Page 61 of Call It What You Want
She pauses, wary. “What?”
He studies her for a long moment, eyes narrowing. “I heard you’ve been visiting Sin in the basement. That true?”
Her mouth opens, then shuts. “I—I just talked to him once or twice. He’s locked up down there like an animal, Jackson. Someone should?—”
Jackson’s voice drops low enough to make the air feel heavier. “You didn’t answer my question. Do those visits have anything to do with the attack that just happened?”
Her eyes widen. “What?No.Of course not. You think I’d?—”
“I don’t know what to think,” he says, cutting her off. “But I’m telling you now, stay the fuck away from him. He’s dangerous, Em. There are rumors about what he’s into—real sick shit. He likes to share his women with his buddies.”
Em’s throat works as she swallows. “I was bored. It won’t happen again.”
“Good,” Jackson says, but his gaze lingers on her face like he’s still not convinced.
She forces a brittle smile and waves him off. “You worry too much.”
But there’s something in her expression, a flicker of hesitation she can’t quite hide, a question she doesn’t want him to see.
Jackson’s jaw tightens. “I mean it, Ember.”
She mumbles something about being “treated like a child” and finally walks out. The door clicks shut behind her. Now it’s just the three of us—just Jackson, me, and the dead guy on the floor.
Jackson gathers me up, steps around the body, and carries me to the bathroom.
“I can walk,” I tell him.
“You’re in shock,” he says, kicking the bathroom door shut. “Just…let me take care of you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Jackson
When I place Ava on her feet, she’s shivering, which rouses every protective instinct in my cold, black soul. I reach over and turn the bath on, testing the water with my hand.
With that running through my mind, I turn my attention to Ava. She’s standing in the middle of the bathroom, blinking at me, looking dazed. I mean, fuck, she was just attacked. I can’t exactly blame her.
She takes a shaky step toward the tub and says quietly, “Turn around. Let me…let me get in without you seeing me.”
I stand there for a second, heart pounding, while I contemplate all the different ways I can growlnoat her. But that pleading look on her face guts me, and I know I’ve already lost the bottle. Blowing out a heavy breath, I cross my arms over my chest and turn around.
I hear the rustle of fabric as she carefully strips off her clothes, then the gentle splash of water as she gets into the tub. When I turn back around, she’s fully submerged.
“How are you feeling?” I ask quietly, kneeling next to the tub.
“I’m fine.”
She’s lying. I can see in the way she’s breathing, short and shallow. In the hollow look in her eyes. I know her. I know the way she moves, the way she breathes. I can read her better than anyone.
“What did I tell you about lying to me?” I ask.
Her shoulders sink, and she exhales slowly. “It’s just…a lot. I wasn’t expecting to be attacked today.”
The bath is still running, and it’s nearly full. I turn the faucet off, grab a towel off the shelf, roll it up, and place it under her head.
“The water feels so nice,” she says on a sigh, her eyelids drifting closed. “I wish I had a tub like this in my apartment.”
I drag my eyes down her naked body. Fuck, she’s beautiful. Even my twisted mind knows this isn’t the time to lust after her, but the truth is, I’ve never been able to resist this girl. Water beads on her skin, sliding in rivulets over the swell of her breasts, just visible above the surface. My mouth goes dry, my tongue aching to chase every drop across her skin.
