His tattoo was exquisite. It was the first time I’d been able to look at it. The geometric shapes formed a dragon. In the train, I’d only seen it a few times but couldn’t tell exactly what it was. I wondered what the reason behind it was. Tattoos always seemed to have some sort of meaning to them. The dragon started at the left hip and wound up to his back finishing at the base of his neck where the tail was.
Remembering to take my birth control pills, I grabbed them from my purse. I normally took them as I got ready for bed. Taking them in the morning always left me feeling off all day.
“What’s that?”
Bane’s voice startled me as I looked at the pale pink compact in my hand. “It’s … umm … my birth control.”
“Oh. Good. Yeah, that’s real good.”
At a loss for words, I smirked at Bane. “You have sex with me every which way on a train and me taking birth control embarrasses you?” A small snicker escaped.
He shook his head in amusement as he dragged a hand over his head and yawned. Going to the freshly made bed, I pulled back the covers. “Let’s go to sleep.”
Without saying a word, I got in bed and Bane flipped off the lights. I felt a depression in the bed moments later. Bane was distant, but contemplative. Probably making a game plan for all we had to do in the morning.
“Night, Maren.”
“Night, Bane.”
How I wished he’d hold me like he had the last couple of nights when we were on the train. The space remained between us which was probably good for my head and heart. The darkness closed in as I succumbed to sleep.
Light peeped into the room as I stretched my muscles and reached across the bed. All I found were cold sheets, abandoned long ago. Through the night, I’d woken up from the heat of Bane’s body as he held me. At some point during the night he’d moved close to me and I’d relished him holding me tightly. Staying awake for as long as I could, I felt his chest expand with each breath. Eventually, the soothing motion soon sent me back to sleep.
Through the walls, I could hear Bane watching footage of something. Probably security footage of one of the places we’d been. Bane had been keeping close tabs to see if anyone followed our tracks. So far we were in the clear.
After what he’d said in the kitchen last night, the shower incident, and him holding me through the night, I wanted to give him some space. Shower, first I’d take a shower.
The hot water felt soothing as I let it work my loose muscles. After the shower, I’d face reality again. And see if I could understand where Bane’s head was at. The emotional whiplash was getting old.
Drying off, I dressed in a pair of jeans and green sweater that hugged my figure. It was time to face the grumpy beast as I headed into the living room. Several computer screens were illuminated along the back wall. The snug-fitted black shirt hugged his body as he stood over the table looking at documents.
“Good morning.”
Bane took a sip of coffee. “Morning. Did you sleep okay?”
“Yes, I was very … warm.” Bane stopped and looked at me before going back to work.
Irritating ass. If I stripped down, I bet he’d be all over me and calling me angel and what not. I scoffed as I went to the kitchen. Bane loaded the cabinets after I’d gone to bed last night in frustration. The kitchen was well-stocked with enough food to last us awhile. Deciding on something easy, I got out the ingredients to make pancakes. I could make a batch and freeze the leftovers for later on since Bane didn’t seem to eat breakfast or he hadn’t while we were on the train.
Bane casually would peek glances at me, but would quickly focus back on the task at hand. As the batter sizzled in the skillet, I rolled my eyes. Whatever crawled up his ass drove me insane. Finding the peanut butter and syrup, I slathered both on in modest amounts before taking a bite.
The silence interrupted by irritated sighs brought an angry boil to the subsurface. Finishing the last of my pancake, I cleaned up the kitchen. I came and stood at the table where Bane alternated looking between maps and his computer.
“So are we back to ignoring each other?”
Bane paused, confusion passing over his features. “I’m not ignoring you. I’m working.”
“Right. You’ve said all of like five words to me this morning. Much different from the train or was that because I let you fuck me every five minutes?” Clearly his words from last night still rubbed me raw, even after the intimate moment in the shower.
Bane’s jaw set. “You say you know the score, but you’re acting like a clingy emotional girlfriend that needs attention. If all we were doing was fucking it wouldn’t matter if I said nothing to you.” That smug look nearly sent me over the edge. There was something completely off with him since we’d arrived. This version was an asshole.
Involuntarily, my hand slapped his face. With his jaw tense, he rubbed the now reddened area with his hand. “Fuck you, asshole. You’re the only one I can talk to out here in the middle of nowhere. I’m sorry I’m not a stone-cold trained secret agent person!” Turning on my heel, I stalked toward the bedroom. Before I closed the door, I looked back at Bane who stood there with a stunned look. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay out of your way.”
“Maren—” I shut the door and leaned against it before he could finish and tears pricked the back of my eyes. Until this moment, I had never felt cheap with Bane. Technically, we were each other’s escape, but I demanded respect. I would not be demeaned.
Restless, I started the first load of laundry before I laid down on the bed. I wasn’t tired, but I refused to go back out there. Bane made no attempt to come apologize. Jerk. Someone had done a number on Bane in his past unless it was the years of doing whatever he did that hardened him.
After tossing and turning for who knows how long, my mind slowed and I let myself fall to sleep.