23

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The rest of the bath was a blur, I zoned out and let the water warm me as Seth helped my lips turn from blue back to pink.

Seth helped me out of the water once it cooled, he offered to refill it again but I declined. I knew he was just saving me so he could bring me back to Hunter and I didn't want to prolong the inevitable any further.

I watched as he turned around giving me some privacy, I was thankful and I quickly wrapped myself in a towel. "Take off your panties and bra too." He added and the way he said it made my heart pound, not out of fear or anything but just his voice... it was so comforting and deep and rich. I listened to him, not wanting them clinging to my body anymore.

My hair was still sopping wet and when he turned around he chuckled, it was a warm sound and it sent a shiver down my body. He came behind me with another towel and wrapped it around my hair. Gently massaging my scalp, until finally he grabbed my brush from the sink and began to comb through the tangled strands.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked and he stayed quiet until I heard him mumble what sounded like "I don't know."

I guided myself to the bedroom and stood on the warm rug, digging my toes into it to try and root me into place so I could stay here forever and not have to go with him.

Seth walked up to me, his eyes filled with an emotion I couldn't read. He grabbed my shoulders firmly, I pulled my towel tighter around my body. "You can never do that again." His voice was stern and my eyes were burning with tears. Why does he care?

My only thought now was that he would hurt Sophia and Alec and I needed to get out of there. "Please... I'll go with you. Just don't hurt my friends." His expression looked confused for a moment and then a half-smile crept up his face.

"Get changed and meet me on the deck." He said as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and walked out of the room.

My eyes darted around, looking for an escape route but it was fruitless. My friends, what if he stays and hurts them. I couldn't take that chance so I took off my towel and quickly threw a yellow summer dress over my body and slipped on some underwear.

The door was broken, so I just walked right through. I looked to Seth, he had no shirt on. I looked to the ground and it was in a wet heap at his feet... he must have gotten it soaked when he bathed me. A chill raked through my body and the more clear my thoughts the more I wanted to slink into a hole.

I tried not to admire his tattoos but I couldn't help it. It had been so long, and I'm only human. Once I got back to Hunter I knew it would only be about serving him, so I took a moment to trace my eyes around his lean frame. The way the black ink looked against his tan skin was drool-worthy, the golden light from the deck accentuated everything about him. His dark hair, his lean frame, everything. He coughed and I hesitantly peeled my eyes away.

"Like what you see, Esme?" His voice was deep and when I looked into his eyes, I saw he was raking his eyes slowly up and down my body. not caring he said, "I know I do."

My turn to cough. "So, what happened to the door?" I gestured to the broken hinges that lay on the ground in a twisted pile of metal. He shrugged "I guess you were out of it." His tone was deep and serious. "I had to get you inside somehow."

I wanted to tell him the door was unlocked but I decided to sit instead. He placed his elbows on the table and I admired how tall he was, him leaning over the table this way... he was only a foot away from my face. I sunk back into my chair to avoid his blazing eyes.

"I want to ask you some questions." He said and I nodded, avoiding looking into his eyes. He brought his hand to my face and gently cupped my chin bring it upward, forcing me to look into those green eyes of his. "Now, if you don't look at me I won't be able to tell if you're lying, will I?"

"How would you know if I was lying by my eyes?" I asked with a laugh.

One-shoulder shrug "I'm trained to know when people are telling the truth. Besides, the eyes give away everything." His glare was intense and it made me feel like we were in a small room, not a deck that was in the open air.

I actually didn't mind, I liked looking into his emerald eyes. They were endless. I know he's the man coming to find me and drag me back to hell but again, I'm only human. The torment I've dealt with has changed me, I loathe having to go back to him but it's like Hunter always said: "You're mine till the day you die."

Seth tilted his head, his dark hair slightly falling onto his face.. then the interrogation began.

Seth sat casually in his chair that he had placed directly in front of me. His legs apart and his elbows on his knees while his head was placed in his enclosed fist. He looked at me intently before he spoke "You're well aware your boyfriend hired me to find you. You're a clever girl by the way." He smiled and I nodded in agreement.

I let out a long sigh "I would rather just hit the road before my friends get back."

"They drank too much; they're staying in the city tonight." He smiled and I looked at him curiously, my eyebrows raised. "You left your phone unlocked." He shrugged.

I didn't want to play a game "Look, truly. I just don't want them to get harmed because he wants me back. Can we just go? I won't run. Now that I know he knows where I am... it is what it is." I held back my tears but one escaped, I saw his eyes trail down as it fell down my face. He reached his hand out but when he realized what he was doing he pulled it back and bit his lip.

"I'm not taking you anywhere. I need to see what I'm dealing with here." His face was unreadable underneath the golden lights from the porch. The air was warm against my skin but the sea breeze made me shiver, that, and his unwavering gaze.

I laughed, "I have no money, I can't pay you as much as he will, How much is he paying you by the way?"

His Canadian accent was thick and deep. "Forget about that. He doesn't know where you are. I found you on my own." It was comforting that Hunter wasn't aware of my location but... could I trust Seth? I studied his face and he looked at me, and it was there, he wasn't going to take me back to Hunter, he was going to use me.

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sooooo, sweet cliffhanger init..........

I would really like covers made by my readers sent to me, so I could review them.

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