Page 36 of Spark of Madness

His fingers reach the end, and I feel the weight of my long hair drop against the center of my back, nearly reaching my waistline. I take a breath, and I think it’s the first I’ve taken since he reached out to touch me.

Without preamble, he touches the zipper at the back of my high-waisted skirt and tugs with a sharp jerk. He pushes the fabric down over my hips and it quickly falls to my feet. I shudder at the sudden exposure of my bare legs.

Leather brushes my skin as his fingers wiggle beneath the hem of my top and tug it up. My arms lift naturally, too easily allowing him to pull it off over my head and toss it aside. I cross my arms at the sudden chill in the room…the sudden bareness and vulnerability in the way he’s exposed me.

I’m left standing in my boots, bra, and underwear. I feel rooted to the spot as I watch the tub fill with water. The sound of it splashing against the porcelain tub echoes through the bathroom, and he’s just standing there behind me, too close for comfort, quiet and still. I have to arm myself against him because I feel the strength of his gravitational pull, the way it tugs at my soul in a way I’ve never felt before.

I feel him so strongly.

It’s terrifying, and even though the pull is warming, it makes me shiver from head to toe.

“Take off the rest,” he whispers.

I steel myself and harden my voice. “Where is the line for you?”

“What are you asking?”

“The line, Warden Rainn.” I call him that to dehumanize him—maybe if I can remind myself that he’s my captor, my keeper, then maybe I’ll forget about the way his presence melts my insides. “Where is the line between asserting your authority and being inappropriate with a woman?”

“That’s a bold question.”

“The question is bold, but you know the line is thin.”

He chuckles, the sound low and rumbling. “Do I?”

“Don’t you?”

He moves around me, circling to the other side of the tub, and my eyes never leave him. “The line may be thin, sinner, but I know where it’s drawn.” He bends, wrapping his gloved hands around the rounded edge of the tub and leaning forward on it.

I turn my gaze away from him, unable to look directly into his blue eyes, and I watch the water pour from the faucet instead. “I don’t think you do.”

“Are you going to enlighten me, then?”

I shake my head.

“No? Then perhaps you should admit that you don’t know as much as you think you do.”

I dare to lift my eyes and look directly into his bright blue stare. “I know far more than you give me credit for.”

“You knownothing.”

“Is this how the end of my life is going to be?” My head tilts as I appraise him with narrowed eyes, my palms rubbing over my arms. “Constantly being reminded of how stupid I am?”

“If you make it necessary.”

“I suppose I should just keep my mouth shut, then? Keep my stupid thoughts to myself?”

A half smile tugs at the side of his mouth. “If you wish.”

Indignation burns in my chest. With a snap, I bend, untying my shoelaces and kicking my boots off in a fury. I harshly pull off my underwear, stepping out and kicking it aside. I reach behind my back and unhook my bra, ripping it from my body and tossing it to the floor. I huff as I stare at him, refusing to speak, watching him watch me.

We stand and stare, eyes locked on each other as the sound of a waterfall rushes around us, echoing through the stark space. We stare until the tub fills, and as soon as it’s full enough, I lift my leg over the edge and step in. The water is too warm, but I ignore the burn as I turn and lower. Arlo’s hands lift from the edge, and he backs away as I sink.

Frustrated, frightened, and completely overwhelmed by Arlo’s mere presence, I slip completely beneath the waterline. The hot water sears my skin, shocking me as it touches my cheeks, but I let it burn. It takes me from the moment and makes me feel free from this nightmare.

I’d happily stay beneath the water, holding my breath and basking in the all-encompassing warmth. But too soon, I’m torn from the heat.

Arlo’s hand latches around the back of my neck, and I feel his fingers and thumb dig in painfully before he lifts me from the water. I gasp in a breath of surprise as he jerks my head above the waterline with jarring speed. My arms jerk out as an instinctive reaction, and my palms grip the edges of the tub as I rise.

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