The Wrong Side of Heaven

Chapter 15

Jay

We're late after I promised her we'd be here for her. The door in the stairwell was locked for some unknown reason so we had to wait for one of our men to come free us. I burst into room 308 to find his head buried between her legs while she's handcuffed to the bed in all of her naked glory. My men quickly apprehend Jeremiah and I notice Isabel pressing her legs together in an attempt to hide herself. I dismiss my men from the room before walking around the bed. I pull the blanket over her to give her some privacy. The key is sitting on the nightstand so I carefully free her hands. She refuses to look at me and it hurts. I failed her. "I'm so sorry," I say softly, my voice filled with regret.

I never should've allowed her to do this. She sits up. I can't resist. I sit beside her and pull her onto my lap while managing to keep the blanket on her. She curls up against my chest and I hold her tightly. Several minutes pass before I kiss the top of her head. "We need to go before his men come up."

She nods as I place her back on the bed beside me. I search for her belongings, frowning when I find her clothing ripped. I pull my black t-shirt off and help her put it on. After collecting her belongings, I take her hand and lead her outside. We get into the BMW and I race back to the house while glancing over to check on her occasionally. She's too quiet for my liking. I need to know what happened. When we get to the house, I take her hand once again as we walk inside. My men are still away with the task of getting some answers out of Jeremiah so we have the house to ourselves for now. While I originally intended on meeting them, I know now that I don't be leaving her side. We enter her bedroom and I release her hand to go into the bathroom. I run her a bath as I empty my pockets and place my gun onto the counter. Isabel appears in the mirror behind me and I try to read her but she gives nothing away. I turn around and open my arms. I fully expect her to ignore me. Instead, she walks forward all and fills my arms while laying her head on my bare chest. I hold her tightly against me while nuzzling my nose into her hair. "Are you okay?" I ask softly. She nods a little but I can't take that for an answer. I need to hear her voice. "Tell me."

"I'm okay."

Her voice sounds normal but I'm not sure I believe her just yet. I release her to stop the running water. Much to my surprise, she pulls the shirt off and steps right into the warm water. I guess I've seen her completely nude at this point so there's really no sense in hiding. She has a magnificent body. The image of Jeremiah in bed with her angers me. He shouldn't doesn't deserve to luxury of seeing her in all of her naked glory. He doesn't deserve to touch her. To kiss her. To taste her. I sit on the edge of the bathtub and watch as she washes her face. The mascara is stubborn so I grab a washcloth and dip it in the water before gently wiping the makeup off her face. "Did he..." I trail off, unsure of which words to use. "Are you sure you're okay?

She sighs. "I'm fine. I didn't think you guys would make it in time."

I frown as fold the washcloth to get a cleaner area before wiping away her lipstick. Seeing her all dressed up tonight was a big change from her usual attire. While she definitely looked good, I am a bigger fan of her natural beauty. Women pay big money to try to look as beautiful as her. "I'm sorry, Isabel. There are no excuses for being so late. We should have planned better. If something would have happened to you I never would've forgiven myself."

She places her hand on my thigh, looking up at me through her lashes. "I'm okay. I wanted to help and I'm glad I was able to. I was just scared."

My body aches for hers. I want to climb in and hold her but after what just happened, not only would I scare her even more but I'd be crossing a line that can't be uncrossed. If I can't join her, I'll participate from outside of the tub. "I'll be right back."