8
Regina
After a fresh shower, I talked myself into not being a chicken and left my room. Surely Ansel wasn’t going to attack me again.
I descended the stairs and found the coast clear. I stood in my favorite area of the apartment near the chaise. I’d fallen asleep there for three straight days.
The view of the city was alive. Light glimmered from the stories of apartments and offices, marking the movement of life. The muted and distant view painted a picturesque scene I’d never tire of. Pedestrians walked about below as cars sped by. Cyclists weaved in and out of the traffic and the crowd, experts at avoiding collisions. Squinting, I made out mouths moving, shouting and conversing as they bumped into each other, acceptable behavior in the thick of the roving action.
My gaze was drawn to the balcony and my second favorite area—where the pool was located. The dancing body of blue water, with the sun bouncing off of it, brought an instant smile to my face. Although I loved to swim, sitting next to the slushing music the water created relaxed me.
After I stood at the balcony door and stared out into the sparkling water, I retreated to the couch. The large television projected the show, The Doctors, but the show eventually watched me as I snoozed.
Unaware of how much time had passed, Ansel was sitting beside me on the couch by the time I was fully awake. He held a rag up to his nose as his eyes flirted with me. Was his nose running? Had he come down with a cold? My forehead creased as I aimed to piece together his actions.
Upon closer inspection, I found that Ansel wasn’t wiping a runny nose. He took deeper sniffs from the rag, his teasing gaze on me as his chest rose and fell. He closed the space between us on the couch when I tossed my feet over and let them fall to the floor. A teasing smirk graced his handsome face, daring me to question his actions.
“How was your nap, Doc?”
“Okay,” I replied as my curious gaze followed his hand and the rag in it.
More often than not, I found it difficult to drop my gaze from his once he had it. However, at this moment, something in me resisted the strong pull.
His hand sat on his lap. It wasn’t a rag he held. It was thin and silky, a pale blue material that was clutched in his fist.
At the realization of what the rag was, my mouth dropped open, and I lost my ability to form words. My gaze crept up his arm and found his amused face.
“Oh. My. God. You’re a pervert. I know those are not my panties? Where did you…? How did you…?”
My full questions refused to cross my lips, although I already knew the answer. This crazy man had gone into my dirty clothes and taken my panties, the ones he’d made me come in.
“Damn, you smell good. I knew it,” he commented before taking another deep sniff as he observed my awestricken face and frozen body.
What was I supposed to say? What in the hell was I supposed to do in this situation?
“Starting next week, I would like to start training you on how to protect yourself. A few self-defense techniques, maybe some knife work.”
He stated this like I hadn’t discovered him sitting there sniffing my panties. My words remained hanging in my throat as I glanced at the hand that cupped my panties falling back into his lap.
My lips parted and closed several times as I fought to fix my pinched face. On one hand, I was flattered that he liked my scent, but on the other hand, I was conflicted and stunned that he’d do something so appalling.
My lids slid closed for a second, remembering who I was dealing with. Keeping a level head would help me get through this arrangement with Ansel for the next couple of weeks. He wasn’t typical. He damn sure wasn’t proper. He was arrogant. Uncouth. He did whatever the hell he wanted and dared you to question his actions. In this case, I got the impression that he was baiting me. I believed he wanted me to question him about my undies, but I wasn’t going to.
“I’d like that. I’d like to know how to protect myself. I can’t have a Knox man protecting me for the rest of my life. So, learning how to protect myself is best.”
One of his brows lifted as he assessed my posture and took in my response to his statement. He was just starting to realize that I wasn’t as gullible as he might have thought.