The Struggle
Page 37
My lips parted. So many words rose and died on the tip of my tongue. I stopped thinking—thinking about everything. Scooting over, I lifted the covers for him. Seth didn’t hesitate for a moment. Within a blink of an eye, he was in the bed, his body curled so he was facing me. There were a few inches between us, but my heart was pounding like there was nothing separating us.
Before . . . before everything happened, there wouldn’t even be a scant inch between us. Seth was a very physical person. A cuddler. But maybe he worried that he’d accidentally hurt me by holding me close. Or maybe he sensed that I . . . that I wasn’t ready for that kind of closeness.
He was silent as he placed his right hand in the space between us. My gaze fell to where his palm was flipped up, waiting. My heart started thundering against my ribs. Closing my eyes, I reached down and placed my left hand over his.
Seth curled his fingers around mine and he held on.
Chapter 20
Seth
“You sure you’re up for this?”
Josie was standing on the tips of her toes, trying to see over my shoulder. Basil was out in the hallway, waiting to be of some sort of service, so he was just standing there.
Really needed to get him a computer with an internet connection.
Her blue eyes darted to mine only briefly. “Yes. I feel better.”
I studied her closely. She only looked marginally better. The bruises had faded a shade or two. The patches of clear skin were still too pale and the heavy shadows under her eyes were present.
She didn’t look ready.
Josie bit down on her lower lip as her gaze found mine again. “Seriously. I’m okay. I can leave this room.”
After she fallen asleep beside me, she’d woken up a few hours later, like she had before, in the throes of a nightmare, struggling and screaming. I’d held her through it, smoothing my hand up and down her spine and whispering in her ear until she quieted and fell back to sleep.
I didn’t think she remembered.
I did.
Hearing those screams was something I’d never forget. They’d embedded themselves deep inside me. Unable to fall back asleep, I’d lain there fantasizing about slowly, painfully dismembering every single Titan with only a rusty butter knife.
“You can’t keep me in this room,” she said, crossing her arms.
Despite how dark my thoughts had turned, I was thrilled to see that she was a little more like her old self this morning. “You do realize that I could easily keep you in this room.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’d like to see you try.”
That was hot.
Hell, everything about her was hot. Josie had slept through the rest of yesterday and all night, waking only for that nightmare. When I’d woken up this morning, which had only been about an hour ago, I’d done so with a raging hard-on. Kind of felt like a creep about it, but I couldn’t help it. After the nightmare, I dozed back off holding her close. She’d gotten turned around and her ass was pressed against my dick, and I was a male, so it happened.
All right. It wasn’t just because I was a male.
I’d missed her—missed looking at her, listening to her voice and her laugh, and I’d freaking missed touching her. Gods, had I ever missed touching her. Even right now it took everything in me not to have an arm around her shoulders. I wanted her under me and I wanted me in her. I wanted to lock her in this room for a month and that desire had nothing to do with making sure she was well-rested.
But I did hold back, because I knew Josie wasn’t ready for any of that. I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure she was being honest about all that had happened to her during her captivity. Even if she was, she’d been through some shit and then she’d come to me, and the first thing she’d seen was me feeding. The last thing she needed was for me to be all over her like a boy who just discovered he had a functional dick.
Sighing, I stepped aside and extended my arm toward the door, bowing. “After you, Kyría.”
Josie shot me a narrowed-eyed look that brought a slight smile to my lips. The black linen pants and tank top Basil had scrounged up were a size too small. Not that I was complaining. The thin pants hugged her ass quite nicely. I was enjoying the view, but in the back of my head, I was stressing about how Josie hadn’t said she loved me in return yesterday. That had not gotten past me unnoticed. Her steps slowed as she entered the hallway and stared at Basil. She seemed to hesitate, obviously unsure of how to handle him.
I joined her. “We’re going to take a quick tour of the house.”
Basil nodded. “Your other guests are currently in the kitchen, Kýrios. I explained that we have staff more than willing to make them breakfast, but they insisted on doing so themselves.”
“That’s fine. They can have free run of the place.”
He nodded. “Additional clothing for the kyría should be arriving by this afternoon.”
“Perfect.” I grinned down at Josie.
She was staring at Basil with wide eyes even as the half bowed and walked off. She turned to me. “That is so weird. Like, really weird. I mean, it’s like having a butler. He’s like always there, just waiting to do stuff for you.”
“He has to be bored out of his mind. I don’t really have him do much. Same goes for any of the staff here. Using them as servants doesn’t . . . sit well with me even though they seem to want to be here.”
