Page 79 of Enigma: The Final Chapter
When we enter the foyer, my eyes dart to the entryway table. My engagement ring, cell phone, and the handwritten note are where they were last night, meaning Isaac is only returning home now.
With his hand still gripping mine, Isaac briskly guides me into the master bathroom. He walks me into the double-headed shower, turns the water on full pelt, then holds me underneath the freezing cold spray. My loud squeals shrill through my ears before clustering in my hungover head. I fight against him, wanting to adjust the water temp to a more acceptable level, but a person of my size doesn’t have a chance in hell against a man with the strength of Isaac, much less when it’s hardened with anger.
Once I’m saturated head to toe, he adjusts the temperature of the water to a more appropriate, non-teeth-chattering setting. Still clothed, he scrubs his thumbs over my lips, removing all traces of Hugo’s kiss from my mouth. Remorse grips my heart from the devastated look in his eyes.
By the time he drops his hand, my lips are swollen, tingling, and raw. I figure that’s the end of it, but the shredding of my dress proves we’re only getting started. He shreds my dress right off my body, dumping it along with my black lace panties into the waste bin under the vanity sink.
“Hugo and I didn’t—”
My words trap in my throat when he glares. “I swear to God, Isabelle, if you mention his nameonemore time today, I'll take you over my knee, andhewill lose the ability to breathe.”
He stares at me, assuring I’m aware his threat isn’t idle. Even though his comment is laced with viciousness, he appeases some of my concern by confirming Hugo is safe—for now.
I remain completely motionless when he uses his shower gel to lather my body in a thick coating of bubbles. Once the bubbles have been removed, his dedication turns to shampooing my hair. The slightest moan seeps from my lips when his fingertips massage the pressure points in my thumping skull.
My pulse quickens when his furious eyes dart down to mine. “This isn’t for you.”
Once the shampoo has been removed from my hair, Isaac steps out of the shower, taking me with him. His saturated dress shirt, vest, and trousers cling to his body, showcasing the spectacular ridges of his muscles as he drags a fluffy towel over my body.
Once I'm dry, he gathers me in his arms and strides into the master suite. Goosebumps form on my body from his wet clothes clinging to my bare skin, but Isaac is too steaming with anger to notice the chill.
After placing me on the bed, he removes his wet clothes, replacing them with a pair of running shorts and a white shirt. Even with my heart twisting in pain, my eyes can’t help but run over his glorious body, absorbing every perfect dip, plane, and curve into my memory.
Once he's dressed, sans underwear, he gathers one of his dark blue shirts from the drawer and pivots around to face me. My teeth gnaw on my bottom lip when it dawns on me what he's doing. He's removing Hugo’s scent from my skin by replacing it with his own. Because I slept in Hugo’s bed in his shirt, his woodsy smell infused onto my skin.
My pupils widen as a thought smacks into me.Why is he claiming me knowing Ophelia is alive?
“You'remine, Isabelle,” Isaac mutters under his breath while tugging his shirt over my head.
My eyes dart between his as confusion makes itself known with my gut. “But are you mine?” My tone is surprisingly strong for how much my heart is hammering. “Or are you hers?”
His silence remains as staunch as his composure, and it has my anger from the past two days steamrolling back in. I jump up from the bed, causing my head to get a rush of dizziness from my quick movements.
“Are you here because you're claiming me as yours? Or because you want to ensure Hugo doesn’t stake a claim to yourpossession?”
He shoots me a wry glance that has my pulse hastening. His fury at the mention of Hugo’s name is marked all over his face, but it doesn’t lessen my anger in the slightest.
“You left, Isaac. You walked right out those doors without a backward glance.” I point to the doors of the master suite. “You rushed out of here, forgetting all the promises we made to each other. All the promisesyoumade tome. That means you lost any right to claim me as yours.”
His face reddens as his furious eyes glare into mine. I reinforce my stance, showing him I’m not the daft wallflower he thinks I am. I'm the strong, independent woman my uncle raised me to be.
“Did you go to her? Did you see her? Her son? Is that why you rushed out of here so quickly?”
The stranglehold on my heart strengthens when he angrily mutters, “Yes.”
“And?” My eyes flick crazily between his. “Did you kiss her?”
Isaac chuckles a menacing laugh. “You’re going to ask me about whom I kissed, when you woke up in another man’s bed, wearing his clothes, smelling like him!”
“Yes!” I shout as my tears burn my eyes. “Stop skirting and answer the goddamn question. Did you kiss her?”
“Yes.” His darkened gaze connects with mine. “I kissed her.”
Pain shreds through my heart. “You son of a bitch!”
When I pivot on my heels and sprint for the door, Isaac growls my name. I ignore his threatening tone by racing down the hall as fast as my quivering legs can move.
Halfway down the hallway, my wrist is seized, and I’m yanked back, then my body is pinned to the wall by Isaac’s imposing physique. A hiss whimpers through my lips, my body choosing its own response to his closeness. Even irritatingly angry, it can’t deny its attraction to him. He owns my body, and everyone but me knows it.
