33. Chapter 33 #2
“Orange blossom.” I opened it and breathed in the familiar fragrance. Warm nights at La Cruzona immediately came to mind, but without the compound attached to it, the fragrance was simply beautiful. “I love this.”
“The scent was the first thing I noticed about you when you snuck into the dungeon, and I was blindfolded. It had no business being in that hellhole. That’s why I knew you were special and didn’t want to scare you off.
No one smelling that pure could possibly belong there.
” His mouth curved. “I sent Aria a text and asked her to find some for you. She really is good at getting things done.”
“She is terrifying.”
“Aye. Never underestimate a woman with unlimited access to my credit card.”
I laughed and poured a little beneath the running water before adding a handful of bath salts. The water pouring from the faucet stirred everything together, carrying the orange blossom through the rising steam.
“Oh, I’m definitely not getting out.”
Lachlan chuckled. “I’m pretty sure you will.”
A thick stack of white towels sat on an open shelf beside the tub, with two larger ones hanging from a heated rail near the shower. I touched one as I passed and smiled at how warm and soft it was.
Everything in this place seemed designed to make ordinary life indecently comfortable.
I removed Mamá’s locket and set it safely on the counter. Then I pulled my top over my head.
When I glanced toward Lachlan, he was leaning one hip against the vanity, openly watching me.
“You could pretend not to stare.”
“Why would I do that?”
I shook my head and pushed my jeans down.
His gaze followed every inch.
“Subtle.”
“Never claimed to be.”
By the time I stepped out of my panties, there was nothing restrained about the way he was looking at me or the rise in his pants.
I pointed toward the shower. “Your turn.”
“Aye, bossy little thing.”
I lowered myself into the tub. Hot water wrapped around my legs and hips, and I sighed as I slid deeper. Once I started the jets, the force of the water worked over muscles still sore from everything that had happened.
“Mmm.”
Lachlan smiled as he unbuttoned his shirt. “Good?”
I rested my head against the back of the tub. “Oh, this is incredible.”
“Told you you’d like it.”
“This may be the best thing in your penthouse.”
“Careful, Mouse. I’m standing right here.”
My attention left the bath as his shirt came off.
The bruises across his torso had begun to change color, black and purple fading to ugly shades of yellow and green.
Small electrical burns dotted his skin, while scratches and red marks crossed his back and shoulders.
The cut along his cheek was already healing, but the rest of him still carried far too much evidence of the dungeon.
I hated seeing it.
He caught me staring as he stripped off his jeans.
“Don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You don’t have to. I know you’re worrying about my injuries.” He stepped beneath the shower spray. “My ribs ache, and I look like hell. But I’ll live.”
Concern immediately lost its battle with appreciation.
God help me—bruised or not, the man was magnificent.
Broad shoulders. Thick chest. Narrow hips. Powerful thighs. And my eyes had no intention of stopping there.
Despite every bruise and mark, he was still the sexiest man I had ever seen, and my eyes had no intention of keeping that opinion private.
“Eyes up, Mouse.”
“No.”
He laughed, dragging both hands through his hair while water ran over his shoulders and down his back. Then he reached for the soap and worked it across his chest, my gaze following the movement of his hands.
I sank a little lower in the bath, enjoying both the jets and the view.
“Now who’s staring?”
“I know. I can’t help myself.”
“Planning to join me?”
The shower was certainly large enough, and watching his soapy hands move over his stomach made the idea increasingly tempting.
“I thought you had work.”
“I do.”
“If I get in there, you won’t get it done.”
“Aye. That’s the problem.”
For several minutes, I simply enjoyed watching him.
There was something unexpectedly intimate about seeing him here, in his own bathroom. He was simply Lachlan, home after being gone too long, while I soaked in his bathtub and watched snow fall beyond the windows.
A few minutes later, he shut off the water, grabbed one of the warm towels, and dried himself before disappearing into the bedroom. He returned wearing black joggers and a dark T-shirt, barefoot, his damp hair still slightly unruly.
I liked seeing him this way.
“I really do have to work.”
“I understand. No worries. What do you have to do?”
“Too much. Slade’s been holding Xyst together, but I need to know what I’m walking back into there after being gone so long unexpectedly.
Nik sent me everything DarkMatter has on Marcela, Mateo, and what’s left of Ciro’s organization.
I also need to check security around this building now that Marcela knows you escaped with me.
” He nodded toward the bedroom. “My office is right down the hall. I’m not going anywhere. ”
“Sounds good.”