Her head cocked to the side, causing her long hair to tumble over her shoulder. “But you grew up with servants, didn’t you?”
I nodded. “This entire house used to be filled with them.” I had to touch her, so I placed my hand on her lower back, urging her to take a step forward. “This is the third floor. There are only a few bedrooms up here,” I explained, ushering her down the hall. “If you go in the other direction you can go out on the balconies. They circle the entire home.”
“Wow.” Her gaze darted over the closed doors that used to lead to my bedroom and to my mother’s. “Does anyone use these rooms?”
“No. They are closed off.” Steering her away from those rooms, I led her down the wide hall, toward the spiral staircase that emptied into the atrium on the first floor. “The second floor is mostly guest bedrooms. There’s also a living room that no one used when I was younger and I’m assuming no one uses now.”
Josie’s gaze was bouncing all over the place as we descended the stairs, bypassing the second floor. She was fascinated with the statues and paintings of the gods. By the time we reached the main level, she appeared thunderstruck. “Okay. Why in the world would you guys need a house this big? I mean, it was just you and your mom, right?”
“People who have money like to show off the fact they have money.” I led her toward the back of the house, passing several white-clothed staff who’d paused to bow deeply, causing Josie’s face to flush. “My mother would have a lot of parties and the . . . guests would stay for several weeks, months even. That’s the library to your right. Main living room is to your right beyond that. A theater room connects off of it.”
“A theater room?” she mumbled, shaking her head as we neared the hallway that led to the kitchen and the scent of frying bacon. “When you say ‘guests,’ you say it like they weren’t really guests.”
I shrugged as we crossed into the sunroom. “They were mostly other pures and . . . lovers.” A wry grin appeared. “Mother got around.”
Her stare sharpened as she trailed her fingertips over the wide leaf of one of the many potted plants situated among the comfy, oversized chairs and chaise lounges. “So your mom had a lot of lovers?”
Nodding, I stepped in front of her and opened the door that led out to the shaded patio. “This way leads to the courtyard. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes.” She followed me out into the balmy breeze. “Your father was one of her lovers.”
“That’s how I was made.”
Her eyes rolled. “Well, duh.” She glanced up at the churning ceiling fans. “Did you father stay here?”
Wondering how we got on the topic of my parents. I didn’t respond as I stepped off the patio and into the bright sunlight. I headed down the marble pathway, making my way into the middle of the courtyard.
Before . . . before everything happened, there wouldn’t even be a scant inch between us. Seth was a very physical person. A cuddler. But maybe he worried that he’d accidentally hurt me by holding me close. Or maybe he sensed that I . . . that I wasn’t ready for that kind of closeness.
He was silent as he placed his right hand in the space between us. My gaze fell to where his palm was flipped up, waiting. My heart started thundering against my ribs. Closing my eyes, I reached down and placed my left hand over his.
Seth curled his fingers around mine and he held on.
Chapter 20
Seth
“You sure you’re up for this?”
Josie was standing on the tips of her toes, trying to see over my shoulder. Basil was out in the hallway, waiting to be of some sort of service, so he was just standing there.
Really needed to get him a computer with an internet connection.
Her blue eyes darted to mine only briefly. “Yes. I feel better.”
I studied her closely. She only looked marginally better. The bruises had faded a shade or two. The patches of clear skin were still too pale and the heavy shadows under her eyes were present.
She didn’t look ready.
Josie bit down on her lower lip as her gaze found mine again. “Seriously. I’m okay. I can leave this room.”
After she fallen asleep beside me, she’d woken up a few hours later, like she had before, in the throes of a nightmare, struggling and screaming. I’d held her through it, smoothing my hand up and down her spine and whispering in her ear until she quieted and fell back to sleep.
I didn’t think she remembered.
I did.
Hearing those screams was something I’d never forget. They’d embedded themselves deep inside me. Unable to fall back asleep, I’d lain there fantasizing about slowly, painfully dismembering every single Titan with only a rusty butter knife.
“You can’t keep me in this room,” she said, crossing her arms.
Despite how dark my thoughts had turned, I was thrilled to see that she was a little more like her old self this morning. “You do realize that I could easily keep you in this room.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’d like to see you try.”
That was hot.
Hell, everything about her was hot. Josie had slept through the rest of yesterday and all night, waking only for that nightmare. When I’d woken up this morning, which had only been about an hour ago, I’d done so with a raging hard-on. Kind of felt like a creep about it, but I couldn’t help it. After the nightmare, I dozed back off holding her close. She’d gotten turned around and her ass was pressed against my dick, and I was a male, so it happened.
