My pretty, captive girlfriend is still sitting on the bed when I come back in. She hasn’t moved an inch. I can see her in my mind’s eye while I was gone, sitting there anxious and unsure, but following my orders nonetheless.
Good girl.
I drop my bag on a chair in the corner and walk back out. Our bedroom is right off the billiards room which, as it happens, has a wet bar for entertaining. That’s fucking perfect. I pour myself a drink from the top shelf and head back to our bedroom, closing the door behind me.
“Is everything okay?” Autumn asks, watching me curiously from her perch on the edge of the bed.
“Mm-hmm.” I nod once, my gaze locked on her face as I take a sip. “Are you thirsty?”
She shakes her head, her gaze bouncing almost nervously from my drink to my face. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem—”
I move closer until I can reach out my free hand and cradle her face in it. “I seem…?”
Her gaze remains fixed on mine, her big blue eyes shining with a mix of uncertainty and anticipation. “I don’t know,” she says softly.
Everything about her softens when she’s unsure of herself. Her lovely features, the pitch of her voice, but it’s her eyes that get me. The softness in her eyes, the vulnerability glinting there. It’s like a drug I want to inject straight into my veins.
“Do you want a bath or a shower?” I ask, keeping my tone even, but with a touch of steel so she knows who’s in charge.
Confusion flickers across her face. “What?”
“It’s been a long day. You’re going to take a bath or a shower, and I’m going to watch you. Which would you prefer?”
She sucks in a breath, shock transforming her features. “What?” Offended, she pushes my hand off her face. She looks almost hurt as she frowns up at me. “You can’t honestly think I’d try to run? I agreed to this, Jasper. I agreed to come here with you. I’m not—”
I stop her since she’s way off base. “I don’t think that. It’s not a punishment.” I pause to give her a chance to absorb that, then I go on. “It’s been a long day for both of us, that’s all. How about a bath? That will help you unwind.”
Uncertainty flickers across her face. “And you’re going to watch me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to.”Chapter FourteenAutumnI should say no.
I have to say no.
It’s the only sane thing to do.
His proposition is unbelievably presumptuous—hell, it’s not even a proposition, it’s a decree. He’s not asking if he can watch me, he’s telling me he will.
When I was his captive, maybe he could boss me around and get away with it, but I’m not anymore. He can’t just expect me to…
“Come on.” He takes a step back so I can stand, then nods in the direction of the bathroom.
Maybe I should feel more annoyed than anything, but it’s a bout of sudden bashfulness that creeps up on me. “Jasper, I can’t…”
“Of course you can.”
“And you can’t watch me.”
His tone is casual, but commanding. “Of course I can.”
That doesn’t seem like a good idea… but I suppose he has already seen me naked.
I tell myself it’s an outrageous thing to even consider, but as I envision what it would be like with him in the room while I bathe, his dark gaze locked on me in a tub full of hot water and fragrant bubbles…
I don’t hate it.
He wouldn’t even see anything most of the time. Really, he’d only be keeping me company. Just because I’m letting him watch me doesn’t mean it will go any further, and it is something I’ve never done before…
I’m intrigued, but still reluctant.
I reach for Jasper’s hand. I’m certain this has bad idea written all over it, but I follow him into the bathroom anyway.
The bathroom is spacious. The way it’s set up with a cushioned window seat right across from the big whirlpool tub, it’s almost as if someone designed it for this very purpose.
“Maybe I should’ve taken you up on that offer of a drink,” I say lightly, trying to play off my nervousness.
Jasper lets go of my hand so he can shut the bathroom door. When he turns back, his gaze feels so much heavier than it has before—so heavy, I take a step back, retreating out of some instinct I don’t entirely understand.
Jasper advances just as quickly, reaching for my waist and easily halting my retreat.
My heart pounds. He’s so close, I can feel the heat rolling off his powerful body, smell the scent of him on his clothes.
I didn’t notice how tall he was until right now, tilting my head back to meet his gaze.
God, the intensity of this man’s gaze. When he wants to, he can stare a hole straight through to your soul.