Midnight Toxicity

17.

Drip...

Drip...

Drip...

Dribbling water from the faucet offset the music playing from my phone on the bathroom counter. The jets in the tub soothed my sore muscles, and for the first time in forever, I felt myself relaxing.

Breathing and just being.

I hummed along to a song under a washcloth. This was exactly what that prevert Dr. Moray should have prescribed instead of asking me for butt stuff. Thinking about him made me tense, so I quickly thought of something different. Except, the next person to pop into my mind was Ian fucking Johnson.

"Ugh," I groaned, kicking my feet through the swirling water. "Not him."

"Not him, who?"

I yelped in surprise, jutting upright. The cloth fell to reveal a gorgeous blonde man with sparkling green eyes. I gaped at him; my mind stuck on stupid as he leaned in the doorjamb without care.

"Who the fuck are you?" I demanded while jumping into a defensive stance, causing water to splatter everywhere.

He tilted his head, staring at my breasts with an amused smile. Men were so predictable. I wasn't a prude, but he had no business being in my hotel room or eyeing the goods.

"Answer me, asshole," I growled, climbing out of the tub to wrap a towel around my body, blocking off his view. "How did you get in here?"

He didn't respond, stuffing his fists in his pockets as though that would alleviate my panic. I took a moment to assess if he was a danger to me or not. The sleeves of his dress shirt were up, exposing defined arms, and the dark-washed jeans and size eleven boots screamed enforcer. This handsome stranger had busted into my room, lingering like a pervert before alerting me. How did I not hear the lock disengage?

"Shy?" I hissed, forcing myself to stand tall and proud. I refused to show fear. "Looking isn't free, no matter what they told you."

He let out a deep chuckle. "They said you bark and bite. Didn't say how funny you are, though."

Who was this creeper? I would remember this fine piece of man, especially the eyes. Next to Ian, this guy had the brightest olive-green hues I had ever seen. Were they even green? Sometimes I couldn't tell if I saw the right colors, but they stuck to my face like glue. We stared at each other for several awkward minutes before he cleared his throat, stepping away from the doorway.

He motioned for me to enter the suite. "Come sit inside."

I ran a hand through my dripping wet hair, wondering if I should scream my head off for Jack. "You need to leave."

He narrowed his eyes, slowly withdrawing his hands from his pants. "We will have a civilized conversation, Charlize. One way or another."

He knew my name. Which meant he was not here by mistake or pulling a random robbery. I jerked a nod, sliding past him to reach the other room. I spun on my heels, keeping him in my sights. He smiled once more, like my edginess entertained him.

"Do you have a name, or should I call you The Bath Stalker?" I sniffed, realizing I had nothing but a dirty dress to wear. I yanked the towel tighter around my bust, perching at the table near the door so he would not think I hoped to leave anytime soon. "If you're here, I must have fucked up."

"How can you tell?" His deep voice sent shivers down my spine.

I smirked, resting my elbows on the tabletop. "Women's intuition?"

He matched my smug smile, except he did it better.

I hated he was prettier than me. Already flustered at discovering a creep in my space, it pissed me off that this asshole could run from trouble after batting those sparkling peepers. He was quite older than me, but his angelic features put mine to shame.