All right. It wasn’t just because I was a male.
I’d missed her—missed looking at her, listening to her voice and her laugh, and I’d freaking missed touching her. Gods, had I ever missed touching her. Even right now it took everything in me not to have an arm around her shoulders. I wanted her under me and I wanted me in her. I wanted to lock her in this room for a month and that desire had nothing to do with making sure she was well-rested.
But I did hold back, because I knew Josie wasn’t ready for any of that. I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure she was being honest about all that had happened to her during her captivity. Even if she was, she’d been through some shit and then she’d come to me, and the first thing she’d seen was me feeding. The last thing she needed was for me to be all over her like a boy who just discovered he had a functional dick.
Sighing, I stepped aside and extended my arm toward the door, bowing. “After you, Kyría.”
Josie shot me a narrowed-eyed look that brought a slight smile to my lips. The black linen pants and tank top Basil had scrounged up were a size too small. Not that I was complaining. The thin pants hugged her ass quite nicely. I was enjoying the view, but in the back of my head, I was stressing about how Josie hadn’t said she loved me in return yesterday. That had not gotten past me unnoticed. Her steps slowed as she entered the hallway and stared at Basil. She seemed to hesitate, obviously unsure of how to handle him.
I joined her. “We’re going to take a quick tour of the house.”
Basil nodded. “Your other guests are currently in the kitchen, Kýrios. I explained that we have staff more than willing to make them breakfast, but they insisted on doing so themselves.”
“That’s fine. They can have free run of the place.”
He nodded. “Additional clothing for the kyría should be arriving by this afternoon.”
“Perfect.” I grinned down at Josie.
She was staring at Basil with wide eyes even as the half bowed and walked off. She turned to me. “That is so weird. Like, really weird. I mean, it’s like having a butler. He’s like always there, just waiting to do stuff for you.”
“He has to be bored out of his mind. I don’t really have him do much. Same goes for any of the staff here. Using them as servants doesn’t . . . sit well with me even though they seem to want to be here.”
Her head cocked to the side, causing her long hair to tumble over her shoulder. “But you grew up with servants, didn’t you?”
I nodded. “This entire house used to be filled with them.” I had to touch her, so I placed my hand on her lower back, urging her to take a step forward. “This is the third floor. There are only a few bedrooms up here,” I explained, ushering her down the hall. “If you go in the other direction you can go out on the balconies. They circle the entire home.”
“Wow.” Her gaze darted over the closed doors that used to lead to my bedroom and to my mother’s. “Does anyone use these rooms?”
“No. They are closed off.” Steering her away from those rooms, I led her down the wide hall, toward the spiral staircase that emptied into the atrium on the first floor. “The second floor is mostly guest bedrooms. There’s also a living room that no one used when I was younger and I’m assuming no one uses now.”
Josie’s gaze was bouncing all over the place as we descended the stairs, bypassing the second floor. She was fascinated with the statues and paintings of the gods. By the time we reached the main level, she appeared thunderstruck. “Okay. Why in the world would you guys need a house this big? I mean, it was just you and your mom, right?”
“People who have money like to show off the fact they have money.” I led her toward the back of the house, passing several white-clothed staff who’d paused to bow deeply, causing Josie’s face to flush. “My mother would have a lot of parties and the . . . guests would stay for several weeks, months even. That’s the library to your right. Main living room is to your right beyond that. A theater room connects off of it.”
“A theater room?” she mumbled, shaking her head as we neared the hallway that led to the kitchen and the scent of frying bacon. “When you say ‘guests,’ you say it like they weren’t really guests.”
I shrugged as we crossed into the sunroom. “They were mostly other pures and . . . lovers.” A wry grin appeared. “Mother got around.”
Her stare sharpened as she trailed her fingertips over the wide leaf of one of the many potted plants situated among the comfy, oversized chairs and chaise lounges. “So your mom had a lot of lovers?”
Nodding, I stepped in front of her and opened the door that led out to the shaded patio. “This way leads to the courtyard. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes.” She followed me out into the balmy breeze. “Your father was one of her lovers.”
“That’s how I was made.”
Her eyes rolled. “Well, duh.” She glanced up at the churning ceiling fans. “Did you father stay here?”
Wondering how we got on the topic of my parents. I didn’t respond as I stepped off the patio and into the bright sunlight. I headed down the marble pathway, making my way into the middle of the courtyard.
