19
Chapter Nineteen
I wake up with Emmett sleeping at the foot of the bed. I don’t even remember him crawling up there or falling asleep at all. Last night was torture. The only sleep I did manage to get was when my body completely shut down for a few minutes at a time before I jerked awake again. Squirming with a need for Emmett. He must have finally had too much and thought being at my feet would be safe enough.
There’s a strange beeping, which I quickly gather to be the alarm clock on his phone. I laugh as I watch him stir awake. It’s time for him to go to school. Such a normal thing to be happening under such bizarre circumstances.
He sits up and rubs his eyes, avoiding eye contact with me.
“I guess you’re off to WJ Prep?” I sing casually, still amused with the idea.
“Not today,” he grumbles, checking for messages on his phone after he silences the alarm. “We’ve got something to take care of. Someone wants to meet you.”
Fear falls over me again as I straighten up, my hands and arms filled with pins and needles from being handcuffed all night. “Are you coming with me?” I ask helplessly.
He smirks and nods, seeming pleased that I would want to keep him close. It surprises me too. But somehow, he has become a point of safety in all of this. At least when given the choice of all the Elites.
“But we have to get going
now,” he barks, jumping up to grab some clothes and straighten his appearance in his bedroom mirror.
“Can I at least take a shower first?” I ask, desperate for anything to postpone my meeting with whatever terrible thing comes next.
He shakes his head at first but looks around in consideration with his hand clenched into his hair. He is torn, grappling with another crossroads between being my tormentor and being attracted to me. If that’s even what you call it. I’ve lost words for describing what’s happening between us at this point.
I willingly grip his arm for support as he leads me, my whole body feeling completely broken down. I don’t see any chances of escaping on the short walk to the bathroom anyway.
“Okay, fine,” he agrees reluctantly. “But it’ll have to be fast.” He comes over to unlock my handcuffs. My wrists burn and ache with the release, and I’m seriously concerned for what the extended loss of blood flow will mean for me later down the road. If I make it through this.
I bend my back and hunch my shoulders as he squeezes my elbow and leads me down the hall and into the bathroom. I walk stiffly, my limbs trembling. He’s completely blank and unreadable as we go. Once we’re inside, he follows me in and locks the door.
“I can’t have any privacy?” I whine, hesitating to remove my clothes.
“Prisoners don’t get privacy,” he scoffs arrogantly, refusing to move from his spot in the corner of the bathroom. I see the Emmett I’m used to has returned with the light of day, which doesn’t bode well for whatever we’re preparing for.
I keep my arms wrapped around my body tight under his gaze, not wanting to undress right in front of him.
“Come on,” he insists. “You were more than ready to take your clothes off for me last night.”
His cockiness pisses me off, prompting me to stomp into the shower fully clothed before undressing and throwing my clothes out onto the floor, not letting him see a thing. But I can see his silhouette watching me through the curtain.
I notice the way my body responds to him lingering on the other side of the curtain. My nipples harden and there’s a warm swell deep in my core, rising with the yearn to feel him inside of me. I wish I could make it go away, but it’s insatiable as I stand here completely naked and wet. His tense figure stalking me from outside.
I know he has to be feeling the same way, but I refuse to give into this. It’s too fucked up. Last night my resolve was broken down, but if his cold heartlessness is back then my resistance will be too.
I go through the motions of lathering up with soap, carefully keeping my eyes pinned to the side at his shadow.
“Hurry up,” he barks at me as I wash my hair.
“I’m going as fast as I can,” I whine back, trying to hurry.
He huffs over, slinging back the curtain and reaching in to turn the faucets off.
“What are you doing!?” I cry, looking at him in shock. “I’m almost done. Just give me a minute.”
“You’re out of time, princess,” he sneers, throwing a towel at me, but not until after he takes a good long slow look at my wet and naked body. I’m quick to cover up from his gaze, figuring if he can’t even have the decency to give me a full five minutes in the shower, he doesn’t get to see me naked.
Anger sparks in his eyes as I cover up, robbing him of his eye candy. His hand grips my elbow tightly as he yanks me out, banging my arm harshly against the sink countertop.