Chapter Thirty-Eight - Joshua #2
When we pull away, I take her hand and continue down the hall. I wonder if she notices how the men’s eyes fill with reverent admiration as she passes them.
We reach our bedroom, and I’ve barely shut the door before she’s on me again. Whether it’s her nerves wearing off or her relief at finally having privacy, I don’t care.
I scoop her into my arms and carry her to the bed.
My mind wanders to all the things I’d like to do to her now that we’re alone when the door swings open.
“Seriously? We just got here.” Ryder’s voice bursts through my fantasies.
“Ever heard of knocking?”
He’s unfazed by the hostility in my tone. “Ever heard of a lock?”
I move to get up, but Elise’s gentle hand on my chest stops me from kicking my best friend’s ass.
“What’s up, Ryder?” she asks.
“Ready to train?”
“Train?”
“You didn’t tell her?” Ryder asks, and Elise sits up.
“Tell me what?”
I stand, and this time, Elise lets me. “I was going to tell her. I just didn’t think you’d start now since we just finished a six-hour drive.”
“Didn’t stop you from other physical activities.”
“Is anyone going to tell me what’s happening here?” Elise slides off the bed, crossing her arms over her chest.
“You’re going to learn self-defense with Ryder.”
Most of the time, I can predict Elise’s reactions, but I have no idea how she’ll feel about this.
She’s made her disdain for violence clear in the past, but a lot has changed since then.
She’s not in hiding anymore, and she’s always going to be a target.
I’d feel better knowing that she has the ability to protect herself.
“Really?” Her eyes glint with interest, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“You’re okay with that?”
She nods, a small smile touching her lips. “I don’t like feeling helpless. Besides, maybe then I can convince you that I don’t need security watching me all the time.”
“We’ll see,” I say, pulling her closer to place a kiss on her forehead.
“You ready to go now?” Ryder asks.
“Let me change, then we can go.”
She rolls one of her suitcases into the closet and shuts the door behind her.
“You’re not actually going to let her go without security, are you?”
“Absolutely not, but there’s no need to tell her that now.”
He chuckles at that.
“I’m picking security for her today, but I’m not having them start until tomorrow, so you’ll be staying with her until then.”
“Not a problem.”
“Ready to go?” Elise asks as she steps out of the closet.
I step into her path, blocking her from Ryder’s view as I assess the workout set she picked—skintight leggings that cling to her every curve and a matching top that’s cropped to show a few inches of her toned stomach.
“Absolutely not. Go change.”
She crosses her arms over her chest—which only further proves that she should change. “I like this outfit.”
“Outfit? It’s lingerie. Change. Now.”
“Excuse me?”
“Ryder,” I call, not bothering to look away from Elise. “I’ll escort Elise to the main gym to meet you.”
“Yes, sir.” I hear him walking to the door and watch Elise’s confidence slip.
“No need for that,” she says. “I’ll go with you now.”
Elise tries to walk past me, but I grab her arm and whisper so only she can hear me. “If you walk out of this room wearing that, I’ll have to shoot every single man who looks at you, and since I’d rather not murder half of my soldiers, you need to change.”
She laughs, and I’m sure she thinks I’m exaggerating. I’m not.
The idea of anyone seeing her like this makes me downright murderous. She’s lucky I’m here to block her from Ryder’s view; otherwise, I’d have to shoot him where he stands.
After a moment, she seems to grasp my sincerity, but, of course, she takes it as a challenge.
“I’ll meet you in the hall in just a moment, Ryder,” she says.
We both ignore his muttering as he shuts the door behind him.
“I’m not changing.”
“Fine by me,” I say, stepping back to sit on the bed. I run my eyes down her perfect body. “I love the view. You’re just not leaving this room until you put on actual clothes.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re the one who bought this for me.”
“And I think you look incredible, but so will every single one of my soldiers. So, unless you’re okay with me murdering all of them, you’re going to change.”
Elise rubs her face with both hands, shaking her head. “You’re threatening to murder your own soldiers because I’m wearing athleticwear. Athleticwear which barely shows any skin.”
“It might as well be skin.”
“If I were at a gym, I’d be the most conservatively dressed woman there.”
“But you’re not at a gym,” I remind her. “You’re at my base, and I’m telling you to change.”
She makes a show of taking a deep breath and releasing it before walking into the closet and slamming the door behind her.
I know my fiancée well enough to know she isn’t about to walk out of that closet wearing something sensible. I’m already bracing myself to force her to change again.
When the closet door opens, I break out in a laugh.
I was right. She has not chosen a sensible outfit at all.
Elise has chosen to wear my clothes. She’s taken a blue hoodie—which she looks like she’s drowning in—and a pair of gray sweatpants rolled at least three times at the waist and once at each ankle.
She looks absolutely ridiculous.
“Now, this is perfect,” I say, taking a step toward her. I wrap my arms around her waist, bunching up the fabric as I do, and dip down to kiss her. “You should wear my clothes all the time.”
She rolls her eyes. “Am I free to go, Your Majesty?”
“Almost,” I tell her, then lift her into my arms. She wraps her legs around my waist and meets my lips. The extra fabric makes it harder to get a good hold on her, but I manage.
Only after she’s out of breath do I pull back and set her down. “Now you’re free to go.”
She does a dramatic curtsy, then turns to the door, giving me the middle finger right before she closes it behind her.
Damn, that girl makes me laugh.
I can hear Ryder’s laugh from the hall before their voices carry as they go to the gym.
Since I don’t have anything else I have to do today, I decide to make room in the closet for Elise’s things. It won’t take long since I was only taking up half the storage to begin with. Once I condense it, there will be plenty of room for Elise’s wardrobe.
I’m ten minutes into the project when my phone buzzes.
Elise: Left you a present at the door<3.
I take a deep breath and grind my teeth.
It better not be what I think it is.
I leave the closet and go to the door of my room, throwing it open to find exactly what I thought I would.
My hoodie and sweatpants discarded on the ground.
Joshua: I am going to kill you.