Page 71 of Pushed

Chapter Eighteen

Machi

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Imperial sat on theedge of the tub, letting her fingertips brush over the warm water lightly. Creating swirls and small choppy waves, she kept her head down, never allowing her eyes to meet mine.

“I know you want an apology, but I can't give you one.” Laying out the pastel purple dress for her on the bed, I flattened the creases and smoothed the cool silk.

The dress was simple, no beadwork, no frills. The smooth material would hug her frame perfectly, touching all the right curves. It was perfect for her.

Imperial didn't need anything fancy to stand out, she could do that solely on her own.

“You think you know what I want—” A cynical laugh echoed out from the bathroom as she stood and unclasped her bra, dropping it to the floor. “But an apology, that's the furthest thing from my mind.”

Slipping her fingers between her panties and skin, she guided them down over thighs. Kicking the undergarments to the side, the straight lines of her back dipped and rolled fluidly, arching and curving like a jaguar in the trees, stalking its prey.

The lean muscles in her legs flexed and lengthened as she lifted her feet off the floor and stepped slowly into the hot steamy water.

My cock pulsed as her ass pushed back, and the side of her breast teased my eyes. She was hard not to look at, I couldn't stop myself from just standing back and watching her.

The way she glided into the water, the delicate motion of her hands as she rested them around the sides, the way her neck elongated as her head fell forward and her hips disappeared behind rugged white paint; I wanted all of her.

She wasn't my weakness, she was the reason I needed to keep going.

Fuck, if only she could see it. If only she knew what I was willing to do to keep her safe.

Scooting herself down, she laid her head on the porcelain and shut her eyes.

“You can't understand it right now, but you will”

Shifting, her knees rubbed the side of the tub, making a loud dragging sound. “I understand, I get it completely. You're a fucking dick, you played me, you used my one weakness to get what you wanted.”

No! Don't think like that, you can't think like that!

Taking in a deep breath, I rubbed the back of my neck. “You're wrong, it's not like that at all.”

“Yes, it is. There's no point in pretending, Machi, I can see right through you.” Slinking down lower, she dipped her head under the water, disappearing beneath the surface.

You're seeing what you think you see, but you're wrong.

I wanted to tell her the truth so fucking badly, I wanted her to know everything. But letting her in, giving her those answers would make her a target.

What if they got to me before I got to them? They already knew more than I thought about who I was, maybe they were sitting back, waiting for me to strike.

If Imperial knew the depth of my pain, if she knew what had happened to my sister, and how far I was willing to go; no one would be able to save her once I was gone.

I wasn't going to place a giant ball of danger at her feet. That was the reason I had taken her to begin with, to keep her safe.

Fior and Z, they weren't like me, they would never allow her to walk this earth again after what she saw. She would have been tortured, raped, beaten beyond recognition. . .

And if she wasn't dead by now, her last breath wouldn't be far away.

Walking over to the bathroom, I stepped to the edge of the tub and looked down on her. Her hair was fanned up around her head, her eyes were shut tight as tiny bubbles escaped from her nose while she held her breath.

Her nipples were hard, perked and firm, growing darker in color as the hot water made her skin blush. Licking my lips, I lowered my hand into the water and ran my fingers across her belly, caressing her soft flesh.

Imperial's eyes popped open, her pupils dilated, growing into black voids I could jump into. Shoving herself up, she sucked in water as she attempted to speak before her lips hit the air. “Wh—what the hell are you doing?”

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