“If the bath makes you sleepy, get into bed. If it doesn’t, do whatever you want. Eat, read, watch television, wander around and open every cabinet in the place if that makes you happy.”
“Anything?”
“Within reason.”
“Who decides what’s reasonable?”
“Me.”
I laughed. “Of course.”
He leaned over the tub and kissed me slowly enough to make staying behind considerably more difficult.
“You sure you have to work?” I asked when he pulled away.
“Yes.” His eyes dropped to my mouth. “And we both know if I get into this tub with you, neither of us is leaving this bathroom tonight.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea.”
He chuckled and kissed my forehead. “Take your time, Mouse.”
“I will.”
After he left, I settled deeper into the hot water and watched the snow drifting beyond the windows. The orange blossom had grown stronger in the steam; the jets worked steadily against my back, and for the first time in days, I had absolutely nowhere I needed to be.
I could stay in the bath for an hour or climb out in five minutes. I could bake something, stand on the terrace and watch the snow, read one of Lachlan’s books, crawl into his bed, or interrupt whatever terrifying mafia business he was doing in his office.
No one would stop me.
I smiled and glanced toward the locket beside the sink.
Mamá, I made it.
My chest tightened painfully when Rafael came to mind.
Papá.
Neither of them had survived to see this, but wherever they were, I hoped they knew I had escaped.
For the first time, the life ahead of me belonged entirely to me—and I already knew who I wanted beside me while I figured out what to do with it.
After washing and drying my hair, I wrapped myself in a towel and realized Lachlan had forgotten one important detail.
Clothes.
For someone so determined to take care of everything, he had left me naked in his bathroom while every stitch of clothing Aria had bought me sat down the hall.
I went into his closet and pulled one of his black T-shirts from a shelf.
It nearly reached mid-thigh.
Perfect.
Barefoot, I wandered down the hall.
Light spilled from his office, so I peeked inside.
Lachlan sat behind the desk with papers spread in front of him, his laptop open, his forehead creased in concentration.
He looked up, and his gaze traveled down my body before lingering on my bare legs. The crease between his brows disappeared.
“You look good in my shirt.”
I smiled and continued toward the kitchen before he could tempt me into abandoning my plan. If I were hungry, he must be too.
I found bread, butter, cheese, and everything I needed for a simple tomato soup. Nothing complicated, but warm and easy.
By the time the sandwiches were browning in the pan and the soup was simmering on the stove, I heard footsteps behind me.
Lachlan’s arms circled my waist, and his lips brushed my shoulder.
“Mmm.”
I leaned back against him.
“Is there enough for me?”
“Of course.”
He kissed beneath my ear.
“That’s distracting.”
“You smell better than dinner.”
“Lachlan.”
Another kiss.
“I thought you had work.”
“I do. But then my penthouse started smelling like someone actually lived here and was cooking. My stomach started growling, so here I am.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was going to bring it to you.”
“You can interrupt me like this anytime.”
His hands rested against my stomach while I finished cooking.
We plated everything together and ate at the island.
Lachlan devoured it in seconds. I’d have to make twice as much next time.
“This is fucking fantastic.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“I’ve been eating takeout and restaurant food for fifteen years. I’d marry whoever made this.”
My spoon paused halfway to my mouth.
He didn’t appear to notice what he had said.
Or maybe he did and chose not to react.
Heat crept into my cheeks anyway.
“Mamá taught me the basics,” I said. “Then the women in the kitchen taught me more. Baking was always my favorite.”
“What do you bake?”
“Everything I could learn to make—cakes, breads, cookies, pastries. I collected recipes wherever I could find them.”
“You can bake anything you want here. I’ll be more than happy to be your taste tester.”
His willingness to sacrifice himself for the cause made me laugh.
After dinner, he started gathering plates.
I took them from his hands.
“No.”
His eyebrows rose.
“You cooked. I’ll clean.”
“You have work.”
“So?”
“I saw your face when I passed your office.”
“What was wrong with my face?”
“You looked ready to murder a spreadsheet.”
“That’s normal.”
I laughed and pushed him toward the hall.
“Go. Do whatever scary mafia business thing requires that expression.”
He caught my wrist and pulled me against him.
“And you?”
“I’m going to clean the kitchen, brush my teeth, and climb into your ginormous bed.”
His gaze dropped to my mouth.
I toyed with the hem of his T-shirt. “I’ll be waiting.”
“That’s a dangerous thing to tell me.”
“Then finish your work quickly.”
He kissed me deeply enough that I was breathless when he finally let me go.
“Later, Mouse.”
“Later.”