Page 42 of Hunt Me
‘I’m so sorry, Fauna. If I’d known he was around, I'd have made it clear for him to stay away. He’s out on patrol at the moment and must have noticed something off about us being here, so he’ll have come to take a look.’
Ruaridh genuinely looks concerned, all that scary Skull business wiped entirely away.
He looks like he really… cares.
I must be going delusional in my anxious state because no man, especially not one in this world, is capable of caring, never mind any other emotions that could go with it.
‘Are you alright?’Ruaridh asks, crouching down to my height.
I don’t respond. Instead, I attempt to look around discreetly, weighing up where my route to escape could be. The back wall over there looks particularly interesting with its grey colour, a window conveniently close to it.
A soft squeeze on my arm has my racing mind slowing for a second, drawing more of my attention to the way his calluses brush up and down my arm like he’s trying to soothe me in some way.
Yeh soothe me then chop me up into little pieces no doubt. There is no way in hell I am believing his bullshit story about that Vish guy just‘being in the area’. I’ve heard all the stories and excuses of psychopaths who just‘bumped’into the girl when she was making her way, minding her own business.
I will not be fooled by a guy or a group of guys who walk around playing dress up.
‘Fuck.’Ruaridh swears, dropping his axe.‘You’re shaking, Fauna. C’mon, get warmed up.’
Ruaridh guides my too-stunned-to-speak, still completely naked and dripping wet body towards the towels hanging up outside of our cubicles. At some point, he must have turned off the tap where I was showering, or maybe it had finally run out of water.
A thin towel wraps around my shoulders and firm hands cocoon me inside of it whilst patting and rubbing me down.
Is this big weirdodryingme?
No, it’s all a ploy Fauna don’t fall for it again. I will not be wooed and swindled a second time. And definitely not by this guy.
Ruaridh notices the defiance in me because he stops his fussing and moves so that he is directly in front of me again. His big hand places on my cheek, thumb rubbing back and forwards in soothing strokes but I’m too distracted by the temperature difference to care.
Why is he freezing?
Was he this cold earlier and I just didn’t notice?
‘You’re cold,’I state. Not really knowing what direction I’m going with this but needing an answer nonetheless.
Perhaps it is a way for my mind to subconsciously avoid knowing the answer to all my other thoughts. Do I really want to ask him if he’s out to kill me or worse? Probably not.
Even though I intend to leave as soon as I get the chance it doesn’t mean that I’m ready to find out if he really is evil or not. Sometimes it's better not to know and to walk away.
Or, in my case, run.
Ruaridh shrugs awkwardly, his cheeks changing slightly in colour.‘The shower I took was cold,’he admits, not looking into my eyes as he speaks.
‘Why?’
He lifts a shoulder, moving his hands to wrap around my cocooned body.‘Thought you’d appreciate the extra warm water. I wish there were still some left so you could finish.’
My turn to arch a brow at him now because I will not be finishing off.
‘Finish off.’I deadpan.
‘Oh fuck that sounds… I mean washing not… well.’He gestures between us.
There's his sheepish expression again, but there is something else there – lust – as he looks at me. That, mixed with him so close to me, has me unable to keep control over my body's reactions. My core heating at the way his eyes sneak peaks at my body, occasionally flitting down to probably imagine what I look like underneath this massive towel.
I can feel my cheeks flushing at his shameless ogling.
Then it fully registers that I’m the only one between us who has something covering them, and Ruaridh is standing in front of me, completely naked.
