Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
“It must’ve happened a lot.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “Some. Jealous?”
Loosening his grip, she sidestepped the embrace. “Despite what you think of me, I—”
“Goddamn, woman. You’ve got to stop putting thoughts in my head. I think nothing of you.”
It was her turn to be amused. “Nothing?”
He dragged his hands over his head. “You know what I mean. I don’t think you’re a prostitute, and even if you were, so what?”
“It’s just that…”
“What?”
“You’re confusing, and I’ve never…”
“Never what?” he asked, frustration bleeding into his voice.
“Never been with anyone but Doumar.”
His expression went through a kaleidoscope of shock, surprise, and then understanding. “Hold on. You still think I brought you here for sex?”
“Didn’t you?”
He smoothed his hands down her arms, causing a delicious shiver to run over her body. “I’d never bring you to a hotel for sex, not unless you ask me to.”
“Then why are we here?”
“So you can have a bath.”
“A bath? If you think I’m dirty—”
He cupped his palm over her mouth. “Shh. Damn, it’s going to be a tougher job working for your trust than I thought. This is about you soaking in bubbles.”
As his meaning registered, her tense jaw relaxed. “I’m sorry,” she said when he removed his hand, averting her eyes. “I just thought…”
“Enough with the thinking. Sit your cute butt over there on that chair while I run you a bath. Help yourself to a drink from the minibar if you like.”
When he disappeared into the adjoining bathroom, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to expel some of her suppressed tension. Bono was a contradiction of everything she knew. He was too kind, too gentle, and too trusting. Didn’t he know how dangerous she was? Everything inside of her screamed to run, to save the caring man in the bathroom from the ugly treachery she was committing. The only thing that gave her enough courage not to walk out of the room was the thought of her son. She took a can of soda from the minibar and drank deeply. The sugar would help to settle her nerves.
With thoughts of Niels’s sweet face, she inhaled another few times to calm herself, and entered the bathroom. Bono was bent over the bath, emptying a bottle of hotel bubble bath under the running tap. Lavender scented vapor filled the room. The sound of running water was soothing.
When the tub was full, he rolled up his sleeve and tested the water. “There you go.” He rummaged through the shelves, gathering towels and a candle. When the towels were arranged to his liking and the candle lit, he smiled at her. “All yours.”
As he pushed past her through the door, she took his hand. “Aren’t you staying?”
He cupped her nape and ran a thumb under her hairline. Trapped in the doorframe, her body was pushed up against his. Heat gathered between her thighs and her nipples hardened. The feeling caught her by surprise. She’d never been turned on for a man. His hard-on pressed against her stomach, reassuring her that he wasn’t unaffected.
“You can join me.” She slipped a hand between their bodies and over his crotch, caressing his impressive length. “I won’t mind.”
“This isn’t about me.” He removed her hand from his cock and planted a kiss on her palm. “This is about you.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Why the hell was she disappointed? First, she’d been upset when she believed he brought her here to fuck her, and now she was disappointed that he wasn’t going to fuck her. Bono was messing with her head. She had to be careful or he’d get under her skin.
He gave her a chaste kiss. “I’m next door if you need anything.”
Considerately, he closed the door behind him, giving her privacy.
She stripped naked and lowered herself into the warm water. She groaned with pleasure when the soothing heat enveloped her. She loved swimming, but she hadn’t seen the inside of a pool since she’d been with Doumar. Leaning her head on the rolled towel Bono had left on the edge of the tub, she closed her eyes in bliss. There hadn’t been a bath in her grandparents’ house. One day, when Niels and she were free, she would get them a home with a big bathroom, big enough to fit a corner tub, and she would run a bath with yellow plastic ducks and the fizzy bath balls she’d seen at a fancy shop in town for Niels every day.
She was almost dosing off when a knock on the door startled her.
“Are you covered?” Bono asked.
She scooped some of the bubbles over her private parts and called, “You can come in.”
Bono entered with a glass of wine, which he left on the side of the bath. “Something to help you relax.”
“Wait,” she said when he turned to leave. “Why are you doing this? If not for sex, why are you being kind to me?”