Avoiding looking me in the eye, he slowly lowered himself to the floor and sat against the wall, his knees bent. I didn’t know why he did that or what he was up to. I narrowed my eyes and took another careful step away from him.
“You don’t have to get in the shower. That’s fine. But I promise I don’t know anything. I am here to help you. Do you want to talk about that book you’re reading?” he murmured.
The walls around me wobbled and breathed. I blinked a few times, tears stinging as I tried to catch my breath. “It’s an office romance,” I said, and he nodded his head, listening intently to my every word. “She’s a personal assistant, and her boss is the CEO.” I swallowed hard and blinked a few more times as reality crept closer. “He’s kind of a jerk to her, but there is a lot of tension.”
A lot of tension. A lot of tension. A lot of tension.
A lot of tension, a lot of tension, I mouthed.
I glanced at the shower and narrowed my eyes, still suspicious that it was all a trap, but Mr. Volkov showed no sign of aggression or that he wanted the aliens to get me. It could all be a part of his plan. The panic returned, and I hated the feeling.
Slivers of reality crept in, and I started to realize I was having an episode. I stripped off my clothes and entered the walk-in shower, standing under the hot spray. Seconds, minutes, or however long passed until everything crashed into me, and ragged cries slipped out of me. I couldn’t stop the tears as they fell down my cheeks. The feeling of doom and panic still held me in its tight grip. Ihatedit.
“You’re safe, sunshine. No one is here to hurt you,” Mr. Volkov said gently.
I shook my head and bent under the spray while curling my hands against my chest. My scattered brain clung to him saying,No one is here to hurt you. Did that mean more people were here, and he didn’t want me to know? No, no, no, no. I couldn’t think about it anymore. It was all in my head. He wouldn’t hurt me, right?
“Do you want to talk about what’s been stressing you?” he asked.
I shook my head and realized he couldn’t see it. “No.”
“I’m right here, Emma. I’m not going anywhere. Do you want me to talk to distract you?”
I jerkily nodded. “Yes, please.”
Mr. Volkov began talking. I couldn’t follow anything he said, but I clung to his voice as it led me back to sanity. The longer I stood under the steaming water, the faster I came out of psychosis. Waves of the episode came and went, but after a while, it stopped, and I could finally breathe again.
“I think I’m okay now,” I whispered, interrupting my boss.
He fell silent for a moment, then I heard shifting. I jumped as he appeared outside the shower and held out his hand for me to take. I put my hand in his, and he guided me out of the stall. I let him dry me off and dress me in a black T-shirt that was snug at my chest but reached just above my knees.
Not wanting to be depressing, I straightened my shoulders and forced a smile. “I think I’m ready to go back to bed now.”
Mr. Volkov flicked his gaze between my eyes, searching my face for an answer to an unspoken question. It looked like he wanted to ensure I was okay and wouldn’t freak out again. He dipped his chin and held out a hand for me to take. I accepted his help and put my hand in his, holding my breath as he curled his fingers around mine and walked with me to the guest bedroom. When I entered the room, I heard running water.
“Oh, shoot!” I gasped and ran into the bathroom. Water spilled over the edge of the tub and pooled on the floor. I leaped forward and turned the handle, switching off the water. “Shoot, shoot, shoot.”
“Sunshine.” Mr. Volkov’s voice startled me.
I whipped around, placing my hand over my erratically beating heart. “Mr. Volkov! I’m so sorry!”
He glanced past me to the tub before returning his gaze to me. “Go lie down in my bed. I’ll clean this up.”
My eyebrows drew together. “Sir? I can sleep in my bed. It’s okay.”
“You need to be somewhere quiet. Unless you’d rather listen to me clean?” He showed no sign that he was angry and didn’t raise his voice at me to dig the knife deeper inside me. I wanted to kick myself for being so stupid and not remembering what I’d done.
I rolled my lips, cheeks on fire, and glanced at the overflowing tub before I looked at him. “Are you sure?”
His calm expression morphed into annoyance, and he sighed before grabbing my wrist, surprising me as he dragged me out of the bedroom with him.
“What are you doing?”
“Putting you to bed,” he muttered, entering his dark bedroom.
The hallway light filtered into the bedroom. Being in his room, surrounded by his intoxicating smell, felt so intimate. My head became fuzzy, and a strange feeling brought butterflies into my stomach. He smelled like...likehome.
Warmth pooled low in my belly as he brought me to his unmade bed. Mr. Volkov released his hold on me and gently placed his palm on my lower back. I didn’t have enough time to enjoy the touch before he shoved me, making me stumble a step. I caught myself on his mattress.
