Reckless Souls (Saints Academy, #1)(70)

before was almost soothing in comparison to the realization that I was alone yet again. No fond

memories of being a happy and loved child. Nothing.

Quickly turning the shower on, I let the spray warm up as I strip out of my panties and oversized

tee, discarding them onto the floor without care, before the warm water hits my skin. My eyes fall

closed, my mouth open, my chest releasing a silent sigh, as I let the water beat against me, washing all

my troubles away for at least a few minutes.

I’m so lost in the mundane task of running the shower gel over every inch of my body, I don’t

realize there’s someone else in the bathroom until I go to place the bottle back, and a screech slips

from my lips in surprise.

“What the fuck, Xander?” My heart pounds in my chest as I try to catch my breath, but if my tone

is too harsh, you wouldn’t know it, not based on the casual shrug he offers as he eyes every inch of my

body.

In loose-fitted jeans, and a checkered black and gray shirt, he looks hot as fuck, his brown hair

messy and unkempt as he gives me a pointed stare, while he leans against the vanity. “You’ve been

avoiding me.”

It’s not a question, but a statement, one that passes his lips as he casts his gaze over my body again

from head to toe. I don’t shy away though, that’s not who I am. Besides, he had the pleasure of seeing

beneath my clothes the other day. I have the mark on my back, along with a few fingertip bruises on

my thighs to prove it.

“What do you want, Xander?” I ask, matching his stare with my own, refusing to be the one to

break first.

“Do you want my honest answer to that right now?” he retorts, quirking his full eyebrow at me

expectantly as he drags his tongue over his bottom lip, and I fucking shudder at what he’s insinuating.

It feels far too tempting, I mean, what could possibly go wrong after the other day anyway? I wish

I would have asked myself that question a few days ago but here we are. We’re already deep in this

together, but I need to understand more of what it means for us before I continue to venture down

whatever this path is with him.

His brown eyes seem to sparkle with a hint of amber flicking in his pupils, a reminder of the

beautiful beast beneath the surface, and it almost makes me smile. Almost.

Shaking my head, I’m about to tell him to get out, when he prowls toward me. One foot in front of

the other, he cuts the distance between us before I can interrupt.

My pulse thunders in my ears as he steps into the shower without concern, his hands finding my

hips before he pushes me back into the tiled wall. My back hits the cool surface and I peer up at him,

watching as the water cascades over his fully clothed body, but before I can even scramble over

something to say to him, his lips descend on mine. Rough, demanding, yet tender.

In the heat of the moment, I rise up on my tiptoes, attempting to meet him halfway, clearly just as

desperate as he is for the contact, but his grip tightens at my hips, forcing me back in place. Xander

runs his nose over the length of mine, his touch a complete contrast to the grip at my waist as water

runs through his hair, down his face, and seeps into his clothing.

“I’m trying to give you some space, Rhea. I want you to be okay with this, but more and more of

my senses are changing, my body absorbing the supernatural abilities that come with being a shifter.”

He pauses, waiting for me to understand that little bit of information before continuing. “One of those

things is my sense of hearing. I know you’ve been in your room the entire time, hiding and not eating,

and I refuse to let you treat yourself like that.” I gape at him, too consumed with his close proximity to

actually understand what the hell he’s saying as he looks me dead in the eye. “You’re mine now, Rhea.

Mine to care for, mine to cherish, and mine to fucking correct if you do something stupid or reckless,

and that includes starving yourself so you don’t have to run into my brothers and me.”

My protest is on my lips, ready to throw some excuse at him, but it’s lost when he finally brings

his full lips to mine, electricity zapping through my body as he presses against me. My hands lift to his

shoulders, running up his neck before finding his hair and raking my fingers over his scalp as I pull

him closer, desperate for more.

It seems I have zero control with this man, and right now, I don’t give a fuck.

Being this close to him all of a sudden completely obliterates all of the issues I had swarming my

mind earlier. At this moment, nothing matters but his touch.

As if sensing my thought, Xander deepens the kiss, running his tongue over my bottom lip, before



he pulls back, shutting the shower off without removing his gaze from mine.

I watch as his chest rises with every breath, his body just as affected as mine, and I revel in it.

Until he opens his goddamn fucking mouth.

“Eat or I’ll make you,” he grunts, releasing his hold on my hips and storming from the shower all

of a sudden. He leaves through Adonis’ door, and I’m not even able to pull myself off the tiled wall