Chapter 9 Madeleine #2
My eyes dart to the audience in panic as I struggle to break free from his grip. Every face watches me, appearing unaffected by what’s happening.
“H-help,” I try to scream, but my voice comes out hoarse and practically inaudible. I look at my brothers, who view the scene with boredom in their eyes.
Is no one going to save me?
Tears streak down my cheeks as I feel my last breaths on the cusp of vanishing. My eyes close as I wait for death to take me before suddenly, the doors at the back of the church crash against the wall. My eyelids flutter open as I turn to look and see Eli striding through the entrance.
“Get your hands off of her!” he roars, every person in the church turning their attention to him.
Alastor laughs cruelly, his grip tightening, his fingers digging agonizingly into my flesh. “No. In fact, I think I’ll kill her.” He squeezes harder, completely closing my airways when—
I jump up, clasping a hand to my heaving chest, my breaths coming out labored and heavy. My eyelids flutter frantically as I look around the space, immediately recognizing my bedroom.
I’m safe.
“It was just a nightmare,” I whisper, brushing my hair back from my damp forehead before I bend my knees and hug my legs against my chest, rocking back and forth.
This isn’t the first time I’ve had this recurring nightmare. One where I feel entirely helpless, immobilized under Alastor’s touch and power. But it was the first time that someone actually tried to save me.
When Eli tried to save me.
It takes a moment for my breathing to even out and for my heart rate to return to an acceptable pace. But when it finally does, I slide my legs over the side of the bed, and that’s when I find some pain relievers and water on my nightstand and a paper bag on the floor.
Warmth cascades through me.
It might seem like nothing more than a little gesture, but I know the man who put them there.
He’s the same man who had my mom’s freezer filled with ice cream after I had my tonsils removed.
The same man who showed up at my prom after somehow knowing my date would be a no-show.
The one who’s always taken care of me.
Whether I deserve it or not.
Stepping out of bed, I’m relieved to note that my migraine is gone, but just in case, I swallow a couple of the pain relievers with water. I head to the bathroom, where I take a quick hot shower and then throw on a blue silk nightie, feeling refreshed.
My stomach rumbles, reminding me that I missed dinner. When I glance at the clock and see it’s just after midnight, I wonder if I should wait until morning, but after my stomach rumbles a second time, I decide to head downstairs.
Standing in the kitchen and staring at the contents of the fridge, words from earlier float across my mind.
“Hey, Angel. I miss you.”
My appetite unexpectedly vanishes, and I close the fridge, pressing my forehead against the cold metal. A frustrated groan slips from my lips.
What is wrong with me?
Hearing him say those words to another woman shouldn’t upset me.
I’m engaged to another man, after all.
Not by choice, but still.
And what the fuck happened in that dressing room?
Did I dream that all up?
I take a step back, shaking my head. I can’t think about it—not about the way his body felt against mine, nor about how my heart raced in my chest with each rock of my hips against his muscular leg. And definitely not about how we were just seconds away from kissing.
I cover my face with my hands.
I can’t do this.
I can’t mess this up.
There’s too much at stake.
As I walk out of the kitchen and up the stairs toward my room, I feel anxiety simmer inside me.
Everything was simple before Eli got here.
Everything was moving according to plan.
And now…I don’t fucking know what to do.
Restlessly, I play with my hideous engagement ring on my finger until it slips off, rolling across the hall and straight into…
Oh no.
I swallow as I stand before Eli’s room and lightly knock on the slightly ajar door. “Eli, my ring rolled into your room. Can I come in to get it?” There’s no answer, so I knock again while poking my head inside. “Eli?”
My eyes scan the space, noting no Eli in sight. Strange. I step inside and spot the gaudy ring directly in front of the bathroom door.
“Found you,” I say triumphantly as I crouch to pick it up.
“Fuck.” A moan from inside the bathroom causes me to freeze, my eyes darting to the narrow gap between the door and the frame. The sound of rushing water from the rain showerhead seems amplified as my body tenses.
Eli’s…in the shower.
I can’t stop my eyes from spotting his form in the mirror reflection.
I can’t help the way my body reacts to seeing him, every nerve ending buzzing with need.
And I definitely can’t stop myself from moving closer, pushing the door further open by just a smidge, and seeing every solid inch of him as he stands in the shower with his fist wrapped tightly around his hard cock.
I swallow as my throat goes dry. My body thrums to life as I continue to watch in awe while getting lost in his smooth movements.
His back muscles tighten as his bicep bulges from the exertion, his hand moving faster and harder. His left-hand presses against the tile above his head, the water raining down his back and over his perfectly sculpted…
Holy ass.
“Madeleine,” he groans in pleasure, and I still, panicked that he sees me, but then I realize…
He’s thinking about me.
He’s thinking about me while getting off in the shower.
I’m suddenly turned on more than I’ve ever been in my life, a pulsing need thundering between my legs.
Without thinking about it, my hand moves on its own, sliding down my silk nightie and inching under the lace trim to reach my satin panties.
Biting down on my bottom lip, I let my fingers slip inside the fabric, gliding over my wet slit.
My eyes never leave Eli as his thrusts increase, his shoulder and back muscles bunching in desperation.
Suddenly, he lets out a guttural groan as white ropes of cum shoot out against the tiled floor. His breathing comes out rough and wild as his head falls back, his whole body appearing relaxed like that release was everything he ever needed.
“Did you enjoy the show, Princess?”
I freeze as my heart thunders in my ears.
He turns toward me with a devilish smirk on his chiseled face, proud of himself for catching me in a moment of complete and utter weakness.
But the moment his eyes travel down to where my hand resides, frozen between my legs, his smirk falls, and his eyes darken, his stare intensifying.
Oh, fuck.
Heat engulfs me, a violent pink flush covering every square inch of my body.
What am I doing? I should be dashing out of here in embarrassment. I should be looking away from his perfectly sculpted naked body. I should be moving my damn hand. I should be doing literally anything other than standing here like a deer caught in fucking headlights!
Eli shuts the water off and reaches for the glass door, the movement finally stirring me out of my fright.
Like prey that has just come face to face with its predator, I run like hell and don’t stop until I’m in the safety of my room with my back against my door, panting and mortified.
So unbelievably mortified.
My hands cover my face in shame. “What the hell is wrong with me?” I whisper-yell at myself.
There’s no way this could get any worse—
Knock. Knock.
“Madeleine. Open the door.”