I finally release the ropes from her wrists.
And then an awkward silence falls between us. Neither of us knows what to say.
“I’m going to run you a bath. It will help with the soreness that is coming.”
She nods.
I start the bath and then return. She’s sitting on the edge of the bed with a blank stare and soft smile on her lips.
“The bath is ready.”
I want to scoop her up, but I know her well enough to know that’s not what she wants. It’s one of the reasons she didn’t tell me until it was too late she was a virgin. She didn’t want to be treated differently. She wanted to be treated like an equal.
But when she gets to the tub, I can’t help but hold my hand out to help her into the tub.
She takes my hand and then sinks down her chin, her eyes close, and she whimpers softly at the warm water.
I smile as I kneel next to the tub.
“You aren’t coming in?”
“If I come in, you’ll only end up even more sore, which defeats the purpose of the bath.”
Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t say anything.
What’s going on in that head of yours?
A knock startles me.
Kai and I exchange glances, but dread fills me. It could be Langston or the doctor coming to say Zeke took a turn for the worse.
“Be right back,” I tell Kai.
I grab a pair of boxers to put on before I answer the bedroom door.
Archard is standing in the doorway, looking concerned.
“Is Zeke okay?” I ask.
“He’s fine. Making jokes and hitting on the nurses. I think he’ll make a full recovery.”
I exhale the breath I was holding and smile. It sounds like Zeke.
“What do you need then, Archard?”
“Is Miss Miller here?”
“Yes, but she’s taking a bath.”
“I need to speak to both of you.”
I frown. I don’t like him coming anywhere near her when she’s naked. But the bubbles were covering her the last time I saw her, and from Archard’s look, this seems important.
I nod for him to follow me. I notice the bloodied sheets on my bed that look like a massacre happened instead of sex.
I smile, I would love to see his face when he noticed the blood. Instead, I hurry into the bathroom first to check that Kai is covered. She is. I give her a look of warning before Archard enters.
Kai tenses when she sees him, but not because she’s naked. She has no problem with her nakedness. But because we both know why Archard would want to talk to us together.