The Criminal Soulmate

Chapter Twenty-Four

The bathroom door hadn't been locked. Dylan tried not to think of it, how he'd never heard the faint click. In her excitement, Leanna must've forgotten. Or, she'd grown to trust him enough to not worry about it.

Stop thinking about it, it means nothing.

Ten agonizing minutes later, she emerged, wearing nothing but a towel. Dylan could feel his pulse gain speed. He watched Leanna bend down to pick up her backpack, droplets of water beading on her upper back. Dylan jolted upward, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to his chest, placing it in his lap.

Shit.

Leanna turned to see what all the noise was about, a bewildered look on her face. She gave him a shy smile, holding up her backpack with one hand while keeping the towel in place with the other.

"Sorry, I forgot my stuff in here. I'll be right back out."

Dylan didn't breathe again until she disappeared back into the bathroom, the faint click on the handle echoing in the quiet room. The sound of the towel falling to the floor could be heard even from behind the closed door. Shutting his eyes, Dylan tried his best to think about something else. To take his mind off the fact that Leanna was standing less than twenty feet away from him, probably wearing nothing. It drove him insane.

"You'd better shower too!" Leanna shouted from the other side of the door. "This is meant to be romantic, I don't want to be embarrassed by the way you smell!"

Their first, and quite possibly last, date.

Tonight, after they'd had their date, Dylan planned on telling Leanna about her parents. He had no idea how she'd react, the thought tugging at the back of his mind, terrifying him. Perhaps she would end up hating him. Or, maybe she'd try once again to convince him to help her save them. Dylan had no clue.

It took another fifteen minutes before Leanna opened the bathroom door, coming out in a simple outfit. The jeans she wore were the last clean pair she had, and she wore the shirt she'd worn the second day they'd known each other.

"Do I look okay?" she asked, looking concerned. Her eyes fell to her left ankle, to where her tattoo was hidden beneath the denim.

Dylan remained glued to his spot on the bed, the pillow still in his lap. "You look absolutely beautiful."

"Why are you still sitting there? Go shower! It's going to be like ten at night by the time we leave at this rate." She paused when she saw him still sitting. Realization dawned on her face. "Are you—are you having your, uh, male issues again?"

Dylan nodded, feeling the heat burning his face.

"Honestly, Dylan, do you think I care about that anymore? I promise I won't stare at your crotch, just go get ready."

"You aren't helping," he said, still not moving.

"Well, guess what? You'll have to deal with that a lot with us being together. There's no reason to be embarrassed about it."

He didn't answer.

Leanna groaned, crossing the room and ripping the pillow out of his grip. She threw it to the side, clapping both hands over her eyes.

"See? I'm not looking. Now, get your ass in that bathroom and take a shower."

Dylan leapt from the bed, running to the bathroom and slamming the door shut. He turned on the showerhead, not bothering to put the warm water on. He removed his clothes, stepping into the fall of freezing water. Seconds later, he had to change the temperature. It felt blissful, taking a shower for the first time in almost a week. The soap the motel offered wasn't very fancy, but Dylan didn't care. He would bathe without any soap or shampoo at this point.