Page 54 of Sinners Keepers
I caught sight of him in the shower, standing beneath the water. His sculpted abs stood out against the steam, and drops of sudsy water trickled down the muscular contours of his body.
My lips tipped up, thankful he was feeling well enough to shower. I knew how good it felt to be able to rinse away the stiffness of an injury that had you down and out for any length of time, and I hoped he found even a small amount of relief under the hot spray.
My eyes trailed over him, taking in his broad shoulders and solid chest. The grooves marring his skin were beginning to fade away. When I reached his face, our eyes locked. “You’re staring, Hunter.”
Fuck yeah, I was.
Still naked from our earlier escapade, I removed my necklace and placed it next to the sink before stepping in with him.
“Bummer, I was hoping you’d leave it on,” he said, enveloping me in his arms.
I released a sharp breath through my nose, resting my head against his chest as he ran his fingers through my hair. “I didn’t want to get it wet.”
“What a shame,” he murmured in a sing-songy voice that was slightly uncharacteristic of him, his chest humming against the side of my face. “I guess we’ll have to invest in a waterproof one as well.”
I tilted my face to look up at him and kissed the side of his neck. I loved him so fucking much.
He grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the corner shelf and squirted it into his palm. “Let’s get this pretty hair washed.”
With a mask of calm firmly in place, I leaned into the feel of his fingers massaging my scalp, legitimately enjoying this moment. It would not be the last we had like this because, under the hot spray of the shower, I spilled my guts.
* * *
Bundled up in a robe,I sat on the bed while Law ran a comb through the length of my tangled hair. It was always such a fucking mess, but he was careful not to pull at my scalp as he gently broke through each tiny knot. I really needed to get some detangling spray one of these days.
I was about to ask if he'd hand me my phone so I could order a bottle from the 'Zon, when the door to his bedroom opened. Ijah and Alec stepped in to join us. They each looked about as pissed as I expected they would be when Law texted them to tell them what my dad had sent.
And they were double pissed that we’d finished showering first before caring to fill them in. We still had a few hours to formulate a solid plan, so they’d get over it.
Besides, I already knew how I wanted to move forward. Was I nervous about it? Yes.
But I felt certain that the only way to win at this was to make my dad think he’d turned the odds in his favor.
I would need to offer myself up as bait. I just needed to make the guys accept that fact. I knew that would be the most difficult part: convincing them.
“I’m going,” I said to the three of them, ripping the bandaid off.
They each looked at me, slack-jawed, and I felt a tiny bit smaller because I knew they’d think it was a stupid idea, but I was over shrinking myself for anyone, and that included them.
My opinion mattered.
I knew they looked at me as some fragile thing, and I had been fragile mentally for some time. But I’d overcome every obstacle thrown my way and this was the last thing we needed to face together and we could finally fucking move on.
“Cupcake,” Ijah started, walking toward me. He stopped just short of me, pausing as if he wasn’t sure what to say or do. “We can’t—”
“Ijah. I love you, and I know you love me. I know you have my best interest at heart, and I am so thankful that you care so much for me. This is something we need to figure outtogether. And while I respect your opinions and am willing to listen to whatever it is that you think is best, I would really,reallyappreciate it if you could please consider what I have to say too.” I let my eyes drift from him to Alec, and then back to Law. “I would appreciate it ifallof you would consider what I have to say.”
Law nudged me forward and scooted in behind me, surprising me when he began to French braid my hair.
He crowded me with his legs on either side of me, his fingers running through my hair as he separated it into three sections, weaving them together, adding more hair into the mix as he worked his way down my head.
“You are so full of surprises,” I hummed. “And also, I don’t know how to French braid, so you’ve just roped yourself into doing this for me for life.”
“For life, huh?” He questioned, pulling each strand of hair tightly in place. He kissed me on the cheek and went back to work. “Tell us why it is you think it’s a better idea for you to go back to your dad’s alone as opposed to us just showing up there and ending him where he stands now that we know he will be there.”
I took a steadying breath, thankful they were willing to listen. I wanted this to all be over. “He’s been hiding in plain sight all this time, hasn’t he? It isn’t as if Fate Trace is this huge place. I really think if I show up alone and make him think I’m just doing what he wants, he will let his guard down. Maybe not right away, but after a bit. And once he does, then you make your move.”
“She has a point,” Alec said, surprising me. “There’s no way he doesn’t have security in place. If we leave right now and head toward his house, he’ll know we’re coming before we’re even halfway there and he’ll either bolt or have us ambushed. If Hunny goes alone…”
