Page 102 of Guarded
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“You can’t help how you feel or react, sweetheart. You were trapped in a toxic cycle for centuries. It’s normal that you’ll carry some lingering trauma.”
I raised my head wearily. “That doesn’t make it okay.”
“It does if you let me carry it too.” He cupped my face. “Just don’t shut me out, Noah. I can cope with anything else, but not that.”
“Never,” I whispered. I meant it with every fibre of my being.
I was a little bruised and broken, but if Jem could accept that, then I could accept him. I could accept us.
Jeremiah was right, I had no idea what a healthy relationship looked like from the inside. But I wanted to find out.
With him.
Chapter 26
Jeremiah
Imanaged to persuade Noah to sit on one of his sofas and drink a cup of tea. While he did that, I busied myself in his en-suite.
A bath was needed. It was one of the few luxuries we’d had in Hell, the river of flames handy for more than keeping the errant souls in. There were caves under the ninth circles where the baths were. Bubbling hot springs kept them supplied day and night.
Going down had been an escape for me; a chance to retreat after a particularly traumatic torture session or to lick my wounds after a punishment. It was quiet down there too. There was no screaming, no begging, no pleading. Just me and the water, washing away my sins.
I always felt reset after. Ready to face whatever bullshit was going to be thrown at me next. Maybe it’d have the same effect on Noah.
There was a whole array of bottles and products along the edge of the bath. Noah must like to add them to the water, but which ones? I didn’t understand what most ofthem were for. Did bath salts make your skin taste salty? Or dry it out, perhaps? And what the fuck were bath bombs? Did they cause an explosion of water? That didn’t sound very relaxing.
I wrinkled my nose, trying to decide. Fuck it. I’d chuck in a bit of each. What could go wrong?
Famous last words.
A few moments later, I was cursing as I frantically flicked the taps off. “Shit, shit, shit.”
I plunged my arm into the water without bothering to roll up my sleeve. There was no time, not with how the bubbles were currently cascading over the edge. They were seeping over the once shining tiles, winking at me tauntingly. I grabbed the plug and yanked it out before sagging against the side of the bath in release.
“Having some issues?”
I turned my head to see Noah in the doorway, manfully trying to control his laughter.
I huffed. “Why do you have so many products when they cause so much mess?”
“Um.” Noah bit his lip as he surveyed the mess. “Which ones did you use?”
I waved in the general direction of the bottles. “A little of each. Plus a bath bomb. Didn’t know what it did but I was curious.”
Noah nodded rapidly, his lips pressed together. His face was turning an alarming shade of red as he eyed the bubbles once more. They were continuing to make a break for freedom, the water emptying too slow to stop them.
“It’s okay,” I said with a lopsided grin. “You can laugh.”
“Oh thank god.” Noah hooted with laughter. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” I grinned. “It’s pretty funny. I’ll bump ‘learning to run a decent bath for Noah’ to the top of my list.”
His laughter faded away. “You were running it for me?”
“Of course.” I got up off the floor and looked at my soaked shirt with a sigh. It would have to come off. As would my jeans, for that matter. The bubbles had goteverywhere.“Everyone finds a bath relaxing.”
