Falling In (The Surrender Trilogy 1)

Her fingers ran over the material, softer than a whisper. She had never slept in something like that. What if there was a fire and she had to get out of the building quickly?

Lucian cleared his throat. “I’ll be in and out all morning and probably won’t see you until just before our dinner tomorrow night. Everything you need you should have. It’s a formal affair, so one of the gowns we bought today should do. The girls at the salon have their instructions and if you need anything else I’ve left you the number to my assistant, Seth. He can answer any questions you have.”

After the intimate way they had spent their evening, his instructions struck her as awfully businesslike, jolting her conscience back to awareness of their arrangement. She nodded and stepped back, taking on what she hoped signified a more professional and refined position. Her expression sobered.

“Thank you for everything.” She wondered if she should address him as Mr. Patras now that they were being formal again.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. I expect you at my suite, ready to go, by six. Latch the door behind me.”

Remaining a safe distance behind, she followed him to the door. He stepped into the hall and hesitated as if he wished to say something. “Good night, Evelyn.”

“Good night.”

He turned away and Scout shut the door. Gently closing the latch, she exhaled for probably the first time since that morning. Had it really only been one day since she agreed to this? It had been the longest day of her life. And the strangest. And, if she was honest, the headiest.

She went to the bathroom and washed up. There was a basket of toiletries. She brushed her teeth and even flossed with the fancy little flossers provided. Her heavy eyes stared at the Jacuzzi tub longingly. She was so tired she’d likely drown if she took a bath. Sighing, she turned and went to the bedroom.

The empty drawer slid quietly open. Drawers! Never had any of them before. How bizarre her situation was.

A pang of guilt skewered her when she thought about Parker. He was likely worried sick about her. Lucian said her appointment was at ten. Scout was usually up way earlier than that. Her guilt eased as she decided she’d go see Parker in the morning and explain everything then.

She gently took off her delicately sewn, expensive clothing and laid it out in an empty drawer. Her toes tapped as she eyeballed the little nightgown on the bed. In her old bag she found her worn-in jeans, slid them over her legs and attached her money belt to her waist, then slid the nightgown over top. It was so soft it was like being nude.

Her tired body climbed into the bed and crawled under the heavy covers.

“Holy fucking shit!” she moaned. She was sleeping on a cloud.

Chapter 10

Temper

Scout woke at five, her body used to getting up for work. The first thing she did was sigh blissfully when she realized she wasn’t dead and the reason her body didn’t ache was simply that she’d slept on the most decadent bed in the world. Scrambling up, she rushed into the bathroom and filled the tub.

In the basket of toiletries she found bubble bath, bath salts, shower gels, soaps, some gritty stuff she couldn’t read the name of, and various other potions and lotions. She hadn’t a clue how to use such things or in what order they should be used, so she simply waited for the tub to fill and dumped them inside.

When she pressed the button for the jets they roared to life and everything began to churn and bubble. She hastily removed her clothes and climbed in the warm soothing bath.

Sweet mother of all that is holy!

With her body in the water, she giggled. The soaps and salts gave the water a satin feel. She simply luxuriated in it for a long while. As the water grew cold, her pruned fingers unplugged the drain and filled the tub with fresh water. The dirt washed away from her skin and it was like nothing she ever imagined. She was finally, for the first time she could ever recall, fully clean.

Her gaze found the basket on the counter, then moved down to her legs. She lifted her arms and frowned. After only a few minutes of consideration, she climbed out of the tub and dribbled over to the basket. It was cold outside of the water. She quickly found the razor and shaving cream and jumped back in the tub.

Scout examined both objects. Luckily, there was a little folded paper stuck to the shaving cream with pictures on it. Shaving couldn’t be that complicated.

Popping the cap off, she squirted some of the cream in her palm. It smelled like peaches and was actually more like jelly than cream. Her finger spread it around and it turned white and fluffy.