed into my lower stomach, hotter than the water coming down on us. An overwhelming ache only he could elicit burned between my thighs.

“Fuck me,” I breathed. “Hard.”