Page 85 of Heart of a Villain

“Not if you take your Niagara Falls showers.”

He groaned, but then she heard when he backed off. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she turned the shower faucet to warm and stripped off her bra, which was all the clothing she was wearing.

“Need a shower cap?” Adrían called, something crinkling on the other side of the door.

“You sick son of a bitch.”

He cackled.

“No worries. There’s…” She searched the bathroom for anything plastic that could be wrapped around her head. “A trash bag.”

The doorknob rattled.

Next, the door opened to Adrían standing in the opening, holding a thin piece of wire in one hand. “If you put a trash bag on your head, I will,” his focus shifted to her nude body, “punish you. Hey, I have an idea.”

She held out a hand. “No. Give me the cap.”

“If we shower together?—”

“It’ll take twice as long.”

She walked over to snatch the cap from his hand, and he pulled her up against him, palming the swell of her behind. His hand slid slower, and the next thing she knew, he was easing a thick finger inside her.

“You freakin’ sorcerer,” she said, laughing as she pushed away. “If you’re late, Gage will come looking for us. Maybe he’ll even send Giorgio. If that happens, I’m throwing you so far under the bus, you’ll be left with skid marks on your back.”

“I’ll take my chances.” He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth and swatted her on the ass. “Fine, but hurry up so we’re not late. Someone once told me that my showers are like Niagara Falls.”

After she was done with her shower, he hopped in and tried to get her to get in with him again. But she had a dress to slip into, makeup to splatter onto her face, and braids to style.

While she was still in her robe, there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find Ayesha in the hallway wearing a matching hotel robe.

“Come on,” Ayesha said, grabbing her wrist. “We’re all getting ready in Xara’s suite.”

“We’re all getting ready with a renowned fashion designer?” she asked. “Give me one second while I leave Adrían a note.”

She scribbled on a hotel notepad before sneaking out with Ayesha. They laughed at absolutely nothing, uselessly tiptoeing through the hallway. Xara and Mike’s room was only two floors above them, so they pressed the elevator button and agreed that, if it took longer than a minute to arrive, they would climb the stairs.

The doors opened.

A man with low-cut hair stepped off.

Something about him made her reach for Ayesha’s hand as they entered the elevator. Without words, they squeezed, and she knew Ayesha understood everything she was trying to communicate, the same way she seemed to understand all that Ayesha didn’t say.

The doors shut.

Almost.

A tattooed hand flung them back open.

“I’m sorry,” the man said. “Are you two twins?”

Before giving them a chance to reply, he leaned down and took a deep whiff of Ayesha’s hair. Sayeda imagined a beacon or alarm going off—something to alert Joel that there wasn’t nearly enough space between his wife and a strange man. Joel, as calm and comedic as she’d learned he was, didn’t seem like all the screws he possessed were tightened. When it came to Ayesha, it was a wonder whether there were screws at all.

“I’m a twin,” the man said. “I have a twin brother. Me and my brother,” his voice lowered to a growl, “we like pairs.”

Sayeda forced a smile. “Sorry, but we’re running late. We have to go.”

“Where is your brother?” Ayesha asked.

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