“You’re just a bundle of trouble, aren’t you,” he said, a hint of a playful smirk curling the corners of his lips as he stretched out an arm to turn off the water. That touch of humor, though, reached all the way to his eyes, confirming to Elise that he wasn’t all bad. Not at all. “Up you go.”
As Elise was lifted back onto her feet and Manhandler held on long enough to ensure she was steady, she became painfully aware of her nakedness, and that his hands—and eyes—were touching places a man hadn’t touched in far, far too long.
So long, she’d stopped bothering to go to the gym. Had completely thrown out the will to do even a basic sit-up or squat, and she couldn’t even remember what a salad tasted like, so she was…soft. Like, everywhere. Which made it difficult to decipher whether he was staring at her like that because he was disgusted…or hungry.
“You’re staring,” Elise whispered, feeling an increasing need to cover herself. Only he was standing in the way of her reaching the towel.
“You’re beautiful,” he replied, catching her completely off guard.
Elise didn’t know how to respond to that. She was naked. In front of a stranger. A stranger who was very attractive, but who was also her kidnapper. “Can you hand me the towel please?”
Manhandler blinked as if a fog was lifting from his brain then cleared his throat a couple times. “Sure, yeah. Of course.” He handed her the brand new, plush towel that still had its tags. Obviously something his partner had acquired during his venture into town.
“Thank you.” Elise wrapped it around herself. As she stepped out, he stepped back, giving her space to get past. Then they each stood there, as if at a loss for what to do next. Elise needed to get dressed, but she wasn’t about to do it with him standing watch. “Do you mind?” She indicated the pile of clothes on the floor with a wave of her hand.
“Right. I’ll be just outside the door.”
She nodded, grateful she wouldn’t have to get into another screaming match with him.
Manhandler paused in the open doorway to look back at her. “You have five minutes.”
“Okay.”
He stood there, his fingers drumming against the door as if he had more to say. After much consideration, he finally spoke. “You saw my face.”
She nodded, the weight of those words settling like a rock in her chest. “Yes, I suppose I did.” Which also meant his next words were probably going to be that he’d have to kill her when all of this was said and done, and this time it wasn’t going to be an empty threat.
“Keep that between us,” he said, surprising the hell out of her. Elise’s gaze flew up in shock. The look he gave her was grave. “And make sure to put your blindfold back on when you’re done.”
There was a silent, mutual understanding that passed between them, and then he stepped out into the hall and closed her inside the bathroom. Elise stood in shock for an untold amount of time, unsure if she’d heard him right, but praying she had. What did it mean for her, if he was willing to overlook the fact that she could now identify him to the cops? If he wasn’t going to share that detail with his partner?
Elise couldn’t answer that, but she knew one thing for certain: That one innocent event had put her square in the path of danger, even more so than she had been before.
Aware that she had burned through most of the five minutes he’d allotted her, Elise dried off quickly and got dressed. She had just finished finger combing her hair when there was a double-tap on the door and Manhandler poked his head in.
“Breakfast is ready.”
Elise faced him, clasping her hands in front of her. “Good, because I could eat a horse.”
Looking her over, Manhandler’s brows pinched together. “Did you forget something?”
Elise frowned before remembering one key element of her outfit. With a mental sigh, she picked up the blindfold from the edge of the sink and put it back in place. When it was lights out again, Manhandler stepped inside and clasped her hand with his.
“Remember, not a word about this.”
“I know.”
As if she was going to just spout off about having seen his face? The one thing that was keeping his wild card of a partner from putting a bullet between her eyes on the spot? She might be a bit naïve, but Elise was no dummy. She knew how to keep her mouth shut. Besides, this could work in her favor. If she played her cards right.
The smell of eggs and burnt toast filled the front of the cabin, and Elise’s stomach growled as she was led to sit in a hard-backed chair. On principle, she wasn’t very fond of eggs, but she hadn’t eaten since dinner the day before, and a warm meal beat cold Pop-Tarts every day of the week.
“Enjoy your shower?” Driver asked, his words clipped. Clearly, he hadn’t been on board with her availing herself of their facilities.
“Don’t be a dick,” Manhandler told him as he parked himself down beside her. “Open, buttercup.” He proceeded to feed her her breakfast, and Elise chewed quietly while the men launched into yet another argument.
“You’re treating her like a pet instead of a hostage.”
“It’s called basic human decency. You should try it sometime.”