Page 92 of Mama Si's Paradise

Then, I held onto the tiles in front of me and I let the water wash away the day. The week. The whole fucking month. I might have cried a few tears in the process, but it could have very well been water.

Eventually, I used the shampoos in the black glass bottles without labels, and they smelled heavenly—like vanilla mixed with something else I couldn’t place, something that made it the right intensity.

By the time I switched the shower off, I felt reborn.

Then I turned around to step out of the cabin—and I found Valentine by the closed door, leaning against the wall, watching me.

My breath caught in my throat. I hadn’t heard the door opening, hadn’t even cared to check behind me while I showered, so lost in my own thoughts, in the calm and comfort the warm water had offered me. But he was right there, his eyes bloodshot as they slowly scrolled down the length of my body. My completely naked and wet body.

I didn’t move, couldn’t if I tried. I don’t know how much he saw through the fogged-up glass of the shower cabin, but the way he looked…yeah, he saw much more that I’d have liked.

The towels were on the edge of the tub, at least five feet away from the cabin. I’d be parading in front of him naked while I went for it.

Fuck it—I was going to do it anyway, but Valentine moved first.

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to cover up as much of my body as I could while he, without ever looking away from me, went and grabbed the towel, and came to me.His brows were narrowed, his lips parted, eyes so bloodshot they looked completely red. He walked toward me slowly, as if he wanted to give me all the time in the world to close the shower door or tell him to get the fuck out or do anything at all except stand there like an idiot and watch him.

What the hell are you doing?!I shouted at myself in my head, but I was paralyzed by his attention. And he really was so damn hot.

And I’dneverbeen looked at like that before, not ever.

“Turn around,” Valentine whispered, and the spell finally broke. I turned the next heartbeat, desperate to get those eyes away from my face, desperate to think. To bepissed off.

How dare he come into the bathroom while I showered, naked and alone?

How dare he go get my towel and notwalk out? Was he going to grab me now that I had my back turned to him?

And if he did, what the hell would I do?

Thank God I never got to find out.

Valentine put the towel around my shoulders and wrapped me up like I was a damn baby.

“Don’t move,” he said, and his voice was almost like a growl. I stood perfectly still while he went back and got the other towel, and he began to pat my hair dry.

I must have lost my mind for real.

“Go. Get dressed, Sunshine. I’ll be waiting,” Valentine said when he was done.

My eyes squeezed shut, the sound of him taking me out of this trance.

Move!

Cursing myself in my mind, I kept my head down and the towels wrapped tightly around me, and I didn’t look up at all until I was out the door.

I pickedout new clothes to wear because I couldn’t go back to get the ones I’d taken to the bathroom. But by the time I was out of the closet, wearing black pants and boots and a gorgeous leather jacket, the clothes were already folded at the edge of the bed.

When I walked out the room again, Valentine was by the wall, waiting with his arms crossed in front of his chest and that fucking dragon on his shoulder. His long tail wrapped around his neck looked like an accessory.

He saw me naked,a voice in my head whispered, and there went my cheeks flushing bright scarlet again.

Valentine flinched. “We’re gonna have to work on that, Sunshine.” Then his eyes, no longer bloodshot, scrolled down my body.

“Work on what?” I forced myself to say—so whatif he saw me naked? I stepped out of the room and closed the door behind me.

“Your blood. The way it rushes so fast…” His voice trailed off as his eyes scrolled down to my neck.

“I can’t control how my blood rushes,” I said through gritted teeth, trying not to cover my neck with my hands. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

---