Page 83 of Of Desire And Deception

“Let me.” He held the container out of my reach, and I crossed my arms, huffing as I gave in and let him wash my hair, then condition it.

His fingers were like magic on my scalp, massaging me into a relaxed state. I didn’t protest when he dried me and tucked me into bed, then told me he’d return soon. My eyes grew heavy, and I napped until his lips brushed mine, waking me.

“I brought you something.” He held up a plastic bag, then set it next to me, releasing my ankle cuff. “Go ahead and make yourself more comfortable.”

I pushed myself to my knees and dumped the entire bag on the bed, finding oversized t-shirts, shorts, sweatpants, and—

“Underwear!”

Cosimo chuckled. “I hate when you wear it, but I thought you might want to while you’re on your period.”

“Thank you,” I gushed, wiping the tears from my eyes. It was maybe the sweetest thing Cosimo had ever done for me. The sizing might not be exact, but he had tried. The feminine products were the same brand I used, and I looked up at him, startled. “Did you—”

“I might have looked around your apartment a couple of times when you weren’t home,” he said without remorse. Of course, he wouldn’t see a problem with violating my personal space.

“I don’t know why I’m surprised,” I answered dryly. I picked up the towel tucked between my legs and reached for clothing and a pad. “I’m going to go take care of this.”

I took my time in the bathroom, enjoying the small amount of freedom from my chains, hugging my new clothes to my body. Everything was soft, warm. And I wouldn’t have to fucking bleed all over everything. Period sex may have been hot, but bleeding all over my bedding was decidedly not.

Cosimo’s gaze raked over my body when I returned to the dungeon, and he frowned. “I liked you better naked.”

“Well, I like being comfortable better,” I shot back.

“Fair enough.” He shrugged and approached me, surrounding me with his clean scent. Reaching out, he brushed my hair behind my ears. Then, he produced a pair of scissors. “Stay still.”

I froze, confused. He pulled a strand of my hair free, then cut it close to my head, holding the blonde hair in his hand and bringing it to his nose. “I want to keep part of you with me wherever I go.”

My jaw dropped, and I reached up, feeling where he’d trimmed the chunk away. “You cut my hair.”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“You can’t just cut a woman’s hair, Cosimo.” The short bit of hair felt wrong as I ran my fingers over it. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the blonde length in his hand.

“I just did.” He covered my hand with his. “It’ll grow back, Remi.”

That was Cosimo. Literal to a fault. Doing what he wanted.

It’ll grow back.

Only he shouldn’t have taken it without my permission in the first place. Just like he shouldn’t have taken me from my life. Anger bubbled in my chest like magma under the surface of a dormant volcano.

Cosimo’s phone rang, and he held a finger up, walking away as he took the call. I looked around, seeing the dungeon as my cage again. And I didn’t want to be a caged bird. I returned to my bed, pretending to pick up the items I’d dumped out.

While Cosimo’s back was turned, I tore the plastic bag, quickly shoving the scraps into the ankle cuff, hoping it would offer enough resistance to keep it from locking completely. Though Cosimo had grown lax in keeping me chained at all times, he never forgot to put the ankle cuff on when he left me alone.

“Something’s come up,” Cosimo said, pacing and agitated as he crossed the floor. “I need to go, but I’ll come back later. Hopefully, with some good news.”

I kept still, stacking the shirts and turning to face him, forcing my lips to curve into a smile. “I can’t wait.”

He leaned down to kiss me, then stood again, tipping his head to the side like he was trying to figure something out. “Put the cuff on. Show me what a good girl you are, goldilocks.”

I reached for the metal restraint, closing it carefully, tapping my fingers against the metal and hoping he’d think it had clicked. Because it hadn’t. The plastic was doing its job. I held my breath as Cosimo tugged at the chain, testing it.

Thank everything holy it held.

“Good girl.” He held my chin and brushed another kiss across my lips, and I said my silent goodbyes. “I’ll see you soon.”

“See you,” I murmured as he walked away. I narrowed my eyes as he punched in the door code, trying again to memorize the five digits.

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