CHAPTER FIVE
Tessa checked the door once more, making sure it was locked. Her eyes went to the handgun the stranger, Locke, had given her. It was a weird way of reassuring her, which hadn’t totally worked even if she understood the symbolism. She only knew his name, Locke, and she now stood in his bathroom, naked, about to step into the shower. What was happening to her? She felt like she couldn’t make sensible decisions anymore. Everything seemed so surreal, it was difficult to process everything. The adrenaline in her system made her woozy, that and what they’d drugged her with on top of her lack of sleep. Mostly lack of sleep, she supposed. And a shower sounded so good and would help clear her mind. Maybe it would even help to remove the feeling of strange hands on her body, along with the aches and pains of her injuries.
It was weird that not so long ago, she’d fantasized about Locke, and now, he seemed to be only one step better than Luther. There was no way he could be trusted. However, she was here and vulnerable, a not quite willing prisoner. Locke had promised a full explanation if she had a shower, ate a meal, and slept. She had agreed to a shower and maybe food, but definitely not a nap. Not here at least. She would nap in her own bed, thank you very much.
Stepping under the warm spray, Tessa moaned at the hot water stinging her skin. The multiple jets surrounding her body overwhelmed it with a delicious pleasure-pain caress. The sudden sensation had the effect of boosting her energy levels. She knew it was only temporary, but at least, it would give her the clarity to get the answers she needed and get out of here.
Toiletries were neatly placed inside a small recess on her right. Again, the color scheme continued, the tiles a gleaming black. It wasn’t gloomy or depressing, instead, it showed power and control. Control. A word that fitted the man, as she saw more of his personal space.
The only way she would get clean was with a good scrub, so Tessa examined the bottles and took the shampoo. The smell was very masculine. Immediately, her mind wandered to when she’d seen him at the hospital, then when he’d fastened her seatbelt earlier in his car. It smelled like him.
As she mindlessly washed her hair and body, her touch softened, becoming less clinical, more sensual.
Her logical mind tried to tell her she was stupid, but it was impossible to stop. It was an overflow of lust she had tried to push back mostly because work had taken priority, but right now, there was no other priority. It was as if she was down to the very basic of human needs. Tessa suspected it was the jumble of all that had happened in the last twenty-four hours that made her act this way. It was either fight it or rid it from her system. Again, logic determined her decision. As the final bubbles and suds slid down her body, her hands followed suit, cupping her breasts. She kept her hands light, her fingernails lightly scratching over the sensitized skin, slowly closing in on her areolas. Her thighs tightened, a throb increasing between her legs. There wasn’t a lot of time before Locke knocked on the door, so she followed the water down her belly and slid a finger between her folds.
Muscles pulled in the shoulder that she’d fallen on earlier, making her groan in frustration as it limited her movements. Stopping now would do nothing to help her regain a clear mind. Desperation started to make its way into her mind when she noticed the hand-held showerhead.
Grabbing it, she set it to the massage spray. Playing with the intensity over her thighs, Tessa adjusted it, and was unable to bite back a moan of pleasure when the hot spray hit her inflamed clit.
Her world zeroed to between her legs as she moved the spray closer and closer. It wasn’t enough. Water couldn’t compete with her hands, and they were no match to the rough, demanding touch of a man. A contact she hadn’t had in so long.
Pleasure was rising fast, but still, she needed more. Fumbling, she switched the setting to its maximum pulse, and slightly increased the water temperature. The sudden sting and burn made her jump before she finally settled into the hard caress. Her knees started to shake, and she let her body lean on the cold glass wall, allowing her to widen her stance even more, increasing the intensity.
The orgasm she craved was but mere seconds away and as she crushed the shower head even harder against her mons, her breath shallow, ears buzzing with anticipation, she saw movement from the corner of her eye. A body clad in black. Sea-green eyes looked inside the shower just as pleasure crashed over her, making her scream.
Tessa tipped, her body doubling over. She should have looked away, be ashamed of being caught like this, but she didn’t. Legs like noodles, she let the shower wand drop by her side, her body sliding down the glass wall until she sat on the shower floor. Steam billowed around them; him clad in black jeans and sweater, her dripping wet, skin flushed and naked in front of him.
His face was impassible still, he looked like a marble statue, only the glimmer in his eyes telling her that she had a man made of flesh and blood standing above her.
Her trembling body, in the aftershock of orgasm, silently begged him to shed his clothes. However, her brain was gearing up until he finally spoke.
“I made us something to eat.”
And he was gone.
* * *
Tessa’s sanitywas back to normal when she finally got the courage to leave the bathroom. Her old clothes were nowhere to be seen, along with the gun, and she didn’t like it. In their place was a silk pajama top, black of course, and way too big for her despite her curves. At least it covered her to mid-thigh. It was difficult dealing with the rising panic, until she realized that she still could escape in a pajama top if need be.
One last look in the mirror told her that her hair would be a mess as it dried without any product in it, that the bruises would get worse before they got better and tomorrow morning, her entire body would scream in despair and make her wonder why she’d decided to become a doctor after all.
Also, being a physician and a sensible woman, well, most of the time, she knew that even with a shower, and some food, her brain would only be operational for a short amount of time. And in that period, she needed to know everything that Locke knew, and more so, what Luther knew and how much of a threat he still was. And what role her dark knight played in her miraculous rescue.
Barefoot, she made her way out the bathroom and toward the enticing smells of the kitchen. The smell of warm bread made her stomach growl even before she saw the cook, who was removing it from the oven. There was also a steaming pot of something on the stove.
The sun was still high in the sky, illuminating the apartment’s sharp lines. Nothing was out of place, no personal items on the shelves. Some books. Art on the wall. A small splash of color. She wanted to examine the room more, but her host commanded her attention. Even if he wasn’t looking in her direction, his attention was on her.
Turning around, she watched him as he opened a cupboard to get dishes. Every one of his movements was efficient and measured. Contained.
Locke filled two bowls and placed them on the placemats on the counter beside two spoons.
“Please sit, Doctor.” Again, his voice was low, controlled, as he looked away from her. As she took her place on the stool, he turned again to get the warm bread on a wooden board, with two knives and some butter.
The soup looked delicious and smelled divine.
Locke finally sat and took his spoon. “Eat, Doctor.”
“I would prefer we talk first.”
