Every Rose Has It's Thorn

Every Rose Has It's Thorn Pt 13

Word Count 2,089

I woke only as the door clicked shut and a bright light pierced through the lids of my closed eyes. My body began to writhe and kick as my voice did it’s best to spit out some sort of rational exclamations. It was only as my tired eyes locked with Colson’s that I realised I was safe and most definitely not being held captive anymore. My body relaxed again as his arms tightened around me and he moved across the familiar room.

It felt like years since I’d been here last but in reality it had only been a few months. My room in Slim's Tower. It was so clean, spacious…more so than I remembered. Without a second thought, my hand freed itself and reached for Colson’s cheeks, my fingers lingered there, on the cold, smooth skin of his cheekbone. His eyes softened for a split second before he glanced forward and continued walking towards the bathroom. Once there, he nudged the light switch with his shoulder and I blinked at the fluorescence of the lights.

“Too much?” He asked quietly as he sat me down on the worktops spread in front of the large mirror.

“No,” I cleared my throat and shook my head, “The lights are fine.” My breath was coming fast and shallow, burning my throat as I watched Colson shed his jacket and turn on the shower. Steam began to pool in the confines of the room as he shut the door and locked it with a flick of his wrist.

“What are you doing?” I asked as he took a few long, slow steps towards me until he was settled between my legs. I couldn’t help but flash back to the last time we’d been locked up in this bathroom.

He nodded to the mirror behind me and I reluctantly glanced over my shoulder; gasping when I took in my reflection. Dried blood was matted into my hair, drops patterned my face and shoulders – mixed in with my own dark bruises.

“Oh,” I muttered, dropping my eyes and turning myself back to face Colson. He remained silent as he began peeling the filthy gown from my shoulders; he reached around my back and undid the ties with his expert fingers before pulling it from my arms and casting it aside.

I studied my hands as I did my best to conjure my voice. “Do you think I’m a monster?” Colson maintained his silence, his hand reaching up to move my hair back over my shoulders. He set his fingers beneath my chin and lifted my face until it was just a breaths distance from his own.

“Stop,” He stated firmly, his eyes moving across my lips.

“I killed all of them, every one of them,” I shuddered, goosebumps beginning to appear on my bare skin.

“They deserved it,” Colson confirmed and I found his nonchalance surprisingly comforting. His hand left my face and moved to grasp my hand as he pulled me from my seat on the bathroom counter. My feet met the marble floor and he urged me over towards the shower. He pulled the door open and urged me inside. A glimmer of green reflected on the white tiles covering the walls before Colson stepped inside the shower behind me. My forehead was pressed against the wall, my eyes closed – but I could feel him there, his chest flush against my back and his hands grasped tightly at my waist. In one fluid motion, he spun me around until my face was buried in his scent. His muscles tensed as I breathed him in, my nose nuzzled in the firmness of his chest.

Colson’s hands travelled up my spine until they were tangled in my hair. It wasn’t until the bathroom filled with the scent of coconut that I realised he was washing me. As much as I was confused by the careful, gentle manner in which he was handling my damaged body – I allowed myself to relax into him. Before I had a chance to stop myself, dry sobs began to wrack my torso but not once did Colson stop washing me – carefully tugging at the knots in my hair with his lathered palms, smoothing the suds across my bloodied shoulders and using the pads of his thumbs to caress each scratch and bruise. I never wanted it to end; the delicious contact and affection was shielding me from the guilt of what I had done. Had those agents had families? Had they deserved what I had forced them to do? I couldn’t answer those questions. All I knew in this moment was that the most unlikely of people was here, soothing every doubt in my mind, every inch of pain and darkness was melting away with the soapy water and the feel of him so devilishly close.