Page 28 of Stains of Desire
"What?"
"You smell clean. But you're dirty." Light glimmers in his dark eyes.
I'll get as dirty with you as you want.
No. Keep my pants on at all times.
I'm not wearing any.
I cross and uncross then cross my legs, trying to get comfortable. "Santiago had some strange quirks." I turn to him, and his head is tilted toward my thighs. I clear my throat, and his head snaps up.
"Like what?" he asks.
"He has a fetish about women not having hair on their bodies and staying clean."
"What did he do to you?" Axel growls.
I hold my hands out. "Nothing like that. He doesn't believe real men rape women."
"They don't," Axel barks.
One point goes in the not-a-global-leader bucket.
But Santiago was one.
"Anyway, Santiago had us bathe daily in the river and shave."
"I see."
"His thug gave me clean clothes this morning after my bath, but nothing stood a chance in the pit."
He scowls. "What else did his thug do?"
"Nothing."
He seems genuinely upset, so I put my hand on his thigh.
"Honestly."
"Why did he kidnap you?"
"I don't know," I blurt out.
His jaw clenches. "You were with him for eighteen months. He didn't tell you why he abducted you the entire time?"
"No," I lie further. It's not a trait I enjoy, but I can't chance anything with Millie gone.
At first, I don't think he believes me. He gets up, and my insides quiver.
He knows I lied.
But he picks up a bottle of water, a metal basin, and towel. He kneels in front of me.
"What are you doing?"
His smug expression returns. "Cleaning the dirt off you. I'm assuming you're a woman who isn't normally full of dirt."
"Isn't that like most women?"
