Hideout

S I X

In this chapter, evidences of someone else's damage is brought to the surface, if only fleetingly.

C H A P T E R  

S I X 

A D E L A I D E 

I sat against the headboard on the bed that I originally woke up in, my arms wrapped around my knees which were pulled to my chest. Leo was getting changed after rinsing off in his shower, leaving me alone. My throat ached and throbbed after what he did, and I had only just stopped crying.

My body jumped when my two bags were roughly dropped onto the bed. Leo unzipped them both and grinned at me, a mixture of excitement and determination.

"We're gonna go through these and take out everything you're using to hide yourself," he claimed. "Think of it as a type of... exposure therapy."

I didn't look up at him, instead gazing at the covers by my feet, trying not to be distracted by the fact he only had on jeans, his defined chest on full display.

Leo started finding all of my long sleeve shirts, dumping them onto the floor in a pile. Every few he would pick one to keep for when the weather got cold, but within five minutes, both of my bags were almost completely empty. Leo also ended up finding my stash of gloves, and my extra pair of sunglasses. The gloves went straight into the trash bin, and he held out my glasses to me.

"Take these," he said softly. "And I want you to break them apart."

I shook my head, burying my face in my knees sadly. He sighed and I heard the plastic snapping as he did it himself. "What's wrong, Adelaide?" Leo asked impatiently.

The bed dipped as he climbed on top of it, crawling until he was on his knees in front of me. I lifted my head cautiously, my eyes widening at the sight of his ripped chest. He moved up so he was towering on his knees, putting his hands on the top of the headboard on either side of me and leaning his face down so it was inches away from mine.

"I'd take you like this," he whispered hotly as my body was pressed against his. "I'd put a little pillow under your hips too, to make it easier on you." My lips parted in surprise when I realized what he was talking about. "I bet you like it deep, don't you, princess? I'll go slow at first, let get used to me, sweet little virgin. And once you did, I'd pound into your tightness so hard you'd be stuck in bed for a week. I'd worship every inch of your skin. Especially your pretty birthmarks."

I covered my head with my hands, squeezing my eyes shut as his words got more and more provocative. "Why are you doing this to me?" I snapped. "You're making me miserable."

He moved so we were eye to eye, and I couldn't stand to make eye contact with him, not when my eyes were filling up with tears again. Leo gasped quietly, knowing what was happening to me without needing to actually see it. "Did I break my little tiger?"

I pulled my knees tighter to my chest and didn't reply, looking away. Leo grabbed my chin tightly, jerking my face up to his. "Look at me when I talk to you."

"Can I go home?" I asked softly.

Leo's thumb stroked my jaw slowly, almost soothingly. "You are home, little one."

"B-but I-"

"It's time for dinner. Let's go. Our chef is incredibly talented and I know you'll like what he's made for us."