Grabbing her weapons, she went into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her. Setting them on the edge of the sink, she began to strip off her clothing. Her sweatshirt came first. She held it up by two fingers, disgusted with the smell. She’d sweat a lot walking in the heat all day and at the club tonight, not to mention she’d been through a few filthy alleyways and hidden in a dirty abandoned building. Her bra followed and she hung it carefully over the doorknob. Unfastening her jeans, she shimmied out of them and her underwear. Yanking off her socks, she tossed them aside before turning on the taps.
She made quick work of unwrapping the soap as she waited for the water to heat. Once it was at a comfortable level, she stepped into the shower stall. Who knew how long the hot water would last?
The spray hit her body and she sighed with pleasure as she ducked her head beneath the water. What she really wanted was a long soak in her clawfoot bathtub at home. It was an antique she’d found in a consignment store. She’d refinished the chipped enamel and installed it with her father’s help. The tub was deep and she loved to slide into its depths when it was filled with bubbles and relax after a hard day’s work. It was one of the few luxuries she allowed herself.
Picking up the plain bar of white soap, she ran it over her arms and legs, but was unable to work up more than a few small bubbles. Her breasts ached and her core throbbed, but she ignored the discomfort. As tempting as it was to touch her body, she refrained. That would give her temporary relief, but would make her hornier in the long run.
For some reason, when Joshua had touched her it had felt different, had quieted some of the hormones raging through her system. At least temporarily.
Sighing, she scrubbed the soap over her torso, gritting her teeth when she washed her breasts. Her nipples were tight and red, begging to be stroked. Washing between her legs was a special kind of torture. The folds of her sex were hot and slick before the water even touched them. She groaned as her inner muscles tightened. Swaying, she groped for the wall, steadying herself as the wave of longing passed over her.
Alex pushed away from the wall and finished washing. Her feet were red, with several raw patches at her ankles and on the sides. Her boots weren’t made for walking long distances like she had today, but there was nothing to be done about it.
She stepped out from under the spray long enough to rub the soap over her scalp. It took a while to get any kind of lather, but she persevered, rubbing her scalp vigorously. When she felt clean, she stepped beneath the quickly cooling spray, letting it wash all the soap from her hair and her body.
Knowing she shouldn’t linger, she turned off both taps and grabbed one of the towels. She dried her body before wrapping it around herself and tucking the end over her breasts. Seeing no help for it, she reluctantly tugged her socks back on, being careful not to hit the sore spots. They might be dirty, but they were better than walking barefoot on the carpet.
She debated washing her underwear, but decided against it. If they had to make a run for it in the dead of night she wanted her underwear. Stupid as it sounded, she felt more vulnerable without them. Grabbing her panties, she tugged them on. She scooped up the rest of her clothing in one hand, her weapons in the other, and opened the bathroom door.
The steam followed her into the bedroom. She was still tired, but at least she felt better.
A metallic sound reached her ears just as she noticed the handle of the outside door begin to turn. Someone was at the door.
Dropping her clothing and the knives, she gripped the gun in both hands, aiming straight for the door. Her heart pounded, but her hands were steady as she faced the latest threat.
The lock clicked and the door began to move inward. Alex’s finger tightened on the trigger. The door opened wider. Alex bit her bottom lip and waited. She’d only get one good shot.
A flat, square box came into her line of vision before the man did. Joshua looked as stunned as she was sure she must, freezing just inside the door. “Alex?”
She shuddered, lowering the gun. He shoved the door closed with his foot as he set a bag and the pizza box on the table. Calmly, he locked the door. How dare he be nonchalant about this. “I could have shot you!”
Joshua shrugged, his massive shoulders moving slowly up and down. “I knocked and called out. I just assumed you’d heard me.”
“I was in the bathroom.”
“So I see.” He narrowed his eyes as he scanned her bare shoulders, his gaze dipping down between her breasts where the towel was anchored. His gaze continued downward over her torso and across her bare legs, all the way to her sock-clad feet. She was perfectly covered, but somehow his stare left her feeling as if she were naked before him. She felt slightly breathless and achy. Her panties were getting damper by the second and it had nothing to do with the moisture left over by her shower.
“I was perfectly all right.” Even to her own ears, her voice sounded breathy, almost flirty. She cleared her throat. “I had the gun next to me the whole time.”
“Nothing to be done about it now.” He turned away and opened the bag. Perversely, the fact that he wasn’t outwardly annoyed with her made her angry. She felt as if she’d let him down in some way. She’d much rather deal with his anger than have him disappointed with her.
“Look, I wasn’t stupid about it. I took precautions.” Great, now she sounded like a belligerent child when what she wanted to sound like was the mature, sensible woman she was.
“I would have preferred you’d waited, Alex. Or if I’d known you wanted a shower that badly, I could have gotten our food afterwards. I just don’t like the idea of you being that vulnerable is all.”
She heard it then. That note in his voice that told her he was berating himself for not anticipating what she would do. He figured he should have known even before she did what she was going to do. It annoyed her. “I told you earlier this evening that you weren’t God.”
“So you did.” Pulling something out of the bag, he tossed it to her. She caught it reflexively in her free hand, curious as to what it was. It was definitely some form of clothing. She laid the Glock on the bed and shook out the fabric. It was a white T-shirt with “Gino’s Authentic Italian Pizza” written in blazing red across the front. “I thought you might want something clean to wear.”
“Thank you.” She clutched it to her chest. Once again, he’d done something incredibly sensitive. It hadn’t even occurred to her he would think to get something like this for her.
He shrugged. “It’s nothing. You should put it on and come eat before the pizza gets cold.” He was watching her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. “I promise I didn’t get anything yucky.”
She smiled at him, feeling as if he’d given her the world instead of just a T-shirt and pizza. It was the fact he’d thought of the shirt in the first place and tailored the pizza to suit her tastes that moved her. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”
Hurrying to the bathroom, she slammed the door behind her.
The second the door closed, Joshua let out a pent-up breath. His temples were pounding. Slamming his fist through the wall while he howled sounded like a good way to release some of his fury, but he did neither. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized she’d take a shower as soon as he was gone. If he hadn’t been so concerned with getting some food for her, if he’d only thought the situation through, he’d have guessed she’d want to get clean after everything she’d been through today.
Instead, Alex had left herself open and vulnerable while he’d been gone.