“Is this going to be a problem?” Kit asks a little indignantly.
“It sure is,” I fire back. “I never agreed to share a bed with you.”
“No, you just promised to be my wife,” Kit answers, exasperated. “You didn’t think that would require some kind of intimacy?”
“You’re about to get intimate with my foot—right up your ass. I’m not sleeping with you.”
Kit puts his hands on his hips and stares me down, but he looks more frustrated than hostile.
“Lexa, we signed the contract. If you didn’t want to be partnered with me, you had your chance to back out. I’ll do what I can to make you feel comfortable in my home, but I’m not being exiled to the couch—and I won’t tolerate my wife sleeping out there, either. It’s best if we just get used to the new arrangement.”
I stare at him, trying to hold on to my anger even as it fades.
Why does he have to make so much sense?
“Okay,” I mutter. “I see your point, but nothing is going to happen, do you understand me?”
“Nothing?” Kit gives me a little wink.
“I mean it!” I hiss, his cockiness triggering a painful memory. “Don’t even think about touching me, or I won’t be camping out on the couch—I’ll go and sleep on the fucking roof!”
“Jesus, okay,” Kit backs off, shaking his head. “I got it. No touching.”
I glare at him for a few seconds, feeling drawn to him and fighting it with every fiber of my being.
“I’m going to take a hot bath,” I announce, backing away from him. “And I’m locking the door.”
“As you wish,” Kit answers, giving a little bow. “I’ll put together something to eat so you can relax right after.”
I don’t answer, I just turn and run for the bathroom. When I get there, I slam the door and lock it, trembling with something a lot like fear.
As if these physical barriers aren’t enough to keep him out…
I start the water running, and after a quick search through the cupboards, I realize Kit barely has soap and shampoo, let alone bubbles or oils.
Still, this is ten times more luxury than I’m used to. I’ve been taking cold baths for years. Father’s cabin didn’t even have running water.
I slip into the hot water, feeling all my small cuts and bruises stinging. Slowly, my muscles relax, and I lean my head back against the edge of the tub, letting myself stretch out.
Memories begin to flicker through my mind, and I let them come. I see Kit striding down the hall at school, his big, confident grin and aggressive swagger. He carried such a presence with him, it scared off people twice his age.
Behind it all, buried in those beautiful blue eyes, I saw the pain. A lost little boy, a tortured soul.
My breath catches in my chest, and I close my eyes as a tear runs down my cheek.
The night of the big after-school party, I felt truly free. Mom had been acting strangely for about a week, but I was trying not to think about it. All I wanted to do was celebrate my graduation and look ahead to a bright future.
I was thinking about traveling through the villages of Lycan Pass for sure, but maybe even beyond. My friend Kate was excitedly talking about her plans to visit major cities throughout the country, and it sounded like a great idea to me.
I drank too much. I let my guard down and stayed out too late. When I looked over the bonfire to see Kit’s blue eyes burning in the dark, like cut sapphires shimmering under golden light, I was captivated.
No… captured.
With my eyes still closed, I run my hands down my thighs, digging my nails in a little. Now that I’ve opened the door, the memories crash through my mind and press themselves into my skin.
The way his hard hands gripped me, roughly tugging off my clothes… it frightened me but thrilled me as well. I would have struggled and resisted if he hadn’t gently taken my face in his hands and looked deep into my eyes.
There. This is the real Kit. Under all the armor, this is him. Sweet, caring, vulnerable.
