“I didn’t intend to peek at anything.” He clasped her under the arms and lifted her to her feet. She took in a sharp breath, grunting at the pain.
“Are your ribs broken?”
“I don’t know,” she replied as he let her go, then moved away. With slow, careful movements, she drew up her pants and panties. Already, she felt exhausted. Wrung out.
There was nothing left in her tank. After righting her clothes, she just stood there, unable to move.
“Nothing much that can be done for them if they are,” Zander said matter-of-factly. “Wash your hands.”
Right. She knew there was something she was meant to be doing.
“Is Honey going to be happy that you’re in here with me?” she asked.
“Why would Honey care about that?”
“Because you’re together?”
She guessed they had a lot of trust between them or something. Any of her boyfriends would have flipped out if she’d been caught in the bathroom with a stranger.
A very gorgeous stranger.
Who could’ve easily peeked, but she was pretty sure he hadn’t.
Who’d sung to her when she couldn’t pee.
That was weird, but also kind of sweet.
“We are not together. She’s out there. I’m in here.”
“No, I meant like a couple.”
He reached past her and flushed the toilet, and her cheeks went red again. Right. That’s what else she’d forgotten to do.
Would the embarrassment of today never end?
“We aren’t a couple.”
“Oh.” That wasn’t relief she felt. It wasn’t.
“What are you going to do with me, Zander?”
He sighed. “I’m going to tell you something so you know for the future. I don’t like to repeat myself.”
Future? Just how long was he keeping her for, anyway?
“How is it repeating yourself when you haven’t told me?” she asked, exasperated, as she slowly shuffled her way out of the bathroom. She felt like she was about a hundred years old. Actually, she was pretty sure that a centenarian could move faster than her.
“I told you I’m going to keep you safe.”
“But that tells me nothing! And it makes no sense. Why would you want to keep me safe? How are you going to keep me safe? Who are you keeping me safe from?”
“Bartolli, for one.”
Right. Because he wanted her head for stealing stuff that belonged to him.
“Why is my own business. And how, well, that’s simple. I’m going to take you home with me.”
She froze.